It happened so suddenly.
It was when I went to the biggest bookstore in Misora City to buy exercise books for the entrance exams of various universities.
Some people might be surprised that I hadn’t researched the trends and strategies for the exams of the universities I was applying to yet. To be honest, I was afraid of losing my confidence.
The thought of encountering exam questions that were too difficult to solve made me hesitate to even start studying from those books.
But when I consulted Tsukasa-san about it, he said,
“There’s no use being scared now. It’s important to learn the trends of the exam questions and develop strategies accordingly. With that, you can anticipate the kinds of questions that might come up. Buy some for me too. Let’s try to guess what they’ll be.”
Encouraged by him, I went to this bookstore.
I bought two copies of the exercise book for Setagaya Women’s University and two copies of the exercise book for the university I was considering as a backup choice. As I was about to leave the bookstore, I heard a voice saying “Onpu-chan” coming from a group of middle school girls hanging around the magazine corner.
I stopped and listened to their conversation.
“I had such high hopes for Onpu-chan as a young warrior.”
“Just when she was becoming popular as a real actress beyond a child idol.”
“Do you think it’s because of a guy? She’s co-starred with quite a few good-looking ones.”
“That wouldn’t be the case for Onpu-chan, would it?”
Hearing these voices, I couldn’t contain myself and impulsively approached the group to ask.
“What happened to Onpu-chan!?”
Surprised by my forcefulness, the middle school girls recoiled in astonishment.
“You were talking about Onpu-chan, right!?”
One of the girls showed me the opened page of the women’s weekly magazine she was holding.
The shocking headline “Big Scoop!! Segawa Onpu withdraws from Taiga drama!!” and “Disappeared since the end of last year!!” caught my eye, along with photos of Onpu-chan at a press conference when she was cast in the Taiga drama, and of her dressed in a young warrior costume holding a sword.
“No waaay!?”
I cried out and then froze in place.
My mind went completely blank in panic.
She had told me in emails that she was spending the long New Year’s break immersed in family time in Hokkaido, and that after the break she would devote herself fully to the Taiga drama.
Even when the Misora High School soccer team came in second place, she sent me a message expressing how she was disappointed, but found the efforts of Kotake and his team members left more of an impression on her than the championship team. She also included words of encouragement for my upcoming exams.
──What in the world happened, Onpu-chan!?
As I stood there in confusion, another one of the middle school girls asked me,
“Um… excuse me, but are you a friend of Segawa Onpu-chan?”
They were all looking at me with great interest.
If I said we were best friends, they would surely bombard me with all sorts of questions, so I answered,
“We were just in the same class during elementary school.”
Then I went to the register and bought the weekly magazine.
The middle school girls still looked like they wanted to ask me something, but I ignored them and dashed off.
I had to let everyone at MAHO-do know right away!
When I arrived at MAHO-do, there was a “CLOSED” sign hanging on the door of the store, and it was locked as well.
──Why is the store closed during the busiest time of the evening, especially on weekdays?
I rushed to the back door and found it unlocked. Inside the kitchen, I discovered that everyone from MAHO-do was gathered in front of the TV.
“What’s going on, everyone? The store’s closed…”
I started to ask and Ai-chan said immediately,
“It’s awful! Onpu-chan’s gotten herself into a terrible mess!”
I took the women’s weekly magazine out of the bookstore bag and asked,
“Could it be this?”
When Ai-chan and the others nodded, Majorika chimed in,
“You bought it too, didn’t you?”
She showed me the same weekly magazine. At that moment, Hana-chan shouted,
“Shh! It’s starting!”
We all turned our attention to the TV.
The president of the talent agency that Onpu-chan belongs to appeared on the screen. A large group of reporters were gathered in front of him, and a joint press conference was underway.
First, the entertainment reporters from TV news shows asked why Onpu-chan wasn’t attending this press conference.
The president wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief and answered while looking at his notes.
At this time, we are unable to contact Segawa Onpu, and she is unaware that this press conference is being held.
What do you mean you can't contact Segawa-san?
We normally keep in touch with her by phone through her manager, but we have lost contact for the past three days...
According to our research, the agency also contacted the TV station to inform them of her withdrawal from the Taiga drama three days ago, correct?
That is correct.
