Visiting the Sick

(Sun Yao)

Yezi frowned.

"Is the co-author Association using a magical girl undergoing treatment as a guinea pig?"

Whether it's just my imagination or not, he also seems to have some dissatisfaction with the Association.

This distrustful attitude reminds me of Miluno.

Auntie replied, "Well, we do collect data for research, but it doesn't count as lab rats. This research is essentially protective research, all to better assist magical girls in combat and healing."

Yezi then asked, "But who can guarantee that these research institutes won't overstep their boundaries?"

At this point, the uncle and aunt exchanged a knowing glance and smiled.

"Little Yezi, do you know what your mom and dad do?"

"... researcher."

"Then why do you think we, as researchers, should travel all over the world to different research institutes?"

"Have no idea."

Yezi answered very decisively.

"It's alright to tell you. We do belong to the Association's research department, but our position is closer to that of prosecutors. Our responsibility is to ensure that none of the Association's affiliated institutions are conducting the 'overstepping' research you mentioned... Of course, we will also intervene in research institutions that are not affiliated with the Association, but that requires cooperation with external forces."

It's clear that the aunt is proud of her work; in a sense, they are the unsung Guardian of magical girls.

Although that sounds a bit like secret police.

The next day, the two of them actually went to the medical facility with me, and my uncle was driving.

"Can't Yezi come along?"

He was left alone at home.

"Of course not, ordinary people can't get in there, you should know that, right? By the way, you have to keep our positions a secret, okay? Our public identity is that of dispatched research personnel. Once our identities are exposed, we won't be able to conduct any investigations. Our work is top secret!"

"If it's top secret, then don't tell us!"

With such a casual personality, can Aunt Lin Xi really be a good "prosecutor"?

I have my doubts.

The car drove into the underground parking garage, and we took the elevator. My aunt and I arrived at the ward floor, while my uncle continued to go upstairs to hand over the research work.

"Auntie, do you really want to come in together?"

I hesitated for a moment at the door of the ward.

"Of course, I'll definitely have to carefully vet any girls that A-Yao likes!"

Yezi wanted to use Heat Haze to stop her aunt from pressuring us to get married, but I didn't want to be misunderstood by Heat Haze, so I was afraid that her aunt would say something unfounded in front of Heat Haze. It would be best if I could go in first and explain the situation clearly.

Knock knock--

"Heat Haze- chan, we're here!"

However, while I was thinking, my aunt had already pushed open the door and entered Miss Heat Haze's ward.

"Huh? Wait! Who are you?!"

The sudden intrusion of the stranger startled Heat Haze, and I hurriedly followed her in, pulling Lin Xi's aunt along with me.

"How dare you just barge in like that... I'm sorry, Miss Heat Haze, she, she is..."

Oh no, how should I introduce this?

"Lu Linxi is a senior scholar researching magical girls!"

Auntie introduced herself quite naturally, but Heat Haze looked very unhappy.

"Enough! What kind of researcher is this now? Your Association is clearly trying to use me as a lab rat!"

"... Um?"

I've heard Ms. SpiCa mention this before.

The treatment facility seems to have arranged many unnecessary tests for Heat Haze, which seems to be Dad's idea.

I should have asked him yesterday, but I couldn't bring myself to speak in front of him, or even organize my thoughts properly.

"No, no, no, I'm not here to examine you. For some reason, I personally want to see you. Don't be nervous."

As she spoke, her aunt picked up the medical records from the bedside and looked through them again.

"But something is definitely not right. Logically, as long as you take your medicine on time, rest and recuperate, and wait for recovery, you shouldn't need any more major tests... How about this, I'll go and find out what's going on for you."

Under Heat Haze's suspicious gaze, she took the medical record card and left.

Oh, this is a good opportunity.

"Ceruno, who exactly is she?"

"How should I put it... she's my friend's mother."

As expected, my answer only increased Heat Haze's dissatisfaction.

"Huh? Your boyfriend's mother? Then why did she come to see me?"

"Wait, I didn't say it was my boyfriend!"

A hint of contempt and disdain appeared on Heat Haze's face.

"Please, besides that boyfriend, who else do you have?"

Ugh, that really hurts.

Actually, it's like this...

Before my aunt returned, I told Heat Haze about Yezi's idea.

"... Huh? You're using me as a shield to avoid being pressured to get married?"

"Shh!"

Her reaction was quite strong, which startled me so much that I quickly made a shushing gesture.

"I also really like Miss Heat Haze! So this is half true and half false!"

Unexpectedly, her anger subsided by more than half.

She even countered with, "Oh? You like me?"

"Um."

How much do you like it?

"You are my second favorite magical girl."

Then, anger flashed across her face again.

"Huh? So this is the 'like' that magical girl otaku was talking about? And it's second only!"

"First is Miss Miluno!"

"I knew it! I could have guessed it even if you hadn't said anything!"

She squirmed excitedly on the bed; if she could have stayed still, she probably would have stood up and beaten me.

"Oh, right, I also prepared a Hawaii souvenir for you."

Looking around, I took out the gift.

"... When did you go to Hawaii?"

These past few days.

I took a small wooden totem out of my backpack and placed it on the bedside table.

"And this is...?"

"Sky God Algaloa, is a native Hawaii deity. However, this wooden carving isn't handmade; it's a mass-produced item, and..."

She flipped the wood carving over with one hand and felt for a line of small characters underneath.

[MadeinChna]

Jila is a real jerk.

"..."

"Are you wondering how I knew?"

I nodded, and Heat Haze replied with a poker face, "I grew up in Hawaii, so I wouldn't be happy at all if you gave me these things."

"Huh?!"

Her Fire Turkey -like Battle Dress really did have a Hawaii style.

"Well..."

Her dissatisfied expression turned into helplessness, and she sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"It's not your fault, after all, you don't know my true identity... I'm a Japan who grew up in Hawaii, but I didn't get along with my family. After obtaining the Star Crystal, I came to Skyreach City to make a living. This is the largest city in the wormhole-prone region, so it's easy to make money here."

Although there was no specific information to trace the origins of her story, Ms. Heat Haze told me about her general experiences.

I Outer Path, "So you're a foreigner?"

Because she has black hair, I never considered this possibility. I never imagined she was of Japanese descent. Doesn't that make her just like Ms. Chuanlang Bojiang?

However, magical girls are found all over the world, so it's not surprising.

"I learned Chinese from the local Chinese community in Hawaii. By the way, my native language is English, and the language I'm worst at is Japanese."

You call yourself Japan person?

"Oh, right, besides the local products, I also brought you some beef brisket curry from last night. It was so delicious, I wanted to get you some too."

I took out the insulated lunchbox.

"... Would you like some?"

"I want to eat. The meals in the ward are always the same few dishes, I'm getting tired of them. It's good to change things up, but I'm very picky about the taste of curry!"

Surprisingly, I found it very interesting.

She pressed a button by the bed, and the bed frame behind her rose up, supporting her to sit up. Then, she pulled out a bedside table from under the bed.

"It's still hot, do you want to eat it now?"

"Let's eat this, consider it brunch!"

She used her only functional right hand to take the spoon and put a piece of thoroughly cooked beef brisket into her mouth.

"Your cooking skills are pretty good!"

A rare compliment from Ms. Heat Haze...

But it wasn't for me.

"Actually, my friend did it."