After that strange run-in with the mystery guy, it took me fewer than three steps to run into the box-art legendary herself—Olympia Ventura.
Olympia.
Olympia Ventura.
"Hey—"
"What took you so long?" she questions me with a pouting face. Is she seriously upset with me? Even though I snuck out of my home just for her. Geez, give a guy a break.
"Sorry I took a while, but you should be able to understand sneaking out is not the easiest thing to do in the world, especially if your sister were as nosy as mine."
"Sneak out? I would never do such a thing. My family respects me enough to let me out of the house even this late at night. Ah, I'd understand why your parents wouldn't, though," she says with a smirk.
"I thought you were a daytime pest, but it seems your nastiness doesn't care whether the sun or moon is out."
"My kind tend to partake in roosting, but that's besides the point," she responds.
What was the point again?
"The point, which you may be asking yourself," she reads my mind, "or in other words, the reason I called you out here, is very, very simple."
"Oh? Then what did you call me for? Are we going to T.P. one of our teachers' homes?"
"Jesus Christ, dude. That's dark…" Was it? "I'd say your popularity rating has gone down, but you're already the least liked."
"Either shut the hell up or tell me the reason! I could've been studying for school."
"We both know that's a lie; you'd be sound asleep or, as they say, flicking the bean."
"I'm not sure that we can publish this chapter…"
"Aren't you taking a two-month break before releasing the first chapter of this volume? Quite an awful amount of time spent writing something no one will read. Then again, this volume is centered around me, so perhaps there's a chance some greasy pervert will pick this series up."
"Tell me the god damn reason already!" I'm genuinely growing annoyed. Not because what she's yapping about has some truth to it. They don't…right?
"You want to know why I called you out here? Simple."
She grins and throws her arms up dramatically toward the sky.
"Witch hunting!"
"Which hunting? I don't think I follow. Which will we be hunting? Wait, is that even how I should ask that question? You make no sense. Oww!" She flicks my forehead with great strength, might I add.
"Not which hunting. Witch hunting!"
Witch hunting? What the hell is she— Oh, that's right. What we brought up earlier at school: witches. Is she serious, though? She doesn't believe that the rumors that she's heard from someone else, me, are true, does she? No, even more than that, she doesn't believe that witches exist, right? The smartest girl in our school believes in…witches?
"Hmm? What's with the silence? Olympia asks, with a tilt to her head.
"Sorry, I think I'm confused. Tonight we'll spend this time together searching for witches? Am I getting this right?"
She chooses not to confirm with words, but with a rapid shake of her head. It's honestly cute. I like her energetic, carefree nature.
"Okay, let's do this, but how do we search for witches?" I ask.
"Hmm, I'd say if you had humanity, you could then summon famous Witch Beatrice, but we both know you don't have any humanity. Also, I'd say we could bring out a chessboard to summon The Endless Witch, Beatrice, but I doubt you'd know what a chessboard is, let alone be able to best her in a match."
"How many witches named Beatrice do you know!?" At this point, I'm not asking her just to banter; I'm genuinely baffled by her knowledge. Should I be concerned?
"On a real note, I hadn't considered how we should go about this witch hunt. I'm not going to say I was banking on you having ideas, because that would be a bold-faced lie. But beggars can't be choosers. Do you have any idea what we should do?"
"Hmm?" I take careful consideration of what we should do. I've never hunted a witch before. Wait…I've never hunted a single person before! Don't get any weird ideas. But what would be the best approach?
Olympia is visibly growing impatient. I have to think of something fast.
"How about we walk around aimlessly and pray that we come across this rumored witch…?" I ask without a shred of confidence in my suggestion.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Say something already, please.
"Sounds like a plan," Olympia finally replies, with a smile and her thumb pointed out. Does she think this is a sound plan? "But perhaps before we venture, you tell me everything you know about this 'rumored' witch. You know, her appearance."
"Appearance? Well, I didn't hear too much about how this witch looks. When I told you that she shared your three measurements—" wait, if I tell her the truth, she'll hate me, "I was given a brief estimate of their size, and surmised that they were at the very least similar to your measurements."
"Oh…I thought you said that so you could finally learn what my three measurements were. How disappointing… But that's good information, nonetheless. What else do you know about this witch? Does she have green skin and melt when introduced to water? Or perhaps she wears clothing from Hot Topic?" Olympia suggests.
"No, she doesn't have green skin or dissolve when water is poured on her. Nor does she shop at Hot Topic. What made you think of asking that, anyway?"
"He's sorry? He's sorry, he's sorry, he's sorry, he's sorry!" Olympia erratically cries out while shaking her head in a way that seems painful. Did those actors wear clothing from Hot Topic?
Now that I think about it, there was one detail that the rumor sharer, i.e., Kagami, did mention.
"Butterflies," I mutter.
Her expression shifts.
"Butterflies?"
"That's what I heard. The witch…she can take the shape of butterflies."
To influence her prey into committing harmful and self-harming acts.
I shouldn't share this last bit with Olympia.
But without telling her this part I remembered, she suddenly looks sullen.
Then all of a sudden, cheerful again.
"Well, let's go out and look for a witch that takes the form of butterflies! Am I right in assuming she can appear human or as a butterfly as she pleases?" Olympia asks.
"I'd assume so," I respond; however, I'm genuinely unsure.
"Whatever's the case, let's go witch hunting!"