"Take a plane?"
Izumi Sora shook his head upon hearing this:
"Too slow. We'll teleport over, reach there in one step, directly arriving at the campsite where the golden retriever went missing."
"Sora wants to teleport over?"
Gokou Ruri pursed her delicate lips, her expression somewhat hesitant:
"But the farther the distance, the greater the magic power consumption. There will definitely be side effects then, right?"
"With Ruri by my side, side effects aren't scary."
Izumi Sora looked down at Kuroneko:
"No matter what, Lord Ruri definitely wouldn't leave me behind, right?"
Gokou Ruri's pretty face flushed slightly. She evasively averted her gaze, giving a tsundere hum:
"A mere Sora, don't overestimate your status. If you really encounter danger, I won't foolishly stay by your side."
Pausing, Gokou Ruri looked over with concern:
"If I remember correctly, Sora doesn't know the environment after teleportation... What if we appear in a crowd?"
A living person appearing out of thin air—if they happened to be caught on a surveillance camera, they would definitely go viral online. Then their lives would inevitably become a mess.
If that happened, not getting the bounty money but ruining their lives instead would be too terrible no matter how you thought about it.
"Don't worry." Izumi Sora naturally had considered this beforehand. "The instant we teleport over, I'll activate Time Stop immediately."
"If the arrival location is empty, that's naturally for the best."
"If there are people, I can only rely on Ruri. When the time comes, you give the command, and I'll carry you and quickly leave."
"Eh?"
Gokou Ruri tilted up her small face in confusion. Her black hair cascaded down her shoulders like a black waterfall, perfectly highlighting its softness and silkiness:
"But during Time Stop, I don't even have consciousness. How can I speak?"
"There's actually a way to speak." Izumi Sora coughed lightly twice and whispered, "As long as Ruri kisses my cheek, you can gain the ability to speak."
"Ehhhhh?"
Gokou Ruri's small face quickly flushed red. She couldn't help taking a half-step back, covering her chest and looking over warily:
"Kissing or whatever... that's too terrible. Is Sora lying?"
"I am not, I don't." Izumi Sora innocently raised his hands. "I already verified it with Elf before. A kiss on the cheek lets you speak. If you don't believe me, you can ask Elf."
"..."
Hearing this sentence, Gokou Ruri instantly tensed her pretty face, raising a foot to step on Izumi Sora's instep:
"Elf is still a child. To actually do that kind of thing with Elf... commit seppuku!"
Izumi Sora verbally countered:
"Actually, I'm also a child..."
"Ptooey~"
Gokou Ruri couldn't help but spit lightly. Her mind involuntarily recalled the terrible scene she saw in the bathroom.
Still claiming to be a child, he's clearly a detestable crutch alien!
Izumi Sora continued:
"If Time Stop doesn't work, don't panic. There's an ultimate solution, which is to start over."
Kuroneko blinked, quickly understanding:
"Time rewind?"
"Correct." Izumi Sora snapped his fingers. "With Mahiru as a safety net, we don't need to worry about our identities being exposed."
"...That is indeed reassuring."
"Anyway, this is the fastest way to get to Hokkaido." Izumi Sora's expression turned serious, his gaze burning. "An astronomical bounty of one million yen will definitely tempt a lot of people. Even office workers will take leave to look for the dog. We have a lot of competitors."
"Tokyo is too far from Hokkaido. Whether we take a plane or the Shinkansen, by the time we get there, it will definitely be too late."
"If we want to get the bounty, the best way is to teleport there."
"..."
After hearing the pros and cons analysis, Gokou Ruri pursed her beautiful lips, subconsciously nodding in agreement.
"Then we teleport over... but the problem isn't solved." Gokou Ruri looked up, her voice shy. "E-Even if a kiss can let me speak, in the Time Stop state, I can't move at all. How can I go kiss Pervert Sora?"
Izumi Sora offered a solution:
"We can fulfill the ritual in advance."
"Eh?" Gokou Ruri blinked. "Advance... what does that mean?"
"Like right now." Izumi Sora took two steps forward, reached out, and directly scooped Kuroneko up, letting the girl sit in his arm. "Lord Ruri kisses me first, and then I'll teleport over... It's like playing a game, charging up an ultimate move in advance. By timing it right, the crisis is naturally resolved."
Gokou Ruri's small face flushed red. She hurriedly raised her hand to cover her pink lips, turning her small face away:
"I-I haven't brushed my teeth yet!"
"I didn't say Ruri has to kiss me now."
Thump!
Gokou Ruri delivered a headbutt, her voice full of shame:
"I'm not kissing you later either!"
"..."
As they were talking, footsteps suddenly sounded in the hallway.
The two hurriedly held their breath and stopped chatting.
The footsteps quickly arrived outside the door. Then Mrs. Gokou's voice came in:
"Little Ruri, get up and eat."