The president looked at his notes again and continued,
Three days ago in the morning, we received a message from her personally through her manager, indicating that she would be unable to participate in the Taiga drama rehearsals that would begin the next day, and in order not to cause trouble for the TV station and drama staff, she wished to withdraw.
What was the reason she gave for being unable to attend rehearsals?
It is a private matter, so I will refrain from commenting on it here.
But you explained the situation properly to the TV station, right?
Facing a barrage of questions from the reporters, the president wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and responded earnestly,
Yes... The producer in charge also said he would like Segawa Onpu to appear even if the rehearsal dates were extended... but there was a strong request from Segawa Onpu herself...
Although the press conference was still continuing, we could no longer remain silent and keep watching.
“For Onpu-chan to voluntarily withdraw from the Taiga drama she was so looking forward to appearing in, something major must have happened!”
When I started ranting, Hazuki-chan, Ai-chan, Momo-chan and Hana-chan immediately chimed in too.
“I agree. It’s unthinkable for Onpu-chan to abandon a job halfway through.”
“You’re right. She was seriously dedicating herself to horseback riding, archery, sword fighting, and even tea ceremony for her role. It’s definitely strange.”
“I emailed her the day before yesterday thinking she must be back from Hokkaido by now, but she didn’t reply.”
“Hana also called Onpu’s cell phone earlier, but it went to voicemail.”
“In this situation, we have no choice but to call Onpu-chan’s manager and ask what’s really going on.”
While I was looking for the phone number, there was a knock at the back door.
In a panic, Lala and Dodo and the fairies quickly hid behind a corner.
“It’s me, Onpu-chan’s manager Okita.”
“Oh, uh, come in!”
Speak of the devil? What a coincidence!
I put my phone away and opened the door to let Okita-san in.
“Hello…”
Okita-san glanced briefly at the president’s press conference still continuing on the TV, then quickly scanned the kitchen. He must have been hoping Onpu-chan was here. Seeing she wasn’t, he let out a small sigh.
Trying to lighten the mood, I said jokingly,
“We were just about to call you, Manager. You surprised us.”
“I see… So you all haven’t been able to contact Onpu-chan either?”
We nodded and offered Okita-san a chair.
“……”
Okita-san lowered his head slightly as he sat down and loosened his tie. The usually cheerful Okita-san looked worn out, his expression gloomy.
Can’t blame him. He hasn’t been able to contact the celebrity he’s in charge of.
While Majorika was brewing tea, she asked Okita-san,
“So, what exactly happened to Onpu?”
Okita-san was silent for a while.
After Majorika handed him a teacup and he took a sip, Okita-san lowered his head and continued,
“Can I ask you to keep this between us?”
Majorika nodded and Okita-san went on.
“Onpu-chan’s mother collapsed from a stroke.”
“Whaaat!?”
We were shocked and left speechless.
“It happened the day before Onpu-chan returned from Hokkaido.”
Hazuki-chan asked,
“So how is her mother now?”
Okita-san shook his head and replied,
“I don’t know… But Onpu-chan’s voice was choked with tears when I heard her on the phone… When I offered to come support her right away, Onpu-chan didn’t respond to that, and she said she wanted to withdraw from the Taiga drama.”
“Which means her mother’s condition is quite serious…”
At Majorika’s words, we all exchanged glances.
“Onpu-chan’s mother was doing well in her rehabilitation, and we heard she was recovering well.”
Momo-chan said sadly and we all nodded slightly.
“Manager, which hospital is Onpu-chan’s mother at?”
I asked, but Okita-san shook his head again.
“If I knew, I wouldn’t be here now.”
He said wryly.
Tracing her memory, Hazuki-chan continued in a cautious tone,
“Didn’t Onpu-chan say she was spending New Year’s at her father’s railroad company dormitory in Sapporo?”
“Yeah, that’s right, she did.”
Ai-chan followed and Hana-chan said,
“Then we should check the hospitals in Sapporo…”
Before she could finish, Okita-san shook his head again and said,
“I called them one after another, but no luck…”
As we fell into silence, the press conference concluded, and we could hear the voices of commentators making irresponsible remarks in the studio.
Okita-san glanced at the TV, stood up and said,
“Excuse me. I’m going back to the agency to consider how to handle this. If you hear from Onpu-chan, please contact me. See you.”
He left through the back door.
We all hung our heads in silence.
