Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 3: The Witch’s Apprentice ③
Somehow, both the witch and I managed to calm down.
It took a while to regain our composure. Well, that was inevitable.
The witch, looking flustered and sweaty, awkwardly excused herself, saying, “I’m going to wash up a little,” and left the living room.
Her clothes had been so soaked with sweat that they had become slightly transparent. It was understandable.
I had also worked up a sweat, though not as much as she had.
Even so, I needed some cooldown time.
Alone in the living room, I let my thoughts settle.
“…Something feels off.”
Was that just now like the romantic comedies I remember from my past life? …No, something’s different.
But the flow of events felt like one. …Still, something’s different.
No, no, that was totally a romantic comedy— …or maybe not?
It felt more like… yeah. Like something out of a seinen magazine.
You know, when a man and a woman— …no, that’s not it either.
“…In the first place, that was just ‘Become my apprentice.’ ‘Okay, I will.’ That’s all.”
That’s all that happened.
It just officially established me as the witch’s apprentice.
Originally, it was just a misunderstanding on the witch’s part—jumping to conclusions, acting impulsively.
So, first, I had to clear up that misunderstanding properly. Then, the witch ended up crying.
That really threw me off. I never expected her to cry.
But I managed to clear up the misunderstanding, even if I had to be forceful about it, and now we had a proper master-apprentice relationship.
That’s all it was. Nothing more, nothing less.
So, the thought that flashed through my mind—that this was a proposal or something—was absolutely wrong!
I mean, even I thought for a second that it felt like a proposal! But no, it wasn’t!
“…It wasn’t. Definitely not.”
I muttered this to the pair of eyes floating in the pink liquid of my herb tea.
Wait, what the hell am I even saying?
Also, wasn’t this tea supposed to be red?
And more importantly, what is this thing? Are those actual living eyes?
There’s no way I can drink this!
The eyes didn’t respond. Well, of course not. They’re just eyes.
Yeah, obviously.
“…What am I even doing?”
I crossed my arms and looked down in frustration.
Seriously, what the hell am I doing?
Pushing the witch down like that… what was I thinking?
As I was lost in thought, the witch returned.
She had changed clothes. Well, of course. She had been drenched in sweat.
She was still dressed in all black, in a similar gothic-style dress, but I could tell the difference.
Because I am her apprentice now.
“Ahem, ahem, ahem… ah, sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No, I wasn’t waiting long.”
…Wait, isn’t this exchange kind of like a couple meeting up for a date?
The witch kept glancing at me as she quickly sat down on the black sofa across from me.
She seemed to have calmed down. That was good.
Ad
Alright, alright. Stay calm.
Now, finally, I can get to the main topic.
“Witch, I’ve been thinking.”
“Th-That’s about Kon, right?”
“…As an apprentice, it’s not good to keep secrets from my master.”
“Ah, ah, w-well, that’s true.”
“That’s why I’ve decided to reveal all of my secrets to you, my master.”
“Eh? Ehh?”
“First, I have five relics.”
“Huh? Huh?”
“But actually, I have seven. Until recently, I had eight.”
“What? What?”
“Now, let me go through each one—”
“W-Wait! Stop right there, Wof-boy!!”
The witch shot to her feet, shouting.
Ad
Her large fox ears and three tails all stood on end.
“Y-Yes?”
I flinched at her reaction.
Even the eyes in my cup were startled and shut tightly.
Wait, you can close?!
Are you actually alive?!
No, that doesn’t matter right now!
The witch took a deep breath, then spoke.
“First of all, Wof-boy. I’ve actually known for a while that you were keeping some big secrets. And I had a feeling you planned to take them to your grave. So I decided that if that’s what you wanted, I’d pretend not to notice.”
“You knew that much?”
I hadn’t realized she’d noticed.
As expected of the witch.
She let out a deep sigh and sat back down.
By the way, isn’t it hard to sit with three tails?
Also, do her… um, does her chest move when she breathes in and out?
Ad
“That said, I don’t really mind. Everyone has secrets. Even I have one or two that I’ll take to the grave.”
She smiled faintly.
I didn’t know why she smiled, but that wasn’t important.
I gave a small nod.
“Yes. You’re absolutely right. I never planned to tell anyone.”
“Uh-huh. So why did you suddenly decide to tell me everything?”
“One reason is that I can’t carry the burden anymore.”
My heart had reached its limit.
The final straw was the Relic Plate.
I gave it away, and then it was returned to me. That broke me.
And then, on top of that, there was the cursed relic [Vanishment Line].
That pushed me over the edge. I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Hmm, I see. Secrets weigh heavier than most things. Especially for someone as young as you, Wof-boy. It wouldn’t be surprising if you had already crumbled under the weight.”
“Honestly, the burden was too much. I’ve been struggling with this for a while, but I couldn’t talk to anyone about it. Not just because of trust, but also because I didn’t want to bring harm or trouble to anyone by revealing these secrets.”
“Ohh, that’s very much like you, Wof-boy. I understand your reasoning. But are you sure I’m the right person to tell?”
“What do you mean?”
The witch’s beast-like, diamond-shaped pupils reflected me clearly.
Her emerald eyes were so warm, so fragile-looking—like they might shatter if touched.
“Listen, Wof-boy. Think carefully. I may be your master, but do you truly believe I’m someone worthy of your complete trust?”
I blinked in confusion, then immediately answered.
“Of course I do. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have become your apprentice.”
“…!”
Her large fox ears twitched violently as she squirmed in place.
She looked incredibly shaken.
“What’s wrong, witch?”