Gokou Ruri's small face was burning hot. With her mother standing just outside the door and her still being held in Sora's arms, the sense of shame and immorality made Kuroneko's heartbeat explode:
"I'll b-be up in a minute!"
Mrs. Gokou didn't leave immediately but asked from outside the door:
"Mom asked you to invite Sora over for a meal. What did Little Sora say?"
Hearing this, Izumi Sora turned his head to look at Kuroneko, whispering in her ear:
"Auntie is inviting me over for a meal?"
"D-Don't speak!"
Gokou Ruri quickly reached out, covering Izumi Sora's mouth, and then shouted to the door with a blushing face:
"I just woke up and forgot to message him. I'll ask in a bit."
"Don't forget, Little Ruri." Mrs. Gokou turned to leave. "Once you confirm Sora is coming over to eat, I'll prepare the ingredients in advance."
Listening to the footsteps outside fading away, Gokou Ruri quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Looking over with a burning hot small face:
"Idiot Sora, put me down quickly!"
Izumi Sora set down the girl in his arms, looking over with a smile:
"I'm free today, coming over for a meal is no problem."
"We still have to do the commission!" Gokou Ruri quickly took a half-step back, pulling her skirt down. Her small face was as red as fire, her voice shy. "It's because of the subway station incident before that Mom wants to thank you, that's why she asked me to invite you for a meal... Just that, and nothing else, Sora, don't let your imagination run wild!"
After explaining clearly, Kuroneko quickly turned and slipped away:
"We can eat anytime, but if we miss the commission, we'll definitely regret it for a lifetime... I'm going to wash my face, brush my teeth, and eat breakfast first. Sora, stay in the room, don't go out. Wait for me to come back, and then we'll go to Hokkaido to do the bounty."
Izumi Sora nodded, indicating he understood:
"Go quickly and come back quickly."
"..."
Half an hour passed in a flash.
The door was gently opened, and Gokou Ruri slipped inside.
"I already talked to Mom. I'm going out to play today and won't be eating lunch at home." Gokou Ruri looked up, speaking softly. "Sora, teleport out first. We'll meet outside in a bit."
"No need to go through all that trouble."
Izumi Sora raised his right hand and gently snapped his fingers.
The next second.
Izumi Sora's figure vanished out of thin air.
"Eh?"
Gokou Ruri widened her eyes and hurriedly looked left and right, quickly realizing:
"Is this Elf's invisibility ability?"
Buzz buzz.
Her phone vibrated gently.
Gokou Ruri quickly picked up her phone and saw Izumi Sora's message pop up:
"Correct."
Izumi Sora: "Ruri, just head downstairs. I'll follow behind you."
"...Let's go, come outside with me."
Gokou Ruri put her phone away with complex feelings, bit her lower lip, and walked out of the room.
Setting aside teleportation, Time Stop and invisibility are both abilities Sora acquired through copying. In other words, the ability I have to communicate with animals, Sora can also copy, right?
The prerequisite for forming a lifelong party is that both sides have complementary abilities and are indispensable, neither can leave the other.
But once Sora copies my ability, he won't need to team up with me anymore. He can handle everything by himself, right?
If that happens, we won't be able to be a lifelong party anymore...
Izumi Sora quietly followed behind Kuroneko, silently leaving the Gokou residence. He quickly noticed the girl's disappointed expression. Pondering for a moment, he understood Kuroneko's worry.
Sweeping his gaze around and seeing no one nearby, Izumi Sora decisively ended the invisibility.
"What is Ruri thinking about?"
Izumi Sora asked softly.
"Nothing..."
Gokou Ruri turned her small face away, refusing to reveal her true thoughts.
"The copied abilities are too weak." Izumi Sora intentionally sighed. "Time Stop is only one minute, invisibility is only ten minutes. Even if I copy Lord Ruri's ability, there will definitely be super many restrictions. We agreed to be a lifelong party. If we encounter other people who can help purify magic power in the future, Lord Ruri wouldn't abandon me and leave, right?"
Gokou Ruri crossed her arms over her chest. Her steps quietly became brisk, and she gave a tsundere hum:
"That's not certain... If Sora does something very excessive, I won't aid a tyrant."
"So anything besides aiding a tyrant is tolerable?"
"Hmph, of course not."
"..."
As they talked, the two arrived at an empty, secluded alley.
"This should be the place."
Izumi Sora looked around, reached out, and scooped Kuroneko into his arms again.
"Time is of the essence." Izumi Sora looked at Kuroneko, full of righteousness. "Let's complete the kissing ritual first, then we'll teleport to Hokkaido."
"I-I know..."
Gokou Ruri covered her chest with her right hand and nervously grasped Izumi Sora's collar with her left hand, her small face quickly flushing completely red.
