It was morning, and I found myself running around Misty Lake with Hong.

  After promising Remilia that I would train with Hong, I had no choice but to wake up early and drag myself to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. As usual, Hong was already waiting at the gate, standing tall with her arms crossed.

  "You arrived earlier than I thought," she said with a smirk. "Honestly, I half-expected you to ditch training."

  I forced a confident smile. "There's no way I'd break my promise. Since I can become stronger, I'll take this seriously."

  In my mind, however, I was screaming, Sorry, I lied. I didn't want to come at all.

  Hong nodded. "Alright, yesterday's session was cut short, so let's start with something simple—just running around the ke."

  "Alright," I said. "So how many ps?"

  "One hundred."

  I froze. "...Did I hear that right?"

  She tilted her head. "Oh, yeah, my bad. I meant one thousand ps."

  I slowly turned my head toward the massive ke stretching out before me, easily bigger than a football field.

  "...Can I go home?"

  Hong shook her head with a smirk. "I don't think you can leave. Sakuya told me that you can only go home after finishing today's training."

  I sighed, already regretting my life choices. My thought was tempting like, should I just shrink the ke with my lie?

  "Before we start, let's get you changed," she said, handing me a set of clothes. "You're going to sweat a lot, after all."

  I took the shirt she was holding and unfolded it. It was a pin white T-shirt... or at least it would've been if not for the bold words printed across the front:

  "I ? China"

  Except, the word "Japan" was crossed out in red, and underneath was the name "China."

  I stared at the shirt. Then at Hong. Then back at the shirt.

  With a forced smile, I handed it back. "Thanks, but I brought my own training clothes."

  "Oh, alright then," she said, shrugging. "Guess I'll wear it myself."

  And with that, we began running.

  ..............................

  I had lost count of how many ps I had run. My body was drenched in sweat, my legs felt like jelly, and my mind was screaming at me to stop and take a break. Meanwhile, Hong looked completely unfazed, running with ease as if this was nothing more than a casual stroll.

  I gnced at her, still leading the way ahead of me. Should I say she looks beautiful right now? She was always in her green hat and Chinese dress, but now her hair was tied in ponytail and she wore the T-shirt I had rejected and a red track pants. It was a rare sight.

  Then she turned her head and shouted, "You're too slow! Run faster, or I'll increase the ps!"

  Never mind. It was a mistake to think she looked beautiful—she's a demon!

  Forcing myself to pick up the pace, I continued running. That's when I noticed Cirno and Daiyousei watching from the side, their expressions full of surprise.

  I couldn't stop to greet them, so I just kept running. Cirno, however, wasn't about to let me off so easily.

  She watched for a moment before turning to Daiyousei. "Do you know what they're doing?"

  Daiyousei gave her a patient look. "I think they're running."

  "I know that! I'm not stupid!" Cirno huffed.

  Daiyousei tilted her head. "Then why don't we ask them?"

  Cirno's eyes lit up. "Good idea!"

  And with that, she took off, flying straight toward us.

  A cool breeze washed over me, bringing a sudden sense of relief to my overheated body. It felt so nice that, for a moment, I forgot I was suffering. But then I realized why—Cirno, the ice fairy, was flying beside me as I ran.

  She hovered near me, looking slightly dizzy. "Hey! Why are you running? Just watching you go around and around is making me feel dizzy."

  I exhaled sharply, my legs burning. "I... I don't know why I'm running either... I guess it's to become stronger?"

  Cirno's eyes widened. "Wait, you can become strong just by running?!"

  I was about to correct her, but then a dangerous thought crossed my mind. If I told her the truth, she might leave. And if she leaves, that means my personal air conditioner is gone.

  So, instead, I smiled and lied, "Yes! You can get stronger as long as you run with me."

  Cirno's face lit up with excitement. "Really?! Alright, I'll run too!"

  Without hesitation, she dropped to the ground and started running alongside me, her cold aura making the air around her refreshingly cool.

  Daiyousei, who had been watching from a distance, sighed and flew down as well. "I guess I'll join too... I don't want to be left alone."

  With the two fairies running beside me, I felt like I had entered heaven. The heat and exhaustion seemed to melt away, repced by the perfect chill.

  I take it back. Cirno isn't just my air conditioner—she's an ice angel.