Chapter 4 – To avoid being discovered as a witch (for appearances)

“I neеd to makе surе nоbоdу rеalizes I’m а witch.”

‘Oh mу, whу is that?’

Тhis gоеs bасk to lаst night.

Aftеr returning homе, I intrоduсеd Flota tо my 1К rental aраrtment—my current rеsidеnce.

‘It’s so small!! Thе еntire place is smаllеr than the рreviоus witсh’s kitсhеn alone!’

“Rent is еxpеnsivе in thе city, аnd thе рay isn’t grеat, so this is whаt you get.”

‘You sаid “thе city,” but thе stаtion wе got off аt seemed tо havе fеwer peoplе than Ооtsuki Сity.’

“Тhe rent is сhеаper hеre.”

‘Ноw hаrsh… То think the suссеssor оf thе Righteous Witch is living such a dreary life. Let’s find a way to earn money!’

She was being quite practical for a Grimoire.

Flota’s personality seemed distinctly feminine.

Not all Grimoires possess personalities, but when recognized as a partner by a witch, they come to house an artificial Spirit and start talking like this.

In appearance, she was a hardcover book with a light blue cover that looked quite expensive.

The size was B5, so not particularly large.

She floated around my apartment, using levitation magic to open drawers here and there, and even the refrigerator.

She’s exploring the house like a cat…

Her voice was a bit high-pitched and theatrical, like an anime voice actress.

After that, I introduced Flota to the internet and explained the current state of this world.

‘Hahaa! The internet! The previous witch’s house didn’t have this thing called a computer, you know.’

“Didn’t she have a smartphone? Grandma contacted me with one, after all.”

‘A portable small phone? Yes, she had one. But she only used it for phone calls and carried paper notes for contacts.’

“Hmm, analog to the extreme. But maybe that’s just how witches are.”

While conversing with Flota, I surfed the net.

What I was looking into now was research about Adventure Streamers.

How do you become one?

What equipment is needed?

Age restrictions, qualifications that are good to have? And so on.

“About that money-making you mentioned earlier, Flota—I’m thinking of becoming an Adventure Streamer.”

‘An Adventure Streamer? What on earth is that?’

To explain, I had to talk about Dungeons.

About twenty years ago, Dungeons began appearing in this world. Many towns were swallowed and vanished by Dungeons, and people also perished due to disasters emerging from them.

Then, it was discovered that if you conquer a Dungeon and extract its Dungeon Core, the Dungeon disappears. People who made this their profession emerged.

Furthermore, it was confirmed that if you stream Dungeon clearing and receive support from many people, the clearer becomes physically enhanced.

Thus, Adventure Streamers appeared—people who attack Dungeons while doing real-time streams on platforms like Awatube, Necho-Necho Video, and Twippy.

“That’s the gist of it. Nowadays, it seems they earn money through direct Super Chats… donations, or through sponsored deals brought by companies.”

‘Whoa—times sure progress! In the old days, witches were meant to be kept secret. Well, that’s because of those lunatics who held witch trials in the past. Above all, humans dislike things different from themselves.’

But, Flota continued.

Even though she’s a Grimoire with no readable expression, I could sense her emotions clearly.

‘If this is an era where people different from oneself challenge things called Dungeons, and entertainment forms around supporting them… then it might be fine to reveal that you, Master, are a witch. Times have progressed, indeed!’

“No, I need to make sure nobody realizes I’m a witch.”

‘Oh my, why is that?’

Here we return to the exchange from the beginning.

I put on a serious face.

“Imagine if people saw this almost-middle-aged man transform into that cute, beautiful girl. Social standing, you know…”

‘Haa—Master worries about such trivial things.’

“Wha-wha-what are you saying?”

No, no, she’s a book.

What’s the point of getting angry?

I opened a bottle of flavored sparkling water I bought on the way home.

If I drink alcohol, it lingers into the next day, so I avoid it unless it’s a day off.

Usually, it’s mostly sparkling water.

“Phew… Listen, Flota. I’m a company employee. If my social standing takes a hit, I won’t be able to stay at the company.’

‘In that case, why not make the world accept that you have no choice but to transform into a beautiful girl as an Adventure Streamer? If you regain your power as the Righteous Witch, it’ll be easy!’

“Ah, that’s what you mean…”

‘That’s exactly what I mean. First, let’s gather a few Metamorphose Fragments. With these, you’ll be able to transform without being seen by others, and even take on different appearances. Perfect for a Master who fears social standing.’

“Hmm, such magic exists…? But it keeps straying further from direct combat abilities.”

‘Magic is about ingenuity! With ideas, bluffing, and planning, you can make anything work!’

“Using a shabby ability with ideas to defeat a strong opponent… It’s like an ability battle series.”

I was mostly convinced.

Alright, let’s refocus.

I decided to carefully check my transformed appearance.

‘The transformation signal can be done by combining Metamorphose with your Magic Name. This Metamorphose has protection that prevents your Magic Name from being recognized and misused, so you can declare it safely.’

“So it’s magic with built-in protection… Alright, then… Metamorphose Spice!”

A spiral of black and white swirled around me.

In an instant, my height shrank, my hair grew, my outfit changed…

I had taken on an appearance that could be called Magical Girl Little Spice.

That’s when I realized.

“My place doesn’t have a full-length mirror.”

‘Why not!? That’s unbelievable, Master!!’

“Ouch! Don’t body slam me! Does a man living alone need a full-length mirror? It’s not a job where I wear suits… Oh right. If I want to see my full body, I can just take a picture with my smartphone. Let’s see… Levitation is for floating myself, and Float is for floating inanimate objects…?”

‘Broadly speaking, yes.’

“Then, I’ll use Float to send the smartphone far away… Can I press the shutter button somehow?”

With my back to the closet, I struck a pose.

Seeing this, Flota swayed side to side vigorously.

‘Kyaa—Master is so cute! Definitely the cutest of all generations, no doubt!’

“As a man, that’s not the most pleasing compliment, but right now I’m actually pretty happy… Wow… I’m changing.”

Float seemed capable of fine control too.

I moved it to what seemed like a good position…

“How do I touch the screen? Can I send the sensation of my fingertips with Levitation…? No way that works.”

I tried it anyway.

Then, the smartphone screen, which appeared untouched, activated.

My fingerprint flew!

I used the camera to take a full-body shot!

Changed poses and took more shots!

Zoomed in for close-ups!

Shot from a low angle!

Shot from above!

Finally, a gal peace sign.

On the screen, an intensely cute girl in an apron-dress-style Gothic Lolita outfit with twin tails was striking one adorable pose after another.

“Hmm, so cute!!”

‘See? Master, you must let the world know that the Righteous Cute Witch, Spice, exists!’

“I’m starting to feel that way too…”

My motivation for Dungeon Streaming was burning even brighter.