魔女の冒険 Majo no Bouken
by kawaii-witch181
Disclaimer: Tenisu no Oujisama © Konomi Takeshi ; I only own Kiyomi-chan.
Recap
"Yomi-chan. I'm done. Mou. You didn't even wait for me." Neko Eiji lied on the small bed intended for him. Seconds after, he realized he can't sleep and wasn't comfortable at all.
"Oyasumi." He whispered to Kiyomi as he lied down beside the young witch.
/ It's warmer here ~nya. /
~End
Chapter Eight - Fun?
A pink cat in a curtain-filled room started to stir awake. The new rays of the morning sun seemed to dance around him as if saying, he has to be awake now like the others.
"~nya?" He rubbed his eyes to make the remaining sleepiness go away.
"It's already morning, ~nya." He stifled a yawn before turning to the other occupants of the room.
/ Maybe Ryuzaki-chan already went downstairs. / Neko Eiji concluded before going out of the room, leaving the mint-green haired witch still in her deep slumber.
~oOo~
"What's that smell ~nya? It's so gross." The pink cat groaned as he reached the living room.
"I don't smell anything, Eijij-senpai." Momoshiro said.
"Can't you smell it?"
The dunk smasher shook his head.
"B-But…"
"Kikumaru-kun's nose is just sensitive. Our village has that smell of a lettuce. I wonder why cats don't like them, though." Auntie Noriko explained, bringing waffles with her for their breakfast and settling them on the center table.
"Ohayou gozaimasu, Noriko-san." Tezuka greeted.
"Ohayou to you too, Tezuka-kun." Auntie smiled.
"Waffles!" Momoshiro almost leaped at the newly-baked treat.
"Fssshhh.. You act like a pig, peach." Kaidoh said.
"What did you say? You picking a fight?" The other yelled.
"Oi, you two. Calm down, will you?" Oishi tried to stop them.
"He started it, senpai!" Momo defended.
"Now, now. We're at someone's house. Remember your manners!" The mother hen scolded.
"Sumimasen." The two kouhais bowed their head in shame.
"Really dear, they are so energetic at this early in the morning.." Noriko sweatdropped.
"Sou dane." Yoshiro also sweatdropped.
"Hmmm.. Tezuka didn't make them run laps, right Inui?" Fuji said.
"I think he's in a good mood, that's why." Inui agreed.
"Hey, Eiji-senpai! That's mine!" Momoshiro yelled once again.
"I got it first, Momo! You should try one, guys. It's so delicious ~nya." Eiji said after letting his tongue out at Momo.
"My, thank you." Noriko said in a dreamy voice.
"You didn't come down with Kiyomi, Sakuno-chan." Yoshiro said as he went beside the auburn girl.
"She's still asleep, Uncle. It would be rude if I wake her up."
Uncle chuckled. "You haven't change, dear. Still polite as always."
Sakuno looked down as blushes crept up her cheeks.
"Not to mention, shy too." Yoshiro laughed.
"I baked some lettuce cookies, everyone." Noriko informed them, holding a tray of light green cookies. Its scent travelled around the house, including the room in where the young witch is asleep. Several backed away.
"Bad memories." Kaidoh muttered.
"They looked like Inui juice ~nya! Except in food form!" Eiji said a panic stricken voice.
Auntie titled her head in confusion while Inui's glasses only glinted.
"I-It's not the s-same, senpai-taichi." The auburn girl took one and bit on it.
"It's really delicious." She commented.
"Lettuce cookies!" A voice exclaimed from the stairs. Everyone looked up. It's Satsuki Kiyomi-san. In a flash, they noticed her already in front of Noriko, taking a piece of the light green cookies and popping one in her mouth.
"Delicious!"
They all sweatdropped. Minutes ago, she was very asleep upstairs. But now, she's so bubbly just by seeing that cookie. Noriko and Yoshiro just chuckled.
"We've baked your favorite."
Kiyomi brightly smiled. "Thank you Auntie, Uncle!"
