Chapter 8: Disaster Witches
Author: Geraint
"Sorry, Yuki-sama, but could you buy some groceries? We just ran out today, and there aren't enough ingredients for tonight's dinner."
Himiko-san handed me a shopping list. I glanced over it.
"Can Fuyumi come with me? I want to bring her outside."
"Sure, she can... but are you going to be okay? The stuff on this list is pretty heavy."
"Remember who you're talking to, Himiko-san." I flexed my right arm proudly.
"I know you're not human, but please don't let anyone else find out."
"Nah, I'll be fine. I'll just store the groceries in my dimensional storage. That way, I've got both hands free to hold Fuyumi."
"Still... please be careful."
"Okay."
Fuyumi was snug and comfy in the baby carrier strapped to my back.
"Everything's checked. Now, we're ready for our first adventure, Fuyumi."
"Babu~ Guhehe~" She looked delighted.
We stepped through the gate, and I waved at Himiko-san.
"We're off!"
"Please take care, you two!"
She waved back, though her face showed clear worry. It was our first outing together, after all.
"Let's go, Fuyumi."
"Ai~"
I felt excited. Our first shopping trip together! Suddenly, the streets I'd walked a hundred times before felt new and full of wonder.
"Look, Fuyumi!"
I pointed at a young woman leaving her house just ahead.
"That's Akemi. She's always going on 'business trips'—but actually, she's having an affair with her boss."
The woman looked around nervously, then hurried off. Yep, off to another 'business trip.'
"Au~" Fuyumi giggled.
Turning a corner, we passed an old man kneeling before three scar-faced Yakuza.
"Hehehe... Fuyumi, that old man borrowed a huge amount from loan sharks and blew it all on horse racing and pachinko."
"Gii~" Fuyumi laughed as we walked past. The Yakuza gave us wary stares.
Then, a gorgeous woman stepped out of her house and smiled flirtatiously when she saw me. She winked.
"Hey there, handsome. Wanna hang out with me?"
"Nah, I'm busy showing my baby sister around right now."
"Then can I at least get your number? We can hang out when you're free~" She blocked my path, leaning forward to emphasize her assets.
I gave her a cold glare.
"I don't have anything like 'free time.' All of it's for taking care of my baby sister. Now, get lost."
I walked right past her.
"Kyaah! He's so cool!" she squealed behind me.
...Huh? What's going on in her head?
"Guhehe~" Fuyumi giggled again.
Her cuteness helped me forget every annoying thing in an instant. My focus was only on her.
We finally arrived at the supermarket. I grabbed a cart and started collecting the items on the list.
"Palm oil, sugar, salt, black pepper, soy sauce... mild curry roux... what else? Oh, we're out of rice."
Once I had everything, I waited in line and paid in cash. People stared as I casually carried several heavy bags in both hands like they were feathers.
Outside, I discreetly stored everything in my dimensional storage. With my hands free again, I decided to wander around a little longer with Fuyumi.
Before I knew it, I found myself in front of my school.
"I wonder how everyone's doing..."
"Awoh~" Fuyumi waved her tiny hands, giggling.
"Oh? You want to check inside?"
"Fuwah~"
"Alright. Let's go see your big sisters. Let's surprise Yuuka and Shiina."
Students were scattered across the school field, busy with club activities as we walked onto the campus.
"Seir-sama!"
Lilith ran up to me and bowed with elegance.
"You don't have to do that, Lilith. We're in public, remember?"
"I apologize, Seir-sama—"
"Lilith! Why'd you run off like that!?"
Riko came rushing over, panting and out of breath.
"You're so fast, I couldn't even keep up!"
She spotted me and froze.
"Seir-kun!?"
"Been a while, Riko. How've you been?" I waved.
"I was so excited to see you at school, then I find out you got suspended on the first day! What the hell!? Starting trouble already!?"
"I just taught a few delinquents not to mess with my family. I made them regret it."