Lala, who had been hiding under the table, came out and said,
“The tea’s gotten cold. I’ll brew some more.”
When everyone drank the tea that Lala had brewed again, we all felt a little more relaxed in our hearts.
“Onpu-chan… why didn’t she let us know?”
I murmured and Hazuki-chan said,
“She didn’t want to cause everyone trouble. Especially you and Hana-chan with your entrance exams coming up…”
“That does sound like Onpu-chan, but… If my Dad or Mom were in that situation, I’m sure I’d let everyone know.”
Ai-chan added and Momo-chan continued,
“I feel the same way as Ai-chan. I don’t think I could get through it alone.”
“I know, right? Onpu-chan is a strong girl, but deep down she feels the same as us. Her beloved mother might leave this world… It must feel like her heart is being torn apart. Definitely.”
As I spoke, I started crying.
“In that case, let’s go to Onpu’s side! We might not be able to do anything, but… We can be there and cheer her up… Right? Right?”
Hana-chan was crying too.
We all nodded tearfully.
“In that case, I shall go too.”
Majorika said and Roro chimed in tearfully,
“Roro wants to be there for her too…”
Dodo and the fairies nodded tearfully in agreement.
“It’s decided then, we’ll all go together. Everyone, gather in front of Hana!”
“Hana-chan, go where…”
Before I could finish my sentence, Hana-chan chanted her spell.
“Pororin pyuarin, Hana Hana pii!”
Hana-chan’s magic teleported us instantly to Odori Park in Sapporo.
Preparations for the Snow Festival had just begun, and unfinished snow sculptures could be seen here and there, and people were busy working on them.
When I arrived in Sapporo, I immediately knew that it was Sapporo.
I had visited here three years ago, but the cold was so extreme that I instantly recognized it.
Everyone shivered uncontrollably when we were suddenly exposed to the sub-zero temperature of Sapporo from the warm kitchen of MAHO-do, where the cooking stove was lit.
The fairies immediately dove into the pockets of my coat.
Hazuki-chan, Ai-chan, Momo-chan, and even Hana-chan, all dressed in their patissiere outfits, broke into fits of sneezing.
Even Majorika, who was in her casual clothes, shivered and looked at Hana-chan with an exasperated expression.
“Honestly, if you’re going to Hokkaido, you should be prepared!”
With a snap of her fingers, her magic conjured up a fur coat for herself and down coats for Hazuki-chan and the others.
With a runny nose, Hana-chan managed to say,
“Majorika, thank you.”
She bowed in thanks, put the index fingers of both hands to her temples, and seemed to be concentrating on something.
Soon, she spoke again,
“Just like the manager said, Onpu’s not in Sapporo! Hey, can you think of anywhere else in Hokkaido where Onpu might go?”
At Hana-chan’s question, Ai-chan let out a little “Ah!”
“Aiko, do you have an idea?”
When Hana-chan asked again, Ai-chan said,
“Well, it’s just… I think it’s kind of like when we went looking for Onpu-chan three years ago.”
“What do you mean?”
When Hana-chan pressed for more, Hazuki-chan and I exclaimed at the same time,
“Oh!”
“That time Onpu-chan was in Wakkanai, right?” I added.
“That’s right. Onpu-chan said she has relatives there, remember?” Hazuki-chan chimed in.
Ai-chan joined the conversation and said,
“Yeah, that’s it. Maybe when Onpu-chan was at her relatives’ place, that’s when her mother collapsed?”
“That’s possible.”
Majorika said and Hana-chan suggested with a sly smile,
“Okay, let’s go to Wakkanai!”
This time, she used magic without a spell. Unlike us witch apprentices, a witch like Hana-chan can use magic without incantations. She could have done it without chanting a spell earlier too…
In an instant, we were transported to a building in front of Wakkanai Station, but good grief, it was even colder than Sapporo!
Well of course, Wakkanai is the northernmost city in Japan.
The north wind blowing in from the Sea of Okhotsk felt piercingly cold on our skin.
Immediately, Majorika magically brought out portable heat packs and gave them to us, and thanks to them, we were somehow able to withstand the cold. However, there was no escaping the biting wind that stung our faces, and we all broke into fits of sneezing again.
Amidst that, Hana-chan, with snot about to freeze dripping from her nose, put the index fingers of both hands to her temples again and used magic to search for Onpu-chan’s whereabouts.
