Faced with the accusations from the two of them, Tanaka Masao stated that he had already deeply realized his mistake.
"Oh, I really deserve to die. Truly. I only knew that what Jahy wanted was inside the bird's nest and that it needed to be taken out. I didn't know that doing so would make the crow lose its home…"
Tanaka Masao delivered a Xianglin Sao–style confession of guilt, successfully earning the forgiveness of the two of them.
It had to be said—this kind of rhetoric was quite effective at expressing repentance and self-reflection.
After discussing it, the three of them ultimately decided that Jahy and Tanaka Masao would go up together.
On one hand, Tanaka Masao really didn't want to be the one climbing up himself.
It wasn't because he couldn't climb trees or was afraid of heights—it was because he knew exactly what Jahy was going to retrieve.
Magic stones brought misfortune to ordinary people. If nothing unexpected happened, the moment he touched the magic stone, he would definitely fall for one reason or another.
By the same logic, Yukinoshita Yukino would surely suffer the same fate, so there was no way Tanaka Masao would let her go up either.
This was something best handled by Jahy herself.
On the other hand, Jahy also insisted on personally retrieving what belonged to her.
So the final arrangement was: Jahy on top, Tanaka Masao in the middle, and Yukinoshita Yukino at the bottom.
Author: Don't get any strange ideas, dear readers.
Jahy is on top carrying out the mission, Tanaka Masao is in the middle providing support, and Yukinoshita Yukino is at the bottom directing and observing the situation.
Jahy struggled with her weak little arms and legs. If Tanaka Masao hadn't helped from below, she really wouldn't have been able to climb up.
Although Tanaka Masao was chubby, his strength and height advantage were there. Combined with over half a month of training, he could easily cling to the tree trunk.
"Hey, Masao, help me a bit—I can't get up," Jahy said.
"Hey, hey, I can't free my hands right now. How am I supposed to help you?"
"Ah, I can't do this anymore."
"Be careful, it's dangerous."
"Waaah…"
When Jahy stepped onto a branch, her foot slipped and she nearly fell.
Just as Yukinoshita Yukino stepped forward, wanting to catch her, Tanaka Masao appeared in time and supported Jahy from below.
But to stabilize himself, Tanaka Masao had to cling tightly to the tree trunk and couldn't free his hands at all.
So he had no choice but to use his head.
This was basically a point-blank ultimate move.
The suffocating pressure on his face and the strain on his neck made Tanaka Masao urge her on.
"Hurry up—I can't hold on much longer."
"I know."
Perhaps because she had made a clumsy mistake, Jahy felt embarrassed and her face flushed slightly.
"And stop talking—you're distracting me."
"Okay, hurry up."
Tanaka Masao's muffled voice sounded again.
"I said don't talk!"
Below the tree, Yukinoshita Yukino narrowed her eyes slightly, an unusual glint appearing in them.
She seemed to understand why Jahy didn't want Tanaka Masao to speak.
The tips of her ears turned faintly red.
This was the kind of thing Yukinoshita Yukino really didn't want to instantly understand.
[It must be because I've spent too much time with Tanaka-kun—I've been corrupted by him.]
Tanaka Masao: Hey, hey, Yukinoshita-san, if you think like that, I'm suing you for defamation.
I haven't done anything yet, you know. You need evidence to say that.
"Why don't you two come down first?"
Seeing their posture, Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't help but suggest it.
Hanging on the tree like that was clearly uncomfortable for both of them.
"No need. I'll be up there right away."
As Jahy spoke, she struggled and continued climbing upward.
That movement made things miserable for Tanaka Masao.
The pressure straight to his face was overwhelming, and his neck felt like it was about to snap.
"Mmgh—mmgh—mmgh~ (Be gentler…)"
"I said no talking—and breathing is forbidden too."
...
After a bout of frantic effort, Jahy finally escaped her predicament and climbed onto the branch.
Tanaka Masao stuck out his tongue, gasping for air.
He felt like his face was about to go numb, and because it had been covered, it was burning hot.
Now his face was drenched in sweat, sticky and uncomfortable, and he couldn't even wipe it since his hands were occupied.
He complained,
"That was absolutely miserable. My neck almost got snapped by you. Good thing you didn't fart just now—otherwise I really would've died."
Tanaka Masao's words successfully earned him a bared-teeth glare from Jahy.
She was uncomfortable too, okay?
But she didn't have time to deal with him right now and only left behind a single sentence.
"I wouldn't fart."
Then she hugged the branch and crawled toward where the bird's nest was.
Tanaka Masao stayed where he was, not daring to move. The thickness of the branch clearly couldn't support two people.
"Huff—huff—"
After some effort, Jahy finally reached the nest. When she saw what was inside, she hesitated.
Seeing Jahy not moving for a long time, Tanaka Masao asked,
"What's wrong? Is the thing not there?"
"No. There are several baby crows in the nest."
"Just avoid them."
"I'll try."
Perhaps because the magic stone was too hard, the baby crows weren't lying on top of it, leaving Jahy some room to work.
She carefully reached out to grab the magic stone, trying her best not to touch the baby crows.
"Chirp, chirp~"
Even though Jahy controlled her movements as much as possible, the earlier commotion had already woken the baby crows. The moment she reached in, they started chirping.
Looking at the restless baby crows, Jahy hesitated.
"Hurry up. The adult crow will be back soon."
"I know."
Jahy closed her eyes and steeled herself, reaching out to grab the magic stone.
Even though she moved as fast as she could, she still got pecked a few times.
It hurt a little.
But seeing the magic stone in her hand, all the effort felt worth it.
"I did it."
Like a victorious general, Jahy raised her spoils of war.
Just as she was celebrating, Yukinoshita Yukino shouted from below,
"Hey, come down quickly—the adult crow is back!"
Jahy looked up and saw a crow flying straight toward her at high speed.
Its fierce, determined gaze startled her so badly that she nearly fell from the branch.
She wanted to hurry down, but it was clearly too late.
At the critical moment, a small stone flew out and struck the crow mid-flight, successfully disrupting its advance.
"Hurry!"
With that brief window, Tanaka Masao had already climbed down from the tree and shouted up at Jahy.
"Hey, jump down—I'll catch you!"
Jahy was about three meters above the ground.
Considering her weight, Tanaka Masao was confident he could catch her.
Jahy looked down. Maybe because she had become smaller, the ground felt a bit far away.
But it was fine—she used to be able to fly, so she didn't have a fear of heights.
And with one large and one small magic stone in her hands, she felt even more confident.
She flipped herself off the branch.
Tanaka Masao successfully caught Jahy as she jumped down.
All three of them let out a sigh of relief at the same time.
What none of them noticed, however, was that the large magic stone Jahy had just obtained brushed against Tanaka Masao's skin.