Chapter 99
Haru thought everything that had happened today felt like a dream.
If it had been a dream, where exactly would it have begun?
When Name cast a magic circle containing thousands of formulas? Maybe. There was no way someone her age could know magic like that.
Or when she saw Name having a nightmare?
Or had even the pajama party been nothing more than an empty dream?
Haru was confused by everything.
But now she didn't even have time to be confused.
Beyond the doorknob she had grasped stood the person Haru had longed for more than anything.
“Welcome, Haru. You brought your friends today, too?”
“Mom...?”
There was no way. That woman standing there couldn't be her mother. Her mother had definitely died...
Even so, her mother's beloved face, familiar gestures, and gentle voice drew Haru forward.
“Luckily, the surgery went well. Our Haru looks like she's grown taller since I last saw her, too. You must have missed me a lot all this time, huh?”
“You’re really my mom...?”
At the sight of that kind smile, Haru's eyes began to sting.
The surgery referred to the major operation she had undergone last summer.
The unprecedented surgery to implant an artificial Aura Heart had succeeded, and Haru had been genuinely happy at the thought of seeing her mother, who had nothing left to do but regain her health.
Her mother had cruelly dashed those hopes and died that winter. At the thought of seeing her again, Haru couldn't hold back her tears.
“Mom... Mom...!”
“Haru, isn't it embarrassing to cry in front of all your friends?”
“Why did you leave me behind? I missed you so much...”
“Where would I go, leaving our Haru behind? Look, the surgery went perfectly, and the doctor says I can even be discharged next week.”
“Sob... Hic... I hate you! I had such a hard time all by myself...! Even if you say that, you'll leave again...”
“Sorry, kids. Our Haru's being a little spoiled. Are you classmates with Haru?”
Her mother turned her gaze toward Haru's friends.
Yuna introduced herself with a start.
“Ah...! I... I'm Seo Yuna, and this is Name.”
“Seo Yuna...? Ah, yes, I've heard about you from Haru. You were in Class 1-C together, weren't you? The other one's name is a little unfamiliar.”
“Well, Name transferred in midway.”
“Transferred...?”
Her mother narrowed her eyes and gave Name a suspicious look.
The current setting of Alchemist was September 2050.
It was only natural that she didn't know Name's name.
“Hmm... The academy... Anyway, thank you for coming to visit her with Haru. Please take good care of our Haru, too.”
Because Haru was crying so pitifully, Yuna and Name decided to give her some space and sit apart from her for a while.
The two girls sat on the bed on the opposite side of the hospital room, watching the touching reunion between mother and daughter.
Yuna whispered to Name.
“Was Haru's mother very sick before?”
“They say she died last December.”
“Ah... So that's why...”
Yuna nodded, meaning that she understood Haru's reaction.
Since Yuna herself had once nearly lost her mother, she knew that sense of loss must be beyond words.
“Haru was actually such a pitiful friend... I always thought she was such a pain...”
“Everyone has their own story.”
“Can I see my dad, who died when I was little, with this magic too?”
“Probably not. He isn't in your memories.”
“I see...”
In the awkwardly solemn atmosphere, Yuna swung her dangling legs through the air.
Seeing Haru's face covered in tears somehow made Yuna feel sad, too.
“Name, are you okay?”
“Hm?”
“Niobe unni said so. I heard Name always hides when she's in pain. She said you always locked your door and cried even when you were hurting.”
“Niobe said that?”
“My mom told me that if I was sick, I should tell the people around me right away. That way, I could go to the hospital and take medicine.”
“She gave you good advice.”
“So if something hurts at the academy, tell us. Of course, you’re smarter than me, Name, so you probably know that... Um... I’m still taller, though... and I could carry you on my back to the nurse’s office...”
“Are you worried about me? Yuna's grown up enough to worry about someone else now.”
“Aah...! You keep touching my hair, so it gets all messy here...! If you keep it up, I’ll do the same to you.”
As Yuna extended her arm to pretend to stroke Name's hair, Name's body flinched before her hand could even touch it.
She covered her head with both hands, curling her body into a ball.
Seeing Name tremble like a baby animal that had spotted a predator, Yuna's hand stopped.
“Ah, sorry. This is a conditioned reflex... In other words, it's kind of a habit...”
