Chapter 28
CHAPTER 1 - THE PARIS DIVA
PART 03
——
While we were enjoying the musical, Momo-chan and the others got around to enjoying lots of Parisian desserts too.
Majorika told us later that Momo-chan had brought them to at least five famous bakeries in the area, so much that even the dessert-loving Majorika and Lala soon found the excursion extremely tedious.
I recalled how Momo-chan hadn’t eaten much when all of us were having dinner at the cafe earlier on. I knew she was pa.s.sionate about her research into desserts, but to order at least five different desserts at each store still sounded too incredulous.
Momo-chan was the slimmest among us, wouldn’t this be bad for her waistline?
~~~~~~
The performance ended with a standing ovation from the audience.
Basking in the afterglow, we returned to the hotel at around 10 p.m. There, Majorika was just checking in. Momo-chan, who was hanging around nearby, immediately rushed over after spotting us.
"How was Onpu-chan?" She asked.
"She’s improved since the time we watched the musical in j.a.pan," Hazuki-chan started.
"Her acting has evolved, and she’s a true protagonist now!" I gushed.
"It’s true. You should have seen her, Momo-chan," Ai-chan added.
"Ooh, that’s nice. I wanted to see it too," Momo-chan replied.
"Sorry that you had to give up a place for us," Ai-chan apologized.
"Don’t worry about it! I got to enjoy tasting all the desserts in the city," Momo-chan a.s.sured her with a smile.
Just then, Majorika finished at the reception desk and joined us.
"Doremi and Hazuki will be in Room 701. Aiko and Momoko are in Room 702. I’ll be in Room 705," she announced as she pa.s.sed out the room keys.
As we headed to the elevators, I realized that Lala wasn’t with us.
"Majorika, where’s Lala?"
"She went back to the witch world."
"The witch world!?"
Ai-chan clapped a hand over my mouth.
"You’re too loud, Doremi-chan," she chided.
After checking that n.o.body around us looked like they understood j.a.panese, Ai-chan slowly released me.
"S-Sorry…"
"Let’s talk when Onpu returns," Majorika said just as the elevator doors opened and a group of guests filed out.
After they had left, we all got into the elevator.
~~~~~~
Thirty minutes later, Onpu-chan had returned, so we gathered in Majorika’s room.
Having seated herself on the sofa, Majorika’s expression suddenly turned serious.
"Let me update you girls first. I sent Lala back to the witch world to check if there are any other entrances to the witch world in Paris, aside from the MAHO-do here."
"Huh? There are other entrances aside from the MAHO-do?" I asked, shocked.
"Don’t look so shocked. Now shut up and let me continue."
Majorika snapped her fingers and six cups of tea appeared before us. Taking her own cup, she took a sip and was silent for a moment.
"While you were watching Onpu’s musical, we went around tasting desserts, then dropped by the MAHO-do at Montmartre."
"It’s a florist’s shop, opened by a young witch named Majomich.e.l.le," Momo-chan said.
"I’ve never heard of her," Ai-chan mused.
"Me neither," Majorika confirmed.
"What happened there?"
"Since there’s an entrance to the witch world at the MAHO-do, we asked if anyone had used that path to access the two worlds on the nights when Hana-chan appeared…"
Majorika explained, then let out a sad sigh as she sipped at her tea.
"Majomich.e.l.le had cast a spell over the entire shop to act like a security system to guard against burglary, so she should know if anyone had been inside the store," she continued.
"But there will be many customers during the daytime. Won’t it be difficult to catch anyone then?" Ai-chan asked.
"Not at all. The entrance to the witch world is disguised as a fireplace. Majomich.e.l.le a.s.sured us that she would definitely have noticed if anyone had arrived from the witch world," Majorika explained.
"That means…… Hana-chan has been using another entrance to come to Paris?" Onpu-chan asked.
"That’s why you sent Lala to the witch world to investigate," Hazuki-chan said immediately as she looked at Majorika. The witch nodded.
"Wait a minute. There’s no smiling moon tonight,
"I used magic to send her back to the MAHO-do in j.a.pan," Majorika answered.
"I see. There’s a time difference between France and j.a.pan," Onpu-chan nodded in understanding.
"Huh?"
I still didn’t get it.
"Doremi-chan, it’s already tomorrow in j.a.pan," Ai-chan supplied helpfully.
I finally understood. As long as midnight hadn’t pa.s.sed over there, Lala would be able to enter the witch world.
"She should have finished her investigation by now, so she’ll be back through the fireplace at the French MAHO-do tomorrow morning," Majorika said.
I see. That sounded right. Once we knew more about the paths connecting the two worlds, we might just be able to catch Hana-chan.
~~~~~~
That night, I dreamed out feeding milk to a baby Hana-chan.
She was really thirsty, so she finished the bottle in no time at all. After giving her a pat on the back, Hana-chan burped.
