Hidden Wounds

(Sun Yao)

Back home…

Well, back in front of Ye Zi’s house. It was almost eight o’clock.

The door to my own apartment next door had been splashed with shocking red paint. Insults were scrawled across the door and the wall beside it, and the hallway was filled with the pungent, chemical smell of formaldehyde.

Thinking back to the battle earlier, and how Miluno had lost consciousness because of me, my mood grew even heavier.

Ding-dong—
Ding, ding-dong—
Di, Di, Di, Decade—

Huh? The doorbell sounded a bit weird when pressed quickly… was that a Kamen Rider reference?

But no one answered—maybe he went out to eat?

Just as I was wondering, Ye Zi emerged from the elevator, carrying two large paper bags full of clothes. He looked exhausted; each step seemed unusually heavy. I bought a lot of clothes, but were they really that heavy?

He looked up and saw me, then managed a weak greeting. “Yo… been back long? I’ll go in and get the spare key for you.”

“No, I just got here, too… Have you been out all afternoon?”

“Wasn’t I fetching your clothes? They’re killing me.” Ye Zi set the bags on the floor, fished his keys out of his pocket, and opened the door. “I stuffed your shopping into a storage locker when I took shelter. I forgot about them after the all-clear. I only remembered this afternoon and rushed back to get them. I grabbed a meal on the way…”

That kind of carelessness didn’t seem like Ye Zi’s style at all. He pushed the door open and asked, “Oh, have you eaten yet?”

“…Not yet. I just came back from the medical facility.”

“Huh? Medical facility? Were you injured?” Ye Zi circled around me with sudden concern.

I quickly explained, “No, I’m fine… It’s just… Miss Miluno, because of me…” Just saying her name made the guilt surge again.

But Ye Zi cut me off. “Did she die because of you?”

“What? Die? Don’t talk nonsense!” I retorted excitedly—his guess was way too dark!

“Then was she seriously injured?”

“No… not exactly… just…”

“Just a scratch, and then she got knocked out?”

“Though that’s technically true, the way you put it is really annoying.”

I took off my shoes and followed Ye Zi inside. He threw the bags onto the sofa, then put on an apron and headed to the kitchen.

“Say, Sailuno, since you haven’t eaten, I’ll whip up something simple from what’s in the fridge. Or should we order takeout?”

“No need for takeout, I’ll leave it to you.”

“Alright. How about noodles?”

“Sounds good. Keep it simple.”

Busy sounds drifted from the kitchen, along with Ye Zi’s chatter. “Speaking of which, this afternoon’s battle wasn’t streamed or recorded. Is it something that needs to be kept secret?”

Remembering Director SpiCa’s instructions, I just nodded. “Yeah. It’s classified information. I can’t tell you.”

“You can’t tell me?”

“No.”

“Hey, you’ve only been a magical girl for a few days and you already have secrets?”

“No means no, so stop asking!”

Even if it was Ye Zi, I couldn’t let him know about the existence of “Witches.” If someday I got caught by “the other side,” would I be transformed into a Witch, too? Would Ye Zi still recognize me then?

As I pondered, a crisp shattering sound came from the kitchen.

I rushed in. Noodles were boiling in a pot on the stove, but Ye Zi was crouched on the floor, picking up pieces of a broken bowl.

“Broke a bowl? How could you be so careless…” I approached and noticed his hands were trembling uncontrollably. “…Ye Zi, what’s going on?”

“Nothing. Just… the bags were too heavy.”

“Are you hurt?”

“I didn’t fight any monsters; how could I be hurt? Idiot, go wait at the table.”

His condition was clearly off.

“Liar! I’m not blind. The look on your face—you’re clearly holding back pain. Why hide it from me? Aren’t we brothers?”

“I told you it’s nothing. Do you see any injuries on me?” After cleaning up the shards, he even turned around in front of me—no wounds were visible.

“Ye Zi, if you’re in trouble, you have to tell me.”

“Mm. Go sort out your clothes first~” He insisted on staying silent and pushed me out of the kitchen.

It wasn’t an external injury… could it be… a terminal illness?

I was startled by my own thought. I pulled out my phone and searched on Baidu. My hands grew sweaty with fear as I scrolled through the results.

What disease causes hand tremors… Cancer?!

Reading the descriptions, my heart sank. Ye Zi might have some kind of cancer. He didn’t want me to worry, so he kept it to himself. But when exactly was he diagnosed? As his best friend, I hadn’t noticed at all. Despite his condition, I had even made him carry such heavy bags… Not only am I unqualified as a magical girl, I’m a failure as a brother, too.

Sigh. Cancer treatment is expensive, right?

But I’m a magical girl now. As long as I keep fighting, I can find a way to get the money. I have to convince him to get treatment. Early detection is the only hope.

“Noodles are ready, idiot. Come eat.” Ye Zi carried a tray to the dining table. The clear broth noodles were topped with preserved vegetables and shredded pork, plus a fried egg. But quite a bit of soup had spilled onto the tray. He must have been in considerable pain just walking from the kitchen.

He tried to lift the bowl from the tray to the table. I hurried over to stop him.

“I’ll do it myself! Ye Zi, sit down and rest!”

“Huh? I don’t know what you’re so worried about, but it’s really nothing.”

I untied the apron from his chest, then grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him into the chair across from me.

“No, we need to talk! Sit down!” I stirred the noodles and looked at him with a stern face. Maybe it was because I rarely showed such assertiveness, but despite his helpless expression, he obediently sat up straight.

“…Ye Zi, um… do you have some kind of illness?” I tried to sound strict, but as soon as I asked, my voice wavered.

“No.”

Of course, he wouldn’t admit it easily.

I continued to plead, “Ye Zi, if you don’t have enough money for treatment, I can help. I have the bounty now…”

“It’s not about money. I really don’t have an illness. My hands are just exhausted from carrying all that stuff today.”

“Those clothes aren’t that heavy!”

“Please don’t use your magical girl strength as a reference. Even a magic-focused girl has more strength than an ordinary person.”

“But you can’t even hold a bowl steady. Isn’t that abnormal even for an ordinary person?” Even now, I could see the pained expression he was trying to suppress.

“Idiot, I walked all the way from Sector C4 carrying all those bags… Hurry up and eat, the noodles will get soggy.” Ye Zi stood up to leave.

To stop him, I also stood and reached out, grabbing the back of his collar to pull him back. In the struggle, I accidentally pulled his shirt down from behind.

“Ye… Ye Zi?!”

Under the plain outer shirt was a white cotton T-shirt, but now that white fabric was stained with dark, wet patches of blood. He was clearly injured, but the shirt had been hiding it.

“What’s this?”

On his back… the location and pattern of the wounds looked strangely, terrifyingly familiar.