As for what kind of conduct truly counted as "witch-like," even Shiomi couldn't give a clear answer.
He had watched Morgan grow from an innocent, inexperienced young witch into a Queen of Winter capable of standing on her own. He had also seen her deliberately put on the airs of a great witch of Proper Human History in order to save him, her performance a little too deliberate at times.
And yet, no matter what role she played, Morgan had never managed to erase the fundamental kindness and gentleness at her core.
That said, as a great witch herself, Morgan was naturally a little curious about the modern-day witch before her, which was why she had come over to take a look.
The moment the winter-clad witch appeared, the innkeeper's attitude instantly became noticeably more obsequious.
"Oh dear, oh dear, my apologies for disturbing you, Sensei. I was just about to go invite you over," the owner said, rubbing his hands together. "The number of participants for the exorcism has increased, so I was planning to send them to Hell Hall to test their abilities."
In truth, there was no real need for any kind of test.
Just the speed and finesse Artoria and Scáthach had displayed was more than enough to prove that "the helpers Shiomi brought along" were anything but ordinary.
Saying so was merely a way to keep up appearances and follow protocol.
"So you're the one overseeing the exorcism work at this inn, Alice Kuonji?" Touko spoke the witch's name, then glanced toward the younger girl standing near the front desk with a paper bag over her head, looking suspicious in every sense of the word.
When Aoko and Alice chose to greet each other was their own matter. Touko had no intention of interfering.
"That's right," Alice replied coolly. "I don't know what kind of wind carried you all the way here, even drawing your attention… but those details hardly matter. Since the owner has given his approval, there's no need for me to be picky. A Magus without sufficient ability will naturally be eliminated."
At that point, Morgan turned toward the innkeeper.
"It's an exorcism, but is it really necessary for everyone to go?" she said. "Leaving aside my husband and the people he brought with him, I'm feeling a bit tired. I'd like to take the children back to our room to rest. If they fail, then I'll automatically lose my qualification. And if they succeed, the same applies. How does that sound?"
"That's entirely up to you, Sensei," the owner replied without hesitation, handing the decision over to Alice.
Before Alice could speak, however, Shiomi had already started tugging at Morgan.
"Uh… isn't that a bit awkward?" Shiomi scratched his head. "We all came together, after all…"
"I think it's perfectly reasonable," Morgan said calmly. "After all, one sponsor is more than enough."
She casually straightened Shiomi's collar, then leaned in close and whispered in his ear.
"I'll take Sakura and the others to check the room first. The whereabouts of 'you and me in 2001' are still unknown. We should look into their personal belongings."
Shiomi immediately understood. He nodded slowly, then gently nudged Morgan back a little while holding her by the arm.
"You're right. You've been through a lot, and after disappearing for several days, the children must have been worried sick. Take them back to the room and let them rest properly."
Morgan smiled, then turned to the children.
"Sakura, Caren, Rin, shall we go back to the room and rest for a bit? Or would you rather stay out here longer?"
"Next, Dad and these guests have something important to take care of, right?"
Sakura ran over, took Morgan's hand, and asked the question just like that.
"So it's not very convenient outside, then." Caren nodded in agreement.
"What about Rin?" Morgan asked, smoothly checking Rin's opinion as well.
Rin averted her gaze a little awkwardly. "Honestly, I wanted to look around outside a bit more, but Sakura's already heading back to the room. Being alone wouldn't be much fun, so I'll pass too… hehe…"
"You don't have to accommodate Sakura in everything," Shiomi said, raising a finger. "You're you, and Sakura is Sakura. You only need to be responsible for your own choices."
"Yes, yes, yes. You say that every time." Rin brushed her hair aside, looking thoroughly used to the lecture, though she didn't argue.
After that, Morgan took Caren and Sakura by the hand and led them toward the elevator in the new wing of the inn, heading up to their room on the seventh floor.
"Well then, since we're all going to undergo this so-called test anyway, I'll count heads first," Shiomi said, stretching lazily. "After walking mountain paths for half a day, I could use a break too."
He looked at the people gathered around him.
"Master, Artoria, Scáthach, Touko—"
Touko, meanwhile, turned to look at Aoko, who had finally walked over.
"And then…"
"Suse Ritsuka."
With a paper bag still over her head, Aoko stiffly reported a fake name.
"…You're serious?" Touko froze. The name Aoko had chosen was so ridiculous she almost couldn't laugh.
"I can't say much. That's all," Aoko replied, sounding like someone whose speech functions had partially shut down.
Everyone could tell how absurd her reaction was, but no one bothered to comment on it.
Only the innkeeper wore an expression that clearly said, "Ah, so this is what Onmyojis are like."
"Shiomi-san, you really have brought along an interesting companion," Alice Kuonji said. "I'll personally handle her test. The rest of you can head to Hell Hall."
"…Mm." Aoko nodded quietly, clearly understanding the hidden meaning in Alice's words.
Alice then turned her gaze toward a young man who had been sitting in the lobby the entire time, observing everything with a gentle expression and without saying a word.
He looked to be around twenty-eight or twenty-nine, with an air so ordinary it was almost remarkable.
"Shizuki-kun, could you come along as well? I'll need your help," Alice added.
"Mm…" This time, Aoko let out what sounded like a thoughtful hum.
Touko, who knew the three of them had a shared past, took Shiomi by the hand and gestured lightly.
"Since… Ritsuka is going to be handled personally by Miss Kuonji, let's leave her be for now. Shall we go?"
"Sure," Shiomi replied, not particularly bothered.
He just wanted to finish this so-called test as soon as possible and get everyone settled into the hot spring inn.
But just as they started down the path toward Hell Hall, Scáthach suddenly threw an arm around Shiomi's neck with bold familiarity.
"Perfect timing. You can explain it to me on the way, my beloved disciple."
"Explain what?"
"I'm your master," Scáthach said coldly. "So why did you just call Touko your teacher?"
Her tone was unusually sharp, as if one wrong answer would earn Shiomi a swift execution.
"Now that you mention it," Artoria added, "does Tenkei have another teacher?"
"Nothing like that," Touko laughed. "Just going by his level in rune magecraft, he could be my teacher instead. That was just a story he fed the Clock Tower to cover up his origins."
Shiomi could only laugh helplessly.
"So stop interrogating me here, Master… If it gets out that Touko isn't actually my teacher—"
"And what if it does?" Scáthach replied calmly. "Once the Singularity is repaired, all memories here will be corrected. The fact that we came will be forgotten."
She tightened her arm just slightly.
"I'm the only one who gets to be your master. Understood?"
"Understood!"
Shiomi answered immediately, cold sweat pouring down his back.