"Ohayou, minna!" She greeted the others.
"Have you tried the cookies?"
Silence.
"No one did." Sakuno answered her.
"Eh? Why not? They are super delicious! And, And! It melts on your mouth!"
"They looked like Inui Juice." Eiji sighed.
"Inui Juice? You mean the infamous horrible juice that makes you regulars faint? How are they similar? I mean, Auntie's lettuce cookies tasted better! I haven't tried that juice but I assure you these cookies are different than that. Ne, Sakuno-chan?"
The auburn girl nodded.
"Horrible? My juice is not that horrible." Inui muttered in the background.
"Try one." Kiyomi showed them the cookies, now on a plate. Fuji was the first to taste one.
"She's right. It's delicious." He said.
"But Fuji-senpai has weird taste buds."
"Did anyone say something?"
"It's nothing Fuji." Taka nervously laughed.
"So.. Want to try one?"
"O-Okay then, ~nya." It really took forever for Neko Eiji to pop the sweet treat in his mouth. Well, in the Regulars' eyes, that is.
"Oh! Yomi-chan's right. It's really delicious ~nya. Melts on your mouth. Reminds me of a fruit shake in different flavors with a mixture of vanilla flavor and marzipan taste."
Soon, every other took a bite, complimented how good it tastes, and resumed on eating the forgotten waffles.
"See? It's not that bad. After all, they are my favorite treats in this village." Kiyomi laughed.
"Favorite?" Eiji questioned.
Kiyomi nodded with a bright smile. "Uhn! Whenever I visit here in the past, Auntie always bakes me Lettuce Cookies. I grew to like them a lot. It's the only reason why I love going back here when I was young." She rubbed the nape of her neck out of embarrassment.
"You're so cute ~nya!" Eiji said as he jumped at her and landed to her lap.
"Awww.. And I thought I can glomp you."
Kiyomi chuckled, a pink hue is visible on her cheeks.
"You're cute too, Eiji-kun."
The redhead felt his cheeks suddenly warming up. Sure, he'd hear that a lot of time from his fangirls, filled with so much admiration (it's scary sometimes) but not from a non-fangirl like the young witch. It feels…how should he say this? It feels…nice, bringing up a brand new feeling inside him.
"What's wrong, Eiji-kun? Did I say something wrong? You seemed frozen on the spot." Kiyomi began stroking his fur in a comforting manner. Neko Eiji shifted to be more comfortable.
"Nothing ~nya. A thought just passed by. Ahahaha.." He nervously laughed.
/ It's so soft. Awww. If only…Eiji-kun can be like this fore- / Kiyomi shook her head.
/ What am I thinking! That's so selfish of me. / She sighed.
The pink cat formed an inward sly grin while his face formed a deep thinking face afterwards.
/ I'm glad I became a cat. Ehehehe. Yomi-chan's so fun to be with. I wonder how long I'll be like this, though. How long doesn't….wait….Did I just thought of that? My brain's getting weirder ~nya. /
"Those two looked like they have their own world, and we're not part of it." Inui observed.
"You're right, Inui. Hmm… How about let's make an experiment later? I know they already have feelings for each other but not yet that feeling. We can make that come out or in other words, develop." Fuji stated.
"We will let that ascend." Inui grinned.
"Of course." Fuji chuckled.
"Ohayou." Ryoma suddenly came into view, munching on some waffles. His expression is slightly displeased.
"Ah! O-Ohayou, Ryoma-kun." Sakuno greeted him, startled at first.
"H-How long have y-you been there?" She asked.
"Just now." The tennis prince simply replied. He then groaned as he put a cookie on his mouth.
"You don't like the food?"
"Japanese breakfast is better."
"I can ask Auntie to-"
"Cook me some tomorrow." He said, more like demanded though.
"H-Hai."
/ Ryoma-kun wants me to cook breakfast for him. I'm so happy! /
"Finally awake, Echizen?" Momoshiro grinned.
