This is my path

Cheese! I’m Harukaze Doremi.

I’m about to complete my second year as a witch apprentice.

During my middle school days, I led a very ordinary life as a typical girl.

But then, things changed. I became a witch apprentice with Hazuki-chan and Ai-chan to search for the missing Onpu-chan, and then Momo-chan returned from America and Hana-chan started living at MAHO-do. Suddenly, we were faced with various incidents and accidents one after the other…

It feels like my life is twice, no, three times more hectic than that of an ordinary high school student.

In the midst of such a tumultuous youth, Hana-chan decided to start a cheerleading society to support me and Kotake. She even boldly staged a sit-in at Misora High School…

With the help of Hazuki-chan and the others’ magic, I secretly approached the barricaded Hana-chan and successfully persuaded her to stop. Thanks to the efforts of my homeroom teacher, Yamaki-sensei, also known as Leon, it didn’t become a big issue.

We only have Momo-chan and Hana-chan for two members, but we need at least five members by the end of April to continue the society. If Hana-chan’s vitality is anything to go by, we might be able to make it.

Even though Hana-chan is working so hard, I’m… well, I’m usually negative and complain. But surprise! I’ve finally found the path I need to take, thanks to Hana-chan’s incident.

But I’ll talk about that later. Right now, I have something I need to take care of.

Mom and little sister Pop are in a bit of trouble. Mom wants Pop to follow in the footsteps of a professional pianist, which she herself failed at halfway through her dream, so she’s trying to get her private lessons starting this April.

Pop, on the other hand, is worried about our family’s finances and doesn’t want to take private lessons. She and Mom are still in a cold war.

I have a feeling that it’s not just about the money, but there’s another reason why Pop doesn’t want to take private lessons…

At the beginning of April, on the day that marked the start of my final year of high school, I finished my part-time job at MAHO-do and returned home to find that dinner was already prepared. Dad was drinking beer and watching the new professional baseball game in the living room.

“Welcome home, Doremi! Let’s have dinner.”

Dad, who was obviously waiting for my return, turned off the TV and came to the dining table with a glass of beer.

“I’ll change my clothes quickly, so you can start eating first.”

I went to my room, changed out of my uniform and into my favorite casual clothes, washed my hands and gargled before sitting down at the table. Ever since I became the manager of the soccer team, I’ve been gargling every day. I don’t want to catch a cold and spread it on to the other members.

Before, I would just quickly wash my hands with water, but now I wash them carefully with soap.

When I returned to the dining room, Mom and Pop were already eating, moving their chopsticks in silence without making eye contact.

When I looked at Dad, he appealed to me with his eyes, as if saying “Doremi, do something about this”.

──Hey, Dad! You’re the head of the family, aren’t you?

I swallowed the words that had risen to my throat, and lightly exhaled before saying,

“Let’s eat!”

But Mom and Pop remained unresponsive.

I reluctantly started eating.

Dad once again looked at me and appealed to me with his eyes. I had no choice but to ask,

“Dad, how are the Baystars doing this year?”

As if waiting for the question, Dad replied,

“They did better than the Giants in the preseason. They might do well this year.”

“Wow, that’s great! They might even win the championship.”

I said, and Mom muttered,

“They’re eleventh out of twelve teams.”

“Huh? Does that mean the Giants were last and the Baystars were second to last?”

“Well, well, it’s just the preseason. Ahahaha…”

Dad’s laughter gradually faded.

I tried to change the topic, but Dad brought up,

“What about the Marinos?”

“Oh, yeah. According to Kotake, it seems like Kimura-kun might move up from the youth team this year.”

“Wow, so a J-League player will be born from a classmate from elementary school. That’s amazing. What about Kotake-kun?”

“Kotake is our ace, and he’s eager to beat Momoe Academy and make it to the National Stadium this year.”

“I see, I see.”

Dad looked at Mom and Pop alternately, but they remained unresponsive.

“Well, soccer team is fine, but what about your exams?”

“Well, yeah… I’m doing okay.”

“Just okay, huh…”

Dad smiled wryly, finished his last beer, and said,

“Mom, let’s eat.”

Mom nodded silently and served rice into Dad’s bowl. Then she said,

“Doremi, if you want to pass the university entrance exam, don’t you think you should quit either your club activities or your part-time job? I’d prefer it if you quit both and focused on studying.”

She broached the topic.

I was a bit flustered because I didn’t expect Mom to bring up the topic of my exams.

“Um, well… I’ll do my best to study for the exams, so please let me continue with both club activities and part-time job. By the way, how about you and Pop?”

Pop glared at me for a moment, then decided to stay silent.

Mom continued to eat while saying,

“I already talked to Pop before you came home. She’s so stubborn, I don’t know where she gets it from.”

“You’re the stubborn one, Mom. That’s why Pop absolutely hates private lessons.”

Right as Mom was about to say something, Pop’s cell phone rang. Pop got a cell phone when she entered middle school.

After checking the caller ID on her cell phone, Pop said,

“Thanks for the meal.”

And hurriedly left the room.