“No good… I can’t sense Onpu’s presence…”
Hana-chan’s voice was as weak as if it would freeze over.
I said,
“If she’s not in Wakkanai, we’ve got zero clues.”
Everyone fell silent, our heads hanging low in disappointment.
Only the sound of the north wind around us could be heard.
Just then, Hazuki-chan said,
“Onpu-chan’s mother collapsed from a stroke, right?”
It was like she was asking everyone.
“Yeah. And the manager made it sound really serious.”
I replied and Hazuki-chan continued,
“Wakkanai City isn’t that big, so there probably aren’t many hospitals with neurosurgery… No, there might not even be one.”
“What are you trying to say, Hazuki-chan?”
Momo-chan seemed impatient and urged her to hurry up and finish.
“In other words, I think she might not be hospitalized in Wakkanai, but at a major hospital with neurosurgery in the nearest big city.”
As we all nodded at Hazuki-chan’s explanation, Hana-chan was already using her magic again.
The next place we arrived was in front of the Asahikawa National Hospital in Asahikawa City.
Being a national hospital, it was quite large.
Hana-chan immediately took the same pose again and searched for Onpu-chan’s presence.
Earlier, she had been able to tell instantly if Onpu-chan was there or not, but this time, Hana-chan repeatedly put the index fingers of both hands to her temples and used magic to search.
Unable to stand it, I asked,
“What’s wrong, Hana-chan?”
And Hana-chan replied with a puzzled expression,
“I can sense Onpu’s presence, but the response is extremely weak…”
“Does that mean she’s at a different hospital?”
When Ai-chan asked, Hana-chan explained,
“That’s not it either. I can definitely sense her presence among these buildings, but…”
Just then, Majorika, who had been staring at the hospital, said,
“It must be a barrier. There’s a barrier cast with magic.”
“A barrier!?”
We looked at the front gate, where outpatients and visitors were coming and going normally.
“Everyone’s entering and leaving normally though.”
I pointed out, and Majorika furrowed her brow.
“Most likely, a special barrier has been set up that won’t affect ordinary humans. Doremi, try passing through the gate.”
“Okay…”
I walked away from the others and towards the gate. Suddenly, I bumped into something and exclaimed,
“Whoa!”
I fell to the ground on my butt.
“Doremi-chan!”
Hazuki-chan and Ai-chan ran over to help me up.
“Are you okay?”
“Y-Yeah…”
When Ai-chan brought her right hand close to where I had bumped into, it hit something and bounced back.
“It’s true! There’s an invisible wall!” Ai-chan exclaimed.
Majorika and the others came over too, she said,
“I’m afraid a barrier was set up to keep witches and witch apprentices away.”
Momo-chan asked,
“Why? Who did this and for what reason?”
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind us.
“The barrier was set up by Onpu-chan and me.”
When we turned around, the wizard Oyajide was there.
“Oyajide!?”
“It’s been a while, everyone. Let’s move our talk away from the gate.”
Oyajide led us to the side of the gate.
“Oyajide, what is the meaning of this barrier!?”
I asked and Oyajide explained,
“I did it at Onpu-chan’s request. Her mother collapsed four days ago, and was first taken by ambulance to a hospital in Wakkanai. But when they found they couldn’t treat her there, she was taken by helicopter to this hospital. Emergency surgery was performed right away, but she has remained in critical condition…”
His expression darkened as he continued,
“Onpu-chan called me the day before yesterday. She said if the media got wind of this and swarmed the hospital, it would cause problems, so she used her magic to create a barrier.”
Hana-chan asked immediately,
“But why block Hana and her friends out too?”
Oyajide’s face took on a pained look.
“Onpu-chan asked me to add a barrier that would prevent all of you from entering, on top of the one she made herself, so I did as she requested.”
I was shocked and asked,
“Why? It’s not fair to keep us out!”
“Doremi-chan’s right!”
Ai-chan’s words were met with vigorous nods from Momo-chan and Hana-chan.
“Onpu-chan said… ‘I want it to be just Papa and me quietly seeing Mama through her final moments’…”
Saying that, Oyajide looked up at the sky.
We were at a loss for words too.
Just then, Hazuki-chan, who had been listening silently the whole time, suddenly spoke up,
“Oyajide-san, you said Onpu-chan put up a barrier herself too, right?”
