Kays Translations

Chapter 27: Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back

Around evening, I arrived at the Bunkyo Ward Office with the bicycle towing the cart carrying the Blue Witch.

In front of the office, a security team had set up barricades and stood on guard with staves and crossbows. While there were no bodies near the barricade, the unmistakable traces of bloodstains and the lingering smell of burnt and metallic scents painted a vivid picture of a fierce battle.

I hesitated, wondering if I might get killed if I approached, but I soon spotted a woman inside the barricade near the ward office entrance. She was holding a sign that read, “For the person at 9:33 AM,” while anxiously glancing around.

Easy to spot. It seemed she was the one I needed to hand the remedy to.

I got off the bike and approached the woman with the sign, holding the bucket of the Flower Witch’s remedy. Immediately, the security team raised their staff and crossbows toward me, shouting out sharply.

“Identify yourself! Name and purpose!”

Their tense and threatening voices made my stomach tighten.

Terrified to even speak, I pointed with trembling hands at the woman’s sign. She gestured for the security team to lower their weapons and beckoned me over.

When I approached to hand over the bucket, the woman, her voice a mix of anxiety and hope, asked:

“Apologies, but could you confirm the name on the letter?”

“February 8, 2028, 9:33 AM, for the person standing at the Blue Witch’s front door.”

“!! Thank you! Thank goodness, you made it in time…! Sergeant Sasaki, take this to the Seer immediately! Hurry! That person cannot be allowed to die!”

“Understood!”

The woman swiftly handed the bucket to a burly man, who saluted me crisply before dashing into the ward office with it.

“Um, is Professor Ōhinata alive?”

When I nervously asked, the woman nodded emphatically.

“They’re in the intensive care unit, just like the oracle. Thank you so much. If this had taken until tonight, it surely wouldn’t have made it in time. If… if that had happened…”

Her voice broke into sobs as she collapsed to the ground and cried uncontrollably.

The security team exchanged glances, some of them tearing up in sympathy as well.

It had been tough for me, but clearly, it had been just as tough for them.

Judging by the signs of destruction, it looked like the area had been attacked by mobs two or three times. They’d done well to hold out.

In any case, the job was done.

The oracle and Professor Ōhinata were safe, and Professor Handa was probably fine too.

My task was complete. All that remained was to leave things in their hands.

As I turned to leave, a voice called out from behind me.

“Wait! What’s your name?”

Of course, I didn’t answer. I simply pulled my hood lower, got on my bike, and left with the cart in tow.

The fewer conversations, the better for my nerves.

After returning to Ōme with the Blue Witch, I began nursing her back to health in her home.

Though the parasitic mushrooms had been eradicated, she was still recovering from the brink of death. Severely weakened, she didn’t wake for a full day.

When she finally stirred, dazed, I prepared some porridge for her, cooling each spoonful and feeding her slowly. She managed to eat about half before the effort of chewing and swallowing left her completely spent, and she drifted back to sleep.

Another day passed, and when she woke the next time, her consciousness was clear.

When I entered the room holding an ice pack I’d made with freezing magic, I found the Blue Witch propped up on one elbow, scowling.

“Why weren’t you in the room?”

“Huh? You were asleep.”

“I thought you were supposed to be taking care of me. Where did you go? I wondered if something happened.”

“Do I need to stay in the room the whole time? You were asleep; it doesn’t matter if I’m here or not.”

If she was sleeping, it wasn’t like she’d know whether I was in the room or not. It seemed unreasonable to demand I stay there the entire time.

I had things to do—sleep, eat, go to the bathroom, take a bath, read manga, or pop bubble wrap I’d found in the closet. I couldn’t just sit in one spot forever.

Even though I was making a valid point, the Blue Witch looked dissatisfied.

“That’s not the point. You’re so… ugh, forget it. I haven’t even thanked you yet, have I?”

“Huh?”

“You saved me, didn’t you? Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. You’ve helped me out plenty of times.”

As I spoke, I laid her back down gently and replaced the ice pack on her forehead.

The Blue Witch narrowed her eyes in contentment, but then, as if noticing something odd, she touched her face.

