Faced with their dual reprimands, Masao offered a performance of profound contrition.
"Oh, I'm a wretched soul, truly," he began, channeling the spirit of a Shakespearean actor with a theatrical self-reproach. "I knew only that Jahy's objective lay within the nest, waiting to be retrieved. I failed to consider the tragedy of rendering a crow homeless..."
His excessively dramatic display of guilt successfully mollified them. One had to admit, this particular approach proved remarkably effective for demonstrating sincere remorse.
After brief deliberation, the trio settled on a plan: Jahy would make the ascent with Masao providing support from below.
Masao had his reasons for not retrieving the item himself. His reluctance stemmed not from an inability to climb or any fear of heights, but from his knowledge of what Jahy sought.
Mana Stones brought misfortune to ordinary humans. Unless some miracle occurred, the moment he touched it, some mishap would inevitably send him tumbling down.
The same principle applied to Yukinoshita, preventing him from allowing her to attempt the retrieval. This was, ultimately, Jahy's affair to handle.
For her part, Jahy insisted on reclaiming her property personally.
Thus, the final formation was established: Jahy at the top, Masao in the middle, and Yukinoshita maintaining watch from the ground below.
Jahy struggled, her small limbs scrambling for purchase on the rough bark. Without Masao boosting her from below, she would never have managed the ascent.
Despite his softer physique, Masao's strength and height, augmented by his recent weeks of training, allowed him to maintain a secure grip on the trunk.
"Masao, assist me! I can't reach higher!"
"My hands are occupied! How exactly am I going to help?"
"Ah! I'm slipping!"
"Be careful!"
"Waaah—!"
As Jahy reached for the next branch, her foot slipped. Just as gravity took hold and Yukinoshita stepped forward instinctively, Masao shifted position beneath her, breaking her fall.
However, in his desperate bid to stabilize them both against the tree, he had no hands free to adjust their compromising position.
Still, letting her fall was out of the question.
The result was an instant and intensely awkward position.
A suffocating pressure made Masao grimace.
"Hurry," he urged, his voice strained. "I can't maintain this position for much longer."
"I know!" Jahy retorted, her face flushed crimson with humiliation. "And stop talking! You're distracting me!"
"Okay. Just hurry," came his muffled response.
"I said no talking!" she shrieked, her fluster intensifying.
Below them, Yukinoshita observed the scene through narrowed eyes, a peculiar understanding dawning.
She believed she understood why Jahy wished for Masao's silence. The realization brought a faint pink hue to her own ears. She truly wished she hadn't grasped the implication so immediately.
'I must have been contaminated by prolonged exposure to Masao-kun.'
(Masao: I object, Yukinoshita! Such baseless assumptions are defamatory! I have committed no transgression! Accusations require evidence!)
"Maybe you should both come down for now," Yukinoshita suggested, unable to endure their visible discomfort any longer.
"Unnecessary! I'll reach it in a moment!" Jahy declared, recommencing her struggle upward.
Her movements, however, made things considerably worse for Masao. The pressure against his face increased, and he felt his neck was about to snap.
"Mmmph mmmph mmmph!" (Take it easy with the movements!)
"I said no talking! And stop breathing too!"
—
After considerable exertion, Jahy finally wrestled herself from the awkward predicament and hauled herself onto the target branch.
Masao, finally liberated, gasped for air, his tongue lolling out. His face felt numb and feverishly hot from the smothering, now slick with uncomfortable, clinging sweat. Wiping it was impossible with both hands gripping the tree.
"That was awful," he complained. "My neck nearly broke. Thank goodness you didn't... you know, pass gas. I would have died for sure."
His remark earned him a ferocious, teeth-bared scowl from Jahy. Did he imagine she had found the situation agreeable?
Dismissing him for the moment, she shot back, "I don't pass gas!" before carefully inching along the branch toward the nest.
Masao stayed put, not following, as the branch was clearly not thick enough to support both their weights.
"Huff... huff…"
After a painstaking crawl, Jahy finally reached the nest's edge. Peering inside, she froze, uncertainty holding her hand.
Seeing her hesitation, Masao called out, "What is the matter? Is it not there?"
"No, it's just... there are several baby crows in the nest."
"Just work around them."
"I'll try."
Fortunately, perhaps due to the Mana Stone's hardness, the chicks weren't perched directly upon it, allowing Jahy a narrow window of access.
She extended her hand with extreme caution, aiming to take the mana stone without disturbing the young birds.
"Cheep! Cheep! Cheep!"
Despite her careful movements, the commotion they had already made had roused the babies. The moment Jahy's hand approached, they began chirping loudly.
Seeing the agitated little birds, Jahy became even more hesitant and timid.
"Hurry up! The mother crow will be back any second!"
"I know!"
Jahy closed her eyes, steeled herself, and swiftly reached in to grab the Mana Stone.
Even at her fastest, she still got pecked a few times by the tiny beaks. It stung. But seeing the stone securely in her hand made it all feel worth it.
"I did it!" she exclaimed, holding her prize aloft like a victorious general.
Just as she was celebrating, Yukinoshita's warning came from below.
"Hey, get down quickly! The mother crow is back!"
Jahy looked up to see a crow diving towards her at high speed. Its fierce, determined glare startled her so much she nearly lost her balance and fell from the branch.
She wanted to scramble down immediately, but it was clearly too late.
In that moment of danger, a small stone flew through the air, striking the diving crow and successfully disrupting its attack run.
"Hurry up!"
Bought this precious time, Masao had already shimmied down the tree.
"Hey, jump! I'll catch you!" he called up to her.
Jahy was about three meters up. Considering her weight, Masao was confident he could catch her.
Jahy glanced down. Perhaps it was because she was currently in a smaller form, but the distance to the ground seemed dauntingly high.
Thankfully, being formerly capable of flight, she had no fear of heights. Holding the two Mana Stones, one large and one small, also bolstered her confidence. She swung herself around and let go of the branch.
Masao successfully caught the falling Jahy.
All three of them breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief.
However, none of them noticed one crucial detail: the large, newly acquired Mana Stone had made direct contact with Masao's skin.
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