The King of Being Late
(Sun Yao)
"My friend's long-cherished wish has been fulfilled."
The cracked sky is sweeping away Fomalhaut's existence.
It wasn't simply being dragged away.
Like the unnatural twisting within a wormhole, she was completely disintegrated and sucked into the fissure.
To use a somewhat inappropriate analogy.
It's like milk poured into the toilet and flushed away; it disappears in an instant.
She might come back.
But they probably won't be able to come back anytime soon.
"... it's over."
The ice on the ground was half-melted and wet, but Miluno plopped down on it.
She wasn't as composed as she seemed during the confrontation with the Sword Witch. The protective shield I created for her had long since been torn apart, and although her Battle Dress appeared intact at first glance, it was actually covered in tiny cuts and lacerations.
"Miluno, are you alright?"
With her back to me, she said, "Never mind me, go see your parents."
"... Um."
Open a new Teleportation Halo by following the remnants of previous magic.
"I'll keep the door open for you... until your magic runs out..."
Go ahead.
I passed through the teleportation portal and arrived at another block not far away.
Aunt Lin Xi and Miss Falcon are both here, as is Heat Haze... Perhaps due to the side effects of forcibly removing the Star Crystal, she still hasn't woken up.
"Auntie, where are my parents?"
Looking at the night sky, she replied, "They escaped."
I don't know why...
I actually felt a sense of relief, and perhaps even relief that my parents had successfully escaped?
This feeling disgusts me, but it also forces me to think about it.
Do I really have a way to get my mother to hand over the Star Crystal?
What exactly happened to me?
Auntie replied, "Someone teleported them away, and Anjie too... I'm sorry, I couldn't stop them."
The person capable of teleportation must be a magical girl, while Auntie's magic is completely useless in terms of combat power, and therefore she is indeed powerless to stop her...
"Besides Anjie and the witch, does he have any other helpers?"
"Your father is a notoriously cautious person, the kind who always plans for the worst, so he also has many trump cards up his sleeve."
No wonder Fomalhaut left so decisively; she knew her father had successfully escaped, and having achieved his goal, there was no reason for him to stay any longer... Not to mention, she had already been defeated by Miluno twice, and if she didn't leave now, she might be completely doomed.
Miluno has defeated the witch several times, almost always single-handedly... She's really strong.
Auntie glanced at Falcon, who was holding Heat Haze.
"Let's find a place to settle Heat Haze first. Her condition isn't good, and the alarm has already been raised..."
Halfway through our conversation, a deafening roar of an engine came from the east, and a flashy motorcycle darted past us...
... then it spun around and turned back.
Wearing a blue dress, with Megaphone at her waist, she rode a stylish heavy motorcycle.
This biker gang magical girl is [Thunderous Resonance].
"Oh! Isn't this Ceruno? I heard there's a powerful enemy here, have you seen him?"
She was late again.
"You're too late."
"Huh? I rushed over as soon as I got the liaison officer's call!"
"But we're still too late... And which area are you in charge of?"
"The North Suburbs are sparsely populated, and you rarely see Monster, so I'm responsible for the entire area North Ring Road... Oh, what's wrong with this one? Let me take a look."
She walked up to Falcon and examined the Heat Haze he was holding.
Falcon explained, "Her Star Crystal was taken away."
"Oh, is she Heat Haze?"
I was a little surprised and asked, "You could tell?"
"I may be a rough guy with blue hair, but that doesn't mean I'm brainless! In the past two weeks, the only magical girl to have suffered such serious injuries is Heat Haze, and she was even kidnapped yesterday at noon... Seriously! You guys always ask me to help with rescues! I'm so annoyed by those third-party agencies that cause trouble!"
However, it was not a third-party organization at all.
She flipped Heat Haze's eyelids over and then took his pulse with her right hand.
He replied, "Sorry, I can't see anything either. Do you have somewhere to go? If not, come with me."
Where to?
"My home!!"
She answered loudly.
Heavy motorcycles towed bubbles along the North Ring Road, and we arrived at Thunderous Resonance's home: a traditional Chinese medicine shop located in the C2 District.
However, Miluno did not follow.
She texted me to say she was a little tired and needed to go home to rest.
I should go and check on her, but right now, Heat Haze's condition is more important.
The traditional Chinese medicine shop is called "Xiyintang".
The literal meaning is the sound of the tides, but Miss Thunderous Resonance is much louder than the tides, both in terms of her voice and her magic...
The heavy motorcycle stopped in front of the pharmacy, and the blue-haired magical girl pushed open the door.
"Daddy, I'm back!"
The pharmacy was filled with the distinctive bitter aroma of Chinese herbs. Rows of medicine boxes were neatly arranged on the wall. Generally speaking, a person who runs a pharmacy cannot be a rough man, but Miss Thunderous Resonance gave me the impression of being more like... a butcher.
In the antique-style hall sat a thin, middle-aged man, wearing gold-rimmed monocles and smoking a long pipe, exuding the air of a wealthy Beijing gentry.
He ridiculed the author of the Thunderous Resonance.
"You crazy girl, riding your old, lousy bike out so late at night! The neighbors are going to complain to me again tomorrow!"
After mocking him, he then added a word of concern.
"You weren't hurt tonight, were you?"
He was still worried about his daughter going out to fight as a magical girl, otherwise he wouldn't be sitting here smoking and waiting.
"No, they'd already finished when I got there! What a wasted trip! I didn't even get any gas money!"
"Who are these people...?"
"Oh! You're kind of my colleague! We're both magical girls... I'd like you to help me take a look at the patient, I really can't understand it."
Falcon, carrying the Heat Haze on his back, took a step forward.
"Sir, she hasn't woken up. Could you please take a look?"
Upon seeing a patient, the Thunderous Resonance old father quickly stubbed out his pipe and ordered, "You crazy girl, go change out of those gaudy clothes of yours, and come get my medicine in a bit!"
Alright!
"There are wards inside, please come with me."
Falcon followed after Heat Haze, carrying her in his arms, but my aunt stopped me.
"Ceruno, I need to go to the Association and discuss today's events with SpiCa..."
"Okay, you can go ahead and get back to work."
"Don't worry too much, things haven't reached the point of no return."
"... Know."
I responded, and my aunt left.
However, things are never that simple.
It's a done deal that my father is colluding with the Other Side. This isn't just his business, nor is it simply a family matter. This could be the biggest scandal since the Association's inception, a truly malicious event that threatens the Association's very survival.
The worst part is... he can't even see anyone right now.
"Well--"
"What are you doing? Sighing all the time. Heat Haze isn't dead yet!"
A familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar voice came from behind me.
What I was familiar with was the tone of his voice.
What was unfamiliar was the voice—a clear, melodious song like a little bird chirping.
I looked in the direction of the sound and saw a rather reserved woman slowly walking down from the second floor of the pharmacy. Her pretty features were adorned with a touch of powder, and her long, beautiful black hair was elegantly styled in a bun at the back of her head. Overall, she looked like a young lady from an ancient boudoir.
"... I think you must be the older sister of Thunderous Resonance."
She stood with her hands on her hips, her delicate brows furrowed in displeasure.
"Hey! I'm Thunderous Resonance! And I'm an only child!"
He spoke up.
That almost perfect impression score was ruined.