“Who was that? Is it her boyfriend? I thought since she goes to Karen Girls’ Academy, there wouldn’t be any bad guys coming around…”

Dad complained like the doting parent he was, and Mom chimed in,

“Is she neglecting her piano practice because she’s daydreaming about boys…?”

“No, no. Maybe it’s one of the members of her bodyguards?”

“Bodyguards?”

Dad leaned forward.

“Didn’t Pop have a few followers around her since kindergarten? Even though they go to different middle schools, they still meet up often. She sometimes brings them to MAHO-do to help with sales too. Pop’s like their big sister, and she said she listens to their problems.”

“I-I see…”

Dad still looked worried.

“If she gets a boyfriend, she’ll definitely tell me, so there’s no need to worry.”

Finally, Dad started eating his dinner after my words.

I tried to help with cleaning up after dinner and was about to go to my room, but I was curious about Pop and knocked on her door.

“I’m coming in.”

I said and entered Pop’s room.

Pop was still talking on her phone,

“I’ll hang up since my big sister’s here. Bye.”

Then she hung up.

As I sat on her bed, I remarked,

“That was a really long phone call. Dad was worried that you might have run into some bad guys.”

“Nooo way.”

Pop sat on her chair backwards, holding the backrest and laughing.

“I thought he was a member of your bodyguards? I told him, just in case.”

“Fufu. The person I was talking to is a former member of my bodyguards.”

“Former member?”

“Yeah, Kimitaka.”

“Oh! When you were in second grade, Pop, he transferred to Hokkaido?”

“Yeah.”

“I used to get postcards from him all the time when we were in elementary school, but I haven’t seen any lately. Did he get a phone?”

“He bought one himself.”

“Wow, impressive.”

“I remember when I wrote to him that I got a phone, he replied that he would definitely buy one too.”

Pop smiled and told me about what Kimitaka-kun had been up to lately. Apparently, he’s living with his uncle, who runs a ranch in an area called Hidaka, rather than with his parents in Sapporo. He initially worked part-time to buy a phone during summer vacation, but he found working with racehorses to be interesting, and he’s now aiming to transfer from a local middle school to a high school with an animal husbandry course.

“Kimitaka is coming to Tokyo for a school trip soon.”

“Oh, really? I’d love to meet… Kimitaka-kun. Working on a ranch must have made him pretty wild.”

“Have you seen recent pictures of him?”

Pop operated her cell phone and showed me a picture of Kimitaka-kun that was displayed on the screen.

As soon as I saw his face, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. He looked exactly the same as when he moved to Hokkaido in second grade.

“He hasn’t changed at all, has he?”

“Yeah, but…”

“What?”

“His eyes are bright and lively.”

“…Yeah, that’s right. He looks like he’s having so much fun living on the ranch. Even though he’s Kimitaka… it’s bitter to see him doing so well.”

“What about your eyes lately, Pop?”

“……”

Pop looked down.

“You should reconcile with Mom sooner.”

Pop tried to say something, but then looked down again.

I grabbed Pop’s hand and said,

“I’m not a very reliable big sis, but I’m here to listen if you need to talk.”

Pop looked up and said,

“…Thank you. But I need some more time to think. I’m just being extra cautious about this because it’s about me…”

“I understand… Once you’ve sorted out your thoughts, make sure to talk to me about it, okay? I mean it.”

Pop nodded, and I got up and left her room.

Then, it was Saturday morning after a few days had passed.

That day, two practice games were scheduled from 11 am.

Every high school soccer team in the area wants to play as close to a real game as possible, because the second prefectural qualifying tournament for the Kanto tournament is approaching. High schools from both inside and outside the prefecture have flooded Misora High School with requests to play. It’s not normal to play two games in one day, but the opponents were strong schools from Saitama and Shizuoka, so three schools agreed to play two games each.

We could have borrowed the municipal turf field for one game, but it was impossible for three games, so we had to play on our own dirt field, which made me worried about the players getting injured.

So, the first-year members and managers were supposed to gather at the school at 8 o’clock to level the ground of the field. Even though it was Saturday, I had to come to school earlier than on weekdays.

As I rubbed my sleepy eyes and went down to the dining room, Pop and Mom were glaring at each other in the worst mood again. Dad was on a reporting trip since yesterday and wasn’t home.

“…What’s wrong?”

The moment I asked, Pop turned around with tears in her eyes.

“What’s wrong? Everything is wrong! Mom invited the piano teacher without my permission!”

“If I don’t do this, Pop, you’ll never get a chance to see her.”

Mom said in a quiet voice, trying to stay calm.

“I have plans to go out this afternoon.”

“Since I’ve already invited her, just meet her and see. She’s even won a competition and is a skilled teacher.”

“I already told you, it’s impossible!”

Pop stormed out of the room and her footsteps echoed as she ran up the stairs.

“Pop!”

Mom tried to chase after her but hit the leg of a chair and fell down, screaming in pain.

Not having been able to interject in their conversation, I hurried to Mom’s side.

“Are you okay, Mom…?”

“Yeah, I’m fine…”

I lent Mom my shoulder and carried her to the sofa in the living room.