"Ohayou, Momo-senpai." Came his non-enthusiastic reply.
The room crowded with cheerfulness when Ryoma finally completed the picture. Auntie and Uncle were just sipping their coffee when another Momoshiro vs Kaidoh fight resurfaced. They just ignored them, munching cookies and waffles in the process. Oishi tried to restrain them again but Taka was added, thanks to Fuji who just smiled innocently on what he had done. Inui was sitting on of the couches, writing down data of the food present, from their tastes to their appearances. Ryoma slightly scowled at the far end, still displeased. Sakuno, though, is happily dipping the waffle bits on her coffee and then eating it afterwards. Kiyomi on the other hand, still continues to eat her ever-so-favorite Lettuce cookies while Neko Eiji lies on her lap in a very cat-like manner. Tezuka just sipped his tea in a very-silent manner.
"We'll collect the ingredients after breakfast. Okay, everyone?" The young witch said in a loud, informing voice.
"Ingredients?" Almost everyone asked in confusion.
"Don't tell me you forgot already?" She facepalmed.
"We came here to turn Eiji-kun back to normal, you know."
"Oh…Ahahahaha. I guess we've been having so much fun." Momoshiro said.
"It almost felt like Kikumaru-senpai is really a cat in the first place." Ryoma stated.
"What's that supposed to mean ~nya!"
"Hmmm.. So he's the one who needed the potion, huh. May we see the list of ingredients, Kiyomi?"
The young witch snapped her two fingers, which instantly brought a floating piece of paper in front of them.
"That's good, Kiyomi-chan. You've finally done the snapping spell." Noriko said.
"I-Iya. Just in the Realm. I can't do it in the Human World. Kiyomi rubbed the back of her head.
"You should really practice more." Her Auntie reminded.
Uncle Yoshiro took the floating paper and read its contents. Auntie Noriko also peeked on it.
"You can make the potion here." She said.
"R-Really?" Kiyomi asked.
"Of course, sweetie. We won't mind."
"Arigatou!" The young witch hugged Noriko.
"You're in luck, dear. Some of these are already here in the house."
"Which?"
"The salt, water, and the Lapis Lazuli powder. Though, we have to bath the Lapis Lazuli gem in the light of a full moon and then pulverized it."
"Yay! That will surely help a lot, Uncle. Ne, ne… Can you tell us where the others can be found? I'm not that familiar with the Realm anymore."
"Don't worry, Kiyomi. It's been awhile since you've visit. That's natural. So..where shall we begin? Hmmm.. The icy silver berries and the Fluile flower are in Cascade de Glace Mountain. The petals of mandragora flower, Fafnir's teeth can be found in Gemma le Charme Kytheria. That Elanor flower's nectar and turmeric leaves are near the Crystal Pentacle Lake which was near the Aeithalis Rainbow Forest. Those petals of a thorn-less rose and Vasuki's scales can be found in Aeithalis Rainbow Forest."
"I'm sure Sakuno-chan will gladly accompany you." Auntie smiled.
"Hai." Sakuno responded.
"Achooo." A little sneeze came from the pink cat who just rubbed his nose.
"You've caught a cold, Eiji?" Oishi asked worriedly. His other teammates also looked at him.
"It's nothing ~nya. Maybe someone's just talking about me." He grinned before letting out another small sneeze.
"It's nothing ~nya." He reassured them. The young witch reached for Eiji's forehead.
/ He doesn't seem to have a fever. /
"I'm fine, Yomi-chan."
She smiled.
/ He's really bubbly and energetic, and friendly too. /
The young witch blushed at the thought. She immediately shook her head.
/ I think I need to freshen up. /
After that thought, she went upstairs without a word.
"Kikumaru-senpai, what did you do?" Kaidoh asked with 'fssshhh' afterwards.
"I didn't do anything ~nya." Neko Eiji's eyebrows knitted in puzzlement.
"So why does Satsuki-san looks upset?" Inui questioned.
"I…I don't know." The pink cat sat up and then looked down.
"Maybe you said something that made her upset." Ryoma stated in a monotone voice.
"I didn't…"
"Where are you going, Eiji?" Fuji asked.
"To Yomi-chan."
"Just leave her be for awhile, Kikumaru-kun." Noriko advised.
"I'll go check on her." Sakuno went upstairs immediately.
Knock. Knock.
"Yomichan-senpai?"
The door opened a little.
"What is it, Sakuno-chan?" Came the voice of Kiyomi who just came out from the bathroom.
"Daidyobou ka?" The auburn girl entered the room.
The young witch laughed. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be? I just washed my face. It's kinda hot, don't you think?"
Sakuno sighed in relief. "I-I thought you're crying here or something, senpai."
"Crying? Naze?"
"Never mind."
"A-anou."
The two of them heard a voice from the door.
"E-Eiji-kun."
"I-I think… I'll go downstairs, senpai-taichi. I heard Auntie needs me. Ahaha." Sakuno nervously laughed before she exited the room.
Neko Eiji went inside the room when his kouhai left. Kiyomi and him just sat on the floor mat, an uncomfortable silence followed.
"A-Are you o-okay, Yomi-chan?" The pink cat scratched his cheek due to uneasiness.
The young witch smiled. "Huh? Of course I'm alright. Why?"
"Gomen ne… I… think I'd upset you ~nya."
"Why are you apologizing? I didn't get upset."
"But you really looked upset when you left earlier ~nya"
"I'm not. Maybe, mood swings or because of the heat. Ehehehe."
" Yokatta! Ne, Ne.. Let's tour the village ~nya!"
She chuckled. "Yes, of course."
"~nya. Let's go downstairs." Neko Eiji rubbed his head to her leg.
"Hai. Hai." She answered him, bending down to pick him up.
"Ne, minna! Let's have a look around the Village! We'll just collect the ingredients later on." Kiyomi announced when they both reached the living room.
/ She's not upset anymore. /
"Demo, senpai. We don't have any other clothes."
"The wardrobe has anything what you need, just ask it." Noriko informed.
-Room 1-
"Go ask it, Inui." Taka nudged.
The data man sighed.
"Fine. But, it's good data. You're quite uneasy with the talking." He lightly chuckled.
"Inui." Tezuka said in a warning tone.
"Fssshhhh."
"Hai. Hai."
-Room 2-
"It feels weird to talk to a wardrobe." Oishi commented.
"Noriko-san said we have to ask it." Fuji said.
"Go ask it, Echizen." Momo pushed the tennis prince in front of the wooden wardrobe.
"Why me?" Ryoma whined.
"Because you're our kouhai." Momoshiro laughed.
"That reason doesn't even make sense." Ryoma mumbled.
-Room 3-
"How about me? Do I have to put clothes on, too?" Neko Eiji asked his two companions.
"Of course, senpai." Sakuno replied.
"Here, that will do." Kiyomi tossed a shirt on his direction.
The pink cat just stared at it. "How should I put this on ~nya?"
"I'll help." Sakuno volunteered.
"I'll be downstairs." Kiyomi said.
"Ne, Ryuzaki-chan. Did I do something wrong? Yomi-chan seems upset to me." Neko Eiji asked sadly when the young witch finally exited the room.
"Mood swings, Kikumaru-senpai. It's hot today." Sakuno reasoned.
"It doesn't look like that ~nya." The cat frowned.
"Don't wory, I know she won't avoid you." Sakuno smiled a closed-eyed one.
"O-Okay."
"Arigatou, Ryuzaki-chan." Eiji thanked the auburn girl when she had finished dressing him up.
"Welcome. Ne, can I ask you something senpai?"
"Anything ~nya."
"What if for example a friend of yours, which is a girl, confessed to you? I mean, she told you that she likes you. Will you accept her feelings or simply reject her?"
"E-Eh? I don't know. If I like her back, of course, I won't reject her feelings. But, if I do reject her, we'll remain friends, that's for sure!" Eiji grinned.
