"Your magic?"
The "puppet" wore an expression of sheer disbelief. He looked down, inspecting his new body with a critical eye. "I thought your magic didn't work on me?"
"Well… that is…" Akane Koizumi's gaze flickered nervously, her voice trailing off until it was barely a whisper. "It's not like we've tried every spell in the book…"
"What exactly did you do to me?!"
The puppet lunged forward, closing the distance between them in a few jerky strides. He grabbed the girl's slender shoulders with a force that made her wince. "How did I end up like this?!"
"Don't panic, just… just calm down for a second…"
Startled by his sudden aggression, Akane shrank back until her spine pressed against the wall. "Let's sit down and talk this through slowly…"
"How can I not be panicked?!"
The puppet released her, beginning to pace the room with frantic, angry steps. "I'm a grown man, and now I'm… I'm neither man nor woman! I'm a toy!"
"You only look like that because your current body is a doll," Akane explained cautiously, trying to soothe him. "The real you is surely fine."
"The real me?" The puppet stopped dead in his tracks, tilting his head in confusion.
"Actually, here's what happened…"
Akane gave a strained, awkward laugh before quickly recounting the events of the evening. "It's possible that small doll acted as a medium. My spell might have summoned your soul and anchored it into this puppet. Of course, there's another possibility…"
"Which is?" the puppet pressed, his voice sharp.
"The real Hayashi Shuichi might still be at the izakaya, and you… you might just be a conscious copy of his mind."
As the words left Akane's mouth, the puppet froze as if struck by lightning. He stood rooted to the spot, unresponsive for a long moment.
"Hey… are you okay?" The apprentice witch edged closer, waving a hand in front of his wooden face.
"Do I look okay to you?!" The puppet snapped back to reality, glaring at her with eyes that seemed ready to spit fire. "We're going to the izakaya right now. I need to know if I'm the original or just some hollow copy!"
Anxious to resolve the mystery herself, Akane grabbed her somewhat weathered flying broom from the corner of the room.
As soon as she straddled it, the puppet didn't hesitate—he reached out and gripped the broom handle firmly.
"Wait, don't!" Akane cried out.
She stared at the broom with bated breath, terrified that her long-time flying companion would disintegrate instantly due to Hayashi Shuichi's peculiar, magic-nullifying constitution.
To her surprise, several seconds passed and the broom remained perfectly intact.
The puppet clearly hadn't inherited Shuichi's physical traits. Even with his tight grip, the enchanted wood showed no signs of instability.
Akane let out a long sigh of relief. "Maybe… maybe it's better if I go alone?"
"No," the puppet refused flatly, his grip tightening. "I have to see this for myself!"
Resigned, Akane sighed and pulled the puppet up onto the broom behind her.
Together, the girl and the living doll soared out of the study window, cutting through the moonlight as they sped toward the izakaya.
The Izakaya
It had been quite some time since Hayashi Shuichi had entered the storage room, and he had yet to emerge.
Outside, several customers were growing restless, having called for their orders multiple times.
Kogoro Mouri frowned, glancing at the clock on the wall. He set down his cleaning rag and marched toward the back.
The moment he pushed the door open, his pupils constricted.
Hayashi Shuichi was lying on the floor, motionless.
"Shuichi!"
Kogoro lunged forward, ignoring the sharp pain as his knees slammed into the floorboards.
With trembling fingers, he checked for a pulse and breath. He felt the faint, steady flow of air. Pressing his ear to his friend's chest, he heard the strong, rhythmic thumping of a heart. Only then did he allow himself a gasp of relief.
However, the fact that Shuichi's eyes remained tightly shut sent a fresh wave of dread through him.
"Shuichi! Wake up!" Kogoro shook his friend's shoulders violently, his voice cracking with desperation. "Kid, you're scaring the hell out of me!"
No matter how hard he shook him, Hayashi Shuichi remained as unresponsive as a mannequin.
Kogoro swallowed hard, his throat tight, as cold sweat broke out across his forehead. He stumbled out of the storage room, his voice shaking as he called for the others.
"Shuichi!"
"Oni-chan!"
"Senpai!"
The three women rushed over at the sound of his voice. When they saw Hayashi Shuichi collapsed on the floor, the color drained from their faces instantly.
Reiko was the first to collapse by his side, tears falling like pearls from a snapped string.
Midori Orikasa stood paralyzed, her lips trembling uncontrollably.
Even the usually composed Eri Kisaki felt her eyes grow red. She knelt down and shook Shuichi's body, as if her sheer will could force him back to consciousness.
"Stop, don't move him anymore," Kogoro said. Surprisingly, he was the first to regain a semblance of calm. He wiped the sweat from his brow, his voice turning firm. "Shuichi will be fine. I'm calling the paramedics right now."
Ten minutes later, an ambulance pulled up in front of the izakaya with its sirens wailing.
The paramedics worked with practiced efficiency, lifting Hayashi Shuichi onto a stretcher to transport him to Beika Central Hospital.
The three women scrambled to get into the ambulance with him, leaving a somber Kogoro Mouri behind to handle the shop and the police.
As the ambulance sped away, its red lights flashing blindingly against the night, Akane Koizumi and the puppet watched the entire scene from their vantage point in the sky.
"Well? Do you understand what's happening now?" the puppet demanded, reaching out to shake Akane's shoulders impatiently.
"The original body is in a coma, and the timing matches exactly when you woke up," Akane replied with a forced, nervous smile, trying to keep the broom steady despite his shaking. "I think my magic really did pull your soul out and tethered it to this puppet."
"Then you should have a way to change me back, right?" Hayashi Shuichi hissed through his puppet teeth, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"About that…" Akane laughed awkwardly. "As you know, I haven't exactly inherited all of my mother's Red Magic yet, so…"
"Are you trying to tell me I'm stuck like this?!" In a fit of rage, Shuichi gripped her shoulders and shook her again.
The flying broom lurched violently in mid-air, causing Akane to shriek in terror.
"Stop shaking me! We're going to fall!" The apprentice witch fought desperately to regain balance. "Don't worry! I might not know how, but my mother definitely will! She's a real witch!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Take me to her!" Shuichi roared. "I am not spending the rest of my life in a body made of wood!"
"Yes, yes! We're going right now!" Akane promised frantically. She banked the broom hard, turning toward her home in the 2nd District as fast as the enchanted wood would carry them.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"