Mom took off her socks and looked at her pinky toe. I looked too and asked,

“It’s not broken, is it?”

“It’s throbbing, but…”

Mom grimaced as she moved her pinky toe.

“It can move somehow. It doesn’t seem to be broken… But still, Pop…”

Mom covered her face with her right hand and sighed.

“I told her to stop playing tennis so she wouldn’t hurt her fingers, but she didn’t listen…”

“…You said that too?”

“Pianists rely on their fingers, you know.”

“But Pop says she really enjoys being on the tennis team though.”

“If she gets injured, she won’t be able to play the piano anymore.”

I understood Mom’s feelings well. She had her dream of becoming a professional pianist shattered by a finger injury…

“Even though she should know that…”

Mom covered her face with both hands.

“…Mom, do you think Pop will end up hating the piano like I did when I was little?”

Mom looked at me with a surprised look on her face.

“Did she say that?”

“She didn’t say it, but I just feel like you’ve been pushing her a little too hard lately.”

“……”

Mom lowered her head and a long silence ensued. She was probably remembering how I gave up on the piano and ended up hating it.

“You know, I really like it when Pop enjoys playing the piano.”

“……”

“Mom… What do you want for Pop? Do you still want her to become a pianist?”

Mom looked up and said,

“Whether she becomes a pianist or not is something for the future, but for now, I just want her to keep playing the piano in a good environment.”

“I understand. I’ll make sure to convey your feelings to Pop.”

Mom nodded quietly,

“I’ll call the teacher and cancel today’s lesson.”

“Okay.”

I headed up to Pop’s room on the second floor.

I conveyed Mom’s feelings to her.

Pop silently listened.

“I’m sorry for making you wait when you have a game, big sis.”

“Don’t worry about me. So, what do you want to do from now on, Pop?”

“I’m still undecided… but I can say this much. I won’t quit playing the piano.”

“I see. Hearing that reassures me a bit.”

“By the way, I’m meeting Kimitaka today.”

“Huh? I remember you said he was coming on a school trip.”

“I wanted to talk to Kimitaka, so I decided to meet him during his free time.”

“If you talk to the energetic Kimitaka-kun, you might be able to grasp something.”

“Yeah… but big sis, don’t you have to go?”

I looked at Pop’s alarm clock. It was almost 8 o’clock.

“Oh no! I’m gonna be late!”

I rushed out of the room in a panic.

I couldn’t concentrate on the practice game because I was worried about Pop. And skipping breakfast was also taking its toll.

The practice games were drawn, and we were scheduled to play against a high school from Saitama in the first game and a high school from Shizuoka in the third game. We won the first game 2-0 with Kotake’s header and right-footed volley.

After lunch break, Saitama and Shizuoka’s high schools fought in the second game, and our game against Shizuoka was scheduled for 3:30 pm.

Since I had time until the third game, I decided to go check on Pop’s condition.

I told Chinami-chan that I had to go home to take care of something and left the field, saying I would be back by 3:30.

Then, when I went to the back of the school building to take out my magic broom and change into my witch apprentice uniform, I suddenly realized something.

“Oh no! I didn’t ask where Kimitaka-kun and her were meeting…”

I was such an idiot. I had no choice but to contact Mom at home with my cell phone, but all she said was that she was going to a Tokyo amusement park.

Even if she said Tokyo amusement park, there are a lot of them. What a mess.

At that moment, I heard Hana-chan’s voice from behind.

“Doremi, what are you doing?”

Surprised, I turned around and saw Hana-chan and Momo-chan running over.

“Doremi-chan, wearing the apprentice uniform at school is no good. It’s okay for us, but if other students see you, it could be bad.”

“I see. By the way, what about the store, both of you?”

“Aiko and Hazuki came over to help, so we’re practicing cheerleading.”

The two of them took out their pom-poms from their backpacks and demonstrated some moves.

“Do you want to practice with us, Doremi-chan?”

“I can’t right now. Actually, I need your help with something…”

When I told them about Pop, Hana-chan smiled.

“Doremi, just rely on Hana in situations like this.”

With a snap of her fingers, Hana-chan instantly transformed into her white witch apprentice uniform. I don’t think Hana-chan, who is already a witch, needs the apprentice uniform, but it’s her favorite.

“Okay, let’s go!”

“Huh? But we don’t know which amusement park to go to…”

Hana-chan pouted at my words.

“Who do you think Hana is? If it’s just you, Doremi, I can fly you straight to Pop’s place. Pororin pyuarin, Hana Hana pii!”

With a cute gesture, she cast a spell and my figure disappeared in a puff of smoke.

When I arrived, it was the largest amusement park in Japan located in Chiba Prefecture, even though it was named after Tokyo.

However, my field of view was limited and strange… and then I realized that I was wearing a cartoon-character costume.

“Hana-chan, why did you go through all this trouble…”

I muttered, but I understood. This way, Pop and Kimitaka-kun wouldn’t recognize me. Thanks, Hana-chan. Truly a future Queen.

However, Hana-chan’s thoughtfulness became a problem.

Immediately, visitors with children who were nearby gathered around me.