“Yes…”
“Onpu-chan… used magic for her own sake…”
At Hazuki-chan’s words, the rest of us were hit with realization too.
“Onpu-chan plans to… quit being a witch apprentice…”
I squeezed out the words, and everyone else reacted with shock, raising their faces to the sky or covering them with their hands.
Just then, Hana-chan wiped away her tears while separating herself from everyone else, then placed her right hand on the barrier and seemed to be concentrating on something.
In that instant, the dome-shaped barrier that had been cast flashed for a moment and then immediately disappeared.
“Hana, what did you do?”
Majorika asked and Hana-chan replied,
“I only undid Oyajide’s barrier. We can enter the hospital now. Let’s go see Onpu!”
“Hana-chan…”
I completely understood Hana-chan’s feelings.
At that point, Oyajide came in front of Hana-chan and said,
“I understand how you and everyone feels. But please, consider Onpu-chan’s feelings too. Onpu-chan’s been nursing her mother without sleeping much since she was brought to this hospital. If she sees all of you, the tension she’s been holding in might snap… “
Majorika continued in place of Oyajide, whose words were choked up,
“She might collapse… It may be best if we leave without seeing her.”
I stated firmly,
“I can’t do that!”
“Doremi-chan…?”
Hazuki-chan gripped my arm. Then Ai-chan and Momo-chan chimed in,
“I understand how you feel, Doremi-chan. I do, but…”
“Let’s respect Onpu-chan’s feelings… okay?”
They said, holding back tears.
But I still insisted,
“Then let’s at least see Onpu-chan’s face without meeting her… We won’t say anything… Just seeing her face will be enough…”
Everyone else nodded, and we all turned our gaze to Oyajide.
“…All right. But promise me you’ll stay completely silent. And of course, I won’t tell Onpu-chan you were here either.”
We nodded in agreement, and Majorika said with her gaze shifting,
“I-I suppose I should do the same…”
“Admit it, you want to see Onpu just like everyone else, Majorika!”
Hana-chan teased playfully, but no one laughed.
Next, we got the room number of Onpu-chan’s mother from Oyajide and moved to some bushes on the hospital grounds.
Then using Hana-chan’s magic, we transformed into sparrows and flew to the window of Onpu-chan’s mother’s room.
But as soon as we landed on the windowsill, we were shocked and trembled with disbelief.
Onpu-chan’s mother was lying on the hospital bed with a white cloth covering her face.
Onpu-chan was sitting on a chair near her pillow with her head down.
Young doctors and nurses were busy moving the IV drips and cardiac monitors in and out of the room. Near the entrance, Onpu-chan’s father was talking to an older doctor who seemed to be in charge.
──Onpu-chan’s mother… has gone to heaven…
Thinking that, tears spilled from my eyes and I grew desperately restless.
“Tweet!”
I chirped and tried to rush to the window, but Majorika spread her wings to block my path.
Tears were streaming from Majorika’s eyes in her sparrow form too.
Hazuki-chan and the others also chirped,
“Tweet, tweet…”
While pressing their wings against my back.
I could feel their wings trembling, and realized they felt the same as me.
I gave up on approaching Onpu-chan.
I realized that I was about to trample on Onpu-chan’s kindness in not telling me or Hana-chan that her mother had collapsed, thinking about our exams, and Oyajide’s kindness in desperately trying to protect Onpu-chan.
When everyone finally folded their wings, Onpu-chan’s father approached her and said,
“They tell me I have to fill out the death certificate and various other paperwork. I hate to leave you alone, but will you be all right?”
Onpu-chan gave a small nod.
Her father patted her lightly on the shoulder and left the room with the doctor in charge, leaving Onpu-chan alone.
At that point, we heard Onpu-chan’s soft singing voice.
Surprised, we looked over, and Onpu-chan was singing “Lupinus Lullaby” while keeping her head down.
“Lupinus Lullaby” was the only hit song from Onpu-chan’s mother’s time as an idol. When Hana-chan was a baby, Onpu-chan and the rest of us often sang it to lull her to sleep…
As Onpu-chan’s singing grew hoarse, her voice became quieter and finally turned into sobs.
Then hugging her mother’s body tightly, she broke into loud wailing.
I wouldn’t have thought a human voice could cry with such volume.
