It’s time to make amends in Witch Watch chapter 173 as Komugi Kurowa, one of the series’ previous antagonists, seeks out forgiveness from Nico for what she did to her in the past. While this isn’t a wholesale conclusion to the child Nico storyline, it does act as a refreshing reminder that the series isn’t stuck in stasis, as well as a promise that things might be moving along soon.

You’d be forgiven for assuming this week’s Witch Watch would be another one-off gag story at first, because chapter 173 starts off with a joke about how Morihito has developed a new obsession with making bread. Nevertheless, the story quickly moves on to explain that Kurowa wants Nico and Mahiru to help her remove the black magic that caused her to act as a warlock back in the Day of Disaster arc. This then requires Morihito to explain how Nico ended up as a child again, which is apparently the first time that she’s ever heard the full story.

For fans of the series left frustrated by Nico’s age regression and the subsequent stalling of the narrative, just one mention of the last time the story moved forward in a meaningful fashion might be enough to get the gears turning. That being said, last week’s chapter already indicated that Nico had grown taller recently, and her reaction to Kurowa’s story in Witch Watch chapter 173 comes across as awfully emotionally mature for a small child. Perhaps there is some forward momentum sneaking its way back into the series, even if it hasn’t been said out loud yet.

In any case, the emotional core of Witch Watch chapter 173 comes in Kurowa’s desire to be forgiven by the Nico that she knew. Nico as a child is quite willing to do so, but Kurowa remarks that “I don’t feel like I've been forgiven” since she actually hurt Nico back when she was a high schooler. All seems lost until Morihito remembers the spell from way back when that imbues bread with the soul of someone using a strand of their hair, thus allowing Kurowa to speak with teenage Nico in the present.

Although it initially appears that the bread gag from the beginning of the chapter is entirely unrelated to Kurowa’s story, this moment should make it obvious that it actually was a set-up for bringing this spell back into the narrative. Witch Watch is full of things like this: clever bits of plot work and characterisation that undoubtedly come from series author Kenta Shinohara’s years of experience in the industry. They are what make this series such a joy to read - even if the story feels a little stuck.

You can read Witch Watch chapter 173 via VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump.