“Hey, Ermine. What kind of person was the Witch of Worlds?”

“I don’t really know. I was just born a little while ago.”

“Huh? Really?”

I was sure Ermine was like the right-hand of the Witch of Worlds or something.

“Koko used to be the Witch of Worlds’ pet chicken, so she probably knows her well.”

Wait… so she was a pet? Despite being so ferocious?

Maybe Koko heard my inner thoughts because she let out a sharp “Cluck!”

“Mei, you can’t stop now. You’ll mess it up.”

Oops, I shouldn’t have let Koko’s intimidation freeze me.

“Ermine, were you really just born?”

“Yep. I’m based on the letter you were reading.”

“A letter? That sounds like magic… Well, of course, since the Witch of Worlds can use magic.”

“That’s right. I think she’s one of the few witches with the power to cross worlds. She created me, uh… maybe as a familiar? Or a servant? Something like that.”

So… relaxed.

Well, anyway, Ermine was created by the Witch of Worlds as some kind of magical creature. And Koko…

I glanced at Koko, and our eyes met. Her eyes were sharp and intimidating.

Yeah, Koko can just be Koko. That’s fine.

When I looked back at the alchemy cauldron, the round leaves had disappeared before I knew it.

“Wow, it’s done already!”

“Good job, good job. Now if you put it in a bottle… wait, where’s the bottle? Oh, I guess we can make one with alchemy… Oh no, the cauldron still has potion in it. What should we do?”

“Hey! Tell me these things earlier!”

Ugh. How many times has this happened now?

Ermine is supposed to be my guide, but they’re a bit unreliable…

“Sorry, sorry. I’ll make the bottles as an apology. Here you go.”

With Ermine’s words, ten bottles appeared on the table.

“Can you make bottles with alchemy too?”

“Yeah, once you become an intermediate-level alchemist.”

“…And until then?”

“Huh? You can’t make them yet. You’ll stay a beginner until you make lots of potions.”

That’s not going to work!

“…Until I become an intermediate alchemist, you’ll have to keep providing bottles, Ermine.”

“Well, I guess I have no choice.”

Ermine scratched their cheek, looking very cute. Even though they’re unreliable.

Ugh. I swear I’ll snuggle you someday.

With that vow in my heart, I started bottling the finished potion.

“Okay, drink it now. The quality is… hmm, average, I guess.”

“Cluck!”

Hearing that, Koko let out a disappointed squawk and left the room.

Come on, it’s my first time making it, so just getting it right should be good enough.

I put my hands on my hips and downed the potion in one go.

“Oh… It doesn’t hurt.”

My back, where Koko had kicked me, didn’t hurt at all.

Wow! Potions are amazing!

How fun!

Feeling confident, I started making a bunch of potions.

“Mei~. There’s no more space on the table~.”

Ermine’s exasperated voice brought me back to reality.

“…I might’ve made too many.”

Hmm. What should I do with all of these?

“If you make a storage room… Oh, no. I’ve used up too much power making bottles, so I can’t do that anymore.”

Ugh! This fluffy thing is way too unreliable!

“Well, I guess there’s only one option left.”

Ermine pulled out… a silver bracelet?

“Well, I was told to give this to you when you needed it. It can store a lot of items, so it should be convenient.”

“Told to give it to me? By the Witch of Worlds?”

“Yep, that’s right.”

“But you’ve never met her, right?”

So how did you end up with it?

“Well… You see, I’m your guide, so it’s my job to help you when you’re in trouble. But if you have all the convenient items from the beginning, you won’t strive to improve, right? So, I can only give you these precious items when you really need them.”

“I don’t quite get it, but is that like a rule?”

“Exactly. And this bracelet can store a lot. All you have to do is think about storing the potions, and it’ll work. When you want to take something out, just imagine it, and it’ll appear.”

Wow. That’s really handy.

“Just be careful not to forget what you stored inside. If you do, it’ll stay in there forever.”

“Yeah, I get it. I wouldn’t want things to rot inside because I forgot about them.”

“That won’t happen! There’s a preservation spell on it, so the potions won’t deteriorate.”

“That’s so useful!”

“Right? Give it a try.”

“Okay.”

I picked up a potion and pressed it against the bracelet, thinking, store. The potion disappeared from my hand.

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“Now try taking it out.”

“Okay, um… Where’s the potion? Ah, here it is.”

Like magic, the potion appeared on my hand.

Wait, it’s not like magic—it is magic.

Wow! Magic is soooo cool!