In a sense, a witch's brooch is her identification. Without it, I was just a traveler who could use magic.
That must be why the last inn treated me like a little child. I see, I see. But how did I only just notice that it was missing? Witches aren't all that rare, and if I had been just a little more skeptical, I could have done something earlier. Am I just an idiot? Ugh, screw you, Elaina!
As I cursed and swore at myself, I searched frantically for the brooch.
"…It's gone."
It was nowhere to be found.
I must have dropped it when Saya and I collided, but it was already completely dark outside. The brooch was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand…not exactly the kind of thing I could find just by groping around in the dark.
"…Ugh."
After scouring the roof in a thorough zigzag pattern and looking into all the cracks between tiles, I went down to ground level and searched all around the house. But of course, no luck.
I'm gonna cry.
"I didn't find anything!! Miss Elaina, it's not over here, either!!" An obnoxiously loud voice came from the rooftop, echoing down the alleyway. When I looked up, I saw Saya illuminated by the moonlight.
Right after we had discovered the brooch was missing, she had said, "This is my fault, too, so I'm going with you!" and insisted on joining me in my search. She had left another person in charge at the inn or something, I guess.
While I was walking around below, I had let her take the roof on the off chance that I had overlooked something. But apparently, she hadn't fared any better.
I floated up beside her on my broom.
"We've done a thorough search and the brooch isn't here. We have to consider the possibility that someone picked it up…" I let out a deep sigh.
"I think it's also going to be hard to find because it's dark outside,"
Saya said. "It might be good to search here again tomorrow morning." Her voice was cheerful, though my shoulders were slumped with disappointment. I was a little grateful for her optimism.
"I'll do that…" I nodded meekly at her suggestion and turned to head back to the inn.
Flying around unsteadily on my broom, I must have looked just like a mere apprentice witch who was still learning how to steer. Ah, if anyone were to fly close to me, I just might collide with them.
I had gone through a lot to get that brooch, and it held a lot of memories of my time with my teacher. Losing it was a bitter pill to swallow.
If I had lost it when I first became a witch, I'm sure I would have noticed right away. But after wearing it every day for two years, I was probably too accustomed to just always having it on me.
"…Sigh."
This was depressing.
After the search, I returned to the inn and ate dinner, then entered my room using the key I got from Saya, remembered I hadn't taken a bath yet, and headed straight for the big bathroom instead.
I soaked in the hot water for a whole hour as my mind wandered. Ah, I must have dropped it when I collided with Saya…but it wasn't there… How mysterious… I stretched out almost fully and filled the big bathtub (I was alone). Then, just before I melted away into the hot water, I sat my heavy body back up.
And then I went back to my room…
"Ah, hello—" …and found Saya inside.
I closed the door. I took a step back and checked the room number. Yep, it matches the number written on the key. Strange.
Maybe I was just seeing things?
I opened the door once again.
"Ah, hello—"
If only it had been a bad dream… But alas, there was no mistaking it: Saya was in my room, giving me a carefree wave from atop the hard bed.
...
"…What are you doing in my room?" I closed the door with a hand behind my back.
"I wanted to talk to you, Elaina, so I waited here for you."
"I thought I locked the door."
"You sure did! But I work here!" She proudly pulled out a key ring
with a large number of keys.
I walked up to her without a word and grabbed both of her cheeks.
"Ow, dhad hurtsh! Id hurtsh!"
"What's the big idea, entering a person's room without permission? Huh?" I pulled hard on her cheeks.
"Dhey're gonna teahw! You'we teahwing bwy cheeks!" They're gonna tear, you're tearing my cheeks is what she seemed to want to say.
"Hmm? What's that? I can't hear you."
"Waaaaaah…"
I pulled and twisted her tender cheeks until I was satisfied and released her.
Massaging her slightly red cheeks with both hands, Saya muttered,
"That was mean…" Really, though, which one of us was actually in the wrong here?
"Well, what did you want? You made a point of waiting in my room, so you must have some reason for it, right?"
Still massaging her face, Saya said, "Miss Elaina, you're really a witch, right?"
"Yeah, well," I confirmed, "I don't have my brooch at the moment, but yes, I'm a witch."
"Then that means you passed the magic exam, right?"
"I did."
Even now I remembered how disappointed I was by the lack of challenge.
Saya stared at me for a moment, then suddenly got down off the bed and knelt down. Then she placed both hands on the floor and pressed her forehead to the ground.
"Please help me! Teach me the secrets to passing the exam, please!"
"…Um, what are you doing on the floor like that?"
"This is the traditional way of prostrating ourselves in my hometown! It's a surefire technique used when you've done something unforgivable to the other party."
What a strange tradition… Do the people in her hometown have to apologize to others that often? Still, you can really feel the sincerity.
But it gave me this…what's the word? Weird feeling? Creepy, even?
Repressing the urge to say, "Huuuh? You think that's all it takes to ask a favor like that?" I knelt down beside her.
"Um, just take your head off the floor for now."
"You'll do it?!" She stared up at me.
"Take it easy," I said. "First, tell me about your situation."
She told me.
I let her sit on the bed again, and I pulled out the cheap-looking chair from the desk and sat facing her. Saya gave her black hair a slight shake and tilted her head, then hesitantly opened her mouth.
"Um… So I have a younger sister. She's very cute."
"Okay…" That's a pretty weird way to start, but I've already committed.
"We come from a country far to the east. My sister and I came all this way to become apprentice witches—there are no organizations offering the exams in our hometown. So the two of us worked at this inn and saved money while studying for the exams. We lived that way for several years, but…"
"But the two of you are still just novices?"
She cast her eyes downward and shook her head slowly. "Only my sister took the latest round of exams. And she went home. Without me."
"…Hmm." I see, I see. I think I know where this is going. In other words…
"Your cute little sister has surpassed you, and you got so impatient that you decided to rope a witch you just met—in an accident, might I add—into helping you pass your exams? Is that it?"
Scratching her cheek in apparent embarrassment, Saya mumbled,
"Well, um…that's…yeah, more or less."
"So when is the next exam?"
"One week from now… I don't have much time…"
You've taken the advancement exams several times, so I don't think there's any need to panic. But you're probably so worried about it because you want to see your sister again.
"..."
Breaking the silence, I spoke. "I'll help you for as long as it takes me to find my brooch." I couldn't leave the country until I had found my brooch anyway, and I wouldn't have anything to do when I wasn't searching. She would probably even let me stay at the inn for free, so I thought it sounded like a good idea.