Chapter 420
"If we really are in that kind of relationship, why haven't you done anything concrete for me by now?"
What are the actual actions...?
At this moment, inevitably, Kazama Kiriori's thoughts drifted to the girl's face before her.
Her soft, delicate black hair exuded a subtle fragrance, and her fair, tender ears with a slight blush made one want to take a bite.
Moreover, it was the first time she had ever met her mother, who was much smaller than herself.
It was only then that Kazama Kiriori began to realize that getting along with her mother from her childhood was perhaps more dangerous and difficult than she had imagined.
Chapter 179 Interlude
Every weekend, Doctor Hong Shang routinely checks the Magic girls' Magic Power abilities.
But today we have a special guest.
That is Kazama Kiriori, the adopted daughter of Kougami Kage's lover.
This inspection was more thorough and meticulous than the previous ones, and it didn't end until almost noon.
During this time, Kazama Kiriori stayed in the quiet examination room, lying on the cold, bed-like device, absentmindedly listening to the ticking of the machine.
Through the transparent wall, one could see the Kougami Kage lingering outside.
"It's brimming with Magic Power, but there have been several unusual increases recently."
The woman read the results carefully.
"His emotions are very unstable... which is understandable."
"As a fellow Magic girl, Phantom Wind's recovery speed far surpasses that of the others..."
Regardless of Doctor Hong Shang's judgment, Kazama Kiriori feigned calmness.
Until the door to the examination room opened.
Kazama Kiriori removed the strange tubes from her body, straightened her collar, and got off the device.
After that, she went to the Doctor's side.
"Aunt Kougami, what was the result?"
She asked.
Kougami Kage did not answer immediately, but his gaze remained unusually focused, fixed on the result displayed on the screen.
It seems this is not a good outcome.
Kougami Kage, without mincing words, stated succinctly:
"Recently, your Magic Power has become increasingly unstable."
Kazama Kiriori's expression remained unchanged, calm and composed.
The woman's voice continued to speak in my ear.
"Your Transformation Crystal, also affected by your Magic Power, has begun to change in a dangerous direction."
However, it's worth mentioning that among the Crystal examined this time, only the jet-black one named "Ace" Crystal included.
Even Kazama Kiriori could understand what was happening on the display screen; the Ace Crystal's detection chart was flashing red like a danger warning.
Although other people might not understand anything about it.
But Kazama Kiriori knew perfectly well what was going on.
She lowered her head:
"It seems it wasn't just my imagination."
At this moment, right beside Kougami Kage, Kazama Kiriori's Ace Crystal was placed on a silver platform, emitting a faint light that was different from before.
She naturally reached out and took back her Transformation Crystal.
Holding the Crystal in her hand again, a sense of peace temporarily filled the emptiness in her heart.
Kougami Kage took in this scene without saying anything.
"You've been under a lot of pressure lately. Try to manage your emotions, and also, don't transform into a Magic girl for a while."
The Magic Power of Magic girls is closely related to their emotions and minds.
Often, changes in one's mind can distort one's own Magic Power.
Recently, Kazama Kiriori has been in a rather bad mood.
"I'll drive you home later."
When she heard "Don't transform into a Magic girl," Kazama Kiriori didn't say anything or show any reaction to indicate her agreement.
She simply bent down and expressed her gratitude to Kougami Kage.
"Thank you."
For her, besides Haihara as her mother and Ryo as her teacher, the closest and most caring person was this friend of her mother.
Recently, Kazama's mother suffered an accident and lost her memory, leaving Ryo and Kougami Kage as the only people Kazama can confide in.
Kougami Kage didn't say anything, but gave Kazama Kiriori a hug in a very mature manner.
"Please take good care of Lily these days. But if you find it too much trouble, I can stay with you."
Kougami Kage is highly reliable.
Kazama Kiriori also bravely stated that she could take care of her mother on her own and that Kougami Kage didn't need to worry.
Kougami Kage expressed its regret over this.
After that, Kazama Kiriori remembered another question.
She raised her head again.
