Heat Haze's Despair

(Sun Yao)

An unfamiliar ceiling, and what's with the roof beams?

"Hmm--"

The moment my thoughts came back online, my mind cleared up instantly.

Right now, I'm in a hospital room at Thunderous Resonance's family's pharmacy. Her elderly father, a traditional Chinese medicine doctor with a very scholarly air, examined Heat Haze and said there was nothing seriously wrong; he had just been given anesthesia and would wake up naturally once the effects of the medication wore off.

How long have I been asleep?

The effects of the medication should have worn off by now, right?

"Hey, little Ceruno, here we go!"

Seeing me get up, Miss Thunderous Resonance tossed me a bag of instant eight-treasure porridge, neither hot nor cold, at room temperature.

"Sorry, this will have to do. Nobody in my family knows how to cook. My dad can only prepare medicine for the sick, not make porridge."

She looks like a refined lady, but when she speaks, she's very outspoken and uninhibited.

"It's okay, this tastes pretty good too."

Although it was factory-produced porridge, the taste wasn't bad. For Ms. Thunderous Resonance, it just felt like serving this to guests lacked sincerity.

"Heat Haze has woken up, and Dad removed her cast, but she's not completely alright... her mental state is very poor right now."

She said, "That girl from Hawaii didn't sleep all night either. Go down and have a chat with Heat Haze, I'll take her to get some rest."

"Um."

My father took away her Star Crystal, and my mother fused Star Crystal... Therefore, I have a responsibility to do something, even if it's just to accept her scolding and let her vent her emotions.

With this understanding, I went downstairs, but when I saw Heat Haze sitting quietly on the sofa, I realized that my idea was too naive.

"Miss Heat Haze...?"

It's too quiet.

Even quieter than when Miss Miluno casts her magic, Heat Haze, who was always like a powder keg, has become like this...

"Ceruno?"

Her tone was flat, as if she had lost her soul, and her eyes, which she turned away from, had lost their light.

"I know what happened... What was that look on your face? Do you think I'll hold a grudge against you because of what your father did?"

"... You should hate me."

She shook her head, hugged her knees on the sofa, and seemed to have taken a shower; her hair was still a little damp.

"What do you plan to do? Take the Star Crystal back from your mother and let her continue to be a vegetable?"

"You..."

What do you want me to do?

No, that won't work.

This is a question that absolutely cannot be asked aloud; I cannot let Heat Haze make this decision. It must be done by me...

This is a difficult answer for me, even more bitter than the air in this pharmacy.

Before I could even speak, Heat Haze spoke first.

"You know, right? There's always been a saying that Hawaii is famous for magical girls. I don't know if there's any truth to it, but I'm definitely one of them. I was only thirteen when I got the Star Crystal, and eight years have Past since then. Although I don't have a good reputation in Skyreach City, I'm quite well-known in Hawaii. In order to step onto a bigger stage, I decided to venture out and make my way in the world. I even had a big fight with my dad over it... Oh, he's a chef, and he owns a Japanese restaurant in Hawaii."

The dining room in Falcon's home is half Western food and half Japanese food.

Considering their childhood friendship, could the head chef of the other half of the shop be Heat Haze's father?

I didn't respond; I simply listened quietly.

She continued, "I made a bold promise and ran away from home, but after wandering around several big cities, I didn't make any name for myself. A couple of years ago, I came to Skyreach City, and I was a bit tired, so I just settled down here. And what happened after that... you, my magical girl otaku, know about it, right?"

She didn't look at me as she spoke, but tears were already welling up in her eyes.

That's when I realized that these words were a kind of... appeal.

"I will get your Star Crystal back."

I will find a way to wake my mother up.

"I'm sorry, Ceruno, I know it's too much to make you make this decision, but besides being a magical girl... I don't know any other way to live, and I don't want to take away your mother's hope... Perhaps it's unreasonable, but please think of a way to perfectly resolve this."

Even though it wasn't her fault, she cried and apologized to me.

She buried her face between her knees, and witnessing her weakness and despair only strengthened my resolve.

How can I be a man if I make a girl cry like this?

Leave it to me.

I took Heat Haze's hand.

"I will find a way to save you and your mother."

"Cough cough--"

A dry cough.

"Very ambitious! But before we find that path, we need to find your father first... that is, Chairman Sun."

"L- Luer?!"

Because of her panic, Heat Haze's tone was somewhat hurried. She didn't intend to expose her vulnerable side to anyone other than me... Perhaps Falcon could too.

Miss Luer arrived at Xiyintang at some point and was eavesdropping on my conversation with Heat Haze.

I coughed and asked, "Ahem, you've come here so early in the morning...?"

"Early morning? It's already noon, Ceruno, are you still jet-lagged in Hawaii?"

"Did I sleep for that long?"

"Yeah, but it's okay. You must have been very tired yesterday, right?"

"No, I was hardly any help..."

The Sword Witch is too powerful; my magic is no match for her.

Not only could they not deal with it, they could not even provide Miluno with effective support.

My protective shield couldn't withstand the witch's tsunami sword energy, and it could even destroy the aftershocks. Most importantly...

My eyes still can't keep up with Miluno's speed.

This is critical, as it means I'll have a hard time repairing the damaged protective film in time. Otherwise, I could at least compensate for the quality issues with quantity, minimizing the damage to Miluno.

"Are you still blaming yourself? It's unbearable to see you looking so dejected all the time."

Amidst the pungent smell of Chinese medicine, Miss Thunderous Resonance brought over a bowl of brewed medicinal soup, Heat Haze frowned.

"What's this..."

"It's medicine that will help you recover faster, so drink it all in one gulp!"

Heat Haze declined, saying, "I'm already better."

As a result Thunderous Resonance frowned, placed the tray on the coffee table, and tore off his Star Crystal from the necklace, instantly transforming.

"What's so good about it! The cast was removed early for a checkup! Your bones haven't fully healed yet, and without the physical support of a magical girl, you're not in good enough condition to stand up and jump around. Take your medicine and go to bed!"

Even without using her Megaphone, her voice is still quite loud after transforming.

"Ceruno, I'm here to take you to the branch."

Miss Luer then explained the purpose of her visit.

"Director SpiCa has something to ask you, which may be related to your father."

"I see."

This is indeed the most important thing right now.

"Heat Haze, I will bring back your Star Crystal, so you must take good care of yourself."

Heat Haze nodded silently.

Then, frowning, he tilted his head back and drank the bitter Chinese medicine in one gulp...

"Rue--"

Then she stuck out her tongue and gagged.

Miss Thunderous Resonance laughed and said, "You can go without worry! It's very safe here!"