Shizuru the Summer Chaser

Of her own volition, Shizuru took on the job of cleaning up the trash and remains on Mirage Island's beach. It was by no means easy, but she did it all in apple-pie order, working like a well-oiled team with the rest of the crew and adequately acknowledging others' work. Doing everything alone has become a thing of the past for her.

This day, Shizuru and her companions came across a large flotsam on the beach that was washed ashore. As they couldn't move it with their bare hands, they decided to drive the tow truck over. Before leaving, everyone reminded Shizuru with a laugh, "You better not overextend yourself and attempt to move it on your own!"

She answered laughingly, "Don't worry. I won't!"

Yet, while waiting alone on the beach for her companions to return, Shizuru recalled something minor that occurred while she was a student. During the school's spring cleaning, she had been assigned to tidy up the long-neglected storage room, which was not only covered in dust but also packed with loads of heavy stuff. As she didn't want to seek help from anyone, she had no choice but to shield her mouth and nose while struggling to move those heavy things. When it was finally decently clean, she remained the only person in the storage room.

Upon learning about that, all of her teachers and classmates were amazed and praised her for being hardworking and responsible. Only a close friend reprimanded her angrily, "Do not try to overextend yourself again! It's really dangerous to move heavy objects!"

From then on, Shizuru, unsurprisingly, went through many, many periods of overextending herself, but whenever she was at her limits, she would recall this incident... Now, she has at least managed not to overextend herself all on her own.

The sound of everyone's voice drifted into her ears from afar. With that, Shizuru saw that friend of hers wave at her while running over.

"I don't actually need new clothes... I can wear the BCRL summer combat uniform. There's even a standard swimsuit that goes with it..."

"No can do, Shizuru! This is a vacation. You ought to get in the mood, switch up your style, and put on new pretty clothes! How boring would it be to wear a uniform on vacation!"

Ignoring the captain's faint protest, the three members of Team Ratel dragged the unenthusiastic Shizuru into Cape City's largest shopping mall just like that. At first, a few of the salespeople in the mall assumed they were on the job, but it eventually dawned on them that these were simply young ladies enjoying a shopping spree after work, albeit they did create quite a racket.

Not many brands could meet the fashion expert Karen's standards, so Team Ratel had no option but to browse in every single shop in the mall. Julian, at the rear of the group, quietly helped the leading Karen carry more and more shopping bags, whereas Dorothy seized the opportunity to get some ice cream from a kiosk to reward everyone. Meanwhile, Shizuru, walking in the front as the woman of the hour, felt somewhat uneasy, unaccustomed to being surrounded and taken care of this way. But whenever she looked back and saw the trio's sort of silly grins, she just couldn't find it in herself to turn down their kindness.

In the end, taking into account everyone's varying opinions, Shizuru selected an outfit perfect for a vacation. Right as she let out a sigh of relief and pulled out her wallet to foot the bill, her friend stilled her arm and said, "Let us take care of it."
"...What do you mean? It's fine. I can afford it..."
"I know, but this is something we want to do. Just take it that we're wishing you a happy holiday in advance?"
"But—"
"Captain Shizuruuuu! There's no need to be shy!"
"Please, Shizuru! Let us pay for it, okay? Please!"

Despite accepting this gift, Shizuru still felt slightly embarrassed about it. Using the excuse of trying it on again, she hid in the changing room, planning to recompose herself, only to spot the genuine smile on her face through the mirror upon putting on the new outfit. It then hit her that she was no longer alone; she now had what she deserved...

I'll wear this the next time I see you.

As a BCRL soldier who frequently travels outside Bonfire Cities, Shizuru has logged relatively normal vital signs and all types of morphic field examination data these days. Every year, numerous soldiers would lose their lives due to excessive morphic field pollution outside Bonfire Cities, so to Shizuru, these figures not only symbolize good luck but also the effectiveness of her pragmatic yet prudent command strategy.

Shizuru doesn't have an Ascension Ability, but she has met plenty of powerful Ascenders and seen how powerful Ascension Abilities could instantly resolve what would take her ages to complete. Once in a while, she'd also imagine what it would be like if she had an Ascension Ability, and what she could do with it. Would she become a wholly different person? Could she... use this power to help the people she wanted to protect even more?

These thoughts usually don't last, for Shizuru is simply too busy; it never takes long before her packed daily schedule brings her to the next task. At the same time, she isn't in a hurry for answers either, not to mention that she sometimes feels like she won't have the willpower to face these answers.

However, when she bade farewell to her companions on Mirage Island's beach and clutched her weapon as she faced the incoming swarm of Chaos Remains, she suddenly realized she had already found the answers to those questions.

Even without extraordinary powers, she can live as herself. There are still things she can do as a normal person.

My childhood playmate, my closest friend, the most important person in my life... I will help you with the capability of a normal person. Hopefully, you'll get further in life until you find your answers.