“Can we take a picture together?”

“Please shake hands with my child!”

“Please hold my child too!”

They called out to me one after another, and I had to respond to their requests.

Yes, I know you understand… It was the costume of that super famous mouse character in this amusement park. Hana-chan, you should have chosen a more inconspicuous character costume~.

I had to find Pop and Kimitaka-kun quickly, but the visitors who wanted to take pictures with me didn’t stop.

At this point, I thought about going to the bathroom and escaping, but I remembered that characters were not allowed to be seen by visitors when going to the bathroom. In addition, taking off the costume head was also prohibited. It’s not surprising given the job of selling dreams.

So, I came up with a plan to cast a speed-up spell.

I chanted the spell inside the costume, and like a fast-forward video, I quickly responded to the requests of the visitors and left the area at a breakneck speed.

Then, I managed to find an empty place and took off the costume, changing from my witch apprentice uniform to normal clothes.

Finally free, I started looking for Pop and Kimitaka-kun.

However, it was Saturday and the amusement park was crowded with people. Time just kept passing.

“That’s strange. Hana-chan said she was going to fly me straight to Pop’s place, but where is Pop… Oh, could it be…”

I ran back to where I first arrived, and saw Pop and Kimitaka-kun sitting on a bench in the back of the area where visitors had gathered to see the characters. It was just because I was wearing the costume that I didn’t notice the two of them right behind me. The obvious is often overlooked. Sorry for complaining, Hana-chan.

I took a detour so that they wouldn’t notice me and went to the back of the bushes behind the bench, listening carefully.

“The only thing I can say is that it’s better for Pop to follow her own feelings rather than considering her parents’ feelings.”

“…Yeah.”

At that moment, two middle schoolers who seemed to be Kimitaka-kun’s classmates came over and said,

“Kimitaka, it’s almost time to gather.”

“Who’s this cute girl? Your girlfriend from Tokyo?”

“W-What? No! She’s a former classmate before I transferred!”

Kimitaka-kun denied it with a red face, stood up, and said,

“Well then. If anything happens, let me know.”

“Thank you.”

Pop also stood up and shook hands with Kimitaka-kun.

As his classmates whistled and cheered, Kimitaka-kun ran over to them and engaged in playful roughhousing before leaving, but he turned back when Pop waved at him and said,

“Pop, why don’t you come to Hokkaido during Golden Week?”

“Huh?”

“Instead of moping around here, maybe you’ll find a good solution in the nature of Hokkaido!”

“…I understand! I’ll definitely go!”

“Great, I’ll be waiting!”

Kimitaka-kun waved his hand widely and disappeared into the crowd with his classmates.

Pop, who had been waving her hand until Kimitaka-kun had disappeared, breathed a small sigh and sat down on the bench.

“Is it okay to make such a promise?”

Pop turned around, surprised by my voice.

“Big sis!?”

I came out of the bushes and sat down next to Pop.

“Were you behind me the whole time?”

“No. I think I came out just before his classmates came to pick him up. I was worried about you, so I skipped the club activities and came here.”

“I see… I’m sorry, for my sake.”

“You’re my little sister, it’s only natural.”

In the past, she would have said “None of your business” or something mean, but Pop has grown up.

“I only caught a glimpse of him, but Kimitaka-kun looks more mature.”

“Yeah. I thought it was weird for Kimitaka, but I guess it’s because he has the freedom to find his own way? He seemed so grown-up, I couldn’t believe he was my classmate.”

“I know that feeling. Until recently, I was always depressed because I was envious of Hazuki-chan and others who had their own dreams and were working hard towards them.”

“Fufu, I didn’t see it that way.”

“Hiding it is like being a high school student… But anyway, never mind me. More importantly, you promised to go to Hokkaido during Golden Week, but do you have the money?”

“Well…”

“Don’t tell me you’re using my part-time pay as an excuse?”

“No, no. Well, I’m not using your money, but I’m counting on you, big sis.”

“Huh?”

Pop said with a mischievous smile,

“It’s magic.”

“Whaaaaat!?”

I was surprised and leaned back, and the nearby visitors were also surprised and looked this way.

“W-Why are you suddenly saying that!?”

I felt like I was sweating from every pore in my body.

“I knew it. Big sis became a witch apprentice.”

“No waaaaay!?”

I shouted loudly, and the nearby visitors looked at me with a suspicious expression.

“I-It’s nothing.”

I bowed my head and asked Pop in a hushed voice.

“Since when?”

“I think it was about a year and a half ago when I first thought it was strange. When I was studying for a test and didn’t understand something, I tried to ask you at night, but you weren’t there.”

“M-Maybe I just went to the convenience store or something.”

I feigned ignorance, but Pop continued with a smile.

“At first, I thought so too and forgot about it. But around November last year, I thought something was wrong with your condition.”

“Wrong?”

“When we were at home with the family, the conversation didn’t match. Even if you spoke, it was like you were on another planet, and you didn’t react much to the topics that you usually bite into.”

“Well, that happens sometimes.”

“Dad and Mom were worried that you might have a fever, but I knew. Big sis at that time wasn’t my big sis, but Dodo.”

“Ah.”

I was about to shout loudly again, but I hurriedly covered my mouth.

When she said November last year, it was when we went to Europe to look for Yume-chan. Dodo and the others transformed into us to take our place so that our family wouldn’t find out we were gone.

That gal Dodo, when I came back from Europe, she told me about Kotake’s achievements, but she didn’t report anything about my family.

“So, when I went to MAHO-do to confirm that big sis and the others had become witch apprentices, I secretly peeked into the kitchen and saw a bunch of fairies there.”

“T-That’s what happened…”

I gave up and explained how we became witch apprentices two years ago in order to search for Onpu-chan, who had gone missing.

“I see. I understand now.”

“But, Pop… Even though we became witch apprentices again, we never use magic for ourselves. We only use it for our families, friends, and people in need.”

“Okay… So, you’ll use it for me then?”

“W-Well… Umm… That’s…”

“I won’t tell anyone that my big sis became a witch apprentice, and I won’t say that I want to become a witch apprentice either.”

“Hmm~~~…”

I thought about it for a moment.

“Use magic to take me to the ranch where Kimitaka works during Golden Week. Please.”

“…Okay. But can you give me a little time? I want to discuss it with everyone, and I think I need to get permission from the Queen too.”

“Okay. I’m sorry for asking so much, but please.”

I nodded and said,

“I have to go back soon, but do you want to go back with me, Pop?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here, so I want to ride a couple of attractions before I go back.”

“I see. Then, I’ll go back now.”

After parting with Pop, I left the amusement park, changed into my apprentice uniform in a place where no one was around, and flew back to Misora High School on my broomstick.

Somehow, I made it in time for the 3:30 kickoff.

The third game was against a strong school from Shizuoka, but both teams were tired from playing two games today, so the substitute players played a significant portion of the second half, resulting in a lackluster performance and a score of 0-0.

The five regular players, including Kotake, who played in both games, looked quite exhausted. Fortunately, there were no injuries, so I was relieved.

After seeing off the buses of both schools, I helped Chinami-chan, the new manager Seto-kun, and the first-year club members clean up.

Oh, I’ll talk about Seto-kun later.

We usually have a post-game meeting, but since the players were so tired, the coach canceled it and we were dismissed immediately.

On my way back, I stopped by MAHO-do and found that Hana-chan and Momo-chan had also returned from their cheerleading practice. With Onpu-chan at work, it was everyone except her.

Everyone had heard about Pop’s situation from Hana-chan and Momo-chan, and they were worried. Hazuki-chan in particular looked serious.

“If you had let me know, I could have given you some advice. Doremi-chan, you’re being aloof,” Hazuki-chan said.

“I thought about consulting you guys so many times, but Pop said she wanted to think it through and decide by herself.”

“That’s being aloof. Pop-chan is like a little sister to us too.”

Ai-chan joined the conversation.

“Sorry…”

“Well, Doremi knows that everyone is busy, so she couldn’t bring it up.”

Hana-chan defended me.

But if it weren’t for your siege incident, I think I would have consulted everyone. Well, it’s too late to complain now.

Then, Hazuki-chan talked about the students in the piano course at Karen Girls’ Academy. There are significantly more piano course students than violin course students, and more than half of the piano course students switch to the regular course in high school every year.

Even after entering high school, it seems that few students continue on to university or become professionals. It’s a tough world where competition is getting fiercer and fiercer.

“I think the same goes for piano as for violin, but those who have been receiving prodigy-level education since they were three years old have a big advantage in middle school. But in the end, it’s the person’s talent and effort that matters.”

Hazuki-chan said seriously.

Then, Momo-chan asked me,

“When did Pop-chan start playing the piano?”

“Well… I think it was when she was in kindergarten, the year before she graduated.”

“Is that late?” Momo-chan asked.

“Well, it might be a little late, but I think she can catch up quickly with her own efforts. And if she likes playing the piano and continues to enjoy it, that’s what matters,” Hazuki-chan added.

“Continuous effort leads to success.”

Hazuki-chan nodded in agreement with Ai-chan’s words.

Then, I asked everyone to help me bring Pop and myself to Hokkaido with the Magical Stage during Golden Week.

“Are you going too, Doremi?”

Lala asked.

“I have club activities, but I plan to tag along as her big sister.”

Then, Majorika said,

“Alright. Leave the Queen to me. I’ll report that Pop has discovered the identity of witch apprentices and that you’ll use magic for the sake of your little sister.”

I panicked and asked,

“Am I the only one who’ll be asked to quit being a witch apprentice?”

Ai-chan immediately denied it,

“That won’t happen, Doremi-chan. When you became a witch apprentice, you only promised the Queen that you wouldn’t use magic for your own sake. It’s okay if it’s for Pop-chan.”

Lala also added,

“Pop-chan is also one of the benefactors of the witch world just like Doremi and the others, so don’t worry.”

I felt relieved and at the same time, tiredness hit me. Looking back, it had been a hectic day since the morning.

Since I had originally planned to take the day off from my part-time job, I decided to go home.

