Kays Translations

Chapter 90: Burn, O Past

Faced with a landmine that had been lying in wait for eighty years and was finally about to explode, I stood there pale and frozen. As expected, Hiyori misunderstood the situation, thinking “He must be upset that his beloved fire lizard turned into a humanoid.”

“Should I stand in between? Or maybe act as your messenger?”

“No, no, that’s not it… I’m fine. I’ll meet them. Well, not really fine, but… anyway, for now, how about we go see the Spider Witch?”

“We don’t know where the Spider Witch is right now. Like I said earlier, she said she couldn’t face you.”

“Then let’s go see Fuyou.”

I was at a loss for how to explain and, shelving the problem for now, I decided to go visit the other delightful members of the Okutama Exciting Zoo.

Damn it, Spider! Why aren’t you here! I need your top-tier mediation skills to break up this mess!

When I visited the old temple the Spider Witch used as her lair in Okutama, just like Hiyori said, she wasn’t there. Fresh, half-eaten monster meat was tossed carelessly beside the wash basin, suggesting she’d panicked and run off the moment she realized she couldn’t face me.

I wanted to see her, but if the Spider Witch didn’t, there was nothing I could do.

When I got to my old house, it was surprisingly well-kept for something that had been standing for eighty years.

The roof tiles had all been replaced with fresh ones — no surprise, since they wear down quickly every time it rains crystal shards instead of water — but the walls only showed signs of patchwork repairs, and the paint had been carefully redone in the same color.

The section Iruma had smashed up, ranting about “cover-up work” back then, had been restored perfectly.

The backyard too had been carefully maintained, the undergrowth neatly trimmed, and though there were no fish in the pond, it was filled with clear water. Even the old well remained — though the wooden bucket was broken, the frayed rope still lying beside it.

The flow of time had certainly left its mark.

But more than that, I could tell how hard everyone had worked to protect and maintain the house I’d one day return to. That made me genuinely happy. Everyone was so absurdly loyal.

I sure wouldn’t have done it. If a friend of mine had died, I wouldn’t guard their house for eighty years. I’d just leave it to rot. And if they came back to life, I’d probably say, “Want to stay at my place until you find a new home?” Definitely easier than guarding an empty house for eight decades.

When I climbed the slope that faced the backyard, Fuyou was there — unchanged.

Though, just as I expected, she’d grown into an unbelievably stunning beauty. The deep crimson bloom brimming with vibrant life radiated a mysterious charm, as if nature’s grandeur and fragility were packed tightly into one form.

And at the center of that grand flower stood her humanoid form — at the very least, the vivid green of her hair was absolutely breathtaking.

I couldn’t be sure since all pretty faces besides Hiyori’s kind of blur together for me, but she was probably top-tier even among beauties.

And standing behind the now unrecognizably beautiful Fuyou was the same massive, snow-white-leafed mystery tree I’d seen growing in the Flower Witch’s sanctuary.

When I showed myself, Fuyou — now fully grown — extended her vines and roots, touching my cheeks, legs, and waist all over as she smiled brightly.

“Welcome home, Uncle!”

“Yeah, I’m home.”

“I’m sorry about back then, eighty years ago. If I’d managed to kill Iruma, you wouldn’t have died.”

“Nah, no way you could’ve done that. That guy was seriously bad news.”

I immediately shut down that overly optimistic what-if.

That bastard was a monster.

He went toe-to-toe with Hiyori in a no-chant magic duel and even matched the Demon King Gremlin’s analytical genius. I’d explain something once, and he’d understand ten times more and invent a hundred new things from it.

And then he’d explain that hundred back to me in an absurdly easy-to-understand way, and I’d pull out one new bit of information from the Demon King Gremlin based on that, and the loop would start all over again. It was like he had a hundred Tokyo University students living in his brain.

If he’d stuck to proper research, he probably could’ve become the greatest scholar in the post-Gremlin-disaster world. But that kind of thinking is as meaningless as asking “What if Dairi-sensei had been a cheerful extrovert?”

Iruma was a dangerous piece of trash. That’s the truth. It wasn’t Fuyou’s fault she was turned into a puppet. It was 100% Iruma’s fault.

“Hey, Uncle. I’ve become beautiful, haven’t I?”