Sakuno smiled. "That's good to hear, then."
"Why did you ask ~nya?"
"Nothing in particular. Just a passing random thought."
"Ne…do you like Ochibi?" Eiji asked out of the blue.
"E-Eh? W-Why's the sudden q-question?" The auburn girl blushed madly.
"Nothing in particular. Just a random thought." He mischievously grinned.
/ Why do people keep repeating what I told them? /
"So…what's the answer ~nya?"
"E-Eto…I….Oh! Ne..do you like Yomichan-senpai?"
"Eh? D-Don't answer my question with another question, kouhai. Tch. Tch."
"Don't avoid my question, senpai."
"I didn't avoid it," he began to scratch the side of his cheek.
"Why didn't you answer it, then?"
"You didn't answer my question, too. I was the first to ask ~nya!"
"Oi.." Kiyomi began to say as she opened the door then just stared to stare at them, tilting her head.
"You're arguing? That's odd."
Neko Eiji let out a nervous laugh, a pink hue on each side of his cheek. "It's nothing ~nya."
"Really?" She narrowed her eyes at him.
"O-Of course ~nya!"
Kiyomi still had her suspicions but decided to shrug it off. "Okaaay…So….Let's go?"
"Uhn!"
"Hai ~nya!"
-Outside the House-
"The gross smell's gone." Neko Eiji said in relief as he sniffed the air.
"That's because you ate the Lettuce cookies. When cats eat them, they won't mind the smell of the Village anymore." Kiyomi clarified.
"Yay!"
All of them began walking by now.
"Ne, Satsuki-san." Fuji began.
"Satsuki alone is fine."
"Okay, Satsuki. You said those cookies are called Lettuce cookies, right?"
"But they don't even taste like any vegetable at all." Tezuka finished.
"It is made out of Lettuce from this village, senpais." Sakuno said.
"Exactly!" They almost replied in unison.
"The lettuce here is entirely different from the usual lettuce in the Human World, okay? In this Village, it is called Marzilla Lettuce."
"Marzilla, why?" Taka asked.
"Marzipan and Vanilla combined." Sakuno answered.
"The vegetable tastes like vanilla and smells like it. Its sap, however, is all in all marzipan syrup." Kiyomi further explained.
"So that's why the cookies tasted like that. Demo…why do they have the fruity flavor in my tongue ~nya?"
"Auntie added that."
"I see."
"They look the same." Ryoma pointed on a lettuce.
"You can smell it if you want, Ryoma-kun." Sakuno said.
"Vanilla." Ryoma said.
"Precisely!" Kiyomi exclaimed.
"Does the livelihood here center only on cultivating the lettuce?" Inui asked, looking around the vast plantation with only lettuce as the main attention.
"Hai, senpai. It's the only source of livelihood here. That's why the village is called Lettuce Village, only the Marzilla Lettuces are being harvested here."
"~nya. It's getting hot don't you think?"
"It's almost noon."
"Minna! Lunch's ready!" Auntie's voice yelled in the distance.
"Hai!"
-An Hour After Lunch-
"Bye Uncle! Take care!" Kiyomi shouted by the doorway.
"Wait, where is he going?" Momo asked.
"To harvest Marzilla Lettuce, what else?"
"Harvest?" Taka asked.
"It's the source of livelihood here, remember?"
"Can we accompany him ~nya?"
"What for?"
"To help?"
"You'll just cause trouble."
"Kiyomi! Stop being so rude." Noriko scolded.
"Gomen. I didn't mean that." The young witch mumbled.
"You can accompany Yoshiro if you want." Auntie smiled.
"Yay! Arigatou, Noriko-san."
"I'll stay here in the house. I'll study the potion."
"Awww… Don't break the excitement, Satsuki. Come with us." Fuji persuaded.
"Yadda."
"Kiyomi. They are guests."
"Sakuno-chan's there, ne?"
"A-Anou."
