Regarding the fact that my best friend is a magical girl

She looks like a lady from a respectable family, but when she speaks, she's very outspoken and unrestrained.

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

Although it was porridge produced on a factory assembly line, the taste was not bad. For Ms. Jizhen Haoyin, it just felt that serving this to guests lacked sincerity.

"Yang Yan 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 one from Hawaii didn't sleep all night either. Go down and have a chat with Yang Yan, and I'll take her to rest."

"Ah."

The person who took away her Star Crystal was my father, and the person who fused the Star Crystal was my mother... 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 realization in mind, I went downstairs, but when I saw Yang Yan sitting quietly on the sofa, I realized that my idea was too naive.

"Miss Kagerou?"

It's too quiet.

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

"Serno?"

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 would 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 way.

This is a question that absolutely cannot be asked aloud. I cannot let Kagerou 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, Kagerou 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 am definitely one of them. I was only thirteen when I got the Star Crystal, and eight years have passed since then. Although I don't have a good reputation in Changkong 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 restaurant in Falcon's home is half Western food and half Japanese food.

Considering their childhood friendship, could it be that the head chef of the other half of the shop is Yang Yan'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 Changkong City. I was a bit tired, so I just settled down here. And what happened after that... you, the 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 also find a way to wake my mother up.

“I’m sorry, Seruno. I know it’s too much to make you make this decision, but I don’t know any other way to live besides being a magical girl. I don’t want to take away your mother’s hope either. It may be unreasonable, but please think of a way to resolve this perfectly.”

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.

What kind of man am I if I make a girl cry like this?

"I will handle it."

I took Yangyan's hand.

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

"Cough-cough-"

A dry cough.

“That’s very ambitious! But before we find that path, we need to find your father first… Chairman Sun.”

"L-Lulu?!"

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

Miss Lu'er arrived at Xiyin Hall at some point and was eavesdropping on my conversation with Yang Yan.

I coughed and asked, "Cough cough, you came here so early in the morning..."

"Early morning? It's already noon, Seruno, 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 able to 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 can hardly repair the damaged protective film in time. Otherwise, I could at least make up for the quality issues with quantity and reduce 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 Jizhen Haoyin brought over a bowl of decocted medicine, and Yang Yan frowned.

"What's this……"

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

Yang Yan declined, saying, "I'm already better."

As a result, Ji Zhenhao 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 check-up! 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 lie down in bed!"

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

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

Miss Lulu then explained the purpose of her visit.

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

"I see."

This is indeed the most important thing right now.

"Yang Yan, I will bring back your Star Crystal, so you should take good care of yourself."

Yang Yan 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 Ji Zhenhaoyin laughed and said, "You can go without worry! It's very safe here!"

Chapter 44 Breakthrough

(Sun Yao)

Around 3 p.m.

The branch's tiered conference room also served as Miss Spica's temporary command center.

"Oh? Seruno-chan! You're finally here!"

"Good afternoon, Sister Seruno."

Miss Sirius and Xiao Yi were there too; they even waved and greeted me.

"Hmm, huh?"

Miss Spica, who had been dozing in her seat, finally looked up. She seemed to have been up all night, only having time to rest briefly after arranging the search work, but my arrival disturbed her.

“Serno…”

She blinked twice and woke up.

"...The Information Department has located your father's whereabouts. He is still in Changkong City, and he is getting closer and closer to here."

"here?"

I didn't quite understand. Was my father approaching the Changkong branch?

"Yes, this is the place."

Sirius picked up the thread: "The city's road surveillance cameras have captured their images several times. There are fewer cameras in the northern suburbs, but the closer to the city center, the more often they are exposed... and then you see this part."

She operated the computer and gestured for me to look at the projection screen in the conference room.

The scene shows the father, mother, Miss Ange, and another person in a black robe walking on the sidewalk by the roadside, which was captured by traffic surveillance cameras.

"Black robes...is this another witch?"

Judging from her height, she is most likely a woman, possibly an incarnation of a witch. After all, robots are completely different from humans and can be easily identified, which is why she needs this black robe.

Sirius paused the video and replied, "It's uncertain. It could be an artificial magical girl like Ange and your mother who forcibly activated the Star Crystal. At least she's not an ordinary person. According to Lü Linxi, the person who rescued your father and the others was most likely this man in black robes."

So that means...

Where are your uncle and aunt?

"Who? Oh, Prosecutor Bai Yunzhi is continuing the search for your father's whereabouts in the Information Department. That's his forte. As for Prosecutor Lü Linxi... she said she had to go home for a while and will go directly to the scene afterward to use magic to track down your father's whereabouts."

Aunt Rinki's magic is very powerful. As long as the person wasn't teleported away directly through a portal, she can trace the clues back to the source by following the remaining traces of their thoughts at the scene.