The scent of flowers hung in the air, and a warm breeze brushed gently past.
Before he knew it, everything around Bell seemed to loom taller than before, yet as he looked at that familiar log cabin, he noticed nothing strange at all.
Most importantly, [that person] was going to come.
Bell nervously looked toward one corner of the cabin, where a large human-shaped hole had been smashed through the wall.
The scattered wood splinters seemed to proclaim the violence that had taken place, adding an unsettling unfamiliarity to an otherwise ordinary, familiar scene.
"Phew..."
Bell raised his small hands and patted his cheeks.
After steadying himself, he carefully brushed off the dust from his training, then tiptoed toward the cabin.
The remnants of battle still lingered inside. It was not the kind of bloodstained clash told of in heroic tales, but the aftermath of a one-sided beating.
There was another human-shaped hole in the ceiling as well.
At the center of the "battlefield," a gray-haired woman in a pitch-black dress sat quietly on the sofa, like a queen.
Bell swallowed and slowly stepped forward. "Hello, big sister. Where's Grandpa...?"
The gray-haired woman kept her eyes closed and spoke calmly.
"Nice to meet you, Bell. I heard that old geezer encouraged you to peek at women while they were bathing. Is that true?"
Her voice was very gentle, yet it carried a strange quality that made it impossible to argue with her or lie.
It felt as though, if he failed to answer the way she wanted, another human-shaped hole would appear in the room.
"You're the Witch Sister from the back room!"
Bell looked as if he had just realized something.
"That's right. You still haven't answered my question."
There was a trace of impatience in the gray-haired woman's voice.
"You haven't told me where Grandpa went either, so we're even."
Bell sidestepped the sharp question.
Thud.
A fist far beyond his imagination landed on Bell's head.
Even though he reacted, he still failed to escape the pain that followed.
"You've learned to read the situation and avoid questions that put you at a disadvantage. That part is commendable."
The gray-haired woman praised him in a gentle voice.
"If you're praising me, then why did you hit me?!"
Bell clutched his head and complained about her violence in an aggrieved voice.
"Because when I'm annoyed, I choose to hit people."
"You should say that before you hit me! Besides, the big hole in the wall was definitely left by Grandpa, so the question doesn't matter either way, right?"
Bell exposed the witch's nasty nature.
His grandfather had already been punished, which meant the gray-haired woman had known the answer long ago. There was no need for her to ask Bell for the details.
"I want to hear you answer it yourself. Refuse again, and you'll get hit again, all right?"
The gray-haired woman delivered the threat without changing her expression.
"..."
Bell froze for a moment.
The difference in strength was far too great. For now, it was better to do as she said.
After weighing the pros and cons, Bell answered softly.
"That's right... um..."
The instant the words left his mouth, Bell felt as if the air around him had been frozen solid.
"So, did you actually go and peek?"
The gray-haired woman pressed him.
"I'm already eight and a half years old. I can't bathe with girls anymore!"
Bell answered with righteous conviction.
"Hmm?"
The gray-haired woman said nothing else. With just that single authoritative sound, she shattered Bell's defenses.
"It was just an accident! A big-breasted big sister saw that I got hurt during training and said she'd treat me, and then... Ow, ow, ow?!!"
Bell crouched on the floor, rubbing his forehead.
This time, he had not even seen her move. All he knew was that it was an unbeatable forehead flick, an ultimate finishing move worthy of being called a secret technique.
"To think you would try to hide an inconvenient truth behind an irrelevant fact. Bell, you're rather clever."
The corners of the gray-haired woman's mouth seemed to lift slightly.
"If you're praising me, then don't hit me! So, Witch Sister, where exactly did Grandpa go?"
Bell changed the subject.
The log cabin had rooms specially set aside for the [Witch] and another [Uncle]. Even though the person before him was extremely unfamiliar, Bell had already heard from his grandfather that the two of them were on "very good terms" with him.
"That stinking old man was too much of a nuisance, so I taught him a lesson with Magic and had the other person take him out to play."
The gray-haired woman calmly admitted to using violence.
"Hah..."
Bell was already used to his grandfather getting beaten up.
Compared to his missing grandfather, he was more curious about the beautiful woman before him.
"Witch Sister, I'll be in your care again for a while. I'm going back to my room to change clothes first, then I'll help you make dinner."
Bell spoke politely, then ran into the cabin.
"..."
The gray-haired woman froze in place.
Sunlight poured over her beautiful face, bringing the last traces of warmth before dusk.
A moment later, those cherry-red lips murmured softly.
"Again?"
Twilight fell, cooking smoke rose, and so began their life together.
...
Bell did not know the gray-haired woman's age, and he did not like calling her by name.
Witch Sister. The nickname naturally stayed.
One was a beautiful witch with the bearing of a queen, and the other was an innocent boy of only eight years old. Yet during the short time they lived together, it did not feel at all as though an adult was taking care of a child.
Rather, it was the complete opposite. Bell was the one taking care of her.
"Witch Sister, can you usually use Magic Power as nourishment?"
Bell stood on a stool, adding ingredients and seasonings to the iron pot.
Not far behind him, the gray-haired woman sat in a chair, waiting for the food to be served.
"Bell, do I look like the kind of monster that doesn't eat or drink?"
The gray-haired woman asked in return.
"No. Witch Sister is beautiful, not a monster at all. I was just curious because I've never seen you cook."
Bell answered honestly.
"Enough chatter."
The gray-haired woman forcefully ended the topic.
Aside from cooking, Bell also handled the other household chores. To him, that was no different from usual.
When Bell took out nails and wooden planks to patch up the large hole in the wall, the gray-haired woman asked,
"Bell, don't you think I'm bullying you?"
"Not at all. This is the same as usual. Witch Sister has taught me a lot, and the training during this time too. Training with a child like me must be boring, right?"
Bell looked at her tightly shut eyes and added with a smile, "Besides, I really like Witch Sister. If this counts as bullying, then once I get stronger, I'll just bully you back."
"Is that so..."
The gray-haired woman frowned slightly.
Strange...
His personality is changing too quickly.
What exactly happened to Bell?
I have to find the source of this strange feeling.
Amid the sound of the hammer striking nails, Bell did not hear the gray-haired woman's murmur.
"Like me, huh..."