"Sora-kun, do not worry..."
Shiina Mahiru bit her lower lip, her voice filled with shame.
"I have already activated Time Stop just now, so doing it once more is not a problem. It will be the perfect time to ask Sora-kun to help purify my magic power later."
Since she had only activated Time Stop briefly, the side effects had not yet appeared.
As her voice fell.
The entire world was once again pressed with the pause button.
"Sora-kun, I am going to buy the items..."
Mahiru clutched her skirt with both hands, lowering her small head as she cautiously walked into the convenience store.
Without Angel-sama's help to replenish his mana, Izumi Sora was naturally unable to move. He could only watch as her back disappeared into the shelves, while the image of the "holy light" he had just seen involuntarily resurfaced in his mind...
On the other side.
Mahiru moved through the aisles with extreme caution. Due to the incident that had just occurred, she remained incredibly wary even within the time-stopped world.
Fortunately, after a short while, her eyes lit up as she successfully located the disposable panties.
"Found them..."
Mahiru stood on her tiptoes and quickly grabbed a pack of the disposable undergarments, clutching them happily to her chest.
However, a new problem quickly arose.
"How should I pay for this?"
Mahiru had been a super rule-abiding person since childhood. To her, merchandise in a convenience store could only be opened and used after the bill was paid.
Secretly opening them without paying would be considered theft no matter how one looked at it.
Although no one would find out in the time-stopped state, she could not get past her own conscience.
"Should I end the Time Stop and pay myself?"
Mahiru bit her lip and turned toward the checkout counter, where a female clerk came into view.
"I... I can't do it..."
A sense of shame quickly surged in her heart, and Mahiru shook her head rapidly.
"Even though she is a girl, if I take something like this to pay, she will definitely look at me with strange eyes, right?"
At the thought of being treated like some peculiar person with weird hobbies during the checkout, Mahiru felt so ashamed she wanted to hide in a cardboard box.
"It seems I can only ask Sora-kun for help..."
Mahiru shifted her gaze and finally looked toward Izumi Sora.
"Sora-kun already knows the secret, so it is fine..."
Taking a deep breath.
Mahiru walked over to Sora and whispered with her face turned away:
"Please help me pay the bill in a moment... I will give you the money when we get back."
In the state without mana replenishment, although Sora could not speak or move his body, his consciousness remained clear, and he naturally heard Angel-sama's plea.
Time Stop ended.
The entire world "came alive" again, and various clamors flooded his ears.
In the next second.
Mahiru felt the entire world suddenly go dark, leaving only a void of white. Her heart sank involuntarily.
"Oh no... I've lost my sight..."
Using Time Stop twice in a row had caused the magical corruption to backlash, temporarily stripping her of her vision.
Losing her sight now was undoubtedly the worst possible side effect.
Fortunately, in the next moment, Sora's concerned voice rang in her ear, followed by a hand grasping her fingertips:
"Mahiru?"
The familiar warmth transmitted through his palm caused the tension in Mahiru's heart to dissipate.
"My eyes..." Mahiru bit her lower lip and said in a small voice, "I can't see anymore."
"Don't worry, leave the rest to me." Sora's voice was steady, carrying a reassuring power. He took the item from Angel-sama's hand and asked softly, "I am going to pay now... do you want to come with me or wait here?"
"I..."
Mahiru parted her pink lips, hesitated for two seconds, and answered in a small, blushing voice:
"I will go with Sora-kun."
If she hadn't lost her vision, she would have chosen to wait quietly in a corner. But now that she couldn't see, the thought of Sora not being by her side made her feel super panicked.
"Then we go together."
Sora quietly gripped Angel-sama's soft hand and led her to the counter.
There weren't many customers in the store, but there was still a line.
As Sora led Mahiru to the back of the queue, he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He took it out and saw that it was, as expected, a message from Anna.
"Sora, Sora! Ruri-chan and I are out. Why can't we see you or Mahiru? Where are you guys?"
"..."
After reading the message, Sora leaned down to Mahiru's ear and whispered:
"Anna sent a message asking where we went... how should I reply?"
Once a human loses their sight, their other senses become hyper-sensitive. The warmth of a boy's breath falling on her ear caused Mahiru's body to tremble slightly. Her heart rate accelerated sharply, and she bit her lower lip:
"Sora-kun should tell the truth, say we are at the convenience store... if we lie, one lie will definitely require more lies to cover it up."
"Understood."
Sora nodded slightly and messaged Anna to explain the situation.
A few seconds later.
The phone vibrated again. After reading the message, Sora leaned in toward Angel-sama's ear once more:
"Anna says she and Ruri are coming over right away. She also asked why we are at the convenience store... should I continue telling the truth?"
"N-No!"
Mahiru's face turned completely red, and she shook her head hurriedly.
"Just say we came to buy something... do not mention the rest!"
Sora whispered a complaint: "Someone just said that one lie requires more lies to cover up."
"Ugh..."
Mahiru's pink cheeks puffed up slightly, and she gave Sora a light poke in the waist:
"Buying things is not a lie; I am just not saying specifically what I am buying."
"..."
During their talk, it was finally their turn to pay.
Sora remained composed as he handed over the disposable item.
The clerk gave Mahiru a subtle look but maintained her professional ethics, saying nothing as she quickly scanned the barcode.
After paying, Sora led Angel-sama to a corner:
"The bill is paid. Anna and the others will be here in less than ten minutes, and they will definitely find out then... so, should we pause the purification? You should get dressed first, then we can continue purifying the magic power."
Angel-sama's face was flushed. She looked down at her toes and stammered:
"I... I guess that is the only way..."
"Before the magic purification is complete, Mahiru cannot see. Going to the restroom alone is a problem." Sora's voice rang out again with a suggestion, "Or, instead of going to the restroom, you could just activate Time Stop and put them on right here?"
"No!"
Mahiru shook her head in shame.
Even with Time Stop, she would never do something so embarrassing in public!