Chapter 6:

Ace Witch Investigations: Serizawa Yuuko

I want to recover my normal Student Life! Vol. 1


The brown-haired woman stopped in front of the entrance barrier to the bus station car park. Her face reflected a lot of reluctance.

Why am I always the one stuck with all the work!? It’s unfair. My workday is over, they are not my problem. If they’re late, tough luck.’ She kept walking unwillingly. ‘Nothing has changed. Onihime still makes my life miserable, and the worst part is that I allow myself to be bossed around by that tyrannical bitch.’ She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall before passing by the glass doors. She curved her lips upward. ‘Smile, Yuuko. If indeed the face reflects the soul, they’ll notice how bitter you are from the very beginning.

She glanced at her portfolio, checking the names of the two students who were missed from the presentation ceremony. ‘Aizawa Mayu and Nonomiya Ayumu… Nonomiya?’ She thought about that surname, finding it strangely familiar. ‘Whatever! Let’s get over with already. I want to go home and watch my Dorama!’ She drew a smile and headed towards the station doors, which opened upon sensing her presence. Yuuko stood still in her position. Something was not quite right. The smile disappeared from her face instantly. How strange. They told me they rang the bell. It can’t be a mistake.’ She entered and leaned against the counter. ‘In the end, they probably made me come for nothing.’ She lowered her gaze and noticed the bloodstains left by the girl with the red ribbon.

‘What is this?’ she furrowed her brow and examined the room carefully. She followed the trail of blood that led into the hallway and softly knocked on the door to the women’s bathroom. ‘Hello?’ Nobody answered it, and she cautiously pushed the door open. The afternoon light filtered through the small windows of the lavatory. ‘What the hell happened here!?’ in horror, she saw the vivid red of blood covering everything in sight. There was no one there. She closed her eyes and let out another huff. ‘Why am I constantly stuck in these messes?’ She shook her head. ‘Calm down, I just have to solve it on my own and I won’t have to deal with paperwork or give explanations to that despotic bossy Mitsu.’ Yuuko took a deep breath.

‘Reminiscentiam!’ Her eyes emitted a brief glow, and a kind of pulse emanated from her body, enveloping the room. She could see a person standing in front of one of the sinks, which had a broken porcelain basin. ‘You were here. Looking at yourself nervously in the mirror. Why?’ She approached the mirror. Suddenly, she was overcome with excitement. ‘But what’s wrong with this girl? Her emotional changes are not normal.’ She held her head and grimaced in pain. ‘That was quite a hit. It even hurt me. Why would you do something like this? Are you a masochist or something?’ She turned her gaze to the bathroom walls. ‘At least explain the broken ceramics and the blood. I’m impressed that you could still stand and not collapse on the spot after hitting your head. You didn’t even seem to care. It’s not like you’re Mitsu. She let out an uncomfortable laugh before becoming serious again. ‘You aren’t Mitsu, right?’ She took her time before resuming her investigation.

‘Okay, let’s continue,’ she fixed her eyes on the door. ‘Something caught your attention. Was it the sound of the entrance bells?’ Yuuko closed her eyes for a moment, imagining the scene. ‘Someone came into the station and excited you. Based on your earlier reaction, I would almost say it’s someone you’ve been eagerly waiting for.’ Yuuko glanced at the blood puddle on the floor, feeling defeated as her gaze landed on the curled figure on the ground. ‘I know that feeling all too well. I live in it.’

She lightly slapped her cheeks. ‘Come on, save the depression for later. We have no time.’ The teacher’s eyes turned on the door, the teacher moved forward. ‘You finally came out. Good for you! And you did it as if it was nothing. Any regular person would be unconscious, especially considering the head injury and the significant blood loss. Just like her!’ Yuuko tried to stay calm, avoiding thinking about Mitsu.

Following the trail her spell allowed her to see, she pushed open the bathroom door and retraced her steps back to the hallway, where she stopped. Once again, a feeling of excitement washed over her. Her heart started racing. ‘Wow, this is intense,’ she thought out loud. ‘You must really love…’ Yuu stopped at the hallway entrance, feeling as if a tombstone had been dropped on her. ‘What kind of drama is this?! Why are so many plot twists?!’ She grew agitated and looked towards the living room, stunned. ‘No, it can’t be…’ She lowered her disbelieving gaze to her portfolio. ‘They said only two students were missing!

She fixed her gaze on the notice board where all the lists were posted and walked towards it. ‘Perhaps Mitsu sent me here because two of them are my students.’ She reviewed them one by one, from first-year to fifth-year. Her face grew paler than her eyes advanced through the papers. Passing those two unique names, everyone had their attendance. ‘Why are there five people in this room!?’ She shook her head abruptly. She closed her eyes and gave a ridiculous smile. ‘Surely it’s some joke by the senior students. They came to tease the freshmen. They must have taken them to the forest to laugh at the entrance’s mirror wall.’ She watched as the silhouette left the station, following her trail with her eyes. The reminiscence ended there. ‘Well, matter clarified,’ she turned back towards the hallway. ‘I just have to fix this mess, and nothing happened here. Later, I’ll go to the Onmyou and put those bullies in their place. Hazing isn’t common anymore, but it still makes me angry that it happens.’ She rolled up her suit jacket sleeves. ‘With luck, I’ll finish in time to watch my Dorama!’