"Betty, I need to ask you something important. Think it over carefully before you answer."
"No."
"If there's nothing wrong with you, then hurry up and leave."
"Betty has run out of patience for your rambling." She pointed toward the door without an ounce of mercy.
Everything about Gojo was strange, she'd grant him that. But none of it interested her. Not in the slightest. Compared to whatever mysteries clung to him, the long, grinding vigil she kept in the Forbidden Library was the only future that mattered.
"Whether I leave or not isn't the point."
Gojo caught her by the arm, his gaze fixed and serious.
"When I first came into the Forbidden Library today, did I smell like a Witch?"
"Betty already told you, don't bring this nonsense to me. I don't want to hear it..."
Irritation dripped from every word. But halfway through, something snagged. Her voice slowed without her realizing it, and those delicate brows pinched together.
"Strange."
She stared at him, confusion plain on her face.
"When you first walked in, there was no trace of Witch scent on you at all. But now..."
Contact with the Witch Cult was out of the question. He'd been standing right in front of her the entire time, never once leaving her sight. And the idea that someone from the Cult could have masked their presence? Even more absurd. She was a Spirit, not some dull-sensed human. Others might fail to distinguish the Cult's taint from an ordinary person's aura, but not her. Especially not a scent this strong. No amount of concealment could hide it completely.
So where had it come from? Who could have slipped past the Forbidden Library, past her senses, without leaving a trace?
Gojo already had a theory forming.
"Remember the question I asked you before?"
"You mean about experiencing..."
Before she could finish, his hand clamped over her mouth.
"That's the price of saying it out loud." He tapped his own chest. "If I didn't have a trick or two up my sleeve, I'd probably be dead right now."
"If magic can't account for it, then what about something else? Something like what you just mentioned... the scent on me."
Betty's pupils contracted. This time, she didn't argue.
A moment of silence passed before she stood and began searching the shelves. Gojo said nothing, simply following behind her.
Before long, she stopped in front of a particular bookcase and rose onto her toes, reaching for a volume near the top. He plucked it down for her. A quick glance revealed no title on the cover, and loose pages crammed with dense handwriting jutted out at odd angles, like a notebook that had never been properly organized.
She took it and began flipping through, her brow furrowed.
"What's that?" Gojo leaned down close to her ear.
Betty pushed him away without a flicker of expression. "Mother's research journal on Witch Factors."
The Witch of Greed, huh?
That tracked. From what Gojo understood, the Witch of Greed was essentially a mad scientist. Her greatest passion was an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and in pursuing that hunger, she'd produced all manner of creations. Many of the magical devices people now called Meteors had been crafted by Echidna herself.
Betty pored over the journal for a long time. Gojo had the good sense not to interrupt, watching in silence as she turned from the first page to the last.
Nothing. Not a single entry that could explain what was happening to him.
She closed the journal and fixed him with a scrutinizing look.
"What is your name?"
"Satoru Gojo."
"And according to you, this isn't the first time we've met?"
"That's right." He sat down on the floor and nodded.
"Then what's the relationship between us?"
He thought for a second, and a bright grin spread across his face. "Couldn't be better, obviously. Why else would I drink tea from your cup?"
Betty listened without expression. Only her clear, crystalline eyes shifted slightly before she gave the faintest, coldest nod.
"The thickness of human skin never ceases to amaze. Yours especially." A thin, scornful smile crossed her lips. She saw right through him. Sharing a teacup? There were barely a handful of people in this world she'd allow that close. He was lying through his teeth. And his name didn't appear anywhere in that journal, which only confirmed it.
"I think the real issue here isn't that, is it?" Gojo said, not the least bit embarrassed at being caught.
Betty tossed the journal onto the table, not bothering to return it to its shelf, and settled comfortably into her chair.
"You mean what you asked me at the start." She folded her arms. "My answer hasn't changed. Magic cannot do what you're describing. But if what you've told me is true, then I can't give you a definitive answer either. Witch Factors manifest differently in every individual. A thousand people, a thousand faces. No one can say for certain whether something like what you've experienced is possible."
Gojo considered this. "So the thing that tried to kill me... it's connected to a Witch. That much is confirmed."
"Based on the scent clinging to you, yes."
"But I've never had contact with anyone from the Witch Cult. Never even been near someone carrying that kind of aura."
"Who knows."
Betty reached for the teapot to pour herself a cup, but the sight of the teacup stopped her. She set it down with a sour look.
"That's it. You've completely exhausted my patience. Get out. I don't want to look at you anymore."
Gojo shrugged. "Always leaving me wanting more."
"Fine then, I'll come see you again tomorrow."
"Betty never agreed to let you visit."
"You know, last time you said the exact same thing, and then..."
He trailed off with that sly, teasing grin of his, the kind that made a person's fist itch just looking at it.
