  We use recently derived Ward identities and lattice data for the light- and
strange-quark condensates to reconstruct the scalar and pseudoscalar
susceptibilities ($\chi_S^\kappa$, $\chi_P^K$) in the isospin 1/2 channel. We
show that $\chi_S^\kappa$ develops a maximum above the QCD chiral transition,
after which it degenerates with $\chi_P^K$. This result provides an alternative
sign for $O(4)\times U_A(1)$ restoration that can be explored in lattice
simulations and highlights the role of strangeness, which regulated by the
strange-quark condensate helps to reconcile the current tension among lattice
results regarding $U_A(1)$ restoration. We show that the peak structure of
$\chi_S^\kappa$ can be described when it is saturated with the $K_0^*(700)$ (or
$\kappa$) meson, the dominant lowest-energy state in the isospin 1/2 scalar
channel, which in turn can be computed in Unitarized Chiral Perturbation Theory
at finite temperature. This reveals the importance of thermal interactions and
makes it possible to examine the $\chi_S^\kappa$ dependence on the light- and
strange-quark masses. A consistent picture emerges controlled by the $m_l/m_s$
ratio that allows studying the behavior of the $O(4)\times U_A(1)$ transition
in the chiral and SU(3) limits.