As I was leaving, Hazuki-chan chased after me and asked,

“Doremi-chan, do you mind if I come with you to Hokkaido?”

“I’m grateful for your concern, Hazuki-chan, but I think this issue could be a chance for Pop to mature a bit.”

“I see… That might be true.”

I patted Hazuki-chan’s shoulder and left MAHO-do.

On the following Friday, two days before the practice game against the opposing school, we received word that they couldn’t play due to unforeseen circumstances.

If the opposing school advances smoothly, they would be a considerable powerhouse school that we would face in the finals of the prefectural second qualifying round for the Kanto tournament in the latter half of Golden Week. Due to the excellent performance of our school last year, Misora High School was already a seeded school, so we would be participating directly in the finals of the second qualifying round. If we won, we would advance to the final tournament.

Our coach told us that the opposing school probably refused to show their cards before the finals and declined to play.

“I thought this would be our final preparation for the Kanto tournament!”

Kotake complained in front of the team members. However, the coach said with a wry smile,

“Despite that, your performance this week has been poor. You still seem to be tired from last week’s doubleheader.”

As Chinami-chan and I thought, the coach was right. The regular players moved so slowly this week, as if they were wearing lead uniforms.

Their passes, dribbles, and shots lacked sharpness, even to an amateur like me. Practicing in this state was dangerous.

“Since the game is canceled, we will take tomorrow off.”

The coach’s announcement caused Kotake to show a clear expression of dissatisfaction.

“If it’s just personal training…”

“No! I said tomorrow is a day off! Anyway, rest your body and recover from fatigue!”

The other regular players also sighed discontentedly, so the coach clicked his tongue and said,

“Geez… don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re soaked in soccer without rest during Golden Week.”

Kotake and the others finally agreed. Chinami-chan and I looked at each other and felt relieved.

But wait! If there’s no rest during Golden Week, I won’t be able to go to Kimitaka-kun’s place!

As I was flustered, Chinami-chan muttered to herself,

“I was planning to do something during Golden Week, but I guess I can do it the day after tomorrow.”

That’s it! I patted Chinami-chan’s shoulder and said,

“Let’s do that, let’s do that!”

“Huh?”

Chinami-chan didn’t understand what I meant and looked puzzled.

On Sunday morning, despite the early hour, everyone, including Onpu-chan, had gathered in the courtyard of MAHO-do. They were all already dressed in their witch apprentice uniforms.

Yesterday, I contacted everyone by email and received replies from everyone saying they would cooperate.

When Pop saw everyone,

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen everyone in their apprentice uniforms, it’s kind of refreshing!”

She exclaimed excitedly.

“But Pop-chan, I really didn’t realize that you could tell our witch apprentice status.”

Ai-chan said, Pop gave a cheeky smile and replied,

“Even though it may not seem like it, I’m also a former witch apprentice.”

Upon hearing this, Onpu-chan laughed joyfully.

After seeing Onpu-chan’s reaction, Pop looked at me and said arrogantly,

“Did you really have to call Onpu-chan too?”

“Don’t worry. If it’s for Pop-chan’s sake, I’m happy to cooperate.”

Onpu-chan replied, causing Pop’s cheeks to turn red.

Hazuki-chan said,

“Okay, now let’s have Doremi-chan and Pop-chan stand in the middle of our circle.”

And both Pop and I moved to the center of the circle everyone had formed.

“Alright, let’s go!”

Ai-chan ordered, and everyone except Hana-chan raised their Sweet Poron.

“Paipai ponpoi, flexibly!”

“Pameruku raruku, sonorously!”

“Pururun purun, eloquently!”

“Perutan petton, refreshingly!”

We chanted the incantation as we overlapped our Sweet Porons and held them up to the sky.

“Magical Stage!”

When the Magical Stage appeared, Hana-chan also raised both hands towards it.

“Take Doremi and Pop to Kimitaka-kun’s ranch in Hokkaido!” she commanded.

Our bodies glowed and turned into light as we flew high into the sky.

We arrived at the entrance of “Hee-Hin Ranch”, run by Kimitaka-kun’s uncle in Hidaka Town, about two hours from New Chitose Airport Station by train. By the way, “Hee-Hin Ranch” is a pretty straightforward name, directly referring to the sound a horse makes.

There was a building about the size of a gymnasium in front of us, a building resembling an office and a residence to the right, and an apartment-like building to the left.

Later, I learned from Kimitaka-kun that the gymnasium-like building was a stable where the horses lived, the residence next to the office was where the uncle’s family lived, and the apartment was a dormitory for the people working at the ranch. When Kimitaka-kun first came here, he stayed with his uncle’s family, but now he lives in the dormitory.

“Kimitaka, where are you?”

Pop asked she entered the premises through the entrance.

“For now, let’s ask at that office-like building.”

I hurried to the office and greeted,

“Good morning!”

But there was no response.

“I’m sorry to disturb you! Is anyone here?”

As I called out and entered the entrance, I found a room with a Daruma stove¹. There were about ten empty tea bowls on the table, but no one was there. On the wall, there was a whiteboard like a time schedule chart, with the names of about ten people written next to their respective job assignments.