Before Name, who had raised her head again, could explain, Yuna recalled Niobe's advice and put it into action.
Whump-
“Yuna...?”
Yuna hugged Name with all her strength.
Her warm body heat was transmitted fully to Name.
Instead of feeling suffocated, Name found the sensation comforting and slowly, gently stroked Yuna's back.
Sensing this, Yuna muttered in a small voice as if complaining.
“Name is my most precious friend. So don't get sick.”
It could have sounded like an order, but remembering that the speaker was an eight-year-old little girl made Name smile.
“Yeah, I won't get sick. With a friend who worries about me this much, I can't afford to get sick.”
“I was really looking forward to the pajama party today. Let's play some more when we get home later.”
“I had prepared so many things for you anyway, so it was a little disappointing that we couldn’t do them all.”
“Really? Like what?”
Yuna slipped out of Name's embrace and faced her again.
“We had the Halli Galli and pirate roulette I mentioned, and I brought a karaoke microphone in case you liked singing. I was going to watch a movie while eating snacks, too. Or we could have a pillow fight? But I didn't mention the pillow fight because I was worried you might end up fighting Haru for real.”
She unfolded her grand plans while folding her fingers one by one. Yuna flared up at Name's final remark.
“I may be like this, but I’m not that bad of a kid, you know...? And after talking with Haru a few times, I think we’ve gotten a little closer, too.”
“That's a relief. Haru wanted to be friends with you, too.”
“Haru wanted to be friends with me...?”
Yuna repeatedly tilted her head.
“If you really doubt it, you can check later while playing Truth Game.”
Name intended to play Truth Game no matter what, even if she left everything else out.
There was no game better for strengthening children's friendship.
Feeling that Alchemist's casting time was slowly coming to an end, Name called out to Haru over Yuna's shoulder.
She must still have been absorbed in her mother, because she didn't hear Name's voice.
Saying goodbye must be painful for anyone.
It had been so for Estasha when she first mastered the perfect use of Alchemist and reunited with her childhood siblings, and for Baek Arin of Arabyeol Elementary, who had once liked Name.
So Name planned to give Haru ample time, intending to warn her in advance at least.
“Lee Haru, you didn't take your supplements regularly while your mom was gone, did you?”
Haru's mother chided her daughter.
Haru only grinned foolishly, apparently happy even at the scolding.
“Yeah! Honestly, I only took them occasionally because I was too lazy to take them.”
“How many times do I have to tell you? You need to take your supplements regularly so things will be easier later.”
Her mother pulled a small plastic container from her bag, took out a white pill, and handed it to Haru with some water.
“Here.”
“Can't you feed it to me yourself, Mom?”
“You’re such a baby. Open wide.”
“Aaaaaah-”
She even personally delivered the pill into Haru's open mouth.
Haru opened her mouth and waited like a baby bird receiving food from its mother.
“Wait, Lee Haru, stop.”
Swish-
Name suddenly snatched the pill from her and scowled.
The dumbfounded mother and daughter stared wide-eyed.
“Even if you're Haru's friend, do you realize what you just did was extremely rude?”
“Name...? Why are you doing this?”
Name held the pill Haru's mother had given her daughter up to the ceiling light and examined it closely.
There wasn't a single mark, such as an alphabet letter, on its surface.
“Lee Haru, how long have you been taking this medicine?”
“Name, why all of a sudden—”
“I asked how long you've been taking it.”
When Name shouted sternly, Yuna, who had been silently watching from behind, sprang up from the bed, too.
Haru's mind went blank, and she couldn't understand why her friend had suddenly started shouting.
“I suppose Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approves things like this, too?”
A cold glint flashed in Name's eyes.
Even her own mana potions required approval through multiple clinical trials despite only changing how they were taken.
At least Residue was a material that came along as a by-product during the mana purification process, so aside from the excruciating pain that accompanied taking it, it wasn't particularly harmful to the human body.
But as far as Name knew, the “supplement” they had just tried to give Haru was not that kind.
“Hand it over right now. It's a supplement for Haru.”
“As if.”
The pill crumbled into powder in Name's hand.
Name immediately stood up and, in a flat, emotionless voice, spoke the incantation to forcibly dispel the magic.
[Dispel: Alchemist]