"We're in high school now, and you still haven't changed... I'm grateful you saved me before, but try not to get in trouble again. You'll get expelled next time." She sighed.
"I'll try... but I can't promise. If someone starts something, I won't just let it slide."
"Oh, that's right! Since you're here, how about we walk around together?" She grabbed my arm—then noticed the baby carrier.
"Awuh~"
"Huh?"
"It's my little sister, Fuyumi. I was showing her around the neighborhood." I turned to show her.
"Kyah! So cute! She looks just like my little cousin when she was a baby!" Riko squealed, pinching Fuyumi's cheek.
I turned to Lilith.
"Anyway, where are Yuuka and Shiina? Do you know?"
"Yuuka-sama went somewhere with Ayaka. They left me with Riko in the classroom."
"Why do you sound like you had no choice but to hang out with me?" Riko glared.
"It's just your imagination." Lilith looked away.
"Seir-kun, let's check out the school clubs!" Riko said, tugging my arm as Lilith followed behind.
"But I'm suspended."
"It's fine, as long as nobody finds out."
We arrived at the gymnasium, where a crowd had gathered around a Kendo match.
"Wow, the Kendo Club's popular. Wanna watch?"
"Nah. Not really into these kinds of sword fights."
Kendo was too rule-bound for my taste. Real swordsmanship—like in Kaho-san's Kenjutsu—was different. Sports-based habits could get you killed in real combat.
I was about to walk away when someone yelled:
"Mizuno Kaho-chan! If I win this duel, go on a date with me!"
I turned toward the ring.
"Kyaah~!" squeals erupted from the crowd.
"Win or lose, sorry. I have to refuse."
"What, scared you'll lose to me?"
The challenger was a Kendo Club member. Kaho-san looked mildly irritated—but took the bait.
"If I win, you'll be my girlfriend. If I lose, I'll leave you alone. Deal?"
"Fine. But I won't hold back."
The match began.
"Huh?"
Kaho-san vanished—and in an instant, appeared before the guy and slammed her bamboo sword on his head.
"Arrgh!"
He collapsed instantly. The crowd went wild.
"She's so quick! Amazing!" Riko gushed.
"Wait! I wasn't ready! Let's have a rematch!" the guy protested.
"Such disappointment." Kaho-san sighed, removed her gear, and turned to leave.
"Kaho-chan, I like you!"
"Huh?"
A real confession.
For some reason, watching that made me feel oddly uncomfortable.
Everyone went quiet, waiting for her response.
Her cheeks turned red. She looked flustered.
"Sorry. I already have someone I like."
"Eh?"
The guy froze in place, crushed.
"Senpai!" his clubmates dragged him away.
Kaho-san was immediately swarmed by students praising her.
"Another guy rejected," Riko said beside me.
"Is it just me, or is she really popular?"
"You've been suspended, so you wouldn't know. Mizuno-senpai used to be the most beautiful girl in school."
"Used to?"
"Well... she got replaced by Yuuka, the rising idol. Aka Yuuka-tan. Still can't believe she's our classmate. Now that I think about it... you mentioned her earlier. What's your relationship with her?"
"I've been looking for you, Lilith! Where did you—Onii-sama!?"
Yuuka appeared, with Shiina peeking nervously from behind her.
"Eh? Seir-kun?" Shiina blinked.
"Just came to visit. How's everyone doing?"
"You're suspended! What are you doing here?!" Yuuka scolded.
I turned around to show Fuyumi, who was fast asleep on my back.
"You brought her here?"
"I went shopping. The school was on the way back, so I thought we'd drop by."
"Seir-kun!? Since when—"
Kaho-san's voice cut in from behind us. She froze when she saw me.
"Oh! Nice match, Kaho-san!" I gave her a thumbs-up.
Her entire face turned bright red.
"Waaahhh! Seir-kun, you dummy!!"
---------
As we walked home together, Shiina clung tightly to my arm, inching closer with every step. On my other side, Yuuka noticed this and, not to be outdone, latched onto my opposite arm. Behind us, Kaho-san and Riko stared, clearly not thrilled with the closeness I shared with the two girls. Lilith followed silently at the rear.
"I thought Shiina-san was scared of guys, but she's totally fine with Seir-kun," Riko said, raising an eyebrow.
"Nah, she just has social anxiety," I replied.
"Really? But she was fine when I introduced myself and talked to her. A lot of guys try to approach her, but she always panics and hides behind Yuuka-tan. Guess she's just bad at talking to guys."
I glanced at Shiina and called out to her.
"Hey, Shiina."
"Huh? What is it, Seir-kun?"
She looked up at me attentively.
"Why not say something interesting?"
"Eh? But... I don't have anything interesting to talk about. I'm just a boring girl. I can't even talk to anyone outside the house..." she trailed off, voice timid and full of self-doubt.
"I don't think you're boring at all. I know about your past—what you went through. It makes sense that you'd turn out this way. But no matter what happens, I'll always accept you. We're childhood friends, after all."
"Seir-kun..." Her cheeks flushed as she lowered her gaze.
"Pffft—Haha! You really are Himiko-san's daughter. She never talked to the neighbors either. It was always Mom and Dad doing the talking."
"Wait—what?! Mom was like that?!" Shiina's eyes widened in shock.
Yuuka turned toward Kaho-san.
"Mizuno-senpai, I heard about you from Mom and Dad. You're supposed to be Onii-sama's fiancée, right? But you haven't accepted it yet."
"Well, since you're Seir's little sister, I don't mind if you call me by my first name."
"Just a reminder: Onii-sama isn't my real brother. He's my step-brother."
"Really? Isn't it kind of awkward suddenly living with an unrelated guy?" Riko asked, surprised.
"Not really. Mom and I are happy to have him join our family. Shiina too—she lives with us along with her mother, who works as our maid," Yuuka replied casually.
"Seir-kun lives with two girls who aren't related to him?"
Kaho-san and Riko both looked baffled by the revelation.
"Kaho-san, about your engagement with Onii-sama..." Yuuka brought the topic back.
"Ah, right... I just don't like that it was arranged by our parents. I don't think Seir-kun is a bad guy. In fact, he's helped me a lot. I'm very grateful to him."
Kaho-san fidgeted as she said that.
"Just asking—do you like him?"
"What?!" Her face turned bright red at Yuuka's blunt question.
"Answer me straight."
"I don't see him that way! He's more like a little brother to me! That's right—he's also my student at the dojo."
Yuuka turned to me, silently asking for confirmation.
"She's not lying," I told her.
"Oh, really? It's just... kind of obvious."
"Hey! What do you mean by that?!" Kaho-san snapped.
"Nothing~" Yuuka let go of my arm and looked away.
Kaho-san and Riko eventually split off from us. When we arrived home, Himiko-san took Fuyumi and gently placed her in her crib. I headed to the kitchen, pulling out the groceries from my dimensional storage and sorting them onto the table.
Using magic, I prepped the ingredients while stirring a pot of soup. A quick taste with the ladle—perfect.
By the time it got dark, Mom and Dad had arrived home by car, and we all sat down for dinner as a family. Dad asked the girls how school was going. They said everything was fine, except Shiina, who struggled with talking to other students. It made it hard for her to make friends.
Dad reassured her that once my suspension ended and I returned to school, things would get easier.
After dinner, Mom and Dad went back to their rooms to continue working on reports. Himiko-san assisted Mom while I stayed behind to wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen. Then, I made tea and coffee for my parents, and Himiko-san brought the drinks to their rooms.
Once everything was tidied, I sat on the couch in the living room, waiting for the next report from my homeworld to appear in the crystal ball on the side table.
"Umm... Onii-sama?"
"Seir-kun..."
Yuuka and Shiina descended the stairs, now dressed in sleepwear—sleeveless tops and shorts that matched their hair colors. Their outfits hugged their figures, accentuating their curves in a way that was... kind of dangerous.
"Mom told us to wear these. What do you think, Onii-sama?" Yuuka asked, flustered. Shiina looked like she was dying from embarrassment.
"You both look great," I said with a smile.
They lit up at the compliment, then each sat down on either side of me, leaning in close. Yuuka busied herself with her phone, while Shiina quietly rested her head on my shoulder, dozing off.
Just another normal evening at the Akitsuki residence.
Suddenly, the crystal ball lit up, and Naamah appeared, kneeling with her head bowed.
"Seir-sama." Lilith also appeared beside me in her usual pajamas, bowing in sync.
"Naamah, what's the update?"
Her expression was grave.
"I have bad news. The Empire in Human Territory has launched an assault on the Elven Kingdom, which borders my domain. They sent an overwhelming force that's already engulfed the forest. The Elven King sent a letter, begging me to allow his people to take refuge in my lands during the battle."
"Can you accommodate them all?"
"That's the problem, Seir-sama. Our resources are limited—we won't be able to feed them all. Worse, the Empire's goal is to capture elves and sell them into slavery, especially the females. They fetch a high price with nobles in other kingdoms. There's a high chance they'll come for us next, especially since the new Demon King has no reason to stop them."
"Accept them for now. We'll deal with the logistics later—once they're safe. Gather the remaining Disaster Witches. I'll speak with them personally."
"As you command, Seir-sama." Naamah bowed her head once more.
-------
"Dear, is it just me, or hasn't Fuyumi grown at all this past year?"
Mom asked as she picked up Fuyumi from the crib and stared at her.
"I already did a health check on her. She's perfectly healthy," Dad replied.
"Fuyumi is already two years old. By now, she should be walking and saying a few words. But she still looks like she's in late infancy... I'm worried."
"Relax, Mia. If something strange is happening in this house—especially with Fuyumi—there's only one culprit."
Both of them turned to look at me as I tried to sneak out of the baby's room.
"Seir, what have you done to your little sister?" Mom asked, clearly angry.
I sighed, realizing I had no choice but to explain. Their reactions were... expected.
"What?! You sealed a powerful Divine Relic in her?!"
I was now kneeling in front of my parents, who were sitting on the couch with Fuyumi between them.
"I did it to protect her. The relic's power will shield her from harm and make her immune to sickness."
"You doting brother... Then why hasn't she grown up?"
"It's not that she hasn't grown. She just chose to stay like that because she wanted to be spoiled by you two. That's not her real appearance."
"Huh?"
"The first magic I taught her was a time-based spell called Age Shifting. It lets the user appear older or younger. It's actually the first magic I ever learned."
I gently took Fuyumi from Mom's arms and lifted her.
"Fuyumi, show Onii-chan how big you really are. Mama and Papa want to see it."
"Guhehe~" she giggled.
"Hehe. Even if you grow up, Mom and Dad will still spoil you. You're still their little girl, after all."
Fuyumi fell silent, then spoke.
"Is that true?"
Both of my parents were stunned to hear her speak clearly. Her body began to glow as she dispelled the magic. Her hair grew longer, and her clothes no longer fit her now older frame.
"It took me a while to figure out why she wasn't growing. You two were always busy with work and didn't spend much time with her. That's why... she chose to stay a baby, so she could keep being spoiled by you."
"Waaah! Mama! Papa!" Fuyumi burst into tears.
I handed her back to Mom, and both of my parents embraced her tightly, tears welling up in their eyes.
"Fuyumi, I'm so sorry!"
"Me too, sweetie..."
I smiled quietly, then stepped out and closed the door behind me, leaving the three of them together.
After that day...
"Huh?"
Mom and Dad were now dressed in vacation clothes, standing next to Fuyumi—who wore sunglasses like them.
"Sorry, Seir, but your mom and I have decided to take a vacation overseas. We want to spend some quality time with Fuyumi. We've canceled all our work plans."
"See you, Onii-chan!" Fuyumi waved at me adorably.
I was fine with it... until Himiko-san showed up, dragging a suitcase.
"Wait. Don't tell me—you're going with them?!"
"Yuki-sama, I'll leave Ayaka in your care," she said with a gentle smile.
My cheek twitched as I watched her walk away with them.
"We're leaving the house to you, Seir-kun," Mom said cheerfully as they stepped outside.
Once they were out the door, Dad lingered and leaned in close to me.
"I know you're a guy, and you might need this." He took my hand and placed something into my palm.
"Huh? What is this?"
It was a small packet—with something rubbery inside.
"You don't have to act innocent. You know what it is. Just in case."
I was speechless. He gave me a condom.
"Why would you give me this?"
"It's not enough? Here's another."
He placed another in my hand.
"Oi!"
"You're so greedy. How many times do you plan on doing it with them?"
Then he dropped an entire box into my hand and just took two for himself.
"These will do for Mia and Himiko. We'll be gone for ten days straight... Good luck, Seir."
He tapped my shoulder and turned to leave.
"Hey! Listen to me—!"
"Hahaha! All hail the Great Demon King!"
He laughed maniacally and walked out.
"...Did that old man just tell me to have sex with my stepsister?"
I dropped onto the couch and sighed.
Then a thought crossed my mind.
Now that I think about it, my relationship with this family began as a contract—just to keep Mom alive. I wonder how they really see me.
Even so... I genuinely think of Fuyumi as my little sister. That much, I'm sure of.
I couldn't deny it. I'd definitely changed since arriving in this world.
Meanwhile, in another world...
Naamah walked deep into the mountains, a lantern in hand, lighting her path. Eventually, she reached the ruins of an old temple. She inspected the cracked pillars, spotting dried blood splattered across them.
Pushing deeper, she came to a cave, only to find the entrance blocked by the corpse of a massive demon beast—one that resembled a giant wolf with saber-like fangs.
"A Demonic Fanghound... This thing usually hunts in packs. Even one requires an entire army to take down."
Naamah raised her staff.
"Pure Magic: Mana Blast!"
BOOM!
The beast's corpse exploded into pieces, leaving only a crater behind.
Inside the cave, a silhouette sat by a fire, roasting a massive hunk of meat. A girl with horns and long hair stared into the flames.
"It's too late to challenge me. Come back tomorrow."
Naamah stepped closer.
"It's me, Naamah. Don't tell me you've already forgotten your fellow Disaster Witches, Hannya."
"Hmm? Oh, it's the Witch of Chastity. What brings you here?"
The girl was petite, with reddish skin, long hair, and demonic red eyes with black sclera. Her massive spiked club leaned against the cave wall.
"Stop calling me by my virtue! It's embarrassing!" Naamah snapped.
Hannya took a bite of the roasted meat.
"It's good. Want some? You can have a bite."
"No, I'm fine," Naamah declined politely.
"Your loss. It's cooked perfectly. The result was worth the wait."
Hannya—an Oni from the demon race—was known as the Witch of Patience, one of the seven Disaster Witches.
"Hannya, I've come to gather the Seven under Seir-sama's command."
"So... the prince is still alive."
"Yes. Lilith, the Witch of Diligence, is already by his side. Lamia, the Witch of Charity, is helping me gather food for the elf refugees. I still need to find the others. I know where Hecate and Marah are, but Eisheth's location is unknown."
"Ugh... Eisheth, that weirdo. She's both the easiest and hardest to find. She just pops in and out on a whim. Thanks to her, people call us the 'Seven Weirdos.'"
"Please don't remind me," Naamah groaned.
(To be continued.)