Just as Masao allowed himself to relax, the crisis finally averted, he felt his foot slip out from under him.
He tumbled backward with a helpless yelp.
Thankfully, he'd landed on soft earth, and his generous layer of body fat cushioned the blow. It was more startling than painful.
The world spun before his eyes. When his vision finally settled, Masao found himself staring up at...
'A blessing of the Light upon you, to purify all of creation…' The holy mantra vanished, replaced by a far more earthly vision.
—
Yukinoshita had chosen that moment to check on them. She arrived just in time to see Masao's legs give way.
She darted forward, a hand outstretched to catch him, but she was a fraction of a second too late. He was already on the ground.
And she had stopped directly where his head had landed.
A step back, and she'd have been fine. A step forward, and Masao had hit the jackpot.
"Eek!"
A startled gasp escaped Yukinoshita's lips. She instinctively clamped her legs together, her hands flying down to press her skirt firmly against her thighs.
But from Masao's vantage point, lying flat on his back, the defensive gesture was futile.
The realization hit her a moment later.
Her face flushed a brilliant crimson as she scrambled back several meters, her expression a mixture of embarrassment and indignation.
She knew it was an accident—Masao wasn't the type to do something like that on purpose—so she bit back any reproach.
[Ding.]
[Congratulations, Host, on obtaining 10 points of Corruption Value.]
Even so, a strange, unsettled feeling washed over her, leaving her legs feeling weak and unsteady.
"Are... are you two alright?" she managed, her voice uncharacteristically flustered and thin.
Jahy shook her head, looking more annoyed than hurt. "I'm fine."
Having used Masao as a human shield, she was virtually unscathed, save for a slight dizziness from the initial collision.
The image he had just seen, however, was burned into Masao's mind. Lying there, looking up, he had a perfect view of Yukinoshita—hands clutching her skirt, body slightly bent forward, her face a perfect portrait of flustered shame.
"I... I'm fine, too," he stammered, his own cheeks growing warm.
His gaze only made her blush harder. She wanted to step forward and help them up, but the fear of another potential wardrobe malfunction kept her rooted to the spot.
"Then you should get up," she said, her voice regaining a sliver of its usual composure. "Since you have what you came for, let's head back."
Her eyes then fell upon a red crystal on the ground—the Mana Stone Jahy had been seeking. It had slipped from her grasp during the fall and now lay not far from Yukinoshita's feet.
Without thinking, she bent down and picked it up.
"Wait—!" Masao cried out, but he was too late. The Mana Stone was already resting in her palm.
Hearing his panicked shout, Yukinoshita looked up, puzzled. "What is it?"
"Kyaaa!"
A high-pitched shriek tore through the air, drawing everyone's attention.
The crow was diving toward them once more. Whether it was seeking revenge or drawn by the shiny mana stone, its target was clear: Yukinoshita Yukino.
Seeing this, Masao shoved Jahy off and scrambled to his feet.
He knew all too well the misfortune the Mana Stone attracted—something no ordinary person could withstand.
Faced with the sudden avian assault, Yukinoshita didn't panic. Her eyes narrowed with focus, and she fell into a practiced defensive stance.
Under normal circumstances, she could have easily dodged or deflected the attack.
But the Mana Stone's curse was already at work, tipping the scales toward chaos.
Yukinoshita was entirely focused on the enemy in front of her, completely unaware of Masao rushing to her aid from behind.
And so, as fate would have it, Masao's feet betrayed him once more. His shoe slid on a loose patch of soil, sending him stumbling forward, directly into Yukinoshita's back.
'Damn, is this curse from the Mana Stone giving me delayed side-effects?!'
That was his final thought before impact.
He twisted his body mid-fall, turning a clumsy collision into a protective tackle. His arms wrapped around Yukinoshita, pulling her close.
Caught off-guard by the force from behind, Yukinoshita gasped as she lost her balance.
The next thing she knew, she was enveloped in Masao's arms as he deliberately rolled them both to the side, taking the full force of the impact himself. He ended up on his back with her half-sprawled on top of him.
If he hadn't, she would have likely landed face-first. She wouldn't have been disfigured, but scrapes and blood were almost certain.
Masao was convinced today was his unlucky day. His head swam from the impact, his thoughts fuzzy and disjointed.
Yukinoshita wasn't in much better shape. While his body had shielded her, the initial shove had been substantial. The subsequent roll left her feeling dizzy and disoriented, a dull ache spreading through her side.
"Hey, are you two alright?" Jahy asked, strolling over with a hint of impatience.
Her first priority was to pluck the Mana Stone from the ground, safely storing it away. This was not an object for a human to handle.
As for the crow, startled by the violent commotion, it beat a hasty retreat, circling high above with angry caws.
Yukinoshita pushed herself up, shaking her head to clear the fog.
"Ahem. I'm fine. Masao-kun, are you alright?"
She opened her eyes and found herself looking down at him, as he was still lying flat on his back beneath her.
As she used her hands to prop herself up, she felt something hard bump against her thigh. In her dazed state, she dismissed it as a rock or a root.
Once stable on her feet, she brushed the dirt from her dress and reached a hand down to help Masao up.
After taking a moment to steady his breathing, Masao saw the offered hand. He took it, his grip firm, and used her support to pull himself into a sitting position.
"Thanks, Yukinoshita."
"Don't mention it," she said, her tone softening with genuine concern. "How do you feel? Do you need to go to the hospital?"
"I'll be fine. It's just a little fall. I just need a moment," he said, remaining seated.
He needed to ensure everything had settled down—not just his spinning head, but the other, more immediate and embarrassing, physical reactions that such a close encounter had provoked. It had been a lot to process all at once.
Finally, he stood up, testing his weight carefully.
All three of them looked worse for wear.
Yukinoshita's pristine white dress was smudged with dirt and grass stains, and her meticulously styled twin-tails were coming loose.
Jahy had fared better, though her clothes were disheveled.
Masao was in the worst state; his clothes were a mess of soil, and the back of his shirt was slightly torn.
Both Masao and Yukinoshita shared a look of silent agreement—they couldn't stay in this accursed park a moment longer.
They started back the way they came, with Jahy trailing behind them, the recovered Mana Stone now safely in her possession.
On the walk back, Yukinoshita's gaze kept drifting to the crystal in Jahy's hand.
It looked like a ruby of exceptional clarity and quality. But if she remembered correctly, the largest ruby ever auctioned was only about six centimeters in diameter. The one Jahy was holding looked to be well over ten.
'It probably isn't a ruby, then,' she concluded.
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