"What do you mean, you saw everything?"
Sora raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at the blonde loli in confusion.
"It means I saw everything." Yamada Elf put her hands on her hips, her cheeks puffed up high like a little squirrel with a mouth full of chestnuts.
"Just now, after Mahiru activated Time Stop, although I couldn't move, for some reason, my consciousness remained clear."
"I clearly saw the two of you kissing and hugging..."
"..."
"I-It wasn't a kiss!"
The girl's panicked, embarrassed, and frantic voice quickly rang out. Angel-sama's pretty face flushed thoroughly red as she shamefully explained:
"It was just mana replenishment! During Time Stop, only mana replenishment allows Sora-kun to move... that's how it is!"
Although Yamada Elf had just whispered it, Mahiru was standing right next to Sora, so naturally, she heard it loud and clear. The sense of shame she had barely managed to cool down exploded once more.
The kissing was discovered... what do I do?
Although I never intended to hide it forever, a live broadcast is still way too shameful!
"Kissing can actually replenish mana?" Yamada Elf tilted her head to look.
"Why didn't Mahiru mention this before?"
"B-Because..."
Mahiru stammered, shamefully lowering her head to look at her toes.
Such a shameful thing, how could I possibly have the nerve to say it out loud!
"Let's drop it for now." Sora lowered his voice, changing the subject.
"There are a lot of people around, be careful not to let anyone overhear... I happen to be thirsty. There's a cold drink shop up ahead, let's go there to get cold drinks first. We can talk about everything else later."
Yamada Elf put her hands on her hips. Her gaze drifted downward, landing on the tightly clasped hands of Sora and Angel-sama. She gave a light snort:
"Sora, I want to hold hands too."
Sora gave her a speechless look.
"Mahiru used Time Stop to rescue someone just now, and the side effect caused her to temporarily lose her vision, which is why she needs to hold hands to walk. Why do you need to hold hands?"
Yamada Elf was unhappy: "I've walked so far, my feet are tired... It's totally not because I'm jealous!"
Sora: "..."
You clearly just gave yourself away, alright!
"Servant, hurry up." Yamada Elf extended her small hand, looking at him threateningly. "If you dare refuse, I'll never speak to you again!"
As if anyone would be scared by such a flimsy threat!
The blonde loli quietly stomped her foot, her voice aggrieved: "If I turn invisible and suffer side effects, Servant will hold my hand then, right?"
"Say no more."
Sora decisively reached out his left hand and grasped the blonde loli's soft hand.
On the way to the cold drink shop, Sora held Angel-sama with his right hand and the blonde loli with his left. Both girls were super cute, so as they walked along, all the men cast looks of envy, jealousy, and hatred at Sora.
Holding hands and walking around a zoo with a pretty girl isn't strange. As long as you're willing to spend money, you can rent any girlfriend you like.
But holding hands with two cute, beautiful girls at the same time is simply unjustifiable.
"Damn normie, explode already!"
"This superficial world should just be destroyed!"
"Tie him to the stake and burn him at once!"
"..."
Sora ignored the resentful gazes of the people around him. Holding the two girls' hands, he quickly arrived at the cold drink shop and sat down in a deserted corner.
"Why was Elf able to remain conscious during Time Stop?" Sora looked over curiously.
"I remember the last time Time Stop was activated, you clearly had no idea what happened."
"I don't understand either." Yamada Elf shook her head.
"Anyway, my consciousness was very clear, but my body couldn't move or speak. I could only watch you guys kiss and hug."
"T-That was mana replenishment..."
Angel-sama shyly explained, but her voice completely lacked confidence.
Sora added his explanation from the side, finally making Elf accept it.
"Changes don't happen for no reason. There must be a reason why Elf could stay conscious..." Mahiru said softly.
"What has Elf done recently?"
Yamada Elf looked bewildered: "I haven't done anything."
Mahiru offered her thought:
"Could it be that practice makes perfect?"
"Probably not." Yamada Elf crossed her arms over her chest, pondering and analyzing. "Kuroneko's ability has also gotten stronger. Before, she could only communicate with cats, but now she can chat with dogs... But if we're talking about practice making perfect, I go out to play while invisible every day, so I should have been the first one to get stronger, right?"
The speaker has no such intention, but the listener does.
Hearing Yamada Elf's words, Sora's heart skipped a beat.
That's right.
One person suddenly getting stronger could be called an accident. Two people also inexplicably getting stronger is definitely not a coincidence. There must be some commonality behind it.
What did Kuroneko do before getting stronger?
We soaked in the hot spring together at the inn.
And the day before Elf got stronger?
We were blowing in the cold wind on the rooftop...
The bits and pieces of his experiences with the two girls surfaced in Sora's mind.
Getting intimate with Kuroneko in the hot spring, kissing Elf on the rooftop... Speaking of which, could it be that intimate contact is what caused the two girls' abilities to evolve?
"I got it! Could it be because Sora and I kissed on the roof last night?"
Yamada Elf wasn't an idiot. She also thought of this point and casually blurted it out without any hesitation.
For someone who played the piano naked every night, the kiss last night was very embarrassing to talk about initially, but now she could easily say it out loud.
Stare—
Mahiru's ears twitched slightly. She tilted her head to look at Sora, her tone dark, as if dimming the sunlight outside:
"Sora-kun... what does Elf mean by a kiss?"
Although Angel-sama currently couldn't see, being stared at by those caramel-colored eyes still made an inexplicable sense of guilt well up in Sora's heart.
"It has nothing to do with Sora." At the critical moment, Yamada Elf didn't stir up trouble, but bravely stepped forward to explain.
"My head was dizzy, and I was so thirsty I felt like I was going to die of thirst, so I couldn't help but kiss him... Anyway, it was an accident. Just like Mahiru said, mana replenishment doesn't count as a kiss, and an accident doesn't count as a kiss either!"
Mahiru: "..."
The boomerang actually hit me.
A moment later.
The magic power purification was completed.
Mahiru successfully regained her vision.
The three of them each bought a cold drink and rested while eating.
"After the kisses, did Mahiru feel her ability get stronger?" Yamada Elf asked curiously.
Mahiru's pretty face flushed slightly: "I don't feel like I've gotten stronger at all."
"Strange. If kissing can evolve abilities, why didn't Mahiru get stronger?" Yamada Elf, eating her ice cream, tilted her head in confusion. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
"Maybe kissing the cheek isn't enough, it has to be a real kiss on the lips."
Stare—
Angel-sama's gaze was sharp. She bit her lower lip and looked toward Sora.
Sora: "..."
I clearly haven't cheated, why do I feel super guilty!
The blonde loli extended a finger, enthusiastically forming a hypothesis:
"If the Time Stop ability gets strengthened... could it allow for time reversal?"
As a chunibyo girl, Yamada Elf's curiosity was brimming. She looked over with eyes full of expectation: "Does Mahiru want to verify it?"
Mahiru set down her fruit juice drink, glanced at Sora, and calmly refused:
"Sorry, I have absolutely no intention of verifying that."
"..."