# Chapter 7: Kuromame
# Chapter 7: Kuromame
Witch Enaga, Akebi, and... well, the cast just keeps growing, doesn't it.
Let's see where this goes.
The scene picks up at the two of them's house, right after finishing a subjugation request.
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Akebi, wearing an apron, held a small brush and was carefully grooming the black bird's glossy feathers.
"There, there. Your feathers are looking a little ruffled today. ...Don't worry, I'll always be right here. The bean soup's almost ready, okay?"
**Black Bird** *(rubbing its head against Akebi's hand from its perch)*
*...Your feathers — I mean, hands — are always so soft... and warm...*
"You really do love that bird, huh. ...Well, I guess it's thanks to him this place actually feels a bit more like a home. I appreciate it, honestly."
**>> BANG!! <<**
The sound of the door being flung open, hard and merciless.
"What—!?" "!?"
Standing in the doorway was the mage famed for his ice-cold precision — Chia Route.
**Chia Route**
"...What a filthy house. The stench of mana is nauseating."
With nothing but pure mana, Route flicked away the brush Akebi had been holding so carefully and strode inside, scanning the room like she owned it.
"Witch Enaga. I'll be seeing the source of that enormous mana signature you've been hiding. ...Depending on what my scan turns up, this house — and everything in it — gets deleted."
Trembling, Akebi still stepped in front of the black bird to shield it, staring Chia down head-on.
Chia's gaze landed on the glossy black bird glowing faintly behind Akebi's back.
"...What is that unsettling creature. ...Is *this* the source? (The unidentified mana reading?)"
Voice shaking but words clear, Akebi spoke up.
"...He's not unsettling! This is my precious... Kuromame!!"
Enaga's eyes went wide, staring at Akebi in disbelief.
Chia went on.
"............ 'Kuro-mame'? *Black Bean*? You gave a name that ridiculous to a mana mass this dense?"
**Kuromame** *(pinning Chia's icy stare with the gaze of a king)*
Chia coldly scanned Kuromame, still tucked behind Akebi.
"...This 'Kuromame'...? (mana mass) is undeniably abnormal, yes. ...But—"
.
.
.
.
Chia's jet-black staff swung around and leveled itself against Enaga's throat.
*(Staring straight at Enaga, voice trembling with certainty)*
"...Witch Enaga. It's you. You're the abnormal mana source in this house."
*(Enaga grinned, unbothered, and casually flicked the staff's tip aside with one finger.)*
"Oh, caught me, huh? Impressive, for a big-shot mage. ...But if you're gonna scout somewhere, do it a little smarter next time. No need to go scaring my adorable Akebi and his precious Kuromame over it."
Akebi gasped in shock.
"Wait, Enaga's mana was...!? Master... — no, not Kuromame, it was Enaga's power all along...!?"
**Kuromame** *(on the floor, wearing a deeply complicated expression)*
*...Hoh. So she mistook every trace of residual mana as belonging entirely to Enaga. Sharp eyes you've got, Chia Route — sharp, but not quite sharp enough. ...Heh.*
**Chia** *(still glaring at Enaga, jaw clenched)*
"...Don't mess with me. This density, this quality — a mana signature that could wipe out a nation's entire mage corps single-handedly. Why would you hide power like that away and waste your time playing beginner-level mage in a dump like this?"
"............ This is just a job, that's all. Consider yourselves scouted. Not that either of you get a say in the matter."
And that's how Chia joined the party? — well, sort of. The adventures of three people — and one small mystery bird — begin!
o/
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*(Chia Route's character design is up on Mitemin! Couldn't embed the illustration directly, sorry about that.)*
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**Author's Note:** Don't worry, no hiatus here...
Had an English proficiency exam today, so today's update's a bit late. lol
