Shizuka was aware of the foolishness of her actions. Normally, she probably wouldn't have chosen this method. But today, she stepped inside the burning building.
Dad, mom... I am no longer a helpless child!
The elderly couple and the young girl reminded Shizuka of her parents and herself. Shizuka's parents had stepped through flame to protect her, and they had died saving Shizuka. If she had been able to do something back then, the outcome might have been different. That was what Shizuka always thought. That's why she trained her body and continued protecting Corona House. But there was no way to confirm that was actually true. That kind of thought would pop into her mind from time to time and cause her to waver.
But now, a sight similar to the fire of the past was in front of her. Shizuka thought of it as a chance to test whether a different outcome was possible or not. If she was able to save the girl inside, she would be able to confirm that she was no longer helpless. She should be able to reach an outcome different from the past now.
That's why Shizuka, despite knowing that her actions were foolish, stepped into the burning building. The fact that the fire trucks wouldn't make it here in time pushed her forward. This wasn't purely out of good intentions; Shizuka wanted to retake the past she had lost.
The third floor! I have to get up to the third floor!
Having entered the house, Shizuka began looking for stairs up to the next floor. Since the girl was on the third floor, that was her fastest path there.
There's so much smoke... and it's so hot...
Shizuka quickly realized that it wouldn't be that easy. Her view was blocked by the rising smoke and flames. Since smoke had a tendency to flow upwards, it hid the stairs. Surrounded by flames, she began feeling the mental pressure. With this being the house of someone she had never met before, finding the stairs proved exceptionally challenging.
Calm down, Shizuka. This is a house, the stairs should be in a suitable place!
Shizuka attempted to calm herself down as she took step after step into the hallway. In small houses, the stairs would often be right by the entrance. But in big houses like this, the stairs were usually placed in a position where they couldn't be seen from the entrance. That said, the stairs should still be connected to the hallway for the sake of convenience. The stairs should just be nearby. Shizuka subdued her panic and continued her search.
There they are!
Her efforts paid off and Shizuka found the stairs right around the corner of the hallway. Since smoke was rising up through the stairs, it was impossible to tell what kind of situation the upper floor was in. Shizuka suppressed her urge to rush up, and carefully proceeded upwards, step by step. Halfway up, she spotted several books lying on the stairs. If she had run up, she most likely would have stepped on them and been in danger.
To think smoke was this hot...
A large amount of smoke continued pouring up, practically blinding Shizuka. It permeated through her eyes and caused tears to form. Shizuka slowly crawled up to the second floor while paying close attention to her footing.
“*cough* *cough*”
Having inhaled some smoke as she reached the second floor, Shizuka had a violent coughing fit. That caused her to inhale even more smoke, and caused a vicious spiral. The second floor had denser smoke than the first, especially by the stairs.
I need to stay low...
Shizuka was close to panicking as she was having a hard time breathing, but she barely managed to keep her cool. She put the knowledge she learned from fire drills to use and stayed low to the ground, which somehow allowed her to breathe normally.
I have to get to the third floor...