We felt like our hearts were about to burst, and we had an overwhelming urge to return to our original forms and embrace Onpu-chan as we cried together, but everyone patiently endured.
I don’t know how much time passed, but Onpu-chan’s crying finally ceased.
Exhausted from weeping on top of fatigue from nursing her mother, she fell asleep just like that.
We left the hospital room and moved to the roof of the hospital, returning to our original forms.
The roof was empty, and the white bed sheets that had been hung there were swaying in the wind.
All of our faces were drenched with tears.
I wiped my tears and asked everyone,
“Even though we decided not to see Onpu-chan… isn’t there something we can do for her?”
“……”
No doubt, everyone wished we could bring Onpu-chan’s mother back to life. But that was forbidden magic that we absolutely must not use. We all knew that.
Just then, Hazuki-chan said,
“How about making sure Onpu-chan gets a good and sound sleep?”
Ai-chan followed immediately,
“Good idea. Both her heart and body must be completely exhausted.”
Momo-chan nodded and suggested,
“Let’s give her dreams of happy memories with her mother.”
Hana-chan nodded vigorously and added,
“That’s a great idea, Momoko!”
I agreed and said,
“Alright then, let’s use the Magical Stage together to cast a spell on Onpu-chan.”
Everyone nodded firmly, and we changed into our witch apprentice uniforms while Majorika joined us. Standing in a circle, we tapped the Parara Tap and took out our Sweet Porons.
We all held the Porons in front of our bodies and chanted our incantation one by one.
“Pirika pirilala, freely!”
“Paipai ponpoi, flexibly!”
“Pameruku raruku, sonorously!”
“Perutan petton, refreshingly!”
“Pororin pyuarin… um… um…”
Of course, Hana-chan didn’t have a Magical Stage spell.
“You don’t need a spell, Hana-chan.”
Ai-chan reminded her, but Hana-chan forced herself to come up with one and shouted,
“Pororin pyuarin, happily!”
We all smiled, stacked our Porons on top of mine, held them up to the sky, and shouted,
“Magical Stage!”
Then the Magical Stage appeared overhead.
Majorika, Lala, and Dodo and the fairies joined us, putting all of our feelings into yelling,
“For Onpu-chan’s sake, fill her dreams with wonderful memories of her mother!”
The Magical Stage emitted a dazzling light and then disappeared.
Roro immediately flew to the hospital room, looked at the sleeping Onpu-chan, and then came back.
“Onpu has such a gentle sleeping face now,” Roro reported.
Seeing everyone’s softened expressions, Oyajide appeared in a puff of smoke and asked,
“It seems you’ve used the Magical Stage for Onpu-chan’s sake, am I right?”
As we nodded, without asking about the specifics of the magic we used, Oyajide said,
“I, as Onpu-chan’s number one fan club member, offer my deepest thanks.”
After bowing his head, he emphasized,
“Please keep what happened today a secret.”
We nodded in agreement, and after seeing Oyajide off, we returned to MAHO-do using Hana-chan’s magic.
Several days had passed since we returned to Misora City.
On that day, with the entrance exam three days away, I came to Tsukasa-san’s house and was working hard to solve the exam questions he had predicted and created. At that moment, the doorbell rang at the entrance.
“Who could it be on a weekday during broad daylight? Probably a newspaper subscription salesman. Let’s pretend we’re not home.”
But the doorbell continued to ring persistently, so Tsukasa-san added,
“How persistent! I’ll tell them off in one blow, so you keep working on those questions, Doremi-chan.”
I nodded, and Tsukasa-san quickly left the room to attend to the door.
However, within five seconds, he rushed back in and said,
“Doremi-chan, this is big trouble! You have a most unexpected visitor!”
“Unexpected? Visitor?”
As I tilted my head puzzledly, Tsukasa-san suddenly grabbed my arm and said,
“It’s Segawa Onpu-chan!”
“Ehhhhh!?”
Tsukasa-san pulled me up, who was in shock, and pushed me on my back.
In three seconds, I rushed to the entrance where Onpu-chan was standing.
“I asked your mother for your whereabouts and decided to drop by.”
She said with a smile.
Before I knew it, tears were spilling from my eyes, and I cried,
“Onpu-chaan!!”
I clung to Onpu-chan, still barefoot.
