Caring

(Sun Yao)

Although I can't swim, I still mustered up the courage to go into the sea.

I made myself a swimming ring out of air. Since I didn't have to worry about drowning, I suppressed my fear and soon started paddling in the seawater.

He's self-taught...

Okay, I learned it from the Golden, and since seawater is relatively dense, my chest can provide some buoyancy, so it's simpler than I thought.

When I came ashore after swimming to my heart's content, Yezi and Miss Antarctic Star had already completed a sizable sandcastle. The windows and cone-shaped roof were decorated with the seashells I had collected, and it looked quite impressive.

However, the atmosphere between Miluno and Sirius seemed somewhat oppressive.

"Miss Miluno, what's wrong?"

I went up to ask her, but she shook her head.

"Nothing much, you swam pretty well."

"Dog paddle, but it's very slow."

"We should acknowledge what deserves recognition; being able to swim is a form of progress."

Miss Miluno will surely become an excellent mother in the future.

She smoothed my wet hair and asked, "Ceruno, putting all other factors aside, from your personal perspective, would you be willing to participate in SpiCa's project?"

"Second Counterattack Operation?"

"Um."

I was genuinely surprised that she brought this up on her own initiative; I had assumed that Miss Miluno and SpiCa didn't get along.

"That depends on my father's opinion..."

"I said, I don't care about any of that, I just want to know your own thoughts."

If we could completely eliminate the External Invader, wouldn't that be the best outcome for humanity? But I do remember the failure of the First Expedition. All of humanity was immersed in grief, and the witch I recently encountered made me understand the fate of those thirty Expeditionary Army.

"I'm willing to participate, but I'm also afraid of failure..."

"Would you be willing to take advantage of a foolproof strategy?"

"Yeah, I'm a magical girl, after all! I'm a hero!"

But surely nothing like that will ever happen?

If Miss SpiCa truly had a foolproof battle plan, she would have already presented it; there would be no need for her to look so worried all the time.

Let's not talk about that now.

Interrupting the conversation, Sirius's face returned to its usual smile.

"Ceruno- chan, come with me to the dance studio for a walk!"

"Huh? I've already exercised enough for today!"

Volleyball and swimming—I felt like all the energy from the barbecue I ate for lunch was used up during the activities. And then Miss Sirius even tried to drag me to dance!

"Physical training must be done every day, otherwise you won't see results. Your soft muscles have a lot of potential for plasticity... Smile! If you smile, everything will be alright!"

I can only smile again when I get better.

Miss Sirius is a devil in disguise, an angel in appearance.

No, even the devil would run away if he saw her.

"I'm so tired, I'm completely worn out."

"Don't complain. Magical girls are much stronger than ordinary people. This level of physical strength is completely within your own limits."

Sweat soaked the floor once again, and Yezi clapped along.

"As a reward for Ceruno- chan's hard work, what would you like to eat tonight? I'll have the maid make it for you."

"I'm too tired, so I have no appetite..."

Buzz--

The familiar, almost irritating, sound of a wormhole.

"No way? Not again?"

Sirius, wearing a walkie-talkie, said, "It's the branch of the Joint Research Station. They're taking Antarctic Star back. She said she didn't have time to say goodbye, so she asked me to pass on her message. She also invited you to visit her sometime."

It's unlikely to Antarctica, right?

That's a place farther than the universe... But with wormhole technology, distance doesn't matter; theoretically, we could go directly to the moon.

"Can't you have dinner before you leave?"

"After all, she's the only magical girl in the Antarctic Circle. It's really not appropriate for her to be away for too long, although it's rare for Monster to appear in the Antarctic Circle."

I wonder how many Monster Miss Antarctic Star has fought over the years.

Get up.

Miss Miluno reached out her hand to me and pulled me up from the ground.

She still seemed preoccupied, definitely not as carefree as she claimed. She even specifically asked for my opinion on Miss SpiCa's plan. Could it be...?

Is she seriously considering participating in that program?

If that were the case, I should be the one encouraging her, but even after returning to the mansion and having a sumptuous dinner, I couldn't find an opportunity to speak.

Since Sirius and SpiCa disagreed, it wasn't appropriate to bring it up in front of her, so he just followed Yezi back to his room.

"Yezi."

"Huh?"

Miss SpiCa warned me that the existence of the witch and the plan for a second counterattack were classified information, and I couldn't discuss them with her.

"It's alright, with your hoarse voice, you should just drink some pear juice, wash up, and go to sleep."

Yezi tilted her head, unaware of what I was thinking.

Knock knock--

A knock on the door.

"Please come in, the door is unlocked."

It's Miss Miluno.

After a full day of sunshine, she had turned almost as black as the Yezi.

"Miss Miluno? Is there something you need?"

No, I didn't come here to see you.

"Huh?"

I paused for a moment, then turned to look at Yezi.

"So... what does Miss Miluno want with Yezi?"

"It wasn't me, it was Sirius who needed to see him."

"What does she need Yezi for? Can't I go with her?"

Only after asking did I realize that I had been a bit too hasty.

What's the rush?

I'm anxious about not being able to grasp Yezi's situation. I want to know everything about him, and I'm extremely concerned about what Miss Sirius wants to see Yezi about...

"Don't worry, Sirius is just assigning him work, like today's purchasing task. There won't be any major problems. If you're really worried, just ask him when he gets back."

But he's mute now.

"Miss Miluno, are you free now?"

"I?"

A hint of surprise flashed across her face, then she asked, "What are you trying to say?"

"Could you please come in and sit down so we can talk? About what you mentioned this afternoon."

"Of course, no problem."

Miss Miluno hesitated for a moment, but she still came in.

Yezi scratched her head and went out to the second floor to see Miss Sirius. Ordinary people would be excited to see a magical girl, but Yezi remained calm and composed, even in the face of the world's number one magical girl...

Is it because of me?

"So, what do you want to say to me?"

While I was thinking, Miss Miluno sat down next to me.

The overly soft bed sank in as soon as we sat down, and it made us unconsciously move closer to each other, perhaps because we hadn't showered yet? I felt like I could smell Miss Miluno's scent...

"Ceruno?"

Miss Miluno brought me back to my senses, and when I came to my senses, her worried face was right in front of me, making my heart pound.

"Ah, I... I wanted to talk about Miss SpiCa's plan! Miss Sirius interrupted me this afternoon, and I wasn't able to express my opinion then..."

After this afternoon, I've had some thoughts on the matter.

"Shouldn't we decide what to do based on your father's attitude?"

I shook my head.

"That would be too passive..."

Since Miluno intends to help Miss SpiCa, I should take the initiative as well.

I replied, "... I'll persuade Dad to agree to the plan."