“Forget her?” I turned my head toward Catherine, my brows furrowing at her cryptic words. The flickering lantern light cast soft shadows across her face, but her crimson eyes held a depth of emotion I couldn’t quite place, something between sorrow and resentment.

  Catherine let out a slow breath, her grip tightening around her staff. “During the war against the Demon Lord, there were sacrifices that had to be made,” she muttered, her voice laced with something heavy, regret, perhaps?

  Viola, who had been watching me with her usual unreadable expression, averted her gaze at those words. Her fingers stilled against the armrest of her chair, and the playful smirk she had worn just moments ago faded into something more distant.

  Catherine glanced at her sister, then continued, her voice quieter now, as if the weight of the past pressed against her shoulders. “One of those sacrifices was a fox-kin... someone we grew up with.”

  The room, once filled with playful banter and the rustling of Yuzu’s tail against the floor, now felt suffocatingly silent. Even Yuzu, who was usually quick to respond with an exaggerated reaction, remained still, ears twitching as she processed Catherine’s words.

  “Mashiro, you’re going to Vulprithal, right?” Catherine asked, her crimson eyes settling on me with a certain finality.

  I hesitated before nodding, unsure of where this conversation was leading. “Yeah… I guess so.”

  Catherine let out a soft breath, shifting her weight slightly as she tapped her fingers against the wooden shaft of her staff. “I achieved my purpose in coming with you,” she said, her voice steady but carrying an odd sense of detachment. “So I’ll stay here.”

  I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden declaration. Yuzu, who had been nibbling on a leftover piece of bread, perked up, her fluffy ears twitching. “Nnya? Witch lady is staying?” she asked, tilting her head.

  Catherine nodded, her usual sharp demeanor easing just a little. “Yes. There's no reason for me to go further.”

  A strange feeling twisted in my chest. Though I hadn’t known Catherine for long, she had become a presence I had grown accustomed to, her level-headedness balancing out Yuzu’s boundless energy and my own uncertainty in this unfamiliar world.

  “You sure?” I asked, narrowing my eyes slightly. “I thought you’d at least want to see Vulprithal for yourself.”

  Catherine’s lips curled into a faint smirk, but there was something tired in her expression. “I told you, it’s not a place for a witch like me.” She exhaled, glancing briefly at Viola, who remained silent but observant. “Besides, there are things I need to take care of here.”

  Viola sighed, rubbing her temples as if she were nursing a growing headache. “Hey, I didn’t say I’m accepting residents here.” Her voice carried its usual dry tone, but there was a flicker of hesitation in her eyes.

  Catherine, ever the opportunist, leaned in slightly, her lips curving into a mischievous smirk before suddenly shifting into an exaggerated pout. With practiced ease, she widened her crimson eyes, making them shimmer with an uncanny, almost unnatural softness, the perfect execution of a cute, pleading expression. “You sure?” she asked, her voice taking on a gentle, almost whimpering tone. “I’m your sister, you know?”

  Viola froze, her expression contorting into something between reluctant exasperation and begrudging surrender. She inhaled sharply as if considering a retort, but then, with a long-suffering sigh, she slumped her shoulders and pinched the bridge of her nose.

  “Fine…” she muttered, waving a dismissive hand. “But don’t make me regret it.”

  Yuzu, who had been watching with sparkling eyes, let out a delighted squeak. “Bery cute!” she declared, clapping her hands together.

  “So… this is a goodbye?” I said, my voice quieter than I intended.

  The weight of those words settled uncomfortably in my chest as I looked at Catherine. Despite her usual composed demeanor, there was something different about her now, something almost wistful.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Catherine tilted her head slightly, her crimson eyes flickering with an emotion I couldn’t quite place. Then, with a small, knowing smile, she shrugged. “I wouldn’t call it that.”

  Yuzu’s ears twitched, her tail swishing behind her. “Nnya… not goodbye! Just bery long ‘see you later’?” she offered hopefully.

  Catherine chuckled softly, reaching out to playfully ruffle Yuzu’s hair. “Something like that,” she said, her voice unusually gentle.

  Viola, who had been silently watching the exchange, let out a sigh. “You’re all being dramatic,” she muttered, folding her arms. “She’s not vanishing off the face of the world.”

  Still, even Viola’s usual sharp tone couldn’t quite dispel the weight of the moment. I swallowed, forcing a smile. “Yeah… I guess it’s not really goodbye.”

