"The elementary schooler is a bit heavy, don't force yourself..."
With his eyes closed, Sora lifted the elementary schooler up.
"I've got her."
Mahiru grabbed the elementary schooler's arms, took a deep breath, and quickly pulled her up.
"Good, mission easily half-completed."
Sora opened his eyes in satisfaction, looking at the middle-aged man beside him who was raising his hands high, tentatively trying to attract the silverback gorilla's attention. He stepped forward to test the weight, and his brows quickly furrowed.
Too heavy.
The two major problems for middle-aged men are gaining weight and going bald. The father in front of him happened to have both. Although he didn't have a massive beer belly, he was definitely overweight, weighing at least 75kg.
Although Sora could lift him, with Angel-sama's strength, there was absolutely no way she could pull him up.
"Sora-kun, you come up first."
Mahiru's call quickly came from above.
"What's wrong?"
Sora looked up.
Mahiru was holding down her skirt, bending over to look down. Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders, making her face look even more petite and cute:
"The mana replenishment time is almost up. You come up first... I'll help replenish it."
"..."
When they were fishing at the beach half a month ago and saved the drowning mother and daughter, they had verified that each kiss on the cheek for mana replenishment only allowed Sora to move for about three minutes. Once the time was up, Sora would turn back into a "clay idol" again. Therefore, it was best to replenish the mana in advance.
"I'm coming up."
Sora took a running start, kicked off the wall, and easily vaulted over the railing.
"Sora-kun, close your eyes," Mahiru commanded softly, her pretty face flushed crimson.
Even though both of them knew perfectly well what the method for mana replenishment was, Angel-sama still insisted on making Sora close his eyes…
As long as you don't open your eyes, it doesn't count as a kiss!
"They're closed."
Hearing this, Sora obediently closed his eyes.
"Phew..."
Mahiru took a deep breath, stepped over to Sora's other side, stood on her tiptoes, and gently kissed Sora's left cheek with her pink, moist lips.
Sora: "..."
As expected, my guess was right.
You kissed my right cheek just now, and now you're kissing my left cheek. It's for symmetry, isn't it?
It definitely is!
Her OCD is super severe!
Meanwhile.
In the motionless, time-stopped world, a faint light seemed to quietly flash in the wide-open eyes of the blonde loli looking toward them.
"...Sora-kun, you can open your eyes now."
Mahiru's pretty face was stained crimson as she quickly took two steps back to create some distance.
Sora opened his eyes and looked at Angel-sama, who was averting her gaze, the tips of her ears and neck tinged with crimson. He wisely skipped the topic of mana replenishment and said with a serious expression:
"We have to think of another way."
"Eh?"
Mahiru looked up.
"That middle-aged uncle is too heavy." Sora said seriously.
"Even if I can lift him, Mahiru definitely wouldn't be able to pull him up."
"That's true..." Hearing this, Mahiru pursed her pink, moist lips and asked softly, "What are your thoughts, Sora-kun?"
"I don't have a good idea, but I have a clumsy one." Sora spread his hands.
"We'll go find a ladder. As long as we have a ladder, I can carry the middle-aged uncle up on my back... I just don't know how long it'll take to find one."
Mahiru nodded gently, seriously considering the feasibility of the proposal. Suddenly, her gaze caught the staff member running out from the gorilla house. Her eyes instantly lit up, and she pointed a finger:
"Sora-kun, that person is a staff member, right?"
Sora followed the direction Angel-sama was pointing and saw a man wearing an indigo-blue work uniform. He nodded slightly:
"Should be."
Mahiru looked up, her caramel-colored eyes shining brightly:
"He came out from inside the gorilla house, so there must definitely be a staff entrance, right?"
"Hmm?"
Sora was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly understood what Angel-sama meant.
"Mahiru means, I should carry that middle-aged uncle out through the staff entrance on my back?"
"Exactly." Mahiru's eyes were bright, her voice gentle.
"If we choose this method, we won't have to go to the trouble of finding a ladder."
"That does sound very feasible." Sora also thought it was a good idea and prepared to vault over the railing.
"I saw the iron gate where the staff member went in and out, but the door seems to be closed... I'll go check if the staff member has a key on him first."
"W-Wait a minute..."
Mahiru reached out her right hand, her pretty face flushed as she stopped Sora, her voice shy:
"Sora-kun, close your eyes."
There was no helping it.
Each kiss only allowed Sora to move for three minutes. The previous two minutes were spent discussing countermeasures, leaving only one minute, which was too tight. So, another mana replenishment was needed.
"..."
Sora obediently closed his eyes.
Before long.
A soft, moist touch gently imprinted on his cheek again, fleeting as a dragonfly skimming the water, followed by the quiet fading of the delicate fragrance.
"...Sora-kun, you can open your eyes now."
The girl's shy voice drifted into Sora's ears.
"Leave it to me."
Sora vaulted over the railing, quickly ran to the staff member, and successfully found a key on him. It was clearly the key to open the staff entrance door.
He quickly went to the door, unlocked it with the key, and a brightly lit staff corridor instantly appeared before him.
"Sora-kun, you can come back now!"
Angel-sama's call came from afar.
"Coming."
Sora turned and ran back, easily climbing over the railing and returning to Angel-sama's side.
Just as he returned, his movement time ran out, and he stood frozen in place.
Mahiru, blushing, reached out her right hand, gently covered Sora's eyes, and then stood on her tiptoes to help replenish his mana with a kiss.
Angel-sama was becoming increasingly adept at this self-deception.
"Three minutes of movement time is a bit short." Mahiru gently furrowed her delicate eyebrows, looking over worriedly.
"Sora-kun, with that middle-aged uncle on your back, there's no way you can leave within three minutes, right?"
"It is indeed a bit difficult." Sora pondered for two seconds and voiced his idea.
"But I can act like an ant moving house, making multiple trips. I'll carry him for a distance, come back for mana replenishment, and then go down to carry him for another distance... As long as I calculate the movement time in my head, there won't be any problems."
"But that sounds so exhausting..." Mahiru pursed her pink, moist lips and looked down. Seeing the bloated figure of the middle-aged uncle, her tone was worried.
"Climbing back and forth carrying someone, Sora-kun's stamina will drain rapidly, won't it?"
Sora said softly: "I should be able to handle it."
"We can't risk it." Mahiru shook her head, her gaze quickly turning resolute.
"I'll go down with Sora-kun."
"Hmm?"
"As long as I stay by Sora-kun's side, I can..." Mahiru's pretty face flushed crimson, and she shyly averted her gaze.
"I can replenish your mana at any time."
Sora pondered for two seconds. Angel-sama's suggestion was indeed very good:
"Then I'll go down first and catch you?"
"Okay..."
Mahiru agreed softly.
Sora vaulted over the railing, landing steadily. He opened his arms and looked up:
"Mahiru, jump down."
Mahiru held down her skirt with her right hand and looked down. There was no sign of hesitation on her pretty face; instead, her gaze quickly became firm.
"Phew..."
Taking a deep breath, Angel-sama lightly bit her lower lip and leaped down.
Thump.
Sora steadily caught Angel-sama in a princess carry.
Their eyes met.
Sora said softly:
"You actually jumped just like that. Is Mahiru not afraid at all?"
Mahiru's pretty face was already thoroughly flushed. The princess carry posture was super embarrassing. She replied softly:
"Actually, I'm a bit afraid... but I trust Sora-kun more."