SWNOVELXO Chapter 6 Part 5
Leaving the café, I walked with the woman toward the station.
She told me she wasn’t actually from this town.
When we first met, she had only come here by chance to shop.
And today, she had made a special trip just to find me.
“Witch, are you okay? You’ve been looking a little pale for a while now.”
Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
She was gazing at me with a concerned expression, her face now fully coming into view.
A beauty mark near her lips. A strikingly beautiful young woman.
Her eyes were kind, and she gave off an air of innocence.
Realizing that I was only now forming the kind of impression I should have had when we first met made me feel all the more unsettled.
“Huh? Ah… No, I’m fine.”
Even though she was another woman, I found myself flustered.
I hadn’t expected her to be this beautiful.
She was so stunning that just being around her made me feel nervous.
I see now.
I hadn’t really been looking at people when I talked to them.
I hadn’t truly looked at her.
She had been in my field of vision, sure, but it was as if there had been some kind of filter blurring my perception.
And that told me one thing—I hadn’t really been looking at people when I spoke to them.
And it wasn’t just her.
For days—weeks, even—I hadn’t truly looked at anyone’s face.
I had only been seeing what I could gain, the results I could get, rather than the people themselves.
I hadn’t been facing people at all.
Since that festival, I had grown too confident in my role as a witch.
I had been blinded by my own pride.
And now, I was finally realizing just how arrogant I had become.
“Are you worried about something? If there’s anything troubling you, I’d be happy to listen.”
“No, it’s nothing major. Um… Miss…”
“Rachel.”
“Huh?”
“I hadn’t told you my name yet, had I? My name is Rachel.”
“Oh, I see. I’m Meg. Meg Raspberry.”
“Meg, then. Haha, how strange. We’ve known each other for a while, but we’re only introducing ourselves now.”
“You’re right.”
I hadn’t even properly introduced myself to her.
And I hadn’t even realized it.
—You’re a witch who has the power to open people’s hearts.
At some point, my master had said that to me.
But am I still that kind of person?
I wasn’t sure anymore.
“Rachel, what do you do when you realize you’ve been wrong about something?”
Before I knew it, I had asked her.
Rachel looked surprised for a moment, caught off guard by my sudden question.
“Wrong?”
“I mean, like… Suppose there’s someone who’s always been told they’re kind and gentle. But in reality, they’ve only ever acted that way out of calculation and self-interest. And until now, they hadn’t even realized it themselves. Then, one day, it hits them.”
Rachel’s face showed clear confusion.
Of course.
That was way too vague.
“Sorry, that was a weird thing to ask. Forget I said anything.”
But instead of brushing it off, Rachel shook her head slowly and then spoke.
“I think… I would accept my mistake honestly and start over.”
“Start over…”
“Mistakes are something everyone makes. But the important thing is using them to change and grow.”
“…Do you really think people can change?”
“They can. As long as they have the desire to.”
Then, she smiled.
It was a pure, radiant smile—like that of a goddess.
After seeing Rachel off at the ticket gate, I wandered through the city once more.
I couldn’t tell whether I felt discouraged or encouraged.
I never liked dwelling on things.
Thinking too much didn’t suit me.
I wanted to shake off these heavy emotions, but they clung to me stubbornly.
At some point, my steps led me to a long staircase that ascended toward the city’s highlands.
I had strayed quite far from the central district.
I rarely came to this area.
At the foot of the stairs, an elderly woman sat, struggling with several large paper bags.
She was clearly in trouble.
But I knew one thing—helping her wouldn’t bring her to tears.
People don’t cry just because someone carries their bags.
“Grandma, do you need help? I can carry those for you if you’d like.”
Before I realized it, I had spoken.
If this were the me from earlier today, I might not have.
I might have ignored her and walked away, thinking there was no point if she wasn’t going to cry.
But now, things were different.
—Mistakes are something everyone makes. But the important thing is using them to change and grow.
If I truly had the ability to change, then this was where it had to start.
I wanted to begin again.
Whether someone cries or not doesn’t matter.
What matters is who I choose to be.
Faced with two versions of myself—the one who speaks up and the one who walks away—I wanted to be the one who reached out.
I wanted to be someone I could be proud of.