Two sisters were lost deep within the forest when a house of sweets, glittering in the sunlight that filtered through the trees, suddenly appeared before them. Young Gretel was delighted, and Hansel's heart warmed. "Hey, hey, this is really yummy! Come have some too, Onee-chan[note: In this case, a familiar address for one's older sister.]."
        "I'm all right. But you should slow down. Look, your cheeks are covered with cream!"
        Just after Hansel spoke those words, a dark shadow suddenly descended upon the pair. Hansel quickly moved to shield her sister.
        "You certainly didn't hesitate to eat your fill," a woman said coldly. Her appearance was reminiscent of a glamorous tiger lily.

        Peering at the two sisters, who were huddled close together, the witch snorted.
        'Hmph. They're still just tiny little things. I could knock both of them off before my morning breakfast.' And yet, her heart skipped a beat as she took in their big, round eyes, white skin, and fluffy hair.
        'Hmm. Maybe I should take care of them for a bit before I eat them.'
        "You'll be my servant, and we'll be fattening the little one up."
        The witch recited an incantation--it sounded almost like singing--and poof! Hansel was transformed into a maid, and Gretel into a little princess.
        "Wow...... you're a witch!"
        Their smiles made the witch's heart skip another beat.
        'Oh, my! What...?! They're adorable!'
        The witch, who now wanted to devour the two sisters in another sense entirely, decided to welcome these urges and enjoy a sweet life with the girls.

        Having grown impatient, the witch's stepmother decided to pay her a visit.
        "You haven't gotten rid of them yet?"
        "I have my own way of doing things!"
        Gretel accidentally overheard the two of them talking as she stood in the shadows by the door.
        "Onee-sama[note: In this case, a very respectful term used for an older girl one is close to.] and her mother are bad people......?" The shock was so great that Gretel was taken ill with fever.
        "Gretel, are you all right?!" The witch was worried. She went to sit at Gretel's bedside. The girl, delirious with fever, reached out blindly.
        "Onee-sama...... Don't go."
        The witch caught Gretel's hand and held it firmly. She was touched. She stayed up all night taking care of Gretel: cooling her forehead, taking her temperature, feeding her soup...

        In response to the witch's kindness, Hansel and Gretel began to open their hearts to her at last.
        "Onee-sama, would you care to come have tea with us instead of spending all your time reading?"
        "Gretel wants you to open wide, Onee-sama!"
        The girls had gotten attached to the witch, which delighted her.
        "Now then, Gretel, shall we pick you up and see how much you've grown?"
        "Ah, Hansel, your knees make such a wonderful pillow!"
        Coolness used to be the witch's selling point, but this unexpected happiness left her all mushy inside. Her stepmother's request that she kill the girls completely slipped her mind.
        Tasty food, soft beds, delicious sweets, and the witch's love... indulging and being indulged by their Onee-sama... Hansel and Gretel, who had only known misery and poverty before, were on cloud nine.

        But of course, the witch's cold-hearted stepmother would hardly see the trio's happiness in a positive light. Assuming the form of their beloved Onee-sama, she set out to take their lives.
        "Hansel, please take a look at the fire in the stove. There now, look deeper inside."
        When the stepmother suddenly grasped her arm, Hansel realized something was amiss. She gasped.
        'Onee-sama always touches me gently.'
        "Who are you?!"
        Just then, that trustworthy black shadow, with its requisite sweet fragrance, suddenly descended.
        "Wait! What are you doing to my sweet little sisters?"
        The stepmother was pushed into the stove, where she was swallowed up by the flames.
        "Everything is all right now. Come on over here and give me a kiss, you two!"
        And the three of them lived happily ever after.