Chapter 2 – The Four Witches Origins

The atmosphere inside the academy office was thick with silence.
Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with old grimoires and scrolls that smelled faintly of dust and mana.
Sitting behind a large wooden desk was a man in his late sixties — sharp-eyed, yet calm.

Keegan Matsutami.
Former elite magician.
And once, a comrade of Naomi Tendou Kaname.

Kanata stood in front of him, hands in his pockets, looking as disinterested as always.

“So,” Keegan began, tapping his cane on the floor, “I heard you caused quite a commotion this morning.”
“You could say that.” Kanata shrugged. “The orb broke first, not me.”
“Don’t get smart with me, boy.”

The old man sighed, then leaned forward.

“Listen, Kanata. I know about your… condition.”
“You mean the curse.”
“Call it what you want. Just promise me one thing—keep it secret. If the wrong person finds out…”
“…They’ll come for me.” Kanata finished the sentence, his tone flat.

Keegan nodded slowly.

“Exactly. Especially them.”
“Them?” Kanata raised an eyebrow.
“The Four Witches.”

Kanata blinked.

“The what now?”

The headmaster took a deep breath before answering.

“The Four Witches are the academy’s strongest magicians — leaders of their respective classes. Each one holds enormous influence, and together they practically run this school.”

He opened a file and laid out four photos across the table.
Each picture radiated an intimidating presence — even printed on paper.

“Class D – Celestine Vairne. Don’t underestimate her just because she’s the youngest. Her light magic can cut through anything.”
“Class C – Shiranui Itsuha. A fiery woman in every sense of the word. She’ll burn anyone who annoys her.”
“Class B – Kisaragi Aine. Master of barriers and mental wards. Brilliant, but unpredictable.”
“And Class A…” Keegan paused. “…Tendou Nagisha. Your adoptive sister.”

Kanata stared at the photo.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
“I wish I were.”

The old man rubbed his temples.

“Listen carefully. You don’t want to cross any of them. If they’ve already taken interest in you because of that orb incident, tread carefully. They’re not the type to forgive curiosity.”

Kanata looked down at his bandaged right arm.
The faint blue glow pulsed once, as if mocking him.

So they’ve already noticed me…? That’s fast.

He clenched his fist.

“In that case, I’ll just get out before they find a reason to bite.”

Keegan’s eyes widened slightly.

“Leave? It’s not that simple.”
“You said it yourself, Headmaster — this place isn’t for me.”
“I can’t authorize your withdrawal.”

“What?”

Keegan exhaled, his tone heavy.

“The Four Witches hold the keys to the academy’s hierarchy. No student can be expelled or released without their approval. If you really want to leave… you’ll have to face them.”

Kanata went quiet for a moment. Then, a small, tired smirk curved on his lips.

“…You’re telling me I have to fight my way out of school?”
“Exactly.”
“Great.” Kanata muttered under his breath. The universe really hates me, huh?

The old man smiled faintly.

“You remind me of her, you know.”
“Her?”
“Your mother. Stubborn, reckless, and always ready to challenge fate.”

Kanata looked away, pretending not to care.
But deep down, something in him tightened.

“Fine,” he thought. “If sitting still won’t change anything… then I’ll just start moving.”

The next morning came too fast.
Rumors of Kanata’s “perfect score” had spread across the entire academy overnight.

Students whispered in the halls, and even the Four Witches themselves had heard.
From their respective towers, four powerful women turned their gaze toward the same name — Tendou Kanata.

And somewhere in the lower hall, Kanata was just trying to mind his own business.

“Rio,” he said flatly, “you know anything about these witches everyone’s talking about?”
“Oh, totally! They’re legends here.” Rio pushed up his glasses, grinning. “I’m actually a huge fan of Shiranui Itsuha. We went to elementary school together.”
“You have connections everywhere, huh?”
“What can I say? I’m popular.”

Kanata sighed.
Popular people are dangerous. They attract trouble. And trouble loves me too much already.

As they turned a corner—

BRAAAK!

Kanata bumped into someone. Hard.
Books scattered across the floor, and an annoyed voice snapped at him immediately.

“Watch where you’re going!”

Kanata blinked.
The girl before him had long, snow-white hair and golden eyes that sparkled like sunlight on glass.

“Sorry,” he said quickly. “Didn’t see you there.”

Her expression shifted from irritation to shock.

“Y-you’re… Tendou Kanata, aren’t you?”

He sighed.

“Yeah. Unfortunately.”

The girl crossed her arms, chin high, an air of confidence surrounding her.

“I knew it. I’m Celestine Vairne — Class D Representative.”
“Okay… good for you?”

“No. I’m challenging you to a duel!”

The hallway fell silent. Every student nearby froze.
Rio nearly dropped his bag.

“W-wait, what?!”
“A duel? Here?!”

Kanata blinked again, deadpan.

“…You’re serious?”
“Dead serious.” Celestine’s golden eyes burned with determination. “You broke the academy’s testing orb. I want to see what kind of magic can do that.”

Kanata rubbed his face.

“Great. First day, and I’m already being hunted.”

Rio whispered beside him.

“Hey, on the bright side, at least she noticed you?”
“Not helping, Rio.”

By then, the other students had gathered, murmuring in excitement.
Even the upper floors buzzed with energy as the news reached the rest of the witches.

From somewhere far above, a red-haired woman looked down from the balcony, smirking.

“So, the rumor’s true. Interesting…”

The Four Witches had begun to move.
And Kanata, who only wanted to quit, had unknowingly declared war on all of them.