With a start, she apologized.

“Ah, sorry. I wasn’t wearing my mask.”

“Oh, you remembered. But it’s fine—don’t bother with it until you’ve recovered. It must feel suffocating anyway.”

“Really? Honestly, that’s a relief.”

The Blue Witch gave a weak smile.

Watching her in such a frail state made me feel strange. And seeing her bare face—it made me uneasy. I’d gotten too used to the mask.

I stared at her uncovered face for the first time in ages.

Man, her face is really something. Even with her pale, weakened features, she still looks like a tragic beauty. It’s almost unfair—borderline cheating. Her features are so flawless that they exude an intimidating aura.

“What are you staring at?”

“Just admiring how good your face looks.”

“…You’ve got a good face too, Dairi.”

“That’s where we disagree. Anyway, I’ll make some food. You must be hungry.”

As I moved to leave the bed, she reached out with her hand. I gently grabbed it and tucked it back under the blanket.

“Okay, okay, ‘Dad’ is going to go make some porridge now! Stay warm and rest like a good kid! You’re not a child anymore; surely you can stay alone in your room, right? Honestly!”

The nursing care continued for a week.

Even for someone as physically resilient as a witch, it took that long to get back on her feet. That says a lot about how brutal the mushroom disease was in its acute stage. From the very first day she regained proper consciousness, she stubbornly insisted on going to the bathroom and taking baths on her own. It was likely a matter of sheer willpower. But if you’re so weak that you can’t even handle those things, that’s a real problem.

Anyway, once she was able to run around again, she was fine. Her magic power was back under control, and she could use magic again without any issues. No lingering aftereffects.

I hadn’t planned on staying here to nurse her back to health. I’d only come to visit, not for an extended stay. So, after tidying up the mess I’d made in her house, I prepared to head back to Okutama.

I was a bit worried about the yamame trout I had in my fish tank—they might’ve been eaten by wild animals or monsters. I didn’t set the net up properly, after all.

Once everything was ready, I put my shoes on at the entrance. Just then, the Blue Witch peeked out from the living room.

“Are you heading out?”

“Hm? Yeah, I’m heading home. You’re all better now, right?”

“…Cough, cough.”

“!? Hey, are you okay?”

She suddenly started coughing and stumbled. Panicking, I rushed over to support her.

I thought she was completely better, but had the illness relapsed?

I led her back to the bed, and she lay down quietly.

Her complexion looked fine, but it seemed like she still couldn’t push herself too hard. Maybe running around yesterday was a mistake.

“You weren’t coughing before. Did you catch a cold on top of everything else? Fever? …Nope.”

“My body feels sluggish. Even standing is exhausting. Cough, cough.”

“Huh… Maybe I should stick around a little longer?”

When I asked, the Blue Witch nodded slightly, almost looking happy.

But the next moment, her expression changed as she glanced out the window.

Perched on the windowsill was a familiar eyeball-shaped familiar (not mine), staring straight at us.

“Y-you little…!”

The Blue Witch leapt out of bed with alarming agility, rushed to the window, flung it open, and obliterated the eyeball familiar with a single devastating punch.

Hey.

Hey!

“You’re not even sick anymore!”

“Uh, well… It’s just that the Eye Witch was…”

“You just wanted to make me do your chores! I’m leaving now! Take care of yourself!”

I slapped her mask back onto her flustered face, put my shoes on, and stormed out of the house.

Man, what a shameless woman. Pretending to be weak just to dump all the housework on me. Must’ve been real nice to be pampered like that, huh!?

Well, I’ll let it slide since she almost died. But I’m not planning to stick around and take care of her forever.

Starting today, it’s back to normal life.

All external negotiations are your responsibility now. I’m going to dive back into my hobbies. Nursing her for the past week gave me plenty of ideas to work on.

When I returned to Okutama, sure enough, my fish tank had been ravaged. The net covering the artificial pond had been shifted, and all the yamame trout I had stocked for winter food were gone. I was furious. Seriously, I can’t forgive this. Damn beasts…!

