A Major Problem

(Sun Yao)

Miss SpiCa and Sirius went back to the branch for a general meeting.

Yezi said she was going to look for clues about Heat Haze in the vicinity, so I followed her out.

This was supposed to be my debut press conference, so why did it turn out like this...?

But that way, no one will pay attention to my terrible performance today, right?

No, there's no time to think about that. The most important thing right now is to get Heat Haze back!

I patted my cheeks to perk myself up.

"Yezi, may I call Lin Xi?"

Yezi nodded, took out her phone, and asked, "Do you want to ask about the results of her investigation?"

"Hmm, this matter is most likely related to my father. She may have already discovered something by following the clues..."

"For you."

He tossed the phone over, then walked away with his hands in his pockets.

"I'll go check out the neighborhood first. You stay here and don't move."

Perhaps because she watched Heat Haze being taken away right before her eyes, Yezi now very anxious.

I understand that anxiety stemming from a sense of weakness and powerlessness.

I felt the same way when "Magma" ravaged the Heat Haze before me.

If only the Yezi could also obtain the power of the Star Crystal.

"Oh my? That's amazing! Little Yezi, you actually called your mom on your own initiative! Is there something urgent that requires an international call?"

The call connected, and Aunt Lin Xi seemed very excited.

"Auntie, I am A-Yao."

"Ceruno? What happened?"

"Well... here's the thing..."

I told Aunt Lin Xi that Heat Haze had been arrested, and that the news had already reported it.

There was a period of silence on the other end until I finished speaking.

After all, the leak of wormhole technology and the third-party research institute's overstepping of the Star Crystal's boundaries are both closely related to her work.

"Phew, calm down and listen to me. The results of your uncle and aunt's investigation alone are not enough to prove that this matter is related to your father. Even if all possibilities point to him, we cannot confront him without decisive evidence... After all, he is still the nominal chairman of the Association."

Did my father really betray me?

"I can't make a judgment, but I do have some clues about that lawless 'third-party organization'... According to the interrogation results, they have an underground research institute in Skyreach City, but we don't know the location of the institute. If we can find it, this matter will definitely make progress."

If we can destroy this third-party organization, we'll find out if Dad is involved with them.

"Don't those traitors have any ideas?"

"The mole didn't know either. It was a facility that could only be entered through a 'wormhole,' with no external access. It was like being on 'the Other Side'... This is the most consistent testimony."

Has this third-party organization discovered a wormhole that ordinary people can also pass through?

I thought for a moment and then asked, "Isn't there a possibility of collusion and lying?"

"Impossible! No one in this world can lie to me!"

Lin Xi's confidence in this matter made me uneasy. Was she really an expert at interrogation?

"Then what makes you so sure it's in Skyreach City?"

"You've already given your reasons... The entrance to that research institute is opened entirely by the 'red-haired woman,' and theoretically, a magical girl's magic power cannot support the deployment of a wormhole... In other words, it's just a portal that looks like a wormhole."

Does the door in the library's basement lead directly to a research institute of a third-party organization?

"Red hair, it really is Miss Anjie..."

The only red-haired women who have impressed me recently, besides Melissa who lives in Hawaii, are my dad's secretary.

"Don't rush, we can't be sure if that's Secretary-General Anjie yet, and even if it is, we don't have any evidence at the moment."

For Aunt Lin Xi, the evidence might be very important.

But for me, finding that research institute and rescuing Ms. Heat Haze is more important... All her misfortunes so far have been caused by me, and I can't just leave her to fend for herself.

What can I do?

Thinking about this, I couldn't help but sigh again.

"Sigh, if only there were a way to find out where Heat Haze is."

"Actually, yes."

My aunt's answer surprised me.

"... ha?"

"Common sense tells us we're helpless, but my magic is specifically designed for this kind of thing. I'll talk to you when I get back to Skyreach City. International calls are quite expensive, so I'll hang up now!"

The call was disconnected.

Did she really just say "my magic"?

Could it be that Aunt Lin Xi is also...? And, she said she wanted to come back?

The brain shuts down due to excessive surprise.

"Have you finished the phone call?"

Wow!

The sudden sound startled me, giving me a sharp pang of heart pain.

"You scared me! Make some noise!"

I clutched my chest and rubbed it, but Yezi looked completely innocent.

"Didn't I get through this normally? So, what did Mom say?"

It's better for Lin Xi to tell Yoko herself that she's a magical girl. After all, she's kept it a secret from Yezi for so many years, so she must have her own reasons for not telling me. I shouldn't have taken it upon myself to tell Yezi.

"Yes, they say all the clues point to a third-party organization in Skyreach City, but we'll have to wait for her to return for further investigation to find out the exact location."

There shouldn't be anything wrong with this answer.

"Is she coming back?"

"Um."

"It was so sudden, and they didn't even tell me..."

He took the phone and said to me, "Dude, you go home and rest for a bit. I'll wander around the city a bit more."

"There's no reason for ordinary people to look for help while magical girls go to rest."

"Then let's split up; that way, we can search a larger area..."

"How are we supposed to find someone like this without any clues? Yezi, the Association can access public surveillance cameras, so they'll be much more efficient at finding people. Besides, Sirius and Miss SpiCa will also find a way. You don't need to blame yourself for not being able to save Heat Haze. After all... after all, the power of ordinary people is always limited."

"Fool, but I..."

He seemed to want to say something, his expression filled with sorrow.

"... Shall we go back first?"

I took Yezi's arm.

Although there was some ambiguity, he didn't pull his hand away.

"Okay, let's go back together then."

In the end, he agreed.

No good news came from SpiCa until late at night.

Although information was controlled immediately, reports detrimental to the Association continued to circulate online. Everyone wanted to be chosen by the Star Crystal, and now that a technology had emerged that disregarded Crystal's will and forcibly used it for transformation, the greedy nature of humanity was easily exposed, leading to condemnation and attacks against the Association for trying to block this technology...

A murky undercurrent was churning beneath the seemingly calm surface.

If I hadn't become a magical girl, maybe I'd be online denouncing the Association right now?

"Ceruno, the world is about to change."

Yezi kept browsing related news online, while Golden sat quietly beside him, staring at the computer monitor, as if he could really understand it.

"Yezi, stop looking and go get some rest. Your aunt's plane won't land until midnight, so get some sleep before then..."

"It's okay, I'm not sleepy yet."

He was very concerned about this matter, and even felt guilty about it.

But what is the reason for this unusual obsession?

(Although the promotional effect was disastrous, I'll still add an extra chapter to celebrate...)