I'm one of the Seven Sages who made the careless mistake
of changing the composition of my magic formula without consulting Faust.
I am the apprentice witch who overlooked it and lost control after jumping to conclusions.
I have no intention of blaming you. You needn't bother with these dramatics.
And Meg, you claimed it was your mistake to protect Sophie, didn't you?
But an apprentice's mistake tarnishes her mistress's name.
True. This will affect the reputation of the Eternal Witch.
So I'll give you a job to redeem yourself.
On the final day of the festival, you'll assist Sophie with the magic parade.
Right.
Wait.
The parade?!
Once Upon a Witch's Death
Flowers Bloom in the Festival Night Sky
Wow.
We came to check things out before the parade, but this is a bigger crowd than I expected.
It is?
Festivals are major events out in the country.
Plus, you're involved in this one.
Everyone's expectations are sky-high.
Could this be my chance?
An impressive parade will stimulate everyone's tear ducts.
Tears of joy will come flooding in.
S'berry, that's one hideously nasty look on your face.
Why are you collecting tears of joy?
Huh?
Come to think of it, I haven't told her about the curse.
But is it all right for me to tell her now?
S'berry.
Uh, yes?
The food on that stall looks tasty.
I regret ever feeling conflicted.
Nom, nom, nom.
Sophie, don't you normally walk around festivals?
Swallow, then talk.
It'd cause a stir if I walked around, and visiting a festival alone is no fun.
Then, since I'm walking around with you, does that make me your first friend?
I don't understand what "friends" are exactly, but you are my assistant.
I'm a bit tired.
It is pretty crowded. Shall we take a breather?
Is there a hotel around here?
Why a hotel?
I won't take no for an answer.
Creep.
What a treat. Huh?
This way.
You're dragging me to a hotel?
Silence.
I happened to find this spot the other day. It's nice and quiet.
You found a place even I didn't know about. Not bad.
Nom, nom, nom.
Slow down, will you?
You two are close, aren't you?
Us? Close?
Don't say that with a straight face. You'll make me cry.
Ah, sorry for being so loud.
It's fine. I'm waiting for someone, so I'm glad you're here.
You're waiting?
Yes. For someone I met here.
It was exactly one year ago.
I was overwhelmed by the size of the crowd and felt unwell.
But he saved me.
Are you all right?
Um, thank you.
We help each other out when we're in need.
Naturally, I was cautious, but I immediately realized he was a kind person.
He told me all sorts of things.
About worlds I'd never seen, sights I'd never known, and people he'd met.
I felt drawn to him.
Where are you from?
I...
So pretty.
I'm glad I got to see them again this year, too.
This year, too?
I come every year because I love the fireworks.
Will we meet again?
If it's meant to be.
So you're here because you want to see him again?
I'm Marie. He said he loved the fireworks in this town,
so I thought I might get to see him during the Otherworld Festival.
I see. The fireworks, huh?
The town's top fireworks specialist passed away after an illness.
So there will be no fireworks this year.
Um, apparently, due to circumstances, there won't be any fireworks this year.
What?
Really? I thought I'd get to see him again when the fireworks display started.
I guess it wasn't meant to be.
Ms. Marie.
Well, thank you for listening.
Hey, wait. Are you really giving up that easily?
Aren't you in love with him?
I don't know.
But I can't stop thinking about the brief time we spent together.
You're clearly in love with him. It'd be a real shame if you just gave up.
Don't you agree, Sophie?
Why, you!
You ate mine again!
You'll pay for this!
Open your mouth!
I'm sorry.
I didn't get to see him, but meeting you two has cheered me up a bit.
Hey, Ms. Marie. Why don't you come back here tomorrow?
What?
If we find the person you're talking about, we'll bring him here.
I'm sure it's too soon to give up.
Yes, you're right.
Maybe I shouldn't have said that.
Encouraging her to give up would've been wiser.
That may very well be so, but...
S'berry, what are you doing?
I was wondering if the person Ms. Marie's looking for was around here somewhere.
There are plenty of big men wearing hooded parkas.
