"Who are you?"
Mahiru turned around nervously, her back against the streetlight. A look of alertness appeared on her pretty face.
"Why do you know my name?"
Sora raised an eyebrow at her words. "Shiina-san... can your eyes not see?"
They were classmates after all. Even though they hadn't talked in the classroom, they saw each other every day. It was impossible for Mahiru not to recognize him.
Plus, Mahiru had just ditzily walked into the streetlight... so her eyes couldn't see?
Was this the side effect of the Time Stop?
It felt much more dangerous than the side effect of turning into a catgirl.
"I-I'm not..."
Mahiru hurriedly denied it, but the guilt on her pretty face couldn't be hidden at all.
As everyone knows.
Among the human five senses, the proportion of external information received by vision is over 80%. The remaining senses combined are just a fraction of that.
No matter how calm and composed Mahiru was, she was still only a sixteen-year-old high school girl. Suddenly going "blind" like this made the panic in her heart easy to imagine.
"I'm Izumi Sora. I sit in the last row, near the door."
The panic and helplessness on the girl's face were clearly visible, so Sora didn't tease her. Instead, he simply revealed his identity.
"Eh..." Mahiru quietly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. The defensiveness on her face dissolved slightly. Her caramel-colored eyes looked toward Sora, but they were clearly not focused. "Are you Anna-san's childhood friend?"
Sora said softly.
"You can just call me Sora-kun."
"Sora-kun..." Mahiru pursed her cherry-blossom-like delicate lips. She raised her hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, her expression and tone returning to a steady state. "I was just daydreaming a moment ago, which is why I walked into the streetlight. You don't need to worry, Sora-kun."
Clearly, even as classmates, Mahiru still harbored a sense of caution toward Sora and wouldn't easily trust him.
"If you're okay, Sora-kun, please head home. I want to rest alone for a while."
Mahiru crossed her hands over her lower abdomen. Her face wore an impeccable, perfect smile. Her voice was gentle and pleasant, but she seemed like a girl wearing an angel mask, having lost that sense of reality.
Sora was silent for two seconds before speaking softly.
"I saw it."
Mahiru still maintained her perfect smile.
"What did Sora-kun see?"
Sora said softly.
"Just now, it was Mahiru-san who activated the Time Stop to save that mother and daughter who were almost hit by the advertising light box."
"..."
The perfect smile on Mahiru's face could no longer be maintained. Her pink lips parted slightly, and her bright eyes widened, turning into a look of unspeakable astonishment... It had to be said, she was unexpectedly cute.
"How? Everyone else clearly..."
"There are always special existences in the world, just like Mahiru-san, who can stop time." Sora explained softly. "It's not strange that I can see it. In fact, I encountered a girl similar to Mahiru-san not long ago. she can communicate with cats without any barriers."
Of course, he wouldn't reveal Kuroneko's specific identity. He had to respect others' privacy.
"So I'm not alone..."
Mahiru pursed her pink lips upon hearing this. She didn't feel disappointed; instead, she was a little happy.
She didn't want to rule the world, nor did she want to use Time Stop for bad things. The side effects of the Time Stop actually distressed her quite a bit.
Now, knowing that she wasn't the only special person in the world brought a pleasant surprise, as if she had found one of her own kind.
Sora continued.
"I can help heal your eyes, Mahiru-san."
"You really can?"
Mahiru's long hair trembled slightly. Although she tried to restrain herself, a look of both nervousness and expectation still appeared on her pretty face.
"Of course I'm not lying. I just healed the cat witch I mentioned today..."
Sora didn't hide anything and gave a detailed account of how magic power needed regular purification.
"I see." There was a hint of expectation in Mahiru's voice. "Then I'll have to trouble you, Sora-kun."
The previous two times she used the Time Stop, the duration of her lost sense of taste was twenty-four hours. The duration for her lost vision should also be one day. No matter how she thought about it, it was too terrifying. If she could regain her sight as soon as possible, Mahiru naturally wouldn't refuse.
Sora coughed twice.
"There's something else I haven't had a chance to say..."
"What is it?"
"Purifying magic requires physical contact, and it cannot be through clothes."
"..."
Mahiru widened her eyes. A look of embarrassment and anger quickly surfaced on her face, which was as fair as mutton-fat jade.
What did he mean by "not through clothes"?
Did he want her to take her clothes off?
No way!
She hadn't even held a boy's hand before. How could she agree to such a thing!
"Mahiru-san, don't misunderstand." Before Mahiru could refuse, Sora quickly explained. "Just a handshake is enough. There are no other requirements."
Mahiru quietly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and a small look of hesitation appeared on her face.
If it were kissing or hugging, she would definitely refuse a hundred percent. She would rather endure blindness alone than let Sora have his way. But if it was just a handshake, she naturally wouldn't have such a great resistance.
After hesitating for several seconds, Mahiru asked softly.
"May I ask how long it takes to purify the magic?"
Sora thought about the situation this afternoon. "It won't take more than ten minutes at most."
"That's good..."
Mahiru took a deep breath, then decisively bowed to Sora.
"Please help me purify my magic, Sora-kun."
"You're agreeing just like that?"
Sora looked over in surprise.
Even though a handshake wasn't a big deal, as a girl, shouldn't you hesitate a bit longer!
Mahiru stood up straight, her voice gentle. "Sora-kun is a good person..."
Even though we're classmates, we haven't said a single word before this. Don't just hand out good-person cards like that!
"During PE class at noon, Anna-san told me a lot about things that happened when you were kids. she kept praising Sora-kun for being gentle and attentive since you were little..."
Well, it was actually thanks to his gluttonous childhood friend.
"Also..."
A sweet smile suddenly appeared on Mahiru's face, but her voice became inexplicably dangerous.
"If Sora-kun does anything strange to me, I'll activate the Time Stop immediately and smash you to bits, okay?"
A drop of cold sweat fell from Sora's forehead.
"May I ask what 'smash to bits' means?"
Mahiru looked over with a smile. "It means making a certain part of Sora-kun's body physically smashed until it can no longer function."
That's enough! Don't say such terrifying things while smiling!What happened to the 'Angel-sama' everyone talked about? You're clearly a little devil right now!
"Rest assured, Mahiru-san. You are indeed very cute, but you're not worth sacrificing the happiness of the rest of my life for." Sora complained expressionlessly. "It's getting late, and I have things to do when I get back... shall I help you purify your magic now?"
"Please do..."
The girl's fair, jade-like face flushed slightly as she shyly extended her right hand.