It’s summer vacation───!
Summer vacation is such a mental relief!
This is the only summer I’ll be sixteen. I’m almost seventeen, but… never mind. Even though it’s a break, my daily life won’t change that much. I don’t have classes, but I still have club activities and a part-time job.
However, it does feel liberating to have a “long vacation”. Personally, I’ve been feeling liberated since the end of the final exams.
Speaking of final exams, there’s one thing that I’m not satisfied with…
“Hey, Hana did her best! Right, Doremi?”
Hana-chan looks so proud of herself!
“Why? Why is Hana-chan third place in our grade──!”
“Come on, Doremi-chan. Don’t be so upset.”
Ai-chan patted my shoulder while grinning.
“Hana-chan, no matter how much of a witch you are, you don’t have to show off in a place like this!”
“That’s not right. Hana earned it through her abilities.”
She said this with her head held high.
It’s true that I know Hana-chan can do amazing things when she puts her mind to it. She also has an excellent memory. I remember when she first came to the human world this spring,
“Doremi, do you still have your middle school textbooks?”
Hana-chan suddenly asked me.
In just half a day, Hana-chan had read through all the textbooks from 7th to 9th grade that I had pulled out of the closet, and not only that, she had memorized all of their contents. I was stunned beyond belief. That concentration and comprehension ability of hers was a miraculous feat, no matter how much her magical power had rapidly become stronger.
After that, in just about two hours, she had read through and comprehended the first-year high school textbook that I had been using up until spring. Even though I told her,
“It’s certainly getting more difficult in high school. Especially math, which might be a little challenging.”
She started solving problems one after another when she opened a math reference book, so she seems to have a good grasp of applications. Really, Hana-chan’s magical power had exceeded far beyond what I could have imagined.
She wasn’t particularly studious even in her second year of high school. She just listened seriously in class. She said it was different from when she was in elementary school, so I also took classes seriously, and we even had study sessions at MAHO-do. As I mentioned before, my grades have been gradually improving little by little.
But, seriously, isn’t it a single-digit rank? We’re in the same class, so couldn’t she hold back a little bit… Mumbling.
But I’m not a child anymore, and I won’t hold a grudge forever. I don’t want to be called immature. I really think Hana-chan did her best.
We were all here today to go over our summer vacation schedules, including our shifts at MAHO-do,
“Regarding Hana, we will soon need the help of Doremi and the others.”
Majorika said, making me a little nervous. I don’t think it will be easy for Hana-chan to become Queen, or for her sister to be found. After all, the other party is also a witch like Hana-chan. They’re not like us witch apprentices.
“My legs have gotten much better. I won’t push myself too hard, but I’ll help out.”
“I think I can come to MAHO-do as much as I did last year.”
Ai-chan can now do things that are normal for everyday life. It doesn’t seem good not to move at all, but for now, she’s going to rehabilitation instead of participating in club activities. Hazuki-chan is busy with concerts and exams from fall to winter. Even though her lessons have become more strict, her expression towards us has remained the same.
“I’ve already started filming. I go to sets in Tokyo a lot. My role doesn’t have many outdoor scenes.”
It’s the role of a female professional shogi player. Last year, we received souvenirs from the filming location and ate them together, but this year, there might not be any. What a shame.
“I’m going to work hard making sweets at MAHO-do! We’ll take many reservations and custom orders during the summer vacation!”
“Hana will do her best to help Momoko!”
The two of them brought in a new cake for next month while saying that. It’s still early August, but did Momo-chan’s ideas come pouring in after her final exams were over?
“I’ve been thinking about all kinds of summer sweets.”
Lala brought over an iced tea. I thought,
“Oh, this is also a sweet treat.”
The small glass contained tea jelly with sliced fruits like orange and lemon.
“It’s so clear and beautiful. It’s a shame to break it with a spoon.”
While saying that, Hazuki-chan spun it around and around.