"Kiyomi." Noriko's eyes narrowed.
"Fine! Fine…Sheesh…I'll go already." Kiyomi glared at Neko Eiji.
/ Why is did she glare at me? / "Mood swings again?" The pink cat sweatdropped.
"H-Hai." Sakuno nervously laughed.
"Just come back by sundown." Auntie went to the kitchen.
All felt a forming big sweatdrops on the back of their heads. A giant…I mean…a really giant earthworm, about the size of an average house is helping the villagers move the harvested Marzilla Lettuce in a wooden wagon. If the wagon's already full, the earthworms will proceed to move them, heading to the town.
"Is that for real? An earthworm?" Taka managed to ask.
"W-Well…It's possible, right? They even have a pumpkin as a librarian." Ryoma commented.
"S-Sou." Momoshiro agreed.
"Hi, kids! What are you doing here?" Yoshiro's voice greeted them in the distance.
"They want to help you with the harvesting, Uncle."
Yoshiro chuckled. "I'm glad to hear that. Hmmm… So, you know how to harvest a lettuce?"
They all shook their heads in denial.
"Not really." Fuji said.
"Can you show us?" Inui asked, more like requested.
"Of course!"
"Harvesting Marzilla Lettuce is easy. With its loose-leaf, you pick the outer leaves as you need them. Or you can just pull up the whole plant, if you want."
"But..of course, before you harvest, you'll need some supplies for harvesting. If you told me you all will help, I should have brought several supplies."
"We can go back to the house." Oishi suggested.
"But the Lettuce might rotten later on. Kiyomi, you can do the finger snapping right?"
"What about it?"
"Make the supplies go here. It's much easier."
"But…you can do it too, Uncle."
"Tsk. Tsk. You should practice more."
"Excuses." Kiyomi mumbled in annoyance but still obliged Uncle.
"What's the supplies?"
"A knife, large towel, salad spinner, storage bags. Choose the ziploc bags."
"Fine. How many of that supplies?"
"The number of your companions plus you."
"Wait…I'm included, too?"
"Yes."
"B-But! I didn't agree to-"
"It's a good exercise for you, dear"
"Excuses."
"Just summon them already."
"Oh! Fine!"
Snap.
-Several Seconds After-
"Now that we're all ready, hold your knives, children. Go pick your desired lettuce to harvest."
"Hai!"
"I'll show you how to get the whole plant. It's the most exciting part!" Yoshiro said before finally cutting the head of the Marzilla Lettuce in one swift motion.
"Exciting part? How so?" Inui asked. All of them were standing in front of their chosen lettuce.
"You should do it quietly."
"Why?" Neko Eiji asked in a loud voice.
Uncle facepalmed. "That will happen."
At the sound of Eiji's voice, the lettuces perked up and immediately uprooted themselves from the soil and run away.
"Marzilla lettuces are one of the Realm's hard to harvest vegetables, when disturbed."
"See, you'll just cause trouble." Kiyomi said to Eiji.
The pink cat pouted. "Yomi-chan, hidoi!"
The young witch just stuck her tongue out while the pink cat returned the gesture.
Uncle laughed. / They're like five-year olds. /
"Each of you will get the runaway lettuces. Place them back in the soil and then harvest them."
"Excuse me, sir. But, why do we need to put them back first before harvesting?" Tezuka asked.
"The roots will die. We need that more importantly, because of them, the lettuces can be harvested again the next day."
"You harvest each day?" Oishi asked in disbelief.
"Yes."
"Fssh… Must be very tiring."
"Now. Now. Stop with the talking. Go get 'em!"
"I'll certainly get the lettuce before you, Mamushi!" Momoshiro yelled as he speed up in running.
"As if I'd let you, peach!" Kaidoh yelled back.
"Why does it suddenly turned out into a race or something?" Oishi sweatdrop as they all broke into a run.
"Uh, guys…Ummm.." Taka unsurely said.
"You forgot this, Taka-san!" Fuji threw him a knife.
