"Something pricked the bottom of your foot just now?"
Hearing this, Sora's expression instantly turned serious:
"It should be a seashell or a piece of coral hidden in the sand... Take off your stocking, let me check the bottom of your foot."
Mahiru shyly covered her skirt: "W-Why do I have to take off my stocking?"
"To see if your foot has been cut by shell fragments." Sora's expression was serious as he spoke in a low voice. "Getting pricked in the foot or cutting your finger at the beach carries the risk of contracting Vibrio vulnificus. Although not even one in ten thousand people would be unlucky enough to catch it, if you do hit the jackpot, the consequences are incredibly dangerous."
Mahiru gently bit her lower lip: "Is that bacteria... very dangerous?"
"It is extremely dangerous." Sora's tone was earnest. "Vibrio vulnificus is a hidden killer. Fish, shrimp, oysters, seashells, etc., can all carry it. A small portion of cases come from eating undercooked seafood, but most cases occur from being cut by fish bones, seashells, and the like. If not careful, it can lead to organ failure or even septic shock."
"So hurry up and take off your stocking and let me check the bottom of your foot. If there's no wound, it's fine. If you are injured, we have to go to the hospital for treatment."
Better safe than sorry.
You never know whether tomorrow or an accident will come first.
If you're unlucky enough to contract Vibrio vulnificus, your life is truly in danger, so you must be highly vigilant.
"I understand..."
Seeing Sora's expression so earnest and serious, Mahiru couldn't help but feel tense as well.
Splash.
The waves surged, once again soaking both of their legs.
"Since your foot hurts, don't walk for now." Sora decisively crouched down halfway. "I'll carry you on my back to that reef over there, and then check the bottom of your foot."
Although Mahiru was very embarrassed, she naturally knew Sora was thinking of her. With a blushing pretty face, she agreed, opened her arms, and laid on Sora's back:
"Sorry for causing trouble for Sora-kun..."
"I brought you to the beach, of course I have to take responsibility."
Sora reached back with both hands to support Angel-sama's legs.
His hands met smooth, silky, and warm textures. He couldn't tell if it was the original touch of the skin or the feel of the stockings, but in short, the texture was excellent.
"Mmm..."
Mahiru's voice trembled slightly, and her breathing quietly became rapid. However, she didn't speak, only wrapping her arms tightly around Sora's neck.
"Hold on tight."
Sora took a deep breath, straightened up, and carried Angel-sama on his back towards the shore.
"Sora-kun's shoulders are so broad..."
Even though this was her first time being carried by a boy, Mahiru didn't feel any disgust at all. Aside from shyness and nervousness, all that remained was an indescribable sense of security, as if as long as she was on Sora's back, she wouldn't panic even if the end of the world arrived.
A moment later.
Sora carried Angel-sama to a flat reef. Setting the girl down on the reef, he exhaled softly:
"Do you want me to help take off the stocking?"
"No." Mahiru covered her skirt with both hands, shyly refusing. "I'll take it off myself... Sora-kun, turn around."
Sora silently turned his back: "Call me when you're done."
"..."
Rustling sounds echoed behind him.
Before long, Angel-sama's shy voice rang out:
"The stocking is off..."
Sora turned around and looked at Angel-sama sitting on the reef, his eyes unavoidably lighting up.
The foot that stepped on the shell fragment earlier was the right foot, so Mahiru naturally only took off the black stocking on her right leg. The stocking on her left leg remained untouched. Right now, her legs were pressed tightly together—one leg clad in a stocking, the other completely bare, instantly creating a strong black-and-white contrast.
So white.
The skin on the girl's right leg was snow-white, like polished ivory, straight, slender, and pristine. Anyone seeing it would definitely praise it as a pair of legs one could play with for a year.
Noticing Sora's appreciative gaze, Mahiru's pretty face grew slightly warm. She pressed down her straw hat with her right hand and whispered:
"I just checked... the bottom of my foot doesn't seem to be injured."
"Let me see."
Naturally, Sora wasn't going to just take her word for it. He crouched down halfway, reached out, and grasped the girl's smooth ankle, gently lifting it up.
Angel-sama's delicate foot had snow-white skin. The pale blue veins on her instep were clearly visible, her toes were as round and cute as freshly peeled lotus seeds, and her nails were trimmed neatly, giving off a healthy pale pink luster. The arch of her foot had a beautiful curve; no matter how you looked at it, it was a meticulously carved work of art.
Due to shyness and nervousness, her five toes curled inward, making the curve from her ankle to the tip of her toes even more alluring, causing one to involuntarily want to carefully play with it.
If those perverted foot fetishists saw this, they would probably have only one thought in their minds:
"Cute, want to lick..."
Fortunately, Sora was not a foot fetishist and didn't have such perverted impulses. After simply admiring it for a couple of seconds, he quickly looked towards the bottom of Angel-sama's foot.
Because she had just been picking up shells on the beach, the bottom of Mahiru's foot inevitably had some fine sand on it, making it hard to see the specific situation clearly. So Sora simply reached out, preparing to wipe away the fine sand from the girl's sole.
"Mmm... Nn~!"
The instant his fingertips touched the girl's sole, Angel-sama's trembling, sweet hum abruptly rang out, instantly dyeing the air pink.
"..."
Sora silently lifted his head, looking wordlessly at Angel-sama.
He saw Mahiru covering her pink lips with the back of her hand, her pretty face flushed crimson as she looked away, already too ashamed to meet his eyes.
I only lightly touched the bottom of your foot, and your reaction is this exaggerated. Just how sensitive is your sole!
Sora extended a finger again and wiped the bottom of Angel-sama's foot.
"Mmm..."
The uncontrollable trembling hum sounded again. Mahiru embarrassedly tried to pull her foot back, but thankfully Sora's grip was firm enough.
"D-Don't tickle the bottom of my foot..."
Mahiru's voice was full of shame, looking over with flustered pleading.
"I'm not doing it on purpose to tease you." Sora spoke righteously; a clear conscience fears no false accusations. "You have fine sand on the bottom of your foot. I have to clean the sand off first before I can see clearly if there are any wounds on your sole... I'm going to continue cleaning?"
Mahiru took a deep breath, tensing her pretty face, mentally preparing herself in advance:
"Go ahead."
And then...
"Nn~!"
Angel-sama's sweet, trembling hum sounded once more.
She couldn't hold it in.
She completely couldn't hold it in.
Even with mental preparation beforehand, the tickling, numb sensation on the bottom of her foot was still like an electric current, capable of directly piercing through her body and soul.
People don't feel ticklish when they tickle themselves, but it's different when someone else tickles you—before you tickle yourself, your cerebellum performs a 'shader cache' 0.2 seconds in advance. The area being tickled, the force, the reaction, etc., are all within the cerebellum's prediction. Unfortunately, the cerebellum can only predict itself, not others. So naturally, having your foot tickled by someone else will feel incredibly ticklish.
Fortunately, there wasn't much sand on Mahiru's sole, so it was quickly cleaned off, ending Angel-sama's shameful execution.
"Lucky." Sora carefully checked the bottom of Angel-sama's foot twice, breathing a sigh of relief. "There's only a small scratch on the bottom of your foot, the skin isn't broken. There's no need to go to the hospital."
"Phew..."
Hearing these words, Mahiru immediately breathed a sigh of relief. The girl's pretty face was as red as fire, her voice shy:
"Since it's fine, Sora-kun, please let go of me..."