Next came a mousse about ten centimeters in diameter with blue jelly stacked on top. It looked refreshing, with scattered red specks visible in the jelly.
“This one looks like a goldfish!” Ai-chan exclaimed.
The next one was a matcha green mousse of the same size with pink jelly.
“This is watermelon. You can see the seeds properly.”
Small chocolate chips shaped like watermelon seeds were sprinkled inside the clear pink jelly. Momo-chan cut it into two pieces and said,
“It’s Doremi-chan’s image color pink! Since it’s almost your birthday, I’ll give you the bigger one as a special gift.”
Everyone looked at me. They remembered. It’s still about a week away though.
“Do you mean I can eat all of this?”
“No, you can’t. But you’ll have many chances to eat them while you’re at MAHO-do,” Momo-chan replied.
Oh, right. That’s true. I’ll try to eat all the flavors before my birthday.
We stopped having big birthday parties since middle school. Partly because we all went to different schools, and partly because we lost track of Onpu-chan. But there was another reason.
I have a younger sister, Pop, but everyone else is an only child. Plus, everyone’s parents are really busy with work. It’s fun to celebrate your birthday with friends, but maybe we can only spend our birthdays with our families until high school. Like Momo-chan, who might leave her parents’ home after graduating from high school.
I still don’t really understand my parents’ feelings. But the reason I was born is because I had a mother and a father who sent me into this world.
It’s a bit embarrassing, but when you think about it, isn’t your birthday really a family day? It’s not bad to celebrate with your friends on a different day than with your family. Sometimes I forget my friends’ birthdays, but I never forget my family’s birthdays. Oh wait, when was Dad’s birthday again?
“Doremi-chan, why don’t you come over to my place for the first time in a while?”
On the way back from working at MAHO-do, Ai-chan suddenly asked me out.
“Dad works until late at night, and Mom is also working the night shift. I’m thinking of making takoyaki tonight.”
“Wow, I haven’t had your takoyaki for a long time. Let’s go, let’s go!”
After that, I informed my family that I would be home late, so I went to Ai-chan’s apartment and had a takoyaki party.
Ai-chan’s takoyaki was delicious, inherited from her father, and I ended up eating fifteen of them. Ai-chan didn’t eat as much takoyaki as I did, but she did eat rice. I’ve heard that people in Osaka eat rice with takoyaki, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I was also offered rice, but I politely declined so as not to overconsume carbohydrates.
After we finished eating and were washing the dishes together, Ai-chan suddenly said,
“I’ve decided something.”
“What is it?”
“I’m going to quit being a track and field athlete and aim to become a sports trainer.”
“So you’re really going to quit…”
“Don’t give me that sad look. I think I learned a lot from this injury. It’s true that I’m proud of breaking the Japanese record, and it’s my badge of honor. But you know, my physical growth and my vision of how I should run didn’t match up, and I think that’s why I got injured.”
“Even though I don’t understand the technical professional aspects, I feel that’s probably how things are.”
“Of course, it’s natural for an athlete to aim for a run that no one can beat, but to achieve that, the balance between the body and mind has to be right. That’s why I think I’ll become a trainer who won’t cause injuries like mine by studying sports psychology, thinking about training methods that suit each athlete, and taking care of their physical health.”
“Wow, you’re really thinking big.”
“I can’t be on the front stage anymore, but I think I’m better suited for a job that supports the athletes behind the scenes. It’s a different kind of work, but I think I’m better suited to it, just like Mom.”
Ai-chan’s mother works in elderly care. Ai-chan respected her mother, and I somehow understood her feelings.
Furthermore, Ai-chan mentioned the names of Leon, her current homeroom teacher and classmates, her elementary school classmates and homeroom teacher, Seki-sensei and Nishizawa-sensei, and even Kosugi-senshu, who was chosen to represent Japan in the Olympics, they all visited her during her hospitalization. She explained how she received strength and courage from all of them.