Looking at the grandfather clock, it was a little past 8:30. I wondered if everyone had already left for work.

At that moment, Pop’s voice was heard outside.

“Big sis, Kimitaka is inside that building over there!”

As I hurriedly went out, Pop was talking to a middle-aged woman at the entrance of the residence.

According to Pop, the woman was Kimitaka-kun’s aunt.

As I greeted her aunt, Pop said,

“I’m going now.”

And she ran towards the large building resembling a gymnasium.

“Hey, wait a minute, Pop!”

“I heard everything from Kimitaka. Please go see him. I think he’ll be happy.”

“Is that so? Well then.”

I bowed my head and followed Pop.

When we entered the building, Kimitaka-kun was making horse feed with a large poly bucket.

“Kimitaka, we’re here!”

Pop called out, and Kimitaka-kun showed a surprised expression but soon smiled brightly.

“Pop! Doremi-san! Thanks for coming!”

“Even Doremi-san, who used to be ‘Pop’s big sis’ back then.”

Pop laughed and approached Kimitaka-kun while he was working.

Kimitaka-kun asked,

“You arrived quite early, didn’t you?”

Pop looked troubled, so I helped out.

“We stayed overnight in Tomakomai.”

“I see.”

Kimitaka-kun said and fed the horse feed he made to a pregnant mare with a big belly before giving birth, a newborn foal and its mother, and a one-year-old horse in that order, while explaining the ranch system and daily work to us.

“Hee-Hin Ranch” has 10 breeding mares and specializes in raising foals by mating them externally every year. Foals are called weanlings from birth to one year old and yearlings from one to two years old, and there are nearly 20 of them. Sometimes, when a mare has given up feeding her foal at a nearby ranch, they take the foal and raise it. They sell them at auctions or to individual horse owners when they are two years old.

They wake up at 5 am, have breakfast, and then enter the office by 6 am to decide on each person’s duties for the day. The employees, ten in total, take care of around 30 horses, and they don’t determine who will be in charge of which horse.

I thought that assigning a staff member to each horse would make the horse more attached and easier to care for, but he said that it’s better to raise a horse that doesn’t mind who takes care of it, because it will grow up to be a spoiled horse. Even if it becomes a racehorse in the future, it will be more obedient to the jockey’s instructions and will not bother the staff who take care of it in the stable.

After the morning meeting, they do the work of bringing back the one-year-old horses they released to the pasture at night to the horse stalls. I thought horses slept in their stalls at night, but it turns out that releasing them to the pasture at night is very important for building the muscles needed to become racehorses. Apparently the horses also run around a lot at night.

When they bring the horses back, they check every nook and cranny to see if they are injured or sick and report to the ranch manager. After putting the horses in their stalls, they measure their body temperature and feed them hay.

Then they release the weaker one-year-old horses and mares with their foals that cannot be released at night to the pasture. While they are out, they replace the bedding straw in the stalls, bring back the released horses in the evening, and release the one-year-old horses to the pasture at night again. That’s the typical day’s work. But now it’s the breeding mare’s foaling season, so they help with the birth, and it’s also the mating season, so they take the breeding mares to the mating site. It’s really a hard schedule.

Well, on weekdays, Kimitaka-kun only helps with the morning and evening work because he has school, but on Saturdays and Sundays, he does the same work as his colleagues.

After finishing feeding, Kimitaka-kun explained and demonstrated how to replace the bedding straw with his colleagues, and then released the horses to pasture.

He showed us a foal born a week ago on the way. There’s nothing cuter than a foal drinking its mother’s milk. It was so lovely~~ to see the foal drinking milk from its mother’s breast and dozing off.

After finishing the morning work, Kimitaka-kun took us to his uncle’s house for lunch.

While eating, Kimitaka-kun passionately talked about his dreams for the future, as if his eyes were shining.

“In Japan today, big ranches monopolize excellent stallions and mares with good pedigrees like Derby horses, and produce expensive horses, so small ranches like ours cannot compete. But I want to raise racing horses that can beat anyone.”

To achieve this, he said he would continue to work hard diligently while advancing to a high school with an animal husbandry course, and in the future, he wants to have a ranch that can not only produce, but also raise horses, like a large ranch.

Furthermore, he even talked about his dream of becoming a rancher who could take care of horses by obtaining a veterinary license and raising not only Derby horses but also the best horses in the world.

During that time, Pop and I were overwhelmed and just listened silently.

After lunch, Kimitaka-kun told us that he was going to breed the mares and invited us to watch, but it was too stimulating for us as middle and high school girls, so we politely declined.

While waiting for Kimitaka-kun to return, we sat on the fence of the pasture and watched the young horses running around and the horses eating grass with their parents.

“Kimitaka-kun was passionate, wasn’t he?”

Pop nodded silently as I spoke to her.

“He’s shining like my best friends.”

At that moment, Pop suddenly jumped off the fence, turned around and looked at me and said,

“Big sis, I’ve decided. I’m not going to become a professional pianist.”

“Pop…?”

“I won’t become a pianist, but I want to become a piano teacher like Mom.”