  Suddenly, Yuzu lunged forward, wrapping her arms around me in a tight embrace.

  “Eh? What are you doing?” I asked, blinking in confusion.

  Yuzu’s tail wagged excitedly as she grinned up at me. “Yuzu bery gon teleport Mashiro back to the shrine!” she declared proudly, her fluffy ears twitching in excitement.

  Before I could even process that statement, Catherine let out a deep sigh and facepalmed. “Oh, right. I left my stuff there.”

  I tilted my head. “Do you want to take it before we leave?”

  Catherine waved a dismissive hand. “No, it’s fine. If you could, just take it inside the shrine for me. I’ll grab it later… when I remember.”

  A scoff came from Viola, who had been watching with crossed arms. “That’s what you said centuries ago when you left that pan and cauldron in The Rustic Gardens of Parhurst…” She shot Catherine a sharp glare. “Do you know how furious the gardener was when I had to retrieve your stuff? He nearly chased me out of the city, yelling about ‘witches and their forsaken clutter!’”

  Catherine blinked, then chuckled, looking utterly unconcerned. She gave a casual shrug, as if centuries of misplaced belongings were nothing more than a mild inconvenience. “Come on, that was ages ago,” she said, brushing a stray lock of her dark hair behind her ear.

  Viola, on the other hand, was less amused. She huffed, crossing her arms with an exasperated pout. “Not for the gardener, it wasn’t.” Her violet eyes gleamed with frustration, as if she were still haunted by the memory of the furious old man. “He chased me halfway across the gardens, shouting about how ‘reckless witches keep abandoning their cursed cookware!’”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at the mental image. “You sure have a habit of forgetting things, huh?” I teased, raising an eyebrow at Catherine.

  Catherine only smirked, completely unfazed. “I like to think of it as leaving surprises for my future self,” she said, tapping a finger against her chin. “It’s like a scavenger hunt, but across time.”

  Viola groaned, rubbing her temples. “More like a never-ending headache for the people who have to deal with it.”

  Yuzu, still clinging to me, giggled. “Nya~ bery surprise for everyone!” she added, her tail wagging behind her.

  Catherine let out a low chuckle, shaking her head. “Well then, go on, you two.”

  “Yeah, Yuki and Ai are probably pouting right now,” Catherine added, stretching her arms lazily. “Actually, knowing them, they’re probably just sleeping in the tent all day.”

  I smiled at the thought. It was comforting in a way, returning to the familiar, even after all the strange things that had happened.

  Then, out of nowhere, Viola’s voice cut through the moment. “Well, aren’t you glad you came here, Mashiro?”

  I blinked, tilting my head slightly. “Why’s that?”

  Viola smiled, a knowing glint in her eyes as she raised a hand to her lips. “Because I took something of yours.”

  A puzzled expression crossed my face as I tried to make sense of her words. Took something? What could she possibly have… Then it clicked. My eyes widened in realization, and my cheeks immediately flushed red.

  Yuzu, who had been watching me closely, turned her head toward Viola, then back to me, mimicking my puzzled expression. “Nnai? Wat was?” she asked, her ears twitching curiously.

  Viola grinned mischievously. “Her first kiss.”

  The moment the words left Viola’s mouth, Yuzu’s tail shot up, her entire body stiffening as her eyes snapped toward me. Then, without warning, she lunged forward.

  “NYA!!”

  Before I could react, Yuzu grabbed my hands, pulling me into a tight embrace.

  “Y-Yuzu?!” My heart pounded in my chest, but before I could protest, she pressed her lips against mine in a swift, determined motion.

  A sudden shift in the air made my stomach lurch. Magic flared around us, and the world around me blurred as the dojo, Viola, and Catherine all melted away in an instant.

  The next thing I knew, warmth spread across my skin, the feeling of sunlight beaming down from above. A gentle breeze rustled through the trees, and the familiar sight of the shrine’s torii gate stood before me.

  But more importantly—

  “Mmph?!” My muffled exclamation was met with the realization that Yuzu’s lips were still pressed against mine.

  Still caught in the moment, Yuzu’s fluffy ears twitched as she slowly pulled back, her tail swishing rapidly behind her. She blinked up at me, her face heating up just as much as mine.

  “Yuzu bery win,” she murmured, her voice slightly dazed.

  My mind short-circuited.