“I’m really grateful to everyone, and I want to show them how I can recover as soon as possible. So, even though I’m just a trainer, I won’t settle for being an ordinary one. I’m going to be the best trainer in Japan, no, in the world!”
Ai-chan clenched her fist with determination.
“Yeah, I’m sure you can do it, Ai-chan. I’ll support you too.”
“Thanks a lot. But, well, it’s going to be tough from now on. To become a first-class trainer, I have to get into a decent university.”
“Ai-chan, you’ve overcome many hardships, so it’s gonna be okay. Your grades in the final exam were better than mine.”
“That’s because I had plenty of time to study while I was in the hospital. Everyone took notes for me too. But still, I would probably lose compared to Hana-chan.”
“Hana-chan is just amazing.”
“She skipped grades continuously at the magic school and said she had nothing left to learn. If she studies hard for the entrance exam, she could probably get into the University of Tokyo.”
“Oh, if only I had half of Hana-chan’s magical power.”
“Doremi-chan, you can’t use magic to pass the university entrance exam.”
“Yeah, I know it~~!”
I slumped down in disappointment, and Ai-chan started laughing.
At that time, my cell phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Where are you, Doremi?”
It was Majorika on the phone.
“I’m at Ai-chan’s house.”
“That’s perfect. Important information about Majoavenir just came in. Come to MAHO-do with Aiko right away!”
“Got it! We’ll be there soon!”
Ai-chan and I quickly changed into our witch apprentice uniforms and rushed to the MAHO-do with our magic broomsticks.
When we arrived at the MAHO-do, Hazuki-chan and Momo-chan had already arrived, and Onpu-chan arrived about 20 minutes later. The fact that they were all dressed in witch apprentice uniforms showed the seriousness of the situation.
When Onpu-chan arrived, Majorika held Hana-chan’s shoulder and told us about the information about Majoavenir.
According to Majorika, an old witch named Majotake-san, a friend of hers who had once been under the same witch frog curse like herself, was looking for an affordable house in Okinawa with her friends from the witch world so she could spend her later years in warmth. While searching, she happened to meet a beautiful witch with a child in the shopping district of Itoman City.
The witch had been hiding her witch presence, but Majotake-san could tell she was a witch at a glance. Witches can apparently tell each other apart, no matter how much magic they use to hide their presence.
When Majotake-san asked the witch her name, she answered, “Majoavenir”.
Majotake-san often hangs out with Majorika and Lala at the hot springs in the magical world. She had heard about Hana-chan looking for Majoavenir, who had become the adoptive mother of her younger sister, Yume-chan, but pretended not to know and talked about them looking for an affordable home, receiving advice.
Then, she told Majoavenir about the latest news in the witch world, but she showed no interest at all. It can’t be helped since she wants to live quietly in the human world, but still.
After that, Majotake-san tried to casually ask the girl, who was about seven years old, what her name was. However, Majoavenir suddenly said she had something to do and left hurriedly while grabbing the girl’s hand.
Majorika summarized the story told by Majotake-san, who had been at MAHO-do until earlier.
“Without a doubt, that girl was Yume-chan!”
Hana-chan said.
“Well, that’s probably the case. Majotake also said so,” Majorika added.
“And then, Majotake magically transformed herself into a little bird and secretly followed both of them.”
Hearing Lala’s words, we became excited and looked at each other.
“So she found out Majoavenir’s whereabouts?” I asked.
“That’s…”
Lala started to say something, but she let out a small sigh.
“She said she lost sight of them when they went to a place called Ryukyu Glass Village in Itoman City.”
“Lost sight of them?” I asked.
“Why did that happen?” Ai-chan joined in.
“The other woman is the Queen’s younger sister. She probably noticed she was being followed, and used even more powerful magic to completely erase her presence, making further progress impossible. That’s what Majotake regretfully told me,” Majorika said.
“Thanks to Majotake-san, at least we know they’re in Okinawa. That’s a big harvest.”