As I was lost in the unpleasant memories of my forced joint research with Iruma, Fuyou gave me a sly, seductive smile, proudly puffing out her now well-developed chest.

For a second I wondered what the hell she was talking about, but then I remembered.

She’d always said she would grow up to be more beautiful than the Flower Witch — and not just once or twice. If you met her three times, one of those times she’d always try to make me admit she was a beauty.

So I took a long, slow look at her, head to toe.

Hmm…

“…Dairi? Don’t stare at her too much.”

“Huh? How am I supposed to tell if she’s beautiful if I don’t look properly? Well, as for looks — I’d say it’s a tie with the Flower Witch. But I prefer your color, so… Fuyou wins.”

“Fufufu~ ♡”

“Be proud — you’re the second most beautiful in the world.”

When I sincerely praised her, Fuyou, who’d been twirling her vines around happily, suddenly dropped the act and went dead serious.

“………….Hey, Blue Witch. Did you bring him here just to show him off? Are you trying to pick a fight? Because I’ll take you up on it.”

“S-sorry. That wasn’t my intention, really.”

“You sound way too happy for me to believe that. I’m getting pissed.”

Though she wore an angry expression, after looking at me for a moment, Fuyou reluctantly lowered her aggressive vines, and instead used them to pull me close, binding me tightly with her roots and tendrils.

“H-hey, what are you— ah! Not this again! It’s happening again! Stop! Help me, Hiyori!”

Realizing what was about to happen, I called out for help. Hiyori, who’d been watching with a kind, amused look, reacted in shock and immediately pulled me free from Fuyou’s embrace.

She then stood protectively in front of me, her reliable back shielding me as she glared at Fuyou.

“What’s your game? What were you trying to do?”

“Not telling. Could you send Uncle over here? Don’t worry, it’d be a good thing for him too — and for you, Blue Witch.”

“Hiyori, I’ve already been forced to drink weird liquids twice. Neither the Flower Witch nor Fuyou will tell me what they were. They hinted it might be something life-altering or dangerous, and honestly, I don’t want to drink anything else.”

“What…?! Fuyou, confess. What did you do to Dairi? Depending on your answer, I won’t forgive you.”

Hiyori readied Kyanos, instantly slipping into her sharp, refined battle stance.

Yes! Keep the pressure on, Hiyori! Make her spill the truth about that mystery liquid!

Cornered by Hiyori’s intensity, Fuyou looked a little shaken, but after thinking for a moment and glancing at me, she offered Hiyori a deal.

“I’ll tell you — but only you, Blue Witch. After all, you’ll be the one protecting Uncle from now on, right?”

“Of course. As long as Dairi wishes it.”

“Hey, hold on! Why only Hiyori? What about me?”

“I believe you’d try to keep it secret, Uncle, but… the moment someone threatens you even a little, you’d probably start trembling and spill everything. So — could you step aside for a bit?”

“That’s not fair! Tell me too!”

Despite my protests, the vine grabbed my hand and dragged me away, pulling me so far I could no longer hear their voices.

For the next two or three minutes, the two of them whispered to each other, leaving me out of the conversation entirely.

At one point, I heard Hiyori let out a ridiculously happy squeal, but I couldn’t make out a single word of what they were saying.

Once they’d finished and I got the OK to return, the vine pulled me back, and Hiyori, looking like she was so excited she might float off into the sky, asked me:

“Hey, Dairi. You said, ‘As long as we want to be together, we’ll stay together,’ right? You’re not taking that back, are you?”

“Huh? No, I’m not.”

“So even if 80 years pass, and I still want to be with you, you’ll stay with me, right?”

“Uh… well, theoretically, yeah? Though by then I’ll be well over a hundred, you know? If I’m still alive and my mind’s still sharp, then… I guess it’s not impossible.”

I couldn’t even begin to imagine what I’d be like 80 years from now. As I cautiously answered, Hiyori suddenly grabbed my hands, locking them behind my back, and with a bright smile, presented me to Fuyou.

“Fuyou, go ahead.”

“Okay! Now open wide~♡”

“W-Wait—stop!!”

And just like that, I was forced to drink another dose of that mysterious golden liquid. This time, instead of a few drops, they made me swallow about a whole spoonful at once.

