Ch.9994 – Supplements

Ha-ru thought everything that happened today felt like a dream.

If it was a dream, where did it begin?

Was it when NoName cast that magic circle with thousands of formulas? That might be it. Someone her age shouldn’t know such magic.

Or was it when she saw NoName having a nightmare?

Or perhaps even the pajama party itself was all just a fantasy?

Ha-ru was confused about everything.

But now she didn’t even have time to be confused.

Beyond the doorknob she was holding was the person Ha-ru had longed to see more than anyone.

“Welcome, Ha-ru. You brought friends today?”

“Mom…?”

It couldn’t be. That woman standing there couldn’t be her mother. Her mother had definitely passed away…

Yet her familiar face, her familiar gestures, her gentle voice made Ha-ru move forward.

“Thankfully, the surgery went well. My Ha-ru, you seem to have grown taller since I last saw you. Did you miss me a lot?”

“Is it really you, Mom…?”

The moment she saw that warm smile, Ha-ru’s eyes welled up.

The surgery referred to was the major operation from last summer.

The unprecedented surgery to implant an artificial Aura Heart had been successful, and Ha-ru had been genuinely happy thinking she would only see her mother get healthier from then on.

But cruelly betraying Ha-ru’s expectations, her mother had passed away that winter. Ha-ru couldn’t hold back her tears at the thought of seeing her again.

“Mom… Mom…!”

“Ha-ru, aren’t you embarrassed crying in front of your friends?”

“Why did you leave me? I missed you so much…”

“How could I leave my Ha-ru? Look, the surgery went well. The doctor says I can be discharged next week.”

“Hic… sob… I hate you…! Do you know… how hard it was alone…! Even if you say that, you’ll leave again…”

“I’m sorry, kids. Our Ha-ru is quite the crybaby. Are you in the same class as Ha-ru?”

Her mother turned her attention to Ha-ru’s friends.

Yu-na introduced herself with a start.

“Ah…! I’m… I’m Seo Yu-na. This is NoName.”

“Seo Yu-na…? Ah, I’ve heard about you from Ha-ru. You were in Class 1-C together, right? The other name sounds a bit unfamiliar?”

“Well, Name transferred in the middle of the year.”

“Transferred…?”

Her mother narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

The current timeline in Alchemist is September 2050.

It made sense that she wouldn’t know NoName.

“Hmm… the academy… Anyway, thank you for visiting. Please take good care of our Ha-ru.”

Since Ha-ru was crying so bitterly, Yu-na and NoName decided to give them space and sit apart for a while.

The two girls sat on the opposite bed, becoming spectators to the touching mother-daughter reunion.

Yu-na whispered to NoName.

“Was Ha-ru’s mother very sick?”

“She passed away last December.”

“Ah… so that’s why…”

Yu-na nodded. She understood why Ha-ru was reacting this way.

Having almost lost her own mother, Yu-na realized how immeasurably great that sense of loss must be.

“Ha-ru turns out to be such a pitiful friend… I always just thought she was annoying…”

“Everyone has their own story.”

“Could I see my dad who died when I was little with this magic?”

“Probably not. He’s not in your memories.”

“I see…”

In the suddenly solemn atmosphere, Yu-na swung her legs that didn’t reach the floor.

Seeing Ha-ru’s face covered in tears made her feel sad too.

“NoName, are you okay?”

“Huh?”

“Niobe told me. She said you always hide when you’re in pain. That you lock your door and cry alone when you’re hurting.”

“Niobe said that?”

“My mom always tells me to let people know right away when I’m sick. That way you can go to the hospital and take medicine.”

“She’s right about that.”

“So if you’re ever hurting at the academy, tell me. I know you’re smarter than me, but… well… I’m taller… I could carry you to the infirmary if needed…”

“Are you worried about me? Yu-na, you’ve grown up enough to worry about others.”

“Argh…! You keep messing up my hair here…! If you keep doing that, I’ll do the same to you!”

When Yu-na reached out to pat NoName’s head, NoName’s body suddenly curled up before she could even touch her.

She covered her head with both hands, her body curling into a ball.

Yu-na’s hand stopped when she saw NoName trembling like a baby animal that had spotted a predator.