See? There's one right there.
Yeah, I know...
Is that him?
Could it be?
Must be.
That's the guy.
That's him.
We're going after him, Sophie.
Hey, you in the parka with your hood up!
I have business with you!
Hey, don't run from me! Wait!
What?
He moves like he's weightless. But...
My gravity reduction formula worked.
I've mastered it.
I've got you cornered.
S'berry.
What took you so long, Sophie?
Who do you think created those illusory walls to lead him here?
Seriously?
You're a meathead, S'berry.
Impressive as always, Sage.
W-Witches?
What have I done to deserve this?
Don't look at me!
I didn't want people to know.
When I first came to this town, I was mistaken for a real wolf.
Is that why you ran from me?
Well...
You started chasing me with a crazed look on your face, so I got scared.
So why were you chasing me?
Oh, right. Did you help a woman at last year's Otherworld Festival?
How do you know that?
All right! Lucky us!
I see. She wants to see me again.
But I mustn't.
What?
It would disappoint her to learn the man she wanted to meet is a hideous wolfman.
Well, your appearance might frighten some people, but...
She seemed like a kind, wonderful person.
I wanted to talk to her again.
But it's best for us both if we don't—
That's not up to you!
Did you know there won't be any fireworks this year?
Y-Yeah. The townsfolk told me the specialist died.
You worry about your appearance, but you come to this festival 'cause you love fireworks, yes?
You know there'll be no fireworks, so aren't you still here because you want to see her again?
B-But...
You can't give up or decide something's hopeless until you've tried everything.
You met her last year and enjoyed the time you spent talking to her.
So why are you hesitating when you have a chance to do that again?
Well, how about this?
If Ms. Marie wants to see you again even after learning what you are, you'll go see her.
Marie?
I see. So her name is Marie.
Marie.
Think about it a little more, wolfman.
Woof.
Huh?
My name is Woof Shin.
I'll think it over like you said, Miss Witch.
Good.
So Fine...
I'd like you to show Ms. Sophie around before the magic parade for me.
You can't be serious!
Why do I have to escort Ms. Sophie, the Witch of Blessings?
Ah, something came up.
It's all right. I know you can do it, Fine.
You're both my friends, right?
You can't expect friends of friends meeting practically for the first time to get along!
Farewell, Fine.
Wait, Meg!
You absolute fiend!
Thanks for escorting me.
Also, I promise I'll make S'berry pay for this later.
Ms. Sophie.
Leave some for me, too.
Oh, good.
He remembers me, too.
You're not shocked to learn he's a wolfman?
It was the middle of the Otherworld Festival, so I suspected he might not be from this world.
Do you still want to see him?
I do.
And anyway...
I thought he looked a bit hairy, and it turns out he's a wolf.
Woof, hiding your face didn't do much good.
The Otherworld Festival ends tomorrow.
Though I'm a bit disappointed there won't be any fireworks.
You still want a fireworks display?
Well, it's a precious memory, so ideally, I'd get to see them with him again.
Leave it to me.
There'll be fireworks tomorrow. I promise.
Meg?
After all, magic is for making everyone...
I can make them pretty smoothly now.
S'berry.
Welcome back, Sophie. How'd it go?
My parade composition is complete.
Also, this.
I've lost both of you!
In your dreams.
S'berry, what are those?
I'm practicing for tomorrow.
Why do you try so hard?
What do you mean?
You're always so busy helping others.
Normally, people don't get so involved.
It's abnormal. There's something wrong with you. You're a freak.
That's going too far.
Is it because you need tears of joy?
Uh, w-well...
It's not just for the tears of joy.
I want the people who associate with me to smile.
I want to give something back.
If I can do something to help them, it makes me feel like I was born for a reason.
I understand now why you involve yourself with others.
But that's not why you want those tears of joy. So tell me.
Otherwise, I won't be able to sleep, tomorrow's parade will be a massive failure,
my reputation will crater, and I'll end up on the street.
Can you risk that?
You have the mental toughness of tofu.
In one year, I...
