The silverback gorilla rearing up on its hind legs and roaring loudly.
The middle-aged man, face full of terror, trembling all over, yet bravely standing in front of his child.
The elementary schooler fallen on the ground, crying.
The panicked tourists above the enclosure.
The anxious zookeeper running out from the gorilla house...
As Angel-sama activated Time Stop, the pause button was pressed on everything.
A boundless, deathly silence instantly replaced the noise and clamor.
Although Sora had experienced the abrupt transition from extreme motion to extreme stillness several times, he still found it somewhat difficult to adapt.
"Phew..."
In the deathly still time-stopped world, the sound of the girl's sigh of relief echoed.
Immediately following, Mahiru turned around, opened her arms, and gently embraced Sora.
As the physical contact replenished his mana, the serene and elegant fragrance of the girl quickly drifted into Sora's nose:
"Mahiru... I can speak now."
Mahiru quickly stepped back half a pace, a faint blush rising on her pretty face. She then looked down worriedly:
"That father is about to be attacked by the gorilla."
"Panic leads to mistakes." Sora shifted his gaze downward. Of course, his body was still immobilized; only his eyes could move.
"Actually, silverback gorillas are quite gentle creatures. If you just cover your head, crouch down, and obediently show submission, the silverback gorilla won't attack you. Spreading your arms and yelling is instead seen as a provocation."
Although the middle-aged man made the wrong move, leading to the situation worsening, no one could blame him.
A father stepping forward to protect his child despite knowing it's life-threatening—no one has the right to insult that courage.
Unfortunately, courage alone cannot overcome despair.
An adult silverback gorilla weighs 250kg and can absolutely be considered the strongest primate on land. Although purely herbivorous, their strength is super high. One punch carries a full 1,500kg of force. An ordinary person would die from a direct hit and be severely injured from a glancing blow. Even if boxing champion Mike Tyson were here, one punch would still send him to meet his maker.
Of course, claiming a silverback gorilla could rip a tiger apart with its bare hands is nonsense.
In front of a tiger, a silverback gorilla is still just an ingredient on the hunting menu. Encountering a leopard, however, it would have a fighting chance.
In conclusion.
If Angel-sama hadn't activated Time Stop in time, that middle-aged father would very likely be in mortal danger.
"Sora-kun, we can't just stand by and do nothing."
Mahiru bit her lower lip with her pearly white teeth, looking up at Sora with a pleading gaze.
If she hadn't encountered it, that would be one thing. But the danger was happening right in front of her, and the victims were an elementary school student and a father trying to protect his child. For Angel-sama, who had always deeply yearned for familial love, it was impossible to stand idly by.
"I'll go down and lift them up." Sora's expression was serious, also choosing to lend a hand.
"Mahiru, please help replenish my mana."
The girl's long eyelashes fluttered gently, and she shyly averted her gaze:
"Sora-kun... close your eyes."
"..."
To avoid Angel-sama becoming embarrassed and angry, Sora obediently closed his eyes.
Before long.
A touch of softness and warmth gently imprinted on his cheek.
After half a month, Angel-sama offered a kiss once more.
Unfortunately, it was still like a dragonfly skimming the water—a fleeting touch, leaving behind only a dreamlike, beautiful memory.
"Y-You should be able to move now, right?"
Sora, with his eyes closed, moved his arm:
"I can."
"Then why are your eyes still closed..." Halfway through speaking, Mahiru quickly realized what was happening, and her pink cheeks puffed up slightly.
"Sora-kun, you can open your eyes now."
"Yes."
"..."
Sora opened his eyes and turned his neck to look around. He saw the blonde loli beside them with her pink lips slightly parted, her eyes wide open, staring blankly. Her fluttering hair and skirt were completely frozen in mid-air, creating an indescribable sense of beauty.
Even though Yamada Elf couldn't possibly see what happened during Time Stop, a sense of being peeped at inexplicably welled up in his heart...
Stepping up to the railing, Sora looked down:
"The height is okay, about two meters and a bit. I can jump down directly and then lift the elementary schooler up."
"Isn't it too dangerous to jump down directly?" Mahiru bit her lower lip with her pearly white teeth, her expression worried.
"Shouldn't we go find a ladder instead?"
"Trust me." Sora's tone was confident.
"This height is a piece of cake for a high schooler. Last night when I went to look for Elf, the school wall was about this high, and I easily vaulted over it every time."
Besides, a ladder isn't like a brick on the side of the road that you can find just by looking. This was an unfamiliar zoo, not his own front door; no one was going to magically provide a solution when he needed one.
"Then okay..." Mahiru gently nodded, earnestly instructing, "Sora-kun, you must be careful and pay attention to safety."
"Rest assured." Sora nodded, guaranteeing, "I still have people by my side who need my protection. I definitely won't joke around with my own safety."
"..."
Angel-sama's caramel-colored bright eyes quietly widened, her heartbeat involuntarily and quietly accelerating.
(People who need protection... who is Sora-kun referring to with that sentence?)
(Could he be talking about me?)
Meanwhile.
Sora supported himself on the railing with one hand and vaulted directly down, landing safely and effortlessly.
"Tch, the oppressive feeling is indeed maxed out..."
Sora stood up straight and looked at the silverback gorilla rearing up on its hind legs. He only felt a dangerous, oppressive aura rushing at his face.
Standing above the enclosure, he didn't feel much, but facing the silverback gorilla directly now, he finally understood what 'the strongest primate on land' meant.
After his character level increased, although all his attributes had been comprehensively strengthened, he was definitely no match for a silverback gorilla.
"First, take care of the elementary schooler..."
Sora withdrew his gaze, took two steps to the teary-eyed, terrified elementary schooler, picked the child up, and then looked up:
"Mahiru, I'll lift the elementary schooler up first."
Halfway through speaking, Sora's voice suddenly paused. His gaze involuntarily landed on Angel-sama's 'absolute territory'.
Although they rode bikes here today, Mahiru wasn't wearing jeans, but her standard outfit of a skirt and black thigh-high socks. Looking up from below right now, the girl's legs, encased in black silk, were as straight and slender as manga legs, and simultaneously, a cute pink little bear was quietly faintly discernible...
This scene suddenly reminded Sora of the manga Bakusō Kyōdai Let's & Go!! he had read as a kid.
Twenty years later, this manga is still being updated. The author of what was originally a youth-oriented manga has now started dabbling in borderline content. The grown-up younger brother, Go, hiding behind a transparent training track, peeking under the skirt of his older brother Retsu's girlfriend... It completely ruined his childhood!
"Ugh—"
Girls are always exceptionally sensitive to boys' gazes. Although Sora's gaze only lingered for a single second, Angel-sama still noticed. She quickly reached out to cover her skirt, her pretty face flushed red as she glared affectionately with embarrassment and anger.
"I didn't see anything."
Sora averted his gaze, confessing without being pressed.
Mahiru covered her skirt with both hands, lightly gritting her silver teeth:
"Sora-kun, close your eyes!"
"I still have to lift the elementary schooler..."
"You don't need your eyes open to lift an elementary schooler!"
"..."