Compared to the matter of Roswaal from before, whatever was happening to him and Subaru demanded far more attention now.
---
The next morning, Gojo was up early. No sleeping in today.
When nothing was at stake, he could waste all the time in the world. Laze around, kill hours however he pleased. But not now.
A quick wash and he made his way to the dining hall, muscle memory guiding each step. The blue-haired maid, Rem, was already bustling about inside. No sign of her sister.
"Good morning, Miss Rem."
He offered a casual greeting and took his seat, ready to eat. Then something caught his eye.
The moment he'd walked in, Rem's movements had turned stiff, halting, as though a switch had been flipped inside her.
Before he could wonder about it further, she turned to face him.
Deep within those clear eyes, hidden with remarkable skill, sat a flicker of revulsion. Faint but unmistakable.
That look.
He'd seen it clearly the day before. Only then, it hadn't been aimed at him. It had been directed entirely at Subaru.
But now...
"Miss Rem, there's something I find curious."
"Please, go ahead." Her voice was perfectly level, betraying nothing. Whatever she felt, her composure as a maid never wavered.
"You seem to suddenly dislike me quite a bit. That's rather hurtful, you know."
When something didn't make sense, the simplest thing was to ask the person who might have answers. Gojo wasn't the type to sit on questions.
"You're overthinking it, sir. You are Lady Emilia's benefactor and Lord Roswaal's honored guest..."
"Miss Rem, I'd appreciate an honest answer." The smile vanished from his face. "I noticed it yesterday. Back then, your hostility was mostly directed at Subaru. But now it seems I've been caught up in it too. Did I do something wrong?"
Rem met his gaze, her expression cold, and said nothing.
The silence in the dining hall thickened.
Then Ram walked in.
She sensed the tension the moment she crossed the threshold.
"Sir, is there something unsatisfactory about breakfast?"
She stepped forward, positioning herself between Rem and Gojo.
"Not at all. I was just curious about something." He shook his head and repeated what he'd said.
Ram glanced back at her sister, then at Gojo. Knowing Rem's temperament, she would never openly show displeasure toward a first-time guest, let alone one of Roswaal's. This wasn't normal.
A brief pause, a moment's thought, and her understanding of her sister filled in the rest.
"Is it because of the scent?" Ram asked quietly, looking at Rem.
Rem didn't speak, but her silence was answer enough.
Ram turned to Gojo, genuine regret on her face.
"I apologize, sir. Please forgive the unpleasant experience." Under ordinary circumstances, a bit of teasing banter with a guest would mean nothing. But this was different. This required a proper response.
She drew Rem into a bow alongside her. "Rem is... sensitive to the Witch Cult's aura. That's why..."
The Witch's scent.
Understanding settled behind Gojo's eyes like a missing piece clicking into place. Of course. That black hand in the Forbidden Library had left its mark on him, saturating him with the Witch's scent. Betty had already confirmed as much.
But then there was the other question.
His own case made sense. He'd been attacked, nearly killed, and only the Reverse Cursed Technique knitting his crushed heart back together had saved him. But Subaru? All the kid had done was sleep, same as him. Nothing should have happened.
Unless something had happened to Subaru... something even Subaru himself didn't know about.
"Yesterday, did Subaru already have a strong Witch scent on him?" Gojo's tone left no room for deflection. "Please. This is extremely important."
Ram looked to Rem. Under both their gazes, she stayed silent, then gave a small, quiet nod.
Gojo sank into thought.
What the hell is going on?
None of it made sense. It had all come crashing down out of nowhere, without warning or logic.
Well. No use spiraling on an empty stomach.
He looked at the spread laid out on the table and decided the tangled questions could wait. He'd grab Subaru after breakfast for a proper talk, then drag him to Betty for examination. When it came to Witches, Gojo was the first to admit he was out of his depth.
"Got it." He waved a hand. "Don't worry too much about it, either of you. I really have nothing to do with any Witch. Of course, I wouldn't blame you for not believing me. Honestly, the whole thing has me just as confused."
He kept talking while loading up his plate.
Before long, Subaru wandered in with a yawn.
"Morning, Gojo. And Miss Rem, Miss Ram."
The moment he sat down, Gojo was on him. "Eat fast. There's something important I need to tell you after."
"What's going on?" Subaru blinked, still half-asleep, rubbing his eyes.
"Just eat."
Subaru shrugged, bewildered, but nodded and tucked in.
They finished quickly. Gojo pulled Subaru upstairs to his room and shut the door.
"All right, what's with all the secrecy?"
"You forget what happened yesterday?"
Gojo sat backwards on a chair, arms draped over the backrest, watching him.
"Of course not!" The fog cleared from Subaru's face in an instant. "Did you find something?"
Time rewinding, everything resetting. The thought alone was enough to send a chill down anyone's spine. If it were controllable, it might even qualify as an extraordinary power.
...
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