Following me, Onpu-chan looked at Hana-chan and said,
“Hana-chan, we have to thank Majotake-san.”
“Yeah. I thanked Majotake-san properly before she returned to the witch world, and had Momoko give her some cookies she made.”
“Hana-chan has grown up too,” Ai-chan commented.
“So, what are we going to do now?”
Hazuki-chan asked Majorika.
“For now, I think we should close the store temporarily tomorrow and go to Okinawa together.”
“Okinawa!? Agreed!”
Everyone nodded vigorously at my words.
“But Doremi, you have club activities to attend…”
Hana-chan looked up at me with pleading eyes.
“Don’t worry! Tomorrow’s Monday, so no club activities.”
“Oh, that’s right!”
Hana-chan smiled happily.
“Plus, tomorrow happens to be my 17th birthday. Finding Yume-chan would be the best birthday surprise ever, for sure!”
“Doremi…!”
Hana-chan’s eyes were watery. Did I not take the leadership position among everyone since coming here? But my next words were bad.
“So, what kind of swimsuits is everyone bringing?”
“Doremi-chan, we’re not going for fun.”
After Onpu-chan, Ai-chan’s followed,
“Just when you said something good, you ruined it with those words.”
Her retort made me fall from the leadership position again.
“I-I’m sorry~…”
“Really, Doremi-chan…”
When Hazuki-chan started laughing, it goes without saying that the place erupted into laughter.
“Anyway, unlike when you were all elementary school students, you now have real responsibilities even during summer vacation. The other side may have noticed our movements too. Think of tomorrow as the decisive battle, and prepare yourselves seriously.”
Majorika said solemnly, and we all nodded heavily.
The next morning, we gathered at MAHO-do after a quick breakfast.
Hazuki-chan cancelled her violin practice and rushed over. Onpu-chan had a precious day off, but she had a calm expression as if nothing was happening.
Everyone had a gentle expression like Hana-chan’s mother.
We went out to the backyard of MAHO-do, hit the Parara Tap, changed quickly, and brought out the Sweet Poron. Then we scattered in a circle, with Hana-chan, Majorika, Lala, Dodo, and the other fairies in the middle, and held up our Porons.
“Pirika pirilala, freely!”
“Paipai ponpoi, flexibly!”
“Pameruku raruku, sonorously!”
“Pururun purun, eloquently!”
“Perutan petton, refreshingly!”
We chanted the spell, and with my Sweet Poron at the center, we piled the five Sweet Porons on top of each other and held them high up towards the sky,
“Magical Stage!”
When the five of us shouted, the Magical Stage appeared.
“Take Hana-chan and all of us to Okinawa!”
As I shouted, for a moment, Hazuki-chan and the others let out a surprised “Huh!?” But the Magical Stage was activated and began to rotate, and a strong light appeared in front of us.
The next moment, everyone disappeared along with the light.
We arrived above the main island of Okinawa.
“Huh!? No waaay!”
Before my scream could be heard, everyone began to fall upside down.
“Eek~~~~!!”
“Kyaaaaaaaah!!”
Majorika and Hana-chan quickly snapped their fingers and conjured up their magic broomsticks to escape harm, but we had already fallen dozens of meters.
“How could this happen~~!”
“We’re not in the mood for this! We need a broom!”
At Ai-chan’s words, we, who were in a panic, hit our Parara Tap and quickly conjured up our magic broomsticks to ride.
Onpu-chan exhaled loudly and then said with a wry smile,
“Doremi-chan, didn’t you hear about Majotake-san’s story from Majorika yesterday? She lost sight of Majoavenir and Yume-chan in the Ryukyu Glass Village in Itoman City.”
“Oh, right… Well~, that’s just like me.”
“Really, Doremi’s carelessness hasn’t changed at all.”
Dodo said haughtily.
“What did you say~~!”
I shouted as I charged at Dodo.
“H-Help me~~!”
“Wait──, Dodo!”