After the usual forced gulp, they finally let me go, and I coughed, gasping for breath.

I mean, seriously—what the hell is this stuff? Can’t you at least tell me?!

“Cough cough… ugh… Hey, Hiyori, what did Fuyou say?”

“It’s better if you don’t know, Dairi. It’d be dangerous if you talked about it.”

“I won’t say a word! I swear I’ll keep it a secret. Just tell me.”

“It’s not like I think you’d spill on purpose. But if some random outgoing guy slung his arm around you and pressured you like, ‘C’mon, tell me~’… you’d talk, right?”

“Yeah… I probably would.”

I couldn’t help but agree. If I were tortured, I’d confess for sure. Or the torture might be so intense I wouldn’t even be able to speak.

So it’s that big of a secret? Just knowing it could get you tortured? The Flower Witch had said something similar before—like just knowing was dangerous—and now Hiyori’s warning me too. Guess I’m better off not knowing.

Judging from how happy Hiyori seemed, it probably wasn’t anything bad, at least.

Even though I wasn’t entirely convinced, I decided to let it go for now. I figured, someday, they’d tell me the full story.

“Oh, right—uncle, about Tsubaki and Sekitan.”

“Ah, right…”

Just as I shelved the mystery of the golden liquid, the fire lizard problem I’d conveniently pushed aside climbed back out on its own, putting me on alert.

“Huh? No, don’t get all tense. It’s not like something bad happened. You might’ve heard from the Blue Witch already, but the two of them went off to find their own territory. Tsubaki said something about heading pretty far, but Sekitan’s probably still around Tokyo. He’s a slowpoke.

Also, Mokutan should be hatching soon, so make sure to give this to him when the time comes. Think the Blue Witch should hold onto it?”

Fuyou handed Hiyori a small bottle sealed tightly. Inside was a small amount of that same golden liquid.

Hiyori carefully accepted it, treating it like it might break.

“Is it really okay? That stuff’s precious, isn’t it?”

“You’re my friend. So it’s special.”

“Friend, huh… I see. Fuyou, if I just use one drop, can I give some to an acquaintance?”

“What? No way.”

“There’s a fire-type witch I know. She could really help guide the fire lizards. She’s responsible and trustworthy.”

“Hmm… a witch, huh… to help Tsubaki and Sekitan… okay, fine. But you can’t tell anyone. If you do, you’ll have the whole clan against you. And you owe me one.”

“Got it. Thanks—I owe you.”

Hiyori looked relieved and finished the conversation, speaking over my head.

But the more I listened, the more I felt like the situation was getting more and more complicated. Was it just my imagination?

After all that, our reunion with Fuyou ended, and we waved goodbye. Finally, it was time to head home.

To me, it felt like I’d been gone for half a day. In real time, though, it had been 80 years.

I wanted to say the house looked like time had stood still… but the cuckoo clock in the living room had stopped, broken. That, more than anything, made it clear time hadn’t stood still.

I pulled out some tools from my pocket and quickly did a tune-up on the clock, rewound it, and got it ticking again. Nothing else seemed broken.

There was no dust, and while the house looked a little more aged overall, I noticed some of the floorboards had been replaced. Probably the Spider Witch’s doing. I was grateful for that.

While I was mentally escaping from reality, I stepped into the workshop… and was immediately slammed back to reality.

Right in front of the small furnace sat a massive cocoon.

It looked like a giant silkworm cocoon, scaled up big enough to fit a person, and made out of something like gray limestone.

And there were cracks in it…! It was about to hatch!

Way too soon!

“You said it’d be soon, but why now?! It’s too fast! I’m not ready for this…!”

“It hasn’t changed much since this morning. I’d say it’ll still be another two or three days before it comes out.”

Hiyori stayed calm, the exact opposite of my panicking.

R-Right. Thank god.

If I had two or three days before the “bomb” went off, I still had a chance. I could track down the Spider Witch and ask her to mediate, or get advice from Professor Ohinata and defuse this whole mess before it blew up.

“If there are still a couple of days left, no need to rush. Let’s eat first, I’m starv—”

---

“…Dairi? I hear your voice!”

“!?”

Just as I was about to relax, a girl’s voice echoed from inside the cocoon, making me jump.