If there were no magic, you probably wouldn't have been cursed.
Yeah, probably.
But you still like magic?
Yeah, I do. I'm grateful to magic.
Grateful?
To me, magic is a bond.
There are lots of people I've met because of magic.
Lots of people I've helped.
It makes me very happy that I'm able to help people using magic.
If I can get rid of magic, you might not have to die. Do you still—
Yeah. A world without magic would be boring.
Sophie, magic is a powerful ally that grants us—
You're wrong!
You're wrong, wrong, wrong!
Magic isn't an ally!
It took my family and the place where I belonged!
And now, it's trying to take my friend.
You called me your friend.
I don't care if you're my subordinate, servant, slave, or dog. Just don't go, S'berry.
That was quite the demotion.
I promise I'll survive.
I won't let you lose anything because of magic ever again.
Promise?
Yup, I promise.
Well, now I definitely can't die.
The night in which a promise to a friend gave me another reason to live ended,
and the night of another promise— the Otherworld Festival finale—arrived.
I can't believe she made all of these spirits visible.
This is one of Sophie's parades.
No, wait. I don't have time to admire her work.
Kindred, hear my call. Release the power within you.
Come on, Carbuncle. Let's walk around town.
There he is!
The rest is up to you!
Meet you at the clock tower!
Woof!
You came.
Well, I promised to think it over.
So I thought it over, and I do want to see Ms. Marie.
"On the night of the fireworks display, I'll be waiting for you in that little square."
Huh?
She wants to see you. She doesn't care if you're a wolfman.
She wants to watch the fireworks with you again.
But there aren't any this year.
There will be a display. I promise.
Thanks for waiting!
I'm glad I made it in time.
They're all smiling.
Everyone looks so happy when I put on parades.
Seeing them like that makes me feel oddly elated.
I thought I hated magic, but this makes me glad.
Sophie, do you really hate magic?
Why do you ask?
If you really hated it, you wouldn't have achieved such mastery of it.
I like your magic. You should be more self-confident.
Who do you think you are?
Here we go, White-Owl!
Go!
Keep it up!
This is incredible.
A-All right.
I'll make something even more impressive next.
I'm all out of magic power and energy, but I...
This isn't quite right.
Huh? Mistress?
Meg, for you, that was a good showing.
Why?
A mistress always knows what her apprentice is up to.
More importantly, watch closely. This is Sophie's forte.
Huh?
I'll handle the rest.
Wow.
You launched 5,000 fireworks.
Sophie can launch five times that.
So this is the power of the Seven Sages.
But I managed to create something far more powerful than normal today.
Magic is that much stronger when there's emotion behind it.
Mistress, magic really does exist to make people happy, doesn't it?
Of course it does. That's what we're here for.
Right.
And so, the Otherworld Festival came to a close.
Lapis gave its friends from another world a proper send-off and returned to everyday life.
Or so we thought.
I'm still exhausted from casting too much magic yesterday.
Oh, good morning, Ms. Marie and Woof.
Wait, what?!
Why are you still here?
Otherworlders can't exist here for more than a few days after the gate closes!
That's why they seek to form a contract before then.
They've resolved to live together in this world.
Resolved?
Now, let's perform the contract ritual.
I'll do it.
Sophie?
Please let me do it.
Be my guest.
Promise me one thing.
Promise me you'll be happy.
We will.
We promise.
In my name, I hereby form a contract.
A sign of your contract.
As long as you wear those rings, you can always be together.
Thank you for the help.
Come hang out anytime.
Can I ask you something?
Why'd you want to be the witness to their contract?
I thought helping people with magic like you do would make me like magic again.
And? Did it help?
Not at all. It was a pain. I hate magic.
U-Uh, right...
But I don't want to get rid of it anymore.
After all, magic is also the bond I share with my friend.
Sophie.
S'berry.
I'd like you to form a contract with me, too.
I won't allow you to die until I say you can.
I'll kill you if you do.
I'll follow you to hell if I have to.
So unreasonable.
I'm not intending to.
An Evening Sky Without Magic