Just as I was about to catch Dodo, a huge piece of land on the ground caught my eyes.
“Oh…!”
I stopped chasing her.
“What’s wrong, Doremi-chan?”
Momo-chan asked as she led the way, then everyone came up behind me.
“W-What’s that!?”
I pointed at the enormous land, and everyone gasped in surprise.
It was the Kadena Air Base.
“It’s a US military base.”
Majorika said bitterly.
“It’s a problem that has been discussed on TV news programs.”
Lala said.
I learned about the US military bases in Okinawa when I was in middle school.
The US military bases, including Kadena Air Base, occupy 10% of the entire area of Okinawa Prefecture, and 1/5 of Okinawa Island itself.
“I never imagined it would be this large…” I said.
“It looks even bigger from the sky,” Hazuki-chan said.
“I thought Okinawa was all about blue seas and coral reefs…” Onpu-chan said.
“I don’t really understand the complicated issues, but if there was a peaceful world without war, we wouldn’t need bases,” Momo-chan said.
Everyone felt the same way as I did.
“Everyone, don’t be too down!”
Maybe it didn’t bother Hana-chan that much, but as a Japanese person, I felt a little conflicted.
We headed for Itoman City in silence.
But on the way, we caught another glimpse of the Futenma base, and except for Hana-chan, everyone began to feel even more depressed.
“If Hana becomes Queen, I’ll use magic to stop the war. Let’s work together to find Yume-chan today.”
“Hana-chan… That’s right! Everyone, let’s hurry to Ryukyu Glass Village!”
“Yes!”
We increased the speed of our broomsticks.
At the Ryukyu Glass Village, thanks to the current Okinawa boom, more than ten glass manufacturers and workshops are competing with each other to produce a large quantity of high-quality artistic pieces, as well as wide-mouthed glasses for “awamori”, a type of Okinawan distilled liquor, and brightly colored plates.
Upon arriving at the Glass Village, we split into pairs to visit each factory and workshop in search of Yume-chan and Majoavenir.
Hana-chan and I went to the largest factory.
As soon as we entered, we were greeted by a temperature of over 40 degrees Celsius, which made us sweat profusely.
Still, there were about twenty craftsmen working hard.
They worked in teams of five people. The team leader, called the “finisher”, was in charge of the finishing work. The veteran craftsman, called the “blower”, was in charge of the main work. The other three were young assistant craftsmen. The assistants busily rushed around doing the “ponten” work, which acted as a bridge between the “blower” and the “finisher”. They also did the “mold pressing” to shape the glass pieces blown up by the blower. And the “fabric winding” work, which prepared handles and patterns to assist the finisher, and so on.
“It’s nostalgic.”
I murmured as I watched the craftsmen.
“Doremi, have you ever made glass before?”
“Yes, I have. When I was in the sixth grade.”
“Now that you mention it, I remember hearing that story.”
“It was with Sakura Mirai-san, a witch who doesn’t use magic. I went to Mirai-san’s workshop several times and made glasses. I keep the glass I made and treasure it to this day.”
I didn’t tell Hana-chan, but meeting Mirai-san made me decide not to become a witch who ages slowly and to remain a human being.
At that moment, I felt a mysterious sensation as if a small bubble-like thing was slowly rising from the bottom of my heart.
As I began to wonder what it was, Hana-chan interrupted me.
“Hana wants to try making it too.”
“We’ll do that after we find Yume-chan. There’s a poster at the information center that says you can experience it if you pay.”
Then, after they finished their work, we explained the situation to the resting craftsman and asked if he knew Yume-chan and Majoavenir. Of course, we couldn’t mention Majoavenir’s name, so we only said that she was a beautiful woman.
“We have aunt craftsmen, but there’s no beautiful woman with a child.”
The craftsman said while smoking a cigarette.
I encouraged the disappointed Hana-chan and left the factory.
The mysterious sensation still lingered.