I… I recognized that voice. It sounded familiar.

It was Mokutan.

“Mokutan? You can hear me?”

“It’s you, Dairi! Dairi, Dairi! I wanted to see you! Uuuu… meee!!”

The moment I spoke to her, the cocoon started shaking violently, and flames burst from the cracks.

With a single shout of effort, the hard-looking cocoon shattered into pieces, and Mokutan burst out, arms raised in a triumphant “Ta-da!” as she completed her hatching.

In that moment, I prayed.

That she wouldn’t look like either of her parents.

That no one would be able to tell whose child she was, no matter what.

But the Octameteorite, the only thing that might have answered that prayer, had been destroyed by an evil sorcerer.

Mokutan emerged, full of life, showing off a face that looked exactly like Hiyori’s as she let out her first cry.

“Huh…?”

Hiyori was left speechless and dropped Kyanos.

The shock was so great that she let go of Kyanos, something she had always carried with such care.

The pace of events was just too fast. Her stomach twisted painfully.

Come on, I only just came back to life! Give me a break already!

“This is bad…! Mokutan, over here. Hiyori might explode.”

“Dairi!”

“Hot—! You’re burning up! Your body temperature’s way too high! Sorry, can you back off a bit?”

Mokutan, who had rushed over to me with a happy smile, withdrew her outstretched hand and stepped back, looking hurt.
S-sorry.

Mokutan looked like a younger version of Hiyori — maybe about a middle schooler — with features of the Tsugihi race.
She had long hair made of brilliantly blazing flames, and her silhouette, wreathed in flickering fire, looked as if she was dressed in it. Embedded in her chest was a large, blue gremlin core, the exact same shade as the gremlin made from Hiyori’s blood.

She had inherited the features of both parents perfectly.

No way out of this one. There was no talking my way around it.

“My face…? A fire lizard… humanoid…? …Ah! A-a-a-a-a that woman—! What the hell did she do to me!? I don’t remember! I don’t know anything about this! I never heard about this!”

And, of course, the ever-sharp Blue Witch had figured out the truth.

C-calm down, Hiyori! Deep breaths! Pull yourself together! The kid’s right here!
Well, actually — the kid being here is exactly why you’re flipping out…

“H-Hiyori. Calm down.”

“I trusted you, Flame witch! And you… you did this to me, and to this child…!? Aaaah! I… I can’t accept this!”

“Whoa—! Hold on, hold on, Hiyori, that’s important, isn’t it!? Don’t smash it!”

In her panic, Hiyori was about to slam the little vial she got from Fuyou onto the floor, so I clung to her arm to stop her.

Calm down, Hiyori. Stay cool. Deep breaths.

“Listen, Hiyori, think about it rationally. Two women can’t have a child together, right?”

“They totally can. For magicians, it’s possible! In fact, there was that case in America, the slime-type mage—same species pairings—wait, aah! That’s right! I get it now! Dairi, you knew all along, didn’t you!? Back then, when this topic came up, you deliberately changed the subject to dodge it!”

“…Crap.”

How the hell does she even remember something from that long ago!?

“Haa, haa…! T-this child, Mokutan, is really… mine…? My head’s spinning…! When? I don’t remember anything like that…!”

She clawed at her hair, a total mess, losing her mind.

But — the Blue Witch was a seasoned veteran.
It didn’t take her long to regain her composure.

While Mokutan and I pressed ourselves against the workshop wall, holding our breath, Hiyori picked Kyanos back up, slammed its ferrule against the floor, and roared:

“We’re storming the place, Dairi! I’m gonna smash the Flame Witch’s seal to pieces!”

R-run, Flame witch—! You’re about to get pulverized!

I know you didn’t mean any harm, you were just horny, not malicious.

All you did was trick Hiyori into a clueless yuri-style magical hookup…

…

Actually, that’s pretty bad.

What the hell did you do to my girlfriend, Flame witch—!? Get wrecked!

“Dairi? What’s wrong? Why is the Blue Witch so angry?”

“Sorry, Mokutan. Your mom is about to beat the crap out of your other mom.”

“???”

Yeah… this was probably never going to end peacefully in the first place.

Go, Blue Witch! Make the Flame Witch grovel on the floor!

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