“Onpu-chan, you’ve been through so much… I didn’t think you’d come back so soon~.”
“Fufu, I figured you and everyone came to Asahikawa after all, right?”
“Huh? No, we didn’t go.”
I wiped the tears from my eyes with my hand and pretended not to know what she meant, but…
“The only ones I notified about Mama passing away were the people at the agency, so how did you…”
“Oh, well, I mean I heard about her collapsing from your manager… um…”
Onpu-chan seemed to see right through me. In a low voice, so that Tsukasa-san couldn’t hear from the shadows of the pillar at the back of the entrance from where he was watching us, Onpu-chan said,
“You used the Magical Stage to make me dream about Mama, right?”
“W-W-What are you talking about…?”
“No use playing dumb.”
Onpu-chan whispered in an even quieter voice directly into my ear,
“That night, when I tried to dispel the barrier I had put up myself, Oyajide’s barrier had already disappeared. After the farewell ceremony, I questioned Oyajide, and he confessed without hesitation.”
“I-Is that so…”
With a serious expression, Onpu-chan said in a normal voice,
“I really didn’t want to trouble you and Hana-chan right before your exams… but thank you.”
Then, Onpu-chan shared the dream she had that night.
She had been able to see the joy on her mother and father’s faces when she was born, moments of her crawling and taking her first steps, and the delight on her mother’s face when she spoke for the first time, which she had no memory of, but could see in the dream.
“It’s all thanks to you and everyone else. Thank you, Doremi-chan.”
Saying that, this time Onpu-chan embraced me.
She was crying.
I couldn’t help but hug Onpu-chan tightly.
“I thought I had shed a lifetime’s worth of tears already…”
I shook my head, crying.
Just then, Tsukasa-san burst out and hugged both me and Onpu-chan tightly.
“You two have the best friendship ever. I’ve never been a fan of actresses, but I’ve come to love Onpu-chan.”
Tsukasa-san’s voice was also tearful.
“T-Tsukasa-san, I can’t breathe…”
When I said that, he hurriedly pulled his hand away and added,
“S-Sorry! I turn into a man when I see scenes like this!”
Onpu-chan laughed softly and said,
“Tsukasa-san, you’re exactly as Doremi-chan described. Doremi-chan seems to be causing you a lot of trouble, but please take care of her until the day of the exam.”
She bowed her head to Tsukasa-san, who replied awkwardly,
“I’d like to say leave it to me, but Doremi-chan’s the one taking the exams…”
Seeing Onpu-chan’s expression cloud a bit, I quickly covered for him,
“Don’t worry, I’m breezing through the exam questions that Tsukasa-san prepared!”
Though Tsukasa-san responded with a mischievous grin,
“You’re not really breezing through them…”
“T-Tsukasa-san!”
Seeing our exchange, Onpu-chan laughed softly again, and then a car horn sounded outside.
“Oh my? I completely forgot. I’ve kept Okita-san waiting all this time. Well then.”
“Huh, you’re leaving already?”
“I have to go to the agency now. There’s a press conference.”
“Oh, I see…”
“I intend to honestly tell everything that happened and apologize. And then…”
Glancing at Tsukasa-san, Onpu-chan trailed off.
“Ah, I’m sorry. You two must have things to discuss privately.”
Tsukasa-san noted considerately, then he withdrew further inside.
Confirming he was gone, Onpu-chan put on a serious expression and continued,
“Please let everyone at MAHO-do know that I said thank you.”
“You’re not stopping by MAHO-do after the press conference?”
“I’m leaving for New York right after.”
“N-New…York!?”
I was so shocked that I felt my legs would give out.
“Mama told me when we were enjoying New Year’s dishes as a family. She sincerely said that her favorite work among all that I’ve done was ‘Blue Moon’.”
“Blue Moon” was the musical Onpu-chan starred in, and it was performed in London and Paris. We were all amazed when we watched it.
“Since then work in TV and movies kept me too busy to perform on stage, but I felt the same as Mama. I want to stand on stage again… And I’ve always thought that the next time I stand on stage, it will be on Broadway in New York, the home of musicals.”
“Amazing! Broadway!”
I exclaimed in excitement, and Onpu-chan smiled.
“I’m thinking of spending about a month there watching musicals.”
When I nodded, Onpu-chan nodded back, turned around and tried to leave. However, she immediately stopped and spoke with her back turned.