“What do you mean?”

“Last year, Mom’s piano students had a Christmas concert, and I helped out. I saw how Mom relaxed nervous kids, praised kids who played well, and encouraged kids who failed. It made me want to do the same job as Mom.”

“I see. That’s what happened.”

“But, I didn’t want to ruin Mom’s dream, so I couldn’t say it…”

“I understand that feeling. But being a piano teacher might be perfect for you, Pop.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Of course. When you get home, make sure to talk to Mom about your feelings.”

“Okay!”

With that, Pop smiled from ear to ear. It was the first time I had seen her smile like that in a long time. It was worth coming to Hokkaido.

I was so happy,

“I found my future path too. I…”

Before I could say more, Pop interrupted me.

“You want to be a teacher like Seki-sensei or Yamaki-sensei, right?”

“Huh~~!?”

Surprised, I almost fell off the fence, but Pop hurriedly supported me.

“T-Thanks… But how did you know that? I only decided to become a teacher recently.”

“I’ve known that for a long time. I think everyone at MAHO-do feels the same way.”

“R-Really?”

“You’ll find out when you get back.”

Pop laughed again and winked.

We thanked Kimitaka-kun, who had returned from the breeding session, and told him we were leaving.

“It’s still early, why don’t you stay longer?”

Kimitaka-kun tried to persuade us, but we pretended that we had taken a plane and a train and stayed overnight in Tomakomai, and that we had to leave the ranch soon to catch our flight.

Kimitaka-kun was pleased that Pop had become energetic and offered to drive us to the nearest train station in his uncle’s car.

We couldn’t say we were going to fly home by magic, so we pretended to take advantage of Kimitaka-kun’s kindness.

When we arrived at the train station, Kimitaka-kun said he wanted to stay until he saw the train off,

“Kimitaka, don’t you still have to take care of the horse? We’re good here. Thank you.”

Pop hugged Kimitaka-kun in gratitude.

Kimitaka-kun turned as red as a boiled octopus and steam seemed to be coming out of his head.

“Pop, you can’t just hug people like that. Kimitaka-kun looks uncomfortable.”

“Oh, sorry sorry.”

Even after Pop let go, Kimitaka-kun remained frozen, so we carried him to his uncle’s car. We thanked his uncle and Kimitaka-kun again.

His uncle nodded and started the car. Kimitaka-kun leaned out the passenger window and waved.

We waved until the car was out of sight.

“Well, should we go home now?”

I said, and Pop asked,

“How are we going to get back?”

“Huh? Oh no~~!! I haven’t even thought about how to get back.”

“Big sis… What are we going to do?”

“Ugh…”

“Don’t tell me we have to fly back on a broomstick!”

“If it comes to that, we have no choice… Wait, I have an idea!”

I called Hana-chan on my cell phone and explained the situation.

“Hahaha, that’s so Doremi-like. Hana thinks she can manage it alone, but if she fails, it could be disastrous, so let’s have everyone help.”

“Please take us home.”

After hanging up the phone, we hid behind a corner.

A minute later, with the magic of Hana-chan and the others, we were back in Misora City in three seconds.

When we got home, Pop honestly told Mom what she had decided at the ranch.

Mom listened silently.

“Is it bad?”

Pop asked with a hopeful expression.

“I understand how you feel, Pop. Follow the path you believe in.”

Mom had a complicated look of half happiness and half disappointment.

However, Pop seemed to feel refreshed and sat down in front of the piano and began playing.

I didn’t know the name of the song, but it was the most beautiful and skillful performance Pop had ever played. I felt like a joyful aura was overflowing from Pop, who was playing happily.

It seemed that Mom felt the same way as she listened beside me.

“That’s amazing. Being able to play such a beautiful performance, you could definitely be a professional…”

As she began to speak, I put my index finger over Mom’s mouth.

Mom smiled wryly and nodded, then closed her eyes and listened to Pop’s happy performance.

I secretly left the living room and went to my room and sent a group text message to my friends, reporting about my trip to Hokkaido and my decision to become a teacher.

Then, I received the same reply from everyone.

Congratulations to Pop, and I knew it to me.

Just as Pop had said, I was disappointed.

Feeling frustrated, I sent a message saying,

If you knew, why didn't you tell me earlier?

Except for Hazuki-chan, I received the same reply from everyone. They said that I should decide my own path and they’ll support me from the sidelines.

Yeah, yeah, I see. I understand~~!

But Hazuki-chan was different.

Doremi-chan, congratulations! I think Seki-sensei will be happy if you tell her.

As expected from Hazuki-chan. I sent a thank-you message to her only.

Then, in the evening of that day, I went to report to Seki-sensei as Hazuki-chan suggested.

Of course, I thought Seki-sensei would be happy… but instead of being happy, she said,

“Harukaze, are you underestimating the profession of a teacher?”

“I-I’m not…!”

“With your current grades, you won’t be able to get into university before becoming a teacher! You need to put more effort into your exam studies!”

After being lectured for thirty minutes, I returned home as if escaping, feeling exhausted…

Hazuki-chaaan, what am I supposed to do~~?