At that moment, Ai-chan came running out of a small workshop nearby.
“Doremi-chan, Hana-chan! There’s someone who looks like Majoavenir!”
“Really!”
We ran into the small workshop.
Inside, Momo-chan was standing there talking with an elderly “blower”.
“Momo-chan!”
“We found her! She has a daughter named Yume-chan too!”
“Yay──!”
Hana-chan smiled brightly and shouted.
“So, where is that woman now?”
I asked, and the elderly craftsman scratched his gray hair and replied,
“She had great skills as a craftswoman, but… Mirai-san quit yesterday.”
“Whaaat!?”
“W-Wait a minute! Uncle, didn’t you just say Mirai-san?”
“Oh, yeah, Sakura Mirai-san.”
“Doremi!”
Hana-chan looked at my face. I nodded vigorously.
This was what had surfaced from the bottom of my heart.
I never would have thought that Majoavenir was Sakura Mirai-san!
Looking back, when I went to the witch world after reuniting with Hana-chan, the Queen told me that Majoavenir was studying glassmaking.
At that moment, Momo-chan let out a small voice, “Oh”.
“Avenir means ‘future’ or ‘prospects’ in French!”
Momo-chan has been studying French on her own for the last month or so, aiming to study abroad in France.
It’s definitely her!
“Uncle, do you know Mirai-san’s address?”
“I believe there was a resume.”
Saying that, he brought out a resume and a photo of Mirai-san from a desk drawer in the corner of the workshop.
Mirai-san’s face was attached to the resume. It was exactly the same as the Mirai-san I saw at the glass workshop in Misora City.
“This photo was taken when I went to Miyako Island last month on a pleasure trip with the workshop mates. The cute girl next to Mirai-san is her daughter, Yume-chan.”
Looking at the group photo, there was a girl with long straight hair next to Mirai-san, unlike Hana-chan. Her face looked a lot like Hana-chan.
“So this is Yume-chan…!”
Hana-chan’s eyes were already teary.
Of course, it’s her own real sister.
“You can take the photo if you want. I still have plenty of group photos.”
“Thank you very much!”
We quickly left the workshop after thanking him, met up with Majorika and Hazuki-chan and the others, and rushed to Mirai-san’s apartment in Itoman City, which was listed on her resume.
We knocked on the door of Mirai-san’s room, but there was no response.
Then a middle-aged woman came out of the next room.
When that woman noticed us, she approached us.
“If it’s Sakura-san, she moved out this morning.”
“This morning!?”
“It’s strange. She said goodbye politely, but there was no sign of movers.”
Both of them are witches, so they could move out without hiring movers using magic. Mirai-san doesn’t use magic, so maybe Yume-chan used it.
“So, do you know where Sakura-san moved to?”
“She said she was going abroad, but she didn’t say where exactly.”
“I see… thanks.”
The woman lowered her head sympathetically and left.
Hana-chan immediately snapped her fingers and magically moved us into Mirai-san’s room, but as expected, there was not a single piece of furniture in the room, and it was empty.
“Let’s go to the airport!”
Momo-chan proposed, but Hana-chan shook her head weakly.
“Why not? If they’re going abroad, they must go to the airport.”
Onpu-chan continued.
“I used magic to find their presence, but they are no longer in Okinawa…”
Hana-chan’s eyes welled up with tears.
“In that case, why don’t we use magic to go back to this morning?”
Hazuki-chan suggested again, but Majorika intervened.
“If we do that, we could change their fate and Hana’s fate. It’s better to go back for today.”
Hana-chan nodded silently.
I couldn’t say anything, so I could only hug Hana-chan’s shoulder.
But Hana-chan, just knowing that the witch with Yume-chan is Sakura Mirai-san is one step closer. We also got the photo, so we can definitely find them.
My birthday ended in disappointment, but I felt like my 16th year was just a busy year.
I left Okinawa with everyone, vowing to make my 17th year a more fulfilling one.