“And… I’m sorry for not consulting everyone, but since the smiling moon appeared last night, I secretly sneaked into MAHO-do and went to the witch world.”
“Eh? Oh!”
“I’m sure you all realized, but I met with the Queen and quit being a witch apprentice.”
“I figured… that’s what happened. So what did the Queen say?”
“Without asking anything, she embraced me and gently said, ‘Thank you for all your hard work until now. I’m grateful.’”
“I see… That makes sense. We can all walk our own paths now without relying on magic.”
With her back still turned, Onpu-chan nodded and headed outside.
I also rushed out after her and kept waving until Okita-san’s car was out of sight.
Returning to the room, I worked through all the practice exam questions Tsukasa-san had prepared and checked the answers.
Thanks to Leon’s review sheets, which he handed out in each class to summarize the key points, I scored high in world history, but just barely passed English and Japanese at 60%.
For English, Tsukasa-san pointed out I hadn’t fully memorized the vocabulary likely to be tested, and for classical literature where I did particularly poorly, he mentioned that in the entrance exams for Setagaya Women’s University, “The Pillow Book” by Sei Shonagon is a popular test topic once every five years. He advised me to make it a major focus and review it until the day of the exam, as this year would be the fifth year since it was last tested.
On my way home from Tsukasa-san’s house, I stopped by MAHO-do and told everyone everything that had happened with Onpu-chan today.
Everyone seemed to be prepared, and no one reacted much to the news of Onpu-chan quitting being a witch apprentice.
Only Hana-chan, seemingly dissatisfied that Onpu-chan hadn’t told her directly, pressed her lips together and sulked silently.
After helping everyone clean up the store and prepare for tomorrow, I watched the live broadcast of Onpu-chan’s press conference on the evening news program.
Onpu-chan spoke sincerely about the events leading up to her mother’s stroke, her mother’s death, her own volition to withdraw from the Taiga drama, and her plan to take a break and go to New York. She bowed her head to the people at her agency and fans who had been worried about her, and the press conference ended.
Throughout the press conference, Onpu-chan didn’t shed a single tear and behaved bravely.
Some entertainment reporters tried to draw tears by repeatedly bringing up her late mother, but Onpu-chan smiled occasionally and talked about how she had made many happy memories during the New Year’s break and how her mother had praised her performance in “Blue Moon”.
When the live broadcast ended and Majorika turned off the TV, Ai-chan murmured,
“Onpu-chan is so amazing. I really respect her even more now.”
We all nodded silently.
After saying goodbye to everyone at MAHO-do, I returned home.
Even though Dad, Mom, and Pop must have watched Onpu-chan’s press conference, they didn’t say a word about it during dinner.
I think they did that out of consideration for me.
When I finished eating and moved to clear my dishes, Pop said,
“Big sis, it’s okay. I’ll take care of it. But more importantly, you’ve been through a lot, so study hard for the entrance exams.”
“Thank you. Okay then.”
I thanked them for their thoughtfulness and headed upstairs.
As soon as I entered my room, I collapsed on the bed, thinking about Onpu-chan.
I had no motivation to study for at least an hour, but I felt bad neglecting it when Onpu-chan was trying to overcome such a huge trial, so I forced myself to get up.
I pulled out the copy of “The Pillow Book” that Tsukasa-san had told me to review from my bookshelf and started reading it. Just then, my cell phone’s message tone rang.
Checking the caller’s name, it was a message from Onpu-chan.
In the message, she mentioned that entertainment reporters had followed her to Narita International Airport and that she was writing the message while on the plane to New York.
She probably sent a group message to everyone at MAHO-do too. She also thanked us for the Magical Stage in Asahikawa.
And she concluded with a message saying that she wanted to be well and meet everyone by the time she came back to Japan.
I didn’t write back Do your best.
My university entrance exams were still ahead, and I hadn’t passed yet either.
I was in no position to be telling others to do their best.
After thinking hard about how to respond, I sent just one line,
I... We'll always support you, no matter when or where you are. ♥
Right away, Onpu-chan replied,
Thank you. And I'll be praying for your success in the exams from New York! ♥
I typed back,
Thank you.
Then I closed my cell phone and started reading “The Pillow Book”.
onpu chan ganbatte ne🥰😇
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