At first, she hesitated a little about what she wanted to ask, but this hesitation was only brief.
"By the way, Aunt Kougami, do you remember what I told you before?"
In fact, Kazama Kiriori had already said quite a lot to Kougami Kage.
However, Kougami Kage quickly understood.
The woman nodded.
"Um."
Then Kazama Kiriori repeated herself:
"If Mom asks you about her family, please help me keep it a secret from her."
These words didn't have any profound meaning.
It didn't involve any complicated underlying truths.
It's just the literal meaning.
"Family" refers to Haihara's deceased parents.
Perhaps the other Magic girls didn't notice, nor could they know.
But now, Haihara, who has lost her memory and become young again, is exactly the age of a first-year high school student.
She is the same age as other Magic girls.
But for Kazama Kiriori, what she noticed and recalled was something else entirely.
The memories that Haihara Lily Chou currently possesses are precisely those from before she lost her parents.
After speaking, Kazama Kiriori lowered her head:
"I'm sorry, I have to make you lie to Mom with me."
Regarding this matter, Kazama Kiriori's thoughts were very simple.
Don't let Haihara find out about this until Haihara regains her memories.
If your mother asks about this now, just make up some lies to brush it off.
From any perspective, she knew this was an outrageous thing to do, especially since it involved Kougami Kage lying to Haihara.
As for Kougami, he simply shook his head.
"You should stop putting so much pressure on yourself."
"Recently, the children have been discussing and preparing to address the root cause of the problem. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Lily will soon return to normal."
That's about all I have to say.
Kazama Kiriori should hurry home.
However, there's one more thing before leaving.
When she walked out of the research institute and into the living room, there was another person there.
The woman was tall and slender with an outstanding temperament; her beautiful, aloof face was adorned with a beauty mark under her eye.
Of course, it's Ms. Ryou, the principal of Kaedehara High School.
Her visit to the research institute for a check-up was at the principal's request.
At this moment, besides Kazama Kiriori, only these two adults were in the research institute.
Although the two adults hadn't met many times, they seemed to have a great understanding in this regard.
Ryo had just received Kazama Kiriori's medical report, and with the sound of footsteps, Kazama Kiriori walked up to Haihara Ryo, waiting for him to finish reading it.
"In reality, it was more serious than I imagined."
The woman's face held an inscrutable quality similar to Haihara's.
As to how serious it is, only Ryo Kazama Kiriori herself know.
Kazama Kiriori remained silent.
After Ryo had finished reading everything, Kazama Kiriori finally spoke:
"Teacher, did you bring my Crystal with you?"
After that, Ryo took out a Crystal that emitted a cool, clear light and handed it to Kazama Kiriori.
The Crystal had a clear, sky-blue hue.
It is not some other Crystal.
It is the culmination of Kazama Kiriori's own Transformation Crystal — Gale.
For some reason, the Crystal has been kept by Ryo during this time, instead of being carried by Kazama Kiriori herself.
Moreover, the internal structure of this Crystal seems to be different from before.
Kazama Kiriori reached out her hand and took the beautiful Crystal in her palm.
The familiar weight brings a sense of security.
"Hmm, I've examined this Crystal. It hasn't been affected by your recent activities. Would you say it's 'pure'?"
These words seem somewhat strange.
However, upon hearing this, Kazama Kiriori showed a relieved expression.
She quickly grasped her Crystal and put it away, seemingly not wanting others to see it too much.
Haihara Ryo stared at Kazama Kiriori for a while, seemingly deep in thought. Then, with a soft "hmm" from her nose, the woman spoke:
"However... it seems you've tried to inscribe an interesting little Magic into your own Crystal."
"Even though I never taught you, you're truly exceptional; you're always so outstanding."
Ryo seemed to have figured something out, but this didn't surprise Kazama Kiriori; it was impossible to hide it from the woman in front of him anyway.
Kazama Kiriori didn't seem to want to say much today.
Rather, she's been like this lately.
Next, it's time for her to go home.
Before leaving, behind Kazama Kiriori, came Ryo's unusually serious voice: