"Mahiru-san, which of your five senses did you lose this time?"
Sora leaned in close to the girl's ear and asked in a low voice.
As the warm breath landed on her ear, Angel-sama's body trembled slightly. Then, she lifted her pretty face in confusion:
"Was Sora-kun saying something?"
"Hmm?" Sora raised an eyebrow slightly. "Can't you hear me, Mahiru-san?"
Seeing Sora's mouth opening and closing without a single sound, and noticing the train was frighteningly quiet, Mahiru quickly understood:
"I can't hear any sounds... It seems I've lost my sense of hearing this time."
"So it's hearing." Sora also understood. His gaze shifted as he whispered a complaint, "Knowing full well that Time Stop has strong side effects, yet still choosing to help others. You really are a hopeless do-gooder."
Thump!
Mahiru quietly puffed her pink cheeks, formed a small fist, and lightly punched Sora's chest.
"Wait, aren't you deaf right now?"
Sora clutched his chest in shock.
Mahiru held up her phone, typing: "It was your eyes. Sora-kun's eyes were clearly calling me an idiot."
You girls' sixth sense is way too exaggerated!
"We'll arrive at school in a few minutes. Purifying the magic power now is probably too late. Let me help Mahiru-san purify it after we get off the train, okay?" Sora took out his phone and sent a message to Angel-sama.
"Okay."
Mahiru gave a slight nod in agreement.
The chaos soon ended.
Before long, the conductor made an announcement over the PA system. He said a small animal had appeared on the tracks ahead, which was why the driver emergency braked. The situation had been reported, and everyone was asked to wait a moment as a specialist was en route. The announcement concluded with a series of apologies.
"The broadcast says there's an animal on the tracks..."
Sora transcribed the message in real-time and sent it to Mahiru.
"A small animal?" Mahiru gently furrowed her delicate eyebrows. "I checked earlier, and there was clearly nothing on the tracks."
Hey, hey, please don't say such scary things! Invisible ghosts, monsters, or magnetic field lunatics, all of you screw off! Please do not appear!
A moment later.
The phone finally popped up an accurate broadcast message.
It turned out the animal that appeared on the tracks ahead was a black turtle. The conductor spotted the turtle, prompting the emergency brake.
Sora: "..."
Emergency braking for a turtle—is that something a human would do!
If you care so much about animals, why did it take two months to fish out that old man who fell into the sinkhole in the road!
After the roadblocking turtle was removed by specialized staff, the train finally started moving again. The rest of the journey passed without incident, and they arrived smoothly at the school station.
"Mahiru-san, we can get off now."
Sora gently tugged at Angel-sama's sleeve.
"Understood."
Mahiru nodded slightly, indicating she understood.
The two stepped off the train one after the other.
Sora looked around, quickly spotting a convenience store not far away. He then sent a message to Mahiru:
"Let's go to the convenience store to purify the magic power. If we're seen at school, it feels like it'll be very troublesome."
"Okay..."
Carrying her schoolbag with both hands, Mahiru followed behind Sora and quietly slipped into the convenience store.
It was still early. The convenience store was empty, with no customers in sight, only two clerks organizing the shelves.
Quickly arriving at a secluded corner deep inside the convenience store, Sora extended his right hand toward Angel-sama: "Mahiru, give me your hand."
"Please do."
Mahiru's pretty face flushed slightly as she gently placed her soft hand into Sora's palm.
The familiar warm sensation traveled from her palm straight to the bottom of her heart, causing Angel-sama's heartbeat to quietly accelerate.
Although it wasn't their first time holding hands, one could clearly see a crimson hue quietly spreading across the girl's fair, flawless profile. She was clearly still very shy.
Silence was the Cambridge of tonight.
A subtle atmosphere quietly permeated the air.
"Ahem... Why was Sora-kun able to speak during the Time Stop earlier?"
Mahiru's pretty face was flushed as she spoke softly, trying to shift her attention.
"I don't know."
Sora shook his head.
The secret of the game panel in my mind definitely can't be told to anyone.
"We can use the control variable method to eliminate possibilities and experiment. If we can find the reason, next time I use Time Stop, Sora-kun can help out..."
Mahiru pursed her moist pink lips, thinking seriously.
Time Stop was indeed powerful, but while in it, she was still just an ordinary person—no Stands, no magnetic fields. Moving an adult was very difficult.
Previously at the shopping district, when the billboard unexpectedly fell, she had been exhausted and panting just from moving a housewife. So, she genuinely wanted Sora's help.
"During the previous Time Stop, Sora-kun clearly couldn't move, but today you could speak. We can analyze the variables between the two Time Stops... Eh?"
Mahiru suddenly widened her beautiful eyes in embarrassment.
(Speaking of variables, the only one is that I accidentally crashed into Sora-kun's embrace due to inertia.)
(And also that Sora-kun accidentally touched my opp...)
At this thought, Angel-sama's pretty face instantly flushed red at a speed visible to the naked eye. Her original intention to verify the rule instantly vanished into thin air.
Hugging is already super embarrassing, but touching... absolutely not! That kind of thing is only permitted after we start dating!
"Why did Mahiru-san stop talking?"
Sora asked softly.
Mahiru forcefully turned her pretty face away, even the tips of her ears turning the color of crimson agate: "I don't want to talk."
"..."
Time quietly slipped by, minute by minute, second by second.
Just as the magic purification was about to finish, the sound of footsteps suddenly approached.
"Don't worry, it's very early right now. It's probably just an employee..."
Sora comforted her in a low voice.
The next second.
A blue-haired girl carrying a schoolbag turned the corner with a brisk step.
Six eyes met.
The smile on Anna's face quietly froze, and her good mood from the morning vanished in an instant.
"You guys... what are you doing behind my back?!"
"This is a convenience store! Why are you holding hands in public!"
"..."
Looking at the gluttonous girl whose smile had turned from sunny to cloudy, the corner of Sora's mouth twitched slightly, and he said quickly:
"Anna, listen to my explanation..."
Before he could finish, a stranger's voice suddenly echoed from behind Anna:
"Anna, why did you suddenly stop?"
"Oh no..."
Sora grew slightly nervous.
If other girls see me holding hands with Angel-sama, the rumor will spread throughout the entire school in less than half a day.
I don't mind, but for a girl to suddenly find herself in the center of a rumor maelstrom, it would definitely be very troubling, wouldn't it?
Just as Sora was about to let go, Anna suddenly took a deep breath, her pearly white teeth biting her lower lip tightly, and swiftly turned around:
"Rin-chan, I suddenly don't want to eat Pocky anymore. Let's go to school?"
"Eh? Why?"
"I have a poor appetite."
"Good heavens! There's actually a time when Anna has a poor appetite!"
"Hurry, let's go, let's go~"
"..."
Anna's voice quietly faded away.
The boy I like is on a date with a thieving cat, yet I have to help cover for them. I'm just like those weak, incompetent wives who, in order to keep their jobs and avoid getting laid off, can only bring their thieving cat boss home, and then stand guard outside their husband's bedroom door to ensure no one disturbs them... So humiliating! It's way too humiliating! How could I possibly have the mood to eat snacks!