“I’m sorry, it’s a conditioned response… like a habit…”

Before NoName could explain further, Yu-na remembered Niobe’s advice and acted on it.

*hug*

“Yu-na…?”

Yu-na hugged NoName with all her might.

Her warm body heat transferred completely to NoName.

Feeling a sense of comfort in the almost suffocating embrace, NoName slowly and gently stroked Yu-na’s back.

Feeling this, Yu-na grumbled in a small voice.

“NoName is my most precious friend. So don’t get sick.”

Though it sounded like a command, considering it came from an eight-year-old child, it made NoName smile.

“Okay, I won’t get sick. I shouldn’t get sick when I have a friend who worries about me like this.”

“I was really looking forward to the pajama party today. Let’s play more when we get home later.”

“I actually had so many things prepared for you all, I was a bit disappointed we couldn’t do everything.”

“Really? Like what?”

Yu-na separated from the hug and faced NoName again.

“There was Halli Galli and Pirate Roulette that I mentioned earlier, and I brought a karaoke microphone because I thought you might like singing, and I planned to watch movies while having snacks. Or maybe a pillow fight? But I didn’t mention the pillow fight because I was worried you might end up fighting with Ha-ru.”

She listed her grand plans, counting them off on her fingers. Yu-na got upset at NoName’s last comment.

“I may be like that sometimes, but I’m not that bad… And I think I’ve gotten a bit closer to Ha-ru after talking with her a few times.”

“That’s good. Ha-ru wanted to be friends with you too.”

“Ha-ru wanted to…?”

Yu-na kept tilting her head in confusion.

“If you’re skeptical, we can confirm it later during the truth game.”

NoName was determined to play the truth game even if they skipped everything else.

There was no better game for strengthening friendship among children.

Sensing that the Alchemist spell was coming to an end, NoName called out to Ha-ru over Yu-na’s shoulder.

She was still too focused on her mother to hear NoName’s voice.

Farewells would be painful for anyone.

It was the same for Estasha when she first mastered the perfect use of Alchemist and reunited with her childhood siblings, and for Baek A-rin from Arabyul Elementary who once had feelings for NoName.

That’s why she wanted to give Ha-ru ample time by letting her know in advance.

“Lee Ha-ru, you haven’t been taking your supplements regularly while I was gone, have you?”

Ha-ru’s mother scolded her daughter.

Even such nagging seemed to please Ha-ru, who just grinned widely.

“Nope! Honestly, I only took them sometimes because it was annoying.”

“How many times do I have to tell you? You need to take supplements regularly from early on to make things easier later.”

Her mother took out a small plastic container from her bag, removed a white pill, and handed it to Ha-ru with water.

“Here you go.”

“Can’t you feed it to me yourself, Mom?”

“This child, really. Say ‘aah.'”

“Aaaah-“

She personally delivered the pill to Ha-ru, who opened her mouth.

Like a baby bird waiting for food from its mother, she opened her mouth and waited.

“Wait a second, Lee Ha-ru, stop.”

*swipe*

Suddenly, NoName snatched the pill and frowned deeply.

The mother and daughter stared in bewilderment.

“Even if you’re Ha-ru’s friend, do you realize what you just did was extremely rude?”

“NoName…? What are you doing?”

NoName held the pill up to the ceiling light, examining it closely.

There were no markings like letters or symbols on its surface.

“Lee Ha-ru, how long have you been taking this medicine?”

“NoName, suddenly-“

“How long have you been taking it?”

When NoName shouted seriously, Yu-na who had been quietly watching also jumped up from the bed.

Ha-ru’s mind went blank, unable to understand why her friend was suddenly yelling.

“I wonder if the Korean FDA approves things like this?”

NoName’s eyes flashed coldly.

Even her own mana potions required multiple clinical trial approvals when just the form of consumption changed.

Residue, being a byproduct of the mana refining process, wasn’t particularly harmful to the human body aside from causing great pain when consumed.

But as far as NoName knew, the “supplement” they were trying to feed Ha-ru wasn’t of that kind.

“Give it back now. It’s a supplement for Ha-ru.”

“Hardly.”

The pill crumbled to powder in NoName’s hand.

NoName immediately stood up and commanded the forced termination of the magic in a mechanical voice.

[Dispel: Alchemist]