Editing Failing Witch:Volume1 Episode3 (section)

===2===

Viocia and Melehe didn’t know what was happening, but they decided to fly down to the ground for now. Not to mention it was unusual for two witches to be using a single Formula Broom. They didn’t want to suddenly lose balance and reach the ground in a less controlled fashion.

Melehe took control of the broom since she could handle a vertical landing. They gently descended toward the city.

“You’re such an idiot,” sulkily grumbled Melehe while guiding their descent (nervously now that she knew about the Rank S<sup>3</sup>).

The chocolate parfait of a sky pirate girl pouted her lips.

“The entrance exam is a competition. Anyone who shows concern for their competitors will be the first to fail the exam. So what are you doing pretending at having friends in a prep school?”

Viocia grinned despite being insulted by the person she had just saved.

“Heh heh heh☆”

“What?”

“You say that, but you saved me. By applying the brakes when I was about to hit that wall.”

“O-only because I would have been a stain on the wall along with you if I hadn’t helped!!”

“And you were so angry for Dorothea you picked a fight with those three witches all on your own.”

“~ ~ ~!?”

“Viociaaaaa,” called a voice down on the ground.

It was the glasses bandage zombie girl named Dorothea Rockpool.

“I forbid you from telling her.”

“Ehh? Why would you do that?”

“Please don’t tell her! I-it’s embarrassing!!”

Once the two witches were on the ground, they found the city abuzz with energy for so early in the morning. More than half the city’s people were exam students, so any major action by the summon restricted magic school was going to bring the city to life.

The bandage girl (who looked on the verge of unraveling in places) ran over through the crowd.

“Huff, puff. I-it’s incredible. Did you see it, Viocia? Eep. Everyone’s saying that might be the site for the official practice exam.”

“Did you say official practice exam!?”

“It’s the ''Source Building''. It’s apparently a Maleficium building they don’t use anymore and it sometimes goes wild and produces labyrinths all on its own. The card fortune tellers were really excited. Eep. They said the big practice exam might happen in there. I-I didn’t expect a surprise event like this at all.”

“Uhh.” Viocia gripped her broom in her hands and suddenly shrunk down.

It was hard to believe this was the same girl who had been so eager to rescue her friend she blasted her way through a thick magical barrier.

“Don’t let it overwhelm you,” snorted Melehe Superlative. “You, um, have a reason you need to get into Maleficium, don’t you? Then don’t get scared just because of some practice exam in the…Source Building, was it? In fact, you need to see this as a chance to improve your standing in the ranks.”

“Huhh? Ah ha ha. Oh, did teacher tell you about that, Melehe?”

Melehe fell silent, Dorothea looked confused, and Viocia didn’t seem to mind that her secret was out. She even laughed bashfully.

“You’re so nice, Melehe. I’m glad you’re worried for my grandma when you haven’t even met her.”

“Well, she has a…difficult condition, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah. The doctor said modern medical technology has no way to cure it.”

That bombshell caused Melehe’s and even Dorothea’s eyes to widen. Did Viocia not have any problem bringing it up because she was so determined to cure it herself?

But there was more to it than that:

“Yeah, ''lower back pain'' is a real problem, huh?”

“Back pain!?”

“Apparently there’s no way to heal it right away.” Viocia sighed while smiling bitterly. “The doctor said it’s a really troublesome disease called Hexenschuss. And just like the common cold and athlete’s foot, he said you’d go down in history if you could create a medicine that fully cured it and kept it from coming back. So if it doesn’t exist, I have to work hard to make it myself! I need to help grandma feel better!!”

Viocia again gripped her Formula Broom, but with great motivation this time.

Meanwhile, another girl was hanging her head and trembling. Nearby, the white no-bake cheesecake of a bandage zombie girl had her hands uncertainly wandering in the air.

(Th-)

The prep school’s strongest witch’s thoughts were not on Viocia.

(Th-th-th-)