After donning her witch attire, Akane Koizumi grabbed the scythe with its exaggeratedly massive blade resting nearby. Her face was ashen as she screamed, "Hayashi Shuichi, I am definitely going to kill you today!"
"Master, saying things like that isn't very kind or beautiful, is it?" the Magic Mirror couldn't help but interject. "Also, the intruder can—"
"Shut up!"
Before the mirror could finish, Akane gave it an annoyed kick. "One more word and I'll split you in half first!"
The Witch's eyes flickered with a hint of ferocity, as if she would truly strike the moment the mirror spoke again.
A zipper appeared over the mouth of the blurred face on the glass. As the zipper slid shut, the mirror fell into a deathly silence, seemingly terrified by Akane's rage.
Having taught the mirror a lesson, the Witch gripped her massive scythe and marched toward the door.
Outside, Hayashi Shuichi figured the girl must have finished dressing and raised his hand to knock. "Koizumi-san, can I come in now?"
He had barely knocked twice when, with a violent CRACK, the wooden door snapped into two pieces. Behind it stood the fuming Akane, scythe in hand. Her crimson hair fluttered slightly from her fury, looking like a crown of burning flames.
"Hey, I just happened to see you naked once, is all this really necessary?"
Shuichi stared at the massive scythe and couldn't help but complain. "And what's with that combat outfit? It's both erotic and weird. Is it made in Egypt?"
"We agreed to stay away from each other!"
Akane ignored his commentary, questioning him with irritation as the scythe in her hand swayed slightly, ready to strike at any second. "What are you doing at my house?!"
"I... well," Shuichi thought of the missing blonde girl and hurried to explain, "I wanted to ask for your help in finding a—"
Before he could finish, the Witch's scythe swung toward him. Her angry shout followed: "Fine! Let me hack you a couple of times first, then I'll agree to help you!"
Clang! Crack!
The scythe in Akane's hands was incredibly sharp. In the hallway, anything the blade touched was cleanly sliced in half, leaving deep gashes in the walls.
Under the Witch's relentless pressure, Shuichi soon found himself at the top of the stairs. As he dodged her attacks, he kept an eye on his surroundings.
Seeing that he intended to escape downstairs, Akane quickly chanted a few incantations. In the next heartbeat, the wooden stairs connecting the first and second floors suddenly floated up, as if held by a giant, invisible hand.
Holy crap...
The sight made Shuichi's eyes widen. This world of 'Conan-science' really doesn't care about actual science at all!
"Heh, so what if you can nullify magic?"
Akane bit her lip, her hands gripping the scythe tightly. A hint of triumph flashed in her eyes. "As long as you step back onto those stairs, even if the magic fails, you'll plummet straight down!"
Her lips curled into a smirk, as if she could already see Shuichi falling in a pathetic heap.
It's just one floor... I could just jump, Shuichi thought, glancing down. He was tough enough that jumping from this height would be no problem at all. However, being on the defensive constantly was clearly not a long-term plan.
He could use Dr. Agasa's tranquilizer needle to knock her out, but his goal was to have her divine the location of the blonde girl. If Akane went to sleep, there was no telling how much time they'd lose.
"Koizumi-san, I was wrong earlier. I apologize, okay?" Shuichi spread his hands, trying to look sincere. "How about I treat you to ramen? You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"What use is an apology!" Akane swung the scythe with renewed embarrassment and rage. "I—I was seen completely by you!"
"Then how about this? You look at me completely too, and then we're even! How about that?"
As Shuichi spoke, he ripped off his short-sleeved shirt, revealing a solid chest, and then made a motion as if to drop his pants.
Akane never expected him to be such a rogue. Terrified, she let out a sharp scream and instinctively raised her hands to cover her eyes.
Now's my chance!
Shuichi lunged forward. While Akane was blinded by her own hands, he kicked the scythe out of her grip, tackled her to the floor, and pinned her wrists down firmly.
"Can we talk properly now?" Shuichi asked, breathing heavily as he pinned the Witch down.
"You..."
Akane hadn't expected the situation to flip so drastically in the blink of an eye. She struggled with all her might, but she couldn't break free. "You cheated!"
"I was forced into cheating by you," Shuichi said, amused. "You're acting as if using magic isn't cheating."
"Hmph, just you wait. Sooner or later I'm going to—"
The Witch's angry threat was cut short by a sudden pfft sound. In the next instant, her clothes disintegrated into countless fine threads, scattering into the air.
"..."
Shuichi stared blankly at the girl beneath him, who was once again stark naked. After a long, stunned silence, he spoke awkwardly. "This... is the quality of your witch clothes really this bad?"
Akane was dumbstruck. She suddenly remembered what the Magic Mirror had tried to tell her in the room: the intruder can nullify magic.
A witch's magical attire was composed entirely of magic. Once the magic on them was nullified, the clothes naturally reverted to their original state—nothingness.
Is this bastard truly my nemesis?! Why has nothing gone right since I met him?
Realizing she had not only been seen again but was now pinned under him, Akane's eyes turned red. Tears welled up in her eyes, looking as though she was about to burst into a sob.
"...Hey, don't cry," Shuichi scrambled to get up in a panic. "If anyone sees this, they'll think I did something horrible to you."
The Witch didn't attack him anymore. She just sat there, covering her vital areas, sobbing and whimpering.
"I really didn't do it on purpose," Shuichi said, tossing his short-sleeved shirt toward her. "Put this on first."
"...I have magic, who wants your smelly—"
Akane stopped mid-sentence as she remembered that aside from her school uniform, the rest of her clothes were magically constructed. Her school uniform was still back in the bedroom; she couldn't exactly walk back there naked, could she?
Faced with this reality, she could only pout, picking up Shuichi's shirt with a look of utter disdain and pulling it over her head.
Shuichi was considerably taller than Akane. His shirt was clearly far too large for her; it was loose and the hem reached down to her thighs, just barely covering the essential parts.
Shuichi suddenly felt a pang of regret. Seeing Akane in this "oversized shirt" look was, in a way, even more distracting and alluring than when she was completely naked...
(End of Chapter)
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