The witch was drinking.
On the table sat a bottle with a fine label. In the glass, a crimson liquid. Probably wine.
On a small plate were slices of colorful cheese.
Outside the observatory, all I could see was a field of twinkling stars and the dark, gently rippling surface of the water.
Come to think of it, this was the first time I'd seen a sight like this in this world.
In my memories from my past life, I'd seen something similar over the sea at night.
A dark, featureless ocean swaying under the night sky—between that and the sound of waves, it was nothing but terrifying.
The witch's cheeks were faintly flushed and her eyes glistened.
One fox ear stood straight up while the other drooped lazily.
Her three tails were tucked beneath her as she sat on them.
She ran a hand lightly through her lustrous silver hair, letting it flow.
The sheer black dress was, as always, practically a negligee.
"Good evening. Can't you sleep either, witch?"
"Mm-hmm. That's right. But see, this is because I slept during the day."
She flashed a mischievous grin. Right—the witch had been dead asleep during the afternoon.
She hadn't even eaten lunch. She'd only woken up about an hour before the dumpling party.
So for her, she'd eaten quite a lot.
The witch suddenly tapped the seat next to her with her hand.
I sat down there.
"The stars... are really something"
I murmur my impression of the view from the front. I love the starry sky in this world.
And a starry sky shared with someone is irreplaceable.
"Hey, hey, young Wof. How was this trip? Did it suit you?"
The witch asks, swirling her wine glass.
I gave a wry smile.
"A lot happened."
"Mm-hmm. Quite a lot did happen."
Too much happened, if anything.
Most of it was behind-the-scenes stuff from the improvised Wolf Pack Volume 2 with Agaro and the others.
And it even seemed like it might trail along back to Heizen.
The Sword Goddess's daughter is going to be trouble.
"I'm sure there will be plenty more to come, too."
"Mm-hmm. Indeed. Plenty, plenty."
The witch takes a sip of wine. Her lips turn red.
I was going clink. Tap. I had resolved to live a slightly more plus-sign slow life.
Not so much a resolve as a vague determination.
Even with memories from my past life and four Relics, I myself am nothing special.
Well, I still think that, but apparently my life just isn't going to work out that way.
That's partly my own fault, but when it comes to whether I dislike my current life — not at all.
I always thought I'd live alone for a long time.
Well, I did think that once I grew up, I'd at least want to marry someone nice.
That seemed difficult enough too, but I wanted to find ordinary happiness. That's what I used to think.
"Witch. Thank you."
"My my, what's this all of a sudden? What brings on the thanks?"
"I'm really glad I met you, Witch."
I spoke honestly from the heart.
The Witch's mouth fell half open, her eyes going wide in surprise, before she smiled.
"Well, well. My my. Kon was also really glad to have met young Wof."
"Is that so?"
"Hehe, hehe. You see, Kon — things happened and I came to hate people. So I started living deep in the forest to avoid running into anyone as much as possible. I'd do the occasional job when asked, and otherwise just stayed shut in. It was lonely, but I thought that was fine. And then I met young Wof, who hated people even more than Kon did."
"I — well, yeah, that's true."
That I hated people — well, it wasn't wrong.
But the Witch hating people — the Witch let out a giggle, covering her mouth with her hand.
"But now, now — I'm so, so happy. Mineha. Juicy. Pakira. Riv. Lupinus. Bid. Munieka. Chive. Shiro. Shaldina. Annakroitsen. Aliceslotte. Maikahori. Seisrandira. Portdrew. Neinmenea. Anstanshiru. Akindura. Arifa. Narcissus. Dova. Shesh. Syu. Sedichi. Emmy. Megadia. Luriha. Zerena — I've been able to form bonds with so many people."
"Um, that's..."
The Witch rattled them off so fast it was startling.
They were all people's names. Names I recognized, every one.
She also said she'd given bracelets to most of them.
"Mhm, mhm. Kon's bath buddies."
"A bath... I- I see..."
That's why all the names in the lineup were women.
There were teleportation gates installed at the witch's house, the Tasan family villa, and the lab.
My house was being used as a relay point, forming the route.
Even so, had that many people really been bathing here?
As I thought—the witch hadn't come to hate people.
She
didn't
hate
people.
She
just
wished
she
could.
That
was
all.
"Kon feels that this has been a very, very meaningful exchange. That's why trips like this became possible, and that's why we wanted to go visit acquaintances in Heizen."
"Acquaintances, huh..."
I remember now that she had said there was someone.
"Way, way back... just an old acquaintance. If it were the Kon from a little while ago — the Kon before she met young Wof — she wouldn't have even thought about wanting to see them."
"What kind of person are they?"
"Hmm, hmm. What kind... right. Heh heh heh, that's something you'll have to find out for yourself."
"...Understood. I'll look forward to it."
I'd get to meet them eventually, but this was an acquaintance of the witch.
Nothing but anxiety.
There was something I'd been thinking about for a long, long time. About the witch.
Something must have happened to her that made her want to dislike people. Some kind of incident, probably.
But she was — the witch was a kind person.
So even when she tried to dislike people, she couldn't do it in the end.
That frustrated her, she couldn't admit it, so she kept telling herself she was a misanthrope.
She must have wanted to hate people that badly.
But it was all plating. Plating peels off easily.
And this was speculation, but I thought that deep down, the witch had been waiting.
Somewhere in her heart, she was wishing for a reason to like people again — that's how it felt.
Maybe I was the catalyst for that.
"By the way, by the way, young Wof — wouldn't you like to get a really good look at the starry night?"
"A really good look?"
The observation room did only let you see what was directly ahead.
As for whether you could actually see the starry sky — well, not really.
I guess it meant you'd get a clear view once you stepped out onto the balcony.
The witch smoothly raised her arm upward and snapped her fingers.
Then both walls and the ceiling silently vanished.
"!?"
Huh, they're gone!
No — looking more carefully, both walls and the ceiling had turned to glass.
I was startled and flustered. But.
"...Whoa..."
I couldn't help but be awestruck. The vast starry sky had burst open all at once.
An endless torrent of shimmering, twinkling lights — a sea of starlight filling every inch of my vision.
And the moon, which hadn't been visible from straight ahead, now appeared on the ceiling.
The daughters
she had brought along
the queen of night
herself.
"Ho ho. Now this is quite the spectacular sight."
The witch, too, seemed captivated by this mystical panorama.
"Witch. The stars are beautiful."
I said.
"Ohhh... You're right. The starry sky sure looks beautiful when I watch it with you, young Wof."
The witch whispered to me.
"..."
"..."
For a while, neither of us said a word — we just lay there, gazing up at the same sky full of stars.
Before I realized it, the witch had taken my hand and nestled close.
A faint, sweet scent of wine drifted from her, and her skin felt soft and warm.
Without a word, I simply — interlaced my fingers with hers.
The witch and me.
It felt like the two of us had become one.
————————————————
Hey, everyone. How are you all doing? Are you well?
The hot days just keep on coming, don't they?
I'm doing great today too, just so you know.
Thank you all, as always, for reading.
Today, Volume 1 goes on sale. It's finally here. I'm incredibly moved.
There's newly written content and bonus material included, so I'd really appreciate your support.
Now then, to celebrate the Volume 1 release, I have a request for all of you.
If you've read up to this point and thought it was fun, and you're looking forward to what comes next —
Especially Wof! Mineha! Pakira! Knife! Dagger! The Witch! Juicy! High-yaan!
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