"BURNING! YOU LETTUCE, COME BACK HERE!"
"And there he goes." Fuji chuckled.
"You know Fuji-senpai, I think you should stop being a sadist. It's becoming unhealthy."
"What are you talking about, Momo? Seeing the others is fun."
"Seeing them suffer, I presume."
"Saying something?"
"Ah..It's n-nothing. Aha…Ahahaha…Ja!" Momoshiro speed up once again.
"Oh?" Fuji smirked. His sight caught a lettuce taking its rest on a grayish stone. It seems that it's breathing hard. The tensai went to it slowly…slowly…and managed to catch it!
"Gotcha!" Fuji almost smiled triumphantly but the lettuce unexpectedly struggled violently in his grasp.
"Stop struggling!" He managed to say, but, the vegetable kept its motion and it bit his hand!
"That does it! I'll tear you to pieces!" Fuji's eyes opened and he chased after the green vegetable. If only the lettuce has mouth, I'm sure it will start shrieking by now.
Kiyomi sweatdrop. "I didn't see Fuji-kun this angry before."
"It's really scary ~nya." Eiji agreed.
~oOo~
"R-Ryoma-kun." The auburn girl also sweatdrop.
The tennis prince kept on chasing the runaway lettuce, getting dirt in the process.
"How are we going to catch this thing?" He scowled.
-Minutes After-
"I got this!" Neko Eiji said as he quietly neared the Marzilla Lettuce. A few meters were only left between that thing and him before he sliced the air. Wait, he sliced the air?
"It got away again?" He yelled in frustration as the lettuce leaped and leaped, looked back at him and then broke into a run.
"Huh?"
"EIJI-KUN! DUCK!" Kiyomi suddenly shouted.
The pink cat looked at her in befuddlement. What is she talking about?
"DUCK! NOW!" The young witch shouted again.
Seeing Kiyom, looking so worried like that, he does what he's told.
"DON'T MOVE!"
"WHY ~NYA?" He saw Momoshiro pointing at something behind him. He looked back, of course. What he saw made his eyes widened. The earthworm he'd seen earlier is standing in front of him, looks like it wanted to crush him.
"The earthworm? Why does it have hundreds of arms ~nya?"
"I SAID DON'T MOVE!"
"The earthworm turned into centipede." Oishi just stared at the animal in amusement, looking silly, I tell you.
"Sakuno-can help me, please. Get Eiji-kun while I distract the earthworm."
"H-Hai, senpai."
"Ready?"
"I-I think so."
The young witch smiled a reassuring smile at her auburn-haired companion. Both of them flew to the sky and went to their designated places.
"Kikumaru-senpai…Shh.." Sakuno hushed before picking up Neko Eiji and then safely flew to the where others are.
"Where's Yomi-chan ~nya?"
Sakuno pointed to a direction. His dark blue orbs followed it.
"She's talking to it?"
The auburn girl nodded. "H-Hai."
"There! He's okay now. Tch. Tch. You startled him, Eiji-kun." Kiyomi sighed.
"I think y-you should say s-sorry, senpai." Sakuno suggested.
"Me? F-Fine. Sumimasen, Earthworm-san." He apologized.
The animal just nodded in understanding as it went downtown, carrying its assigned, wooden wagon.
"Have you-" Uncle Yoshiro began.
"Good job, children. The lettuces are back to their designated areas."
"We didn't do that. They were frightened by the earthworm, I guess." Kiyomi said.
"See, that's why I reminded you to not startle them." Yoshiro chuckled.
"You didn't!" They all yelled.
Uncle laughed. "Eheheh…My bad."
The only thing to do is to let out a sigh.
-Sundown-
Uncle Yoshiro is still harvesting the very last Marzilla Lettuce of the day. Everyone except him is really exhausted already, either sitting tiredly on the soil or lying wearily on the same brown soil.
"Man! I'm exhausted." Momoshiro complained.
"We all are." Kaidoh said.
"I'm not helping with the harvesting ever again." Kiyomi mumbled.