“Honestly, you really are just… so very much like yourself, Wof-boy.”
“…What does that even mean?”
I didn’t get it.
The witch just gave me a small, bittersweet smile.
“Alright, alright. Just like how you accepted me earlier, now it’s my turn. I’ll accept everything about you, Wof-boy!”
…Something feels off.
But her eyes were sparkling.
“Yes. Thank you.”
I was a little uneasy about her enthusiasm, but I was glad she agreed.
So, I began to tell her about my memories from my past life.
The witch listened quietly.
And when I was done, she gave her thoughts.
“Hmm. So, it’s not multiple personalities.”
“Yeah, more like vague, scattered memories.”
“I see, I see… I see.”
“Did you figure something out?”
“Nope, not one bit.”
She chuckled.
Well, of course. Even I don’t understand it.
“But you know, Wof-boy, I think you’ll be fine if you just leave it be.”
Ad
“Really?”
“Yep! I mean, the only problem so far is that you don’t know how to make mayonnaise, right?”
“…Well, I guess so.”
If I did figure it out, I’m sure Barnes from the Cidre Inn would be thrilled.
And then, maybe, the Cidre Inn would become the greatest tavern on the continent.
“Well then, if something happens, we’ll just deal with it, right?”
“That’s right. So next, let’s go through my relics one by one. First, how many of my relics does the witch know about?”
“Let’s see, let’s see… I know about [Vanish], right? And also [Crisis Distinction], I think?”
“Close. It’s [Crisis Perception].”
“Mm. Mm. That’s about all I know.”
The witch tilted her fox ears to the side.
“Alright, let’s start with [Fortune’s Wheel]. This relic—”
It would be faster to just use it. I activated the relic.
A yellow radiance swirled around me, making me dizzy.
“Uwahh, so bright!”
“What is it, what is it, what’s happening!?”
“It’s all yellow…”
Blue was one thing, but there was no green.
“Hmm? Hmm? It’s yellow?”
“Uh, the relic [Fortune’s Wheel] allows me to see valuable things through colored light. Green, yellow, and blue. Green means rare—uh, uncommon. Yellow means very rare. And blue is almost unheard of, like, super rare.”
“I see, I see. So this room is filled with extremely rare things.”
“Yes. Everything here.”
“Uh-huh. That’s an amazing relic. Well, this room does have a bunch of out-of-place artifacts, high-value legacies, and legendaries.”
“……..”
Even the witch’s clothes were glowing yellow.
It wasn’t just the room that was amazing—it was the witch herself.
“Hmm, hmm. Just from this, I can see how useful Wof-boy is.”
“That phrasing is kinda scary.”
“Well, well, if this gets exposed… Anyway, that’s the third relic. So, you still have two left, right?”
“Yes. The next one is [Silent One].”
“Eh? Eh? [Saint]?”
“Ah, not the legendary kind, but do you know [Silent Person]?”
“Of course, of course. It lets you calm down instantly. A pretty handy relic.”
“This one is like a superior version of that. It’s called [Silent One]. When I activate it—”
“Ohh, ohh, your eyes turned blue, Wof-kun.”
(What beautiful blue eyes… Now that I think about it, Wof-kun’s usual silver eyes—they’re rare too.)
The witch’s thoughts… don’t seem that different from her spoken words.
Actually, for a witch, she seems pretty straightforward.
So, my eyes really are unusual.
And as expected, even if she’s my master, I can’t tell her about my ability to hear thoughts.
Sorry. I’ll try not to listen as much as possible.
(Still, still, Wof-kun… even though he was so bold earlier, he hasn’t touched my tails at all. Even though they’re so fluffy… and there are three of them… Does he not like tails? I always make sure to brush and take care of them just in case my beloved disciple ever wants to pet and fluff them as much as he likes…)
What the heck!? What is this witch thinking!?
Correction. She’s definitely a witch.
I mean, sure, I do kind of want to touch them. Sometimes, just watching them makes me curious.
But touching a woman’s tail… that just seems kind of inappropriate.
Wouldn’t that be sexual harassment?
…Oh wait, since I’m still a kid, maybe I could get away with being “innocent”?
But after everything that just happened, there’s no way I can do that now!
…Wait, thinking about this just made me remember Pakila-san’s tails.
Her two short white tails… the way they felt warm and wrapped around me… No, no, no!
“Oh my, oh my, your face is bright red.”
“N-nothing! It’s nothing! Anyway, next! Moving on!”
“Well, well, just the fact that you have a fifth relic is already abnormal.”
The witch looked amused. I could tell she was excited.
I stood up from the sofa to clear some space.
“—The fifth one is [Generous].”
My hair and eyes turned purple. Thanks to [Silent One], I remained calm.
Remaining activation time: five minutes.
“………”
“Witch. This is my fifth relic, [Generous].”
“………”
“Witch?”
“………”
“Um, are you okay?”
The witch nodded weakly.
“Phew, that’s good. Now, next, I’ll summon [Phantasmagoria] and [Cosmic Arm].”
A countless number of transparent orbs—[Vanish]—appeared in the air, and my dominant arm became infused with the cosmos.
“…Uh, you can’t see them, but there are [Vanish] spheres floating around me. I can control them freely with my will.”
“………”
“And this arm is imbued with the night sky’s stars. It absorbs any attack and channels that power into my punch, allowing me to strike my opponent with it.”
“………”
“I also had another relic called [Vanishment Line], but… Witch?”
“………”
“Witch?”
“………”
“Hey…? Hello…?”
“………”
No response. No reaction.
Looks like she’s dead.