Then, she turned her large eyes to me and opened her tiny cute mouth.
"Doremi!"
"Huh?"
Was that really Hana-chan? I must have hallucinated. Hana-chan should only be able to say ‘Mama’ or ‘Manma’. Then, Hana-chan spoke again.
"Wake up, Doremi!"
There, she’d spoken words again. I see, so I was dreaming…… Hmm? Wait. This voice wasn’t Hana-chan’s. It was a nostalgic voice. I’ve heard it somewhere before.
"Get up already, Doremiiiiii!"
The voice shouted into my ear, and I jumped up in shock.
A small form appeared before my sleep-blurred eyes.
"Huh?"
Rubbing my eyes, I looked again to see the fairy Dodo before me.
"Dodo!"
"Doremi!! I missed you!" Dodo exclaimed as she rubbed herself against my cheek.
"Me too! ……Wait, you can talk?" I asked, eyes wide in surprise.
"We’ve been apart for four years, Doremi-chan."
"The fairies have grown up and can talk now."
I realized the other four girls were all gathered around my bed, with their respective fairies Rere, Mimi, Roro, and Nini perched on their shoulders.
"They can also transform into cats now, just like Lala," Onpu-chan added as she looked at Roro.
"Really? That’s amazing! Hey hey, transform now?" I begged.
Momo-chan smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Nini, transform."
"Yes!"
With a puff of smoke, Nini transformed into an American shorthair cat. Rere had turned into a Persian, Mimi into an Abyssinian, and Roro into a Siamese.
"Ooh, these cats do resemble their partners in style. So, what cat can you transform into, Dodo?" I asked excitedly.
"I…… don’t really wanna……. transform right now……"
"What? Don’t put on airs. Show me, show me!" I urged.
Finally, Dodo transformed with much reluctance.
"W-W-What? Is that you!!?"
Dodo was a round, pudgy, ordinary-looking tabby cat~!
Just then, Majorika and Lala, who had been standing behind the other girls, stepped forward.
"Dodo’s practiced lots, but that’s the only form she can take right now," Majorika explained.
"Even so, can’t you do a little better than this?" I whined.
"Sorry for being an ordinary cat! Well!? Aren’t you going to go boo-hoo-hoo!?" Dodo huffed.
Seriously, why was she sulking!? Just as I was about to retort, everyone burst into laughter.
"Fufu, that sounded just like Doremi-chan!" Hazuki-chan giggled.
"These cat forms do resemble us, but the fairies themselves do too," Ai-chan added.
"What’s wrong with all of you~!? Boo-hoo…… Wait, I’m really doing it."
I sighed and hung my head in defeat as everyone burst out laughing again.
"Don’t look so depressed, Doremi. The fairies will be a great help to us in our search for Hana-chan," Lala said kindly.
"According to Roro, Hana-chan has been coming to the human world without telling either the fairies or Majoruka," Onpu-chan said seriously, casting a glance at Roro, who had turned back into a fairy.
"Oh, really? Hmm~ That’s really unlike Hana-chan……"
"Anyway, tell us more about the entrances between the two worlds in Paris, Lala," Majorika said. Lala nodded.
"There are three entrances here in Paris. The first one is Majomich.e.l.le’s MAHO-do in Montmartre, where we visited yesterday. The second is an antique store in Bastille, run by Majocollete……"
"Oh, so that old woman is still alive. How nostalgic," Majorika said, smiling to herself.
"Is she a friend?" I asked.
"She’s a teacher from my magical school. As a kid, I always made her angry."
"If she’s your teacher, she must be really old."
"Maybe she’s over 1,000 years old now. After she resigned as the school princ.i.p.al, she came to the human world to live out her years. I’d like to see her again," Majorika mused.
"Where’s the third entrance?" Onpu-chan asked.
"An incinerator in the Père-Lachaise cemetery in District 20."
"C-Cemetery!?" Hazuki-chan squealed. She had always hated ghosts.
"Don’t be afraid, Hazuki-chan. That cemetery houses the graves of lots of famous people, like the composer Chopin, and the playwright Oscar Wilde. Someone in our troupe who visited it told me it looks like a park," Onpu-chan hurriedly a.s.sured her.
"I still think I’ll pa.s.s……" Hazuki-chan whispered as she shrank into herself.
"So we just need to stake out these three locations and wait for Hana-chan?" Ai-chan asked.
"That might work……" Lala replied, but she sounded uncertain.
"According to the uploaded videos, Hana-chan only appears at night. So let’s head out to those three spots in the evening," Momo-chan suggested.
"But what if she comes over during the daytime? We’ll miss her," I countered.
"Then let’s stake out the tourist spots on the list I handed out yesterday," Onpu-chan said.
"Roger!"
We all gave Onpu-chan a salute.