Yoshiro laughed. "Now, now. You'll get your desired rests when we get home. It's almost time for dinner, anyway."
"By the way, Auntie said we need to get home by sundown. I wonder why." The young witch said.
"The night's cold breeze will immediately blow when twilight falls." Uncle answered.
"But.. The breeze blew yesterday when the night's deep." Sakuno said in wonder.
"That's because the weather in the mountain is at its winter solstice."
"The mountain is always at winter time, Uncle." Kiyomi said in a matter-of-factly tone.
"Yes, that's true. But, there comes a time when the winter reaches its highest peak, which is during the winter solstice. At that time, the breeze will blow when the night is at its darkest, like yesterday."
"What really is this mountain?" Fuji asked in astonishment.
"The Cascade de Glace Mountain, the Realm's Summer Emplacement. That's what they say." Kiyomi shrugged.
"It's always winter there? Seriously?" Ryoma inquired.
"Yes, it is." Sakuno replied.
"Then why does the winter cold isn't felt during daytime?"
"Her Highness placed a barrier after the ten-meter distance from the mountain. That barrier protects this Village from the freezing cold."
"Awesome." Kaidoh mumbled.
"What's that, Mamushi?"
"Nothing, peach."
Kiyomi watched in amusement. "Those two aren't quarreling. That's odd."
"I'm sure they are just exhausted ~nya." Neko Eiji answered with a smile.
"You should review your Realm lessons, Kiyomi-chan." Yoshiro reminded the young witch.
"Hai. Hai. But, actual seeing is much better." Kiyomi answered but mumbled the last statement.
"Guys, you know, I'm really starting to feel the cold breeze." Oishi informed them.
"Uh-oh. I think we should hurry up." Sakuno said.
"Flight will make it easier to return home," suggested Uncle.
"Ehem. But we can't fly." Tezuka reminded.
"Let's summon another flying cloud, Sakuno-chan."
"H-Hai."
Wand: Summon!
At that instant call, their two magical wands immediately materialize. The same cloud came into view except in a pearl white color.
"Why is it white? I thought you two prefer the colorful ones." Inui said.
"It's perfect for the atmosphere." Kiyomi said.
"Why aren't you two on your Realm Clothes when doing magic?"
"There's no time for that, Uncle." Kiyomi took flight already. Everyone just stared at her. It kind of feels weird.
"What? Oh, c'mon! We're coming back already."
No reaction.
"Fine. Freeze there." The young witch continues her flying.
That did the trick. Everyone took flight immediately. Kiyomi lightly chuckled.
-House-
"Okaeri, minna. Eh?" Noriko greeted them but was taken aback by the sight in front of her. Everyone is lying on the living room like they're totally devoid of energy to even move a muscle.
"Yoshiro." She called in a warning tone.
"Ahehehe…They are just exhausted, dear."
"You made them harvest the lettuce?"
"T-They insisted it, okay?"
"Hmmm..Fine. You, teenagers, I'm sure you can hear me. Go upstairs. Take your rest. You all are not having any dinner for tonight."
Heads shot up at the last statement.
"I'm kidding!" Noriko laughed.
Sighs of relief echoed around the room.
"Go upstairs for awhile. Change your clothes."
"Oh…and if you want to soak for awhile, just knock three times on the bathroom door and tell it what you want to have, like for example, a miniature hot spring or something similar with that."
"Hai. Thanks, Auntie." Sakuno smiled before going upstairs with the others.
~End of Chapter
A/N: Okay, another new chapter for Majo no Bouken! Yay for me! I've been rushing this new chapter. xD I want it to be posted real soon, and here it is! I hope you really have fun. Anyway...minna, I have to remind you...from this point on, maybe the future chapters will be lengthy like this. Ehehehe.. Next! I'll tell you a spoiler...Next chapter will be the searching for the first two ingredients of Animal Potion Reverse...hihi...I'm sooo excited to write about that...Until then! Matta ne~!