The Blue Witch’s mist magic, which creates a maze-like barrier around Okutama, can confuse intruders but doesn’t guarantee complete protection. Occasionally, animals wandering aimlessly through the mist end up stumbling upon my house by sheer chance.

While venting my frustration to the Blue Witch via eye familiar communication, she shared some news from the Eye Witch’s familiar regarding the pandemic’s end.

The antidote I delivered to the Bunkyo Ward Office had been properly diluted, distributed across Tokyo, and quickly administered. Both Professor Ohinata and the Seer Mage managed to survive. Professor Handa, it turned out, had only experienced mild symptoms (the Gremlin Engineering Department had relatively few severe cases).

Since the infection was predicted to spread through survivor communities nationwide via displaced magic agriculture faculty, the Dragon Witch took on the task of delivering antidotes to these communities, using the massive gremlin at the magic university as her reward.

Outside Tokyo, the general population had a lower awareness of magic, so there were likely fewer severe cases. Even so, the antidotes delivered by the Dragon Witch undoubtedly saved many lives.

But not everyone could be saved.

The Witches of Itabashi, Sumida, and Hachioji, as well as an assistant professor from the Magic Linguistics Department and a professor from the Mutation Studies Department, died before treatment could reach them.

The Tobacco Witch herself narrowly survived, but all of her trusted subordinates died, leaving her devastated. Many other key figures also lost their lives. In Shinagawa and Setagaya Wards, powerful monsters emerged, taking advantage of the weakened guards and witches, leading to a horrifying number of casualties.

A week after the antidote distribution began, the majority of the critically infected had either been cured or succumbed to the disease. However, the antidote hadn’t yet reached everyone, and some new cases were still appearing due to delayed onset.

One defining characteristic of the mushroom disease was its chain-reaction-like spread. When one person started sprouting mushrooms on their head, it triggered a response in nearby recently infected individuals, causing them to rapidly develop symptoms. This chain reaction was why the pandemic had escalated so quickly. Even now, the ripple effects of the chain reaction hadn’t fully subsided. Strict vigilance would be required for a while longer.

Although administrative systems were still in chaos, fragmented information suggested that the pandemic’s final death toll in Tokyo alone was projected to reach 500,000 to 700,000.

Before the pandemic, Tokyo’s population was approximately 2.8 million. That means this single disease wiped out nearly 20% of the population in less than two weeks. Terrifying.

It’s inappropriate, but I can’t help feeling relieved that neither I nor anyone I know personally ended up in that 20%.

In terms of sheer scale, humanity’s worst plague, the Black Death, caused even greater devastation, claiming tens of millions of lives. However, that occurred over one to two years and across vast regions like Europe and China. In contrast, the mushroom disease struck in a confined area—Tokyo—and inflicted comparable destruction in just two weeks.

If not for the efforts of those like the Seer Mage and the Flower Witch, who foresaw the future, Japan, still recovering from the Gremlin Disaster, might have been completely annihilated. Civilization could have regressed to a hunter-gatherer state, with over 90% of the population perishing.

The slow but steady recovery of Tokyo had been dealt a crushing blow, setting it back significantly.

After clawing our way back from the depths of the Gremlin Disaster, painstakingly rebuilding piece by piece, many people lost the will to continue after seeing their progress shattered and stolen from them.

But the Eye Witch had something to say about this:

“Humanity may have been forced to take a huge step back. However, that doesn’t mean we’ve lost everything we’ve built. Even if we’ve been pushed back two steps, we’ve already taken three steps forward. The only way to win against retreat is to keep advancing. The real end comes when we stop moving.”

It was a comforting sentiment, even though it couldn’t bring back the lives that were lost. As expected of the sociable and eloquent Eye Witch, her words were masterful.

Even I was moved. Normally, motivational speeches don’t resonate with me, but hearing these words from someone desperately fighting in the ruins of our world hit differently.

She’s right. We have to keep moving forward.

As for me, I was fortunate enough to come out of this unscathed. Compared to those who’ve fallen, it’s easy for me to get back on my feet.

And I won’t just get back up empty-handed.

Just as we’ve learned from this pandemic, I’ll try to create something meaningful from this experience.

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