Thump-thump, thump-thump.
Kuroneko could clearly hear her own rapid heartbeat.
When we hid in the utility closet at school before, although we had an accidental kiss, it was ultimately an accident. But now I have to actively kiss a boy...
The girl's sense of shame overflowed, and Gokou Ruri super wanted to shyly run away.
But thinking about the astronomical one million yen bounty, Gokou Ruri took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to flee in embarrassment.
Steady!
Can't run!
Split between the two of us, a massive sum of fifty thousand yen. I can buy presents for Mom and Dad, buy snacks for Hinata and Tamaki, and buy a lot of manga and games!
More importantly... the person I'm kissing is Sora, so it's okay...
Gokou Ruri's eyelashes trembled gently. She finally gathered her courage and shyly kissed Izumi Sora's cheek.
"Stay still."
Izumi Sora's voice was steady, his expression unchanged, completely unashamed:
"We're heading out."
As his words fell, Izumi Sora took a step. The space beneath his feet, like a lake into which a stone had been thrown, rippled outward in concentric circles, and the two vanished instantly.
The next second.
Time and space shifted.
The figures of the two appeared in a lush forest. Not far in front of them was a lake with azure water and excellent scenery.
"Akita City, Hokkaido, we've arrived."
Izumi Sora looked around, quickly confirming their location.
"This is the Fairy Forest Campsite."
The person who posted the bounty online was the Nanase family, a famous local politician family in Akita City. Yesterday was Saturday, and they were camping at the 'Fairy Forest' campsite. As a result, their Golden Retriever 'Edamame' played too happily and vanished without a trace.
The reason they posted the bounty so anxiously was mainly out of fear that the lost Golden Retriever had met with an accident—
Not a man-made disaster, but a bear disaster.
That's right.
Akita City in Hokkaido, in the eyes of Tokyoites, is the 'countryside of the countryside'. It has a small population, many wild animals, and is a severely afflicted area for bear appearances.
There had already been multiple bear attack incidents in Akita City this year. In the past, there were bear-hunting teams to maintain the brown bear population. But in recent years, the government has introduced many wildlife protection measures. There are more and more rules for bear hunting, yet the rewards given are less and less. After painstakingly hunting a bear, the reward is only five thousand yen; the effort and reward are completely disproportionate.
The final result is that there are more and more bears, and sometimes they even swagger onto city streets.
Not only that, the bears that appear in Hokkaido are brown bears, weighing over four hundred kilograms. If that lost Golden Retriever encountered a brown bear, one slap and it would be seeing its ancestors.
Under the combination of multiple factors, the massive one million yen bounty was posted.
Izumi Sora's gaze quickly swept left and right. He had already spotted figures moving in the forest, unsure if they were campers or people looking for the dog.
"Time Stop."
Izumi Sora didn't hesitate and decisively activated Time Stop.
The entire world's pause button was abruptly pressed.
At the same time.
Izumi Sora found his body immobilized. Unsurprisingly, the side effect of teleportation had occurred.
"So quiet..." Gokou Ruri's eyelashes trembled gently, and she shyly opened her eyes. "No, I should say it's dead silent."
The sound of the wind, the sound of the water flow, the rustling of leaves—all sounds vanished. The whole world was terrifyingly quiet.
"Is this the Time Stop world?"
Gokou Ruri looked around, her gaze falling on a fallen leaf frozen in mid-air, her expression quite amazed.
Of course, while amazed, Kuroneko didn't forget the serious business.
Sora activated Time Stop immediately, which proves there are bystanders nearby...
Found them.
There are actually several bystanders. We must quickly avoid their line of sight and hide.
"Sora, walk forward." Gokou Ruri looked around, quickly planning a route in her mind, and issued the command with a flushed face. "There's a large boulder ahead. We'll hide behind that rock."
"Understood."
Izumi Sora exerted a slight pressure with his hands, lifted Kuroneko, placed her on his shoulder, and then strode towards the large boulder.
"Ehhhhh?"
Gokou Ruri's small face instantly flushed rapidly red. She wanted to resist, but her body couldn't move. She could only question him in shame:
"Pervert Sora, what are you doing!"
Damn it!
Weren't we supposed to be sitting in the crook of your arm?
To actually lift me onto your shoulder, this is clearly the posture a dad uses when playing with his kid!
Feeling the temperature of the boy's neck against the skin of her inner thighs, Gokou Ruri felt so ashamed her head was smoking.
We aren't even dating... this posture is too shameful!
"I don't know what's going on either." Izumi Sora's tone was innocent. "It's my body moving on its own."
"Ptooey~"
"Perhaps my body thinks Ruri sitting on my shoulder is more appropriate?"
"How could that possibly be appropriate, ahhhhh!"
"..."
Izumi Sora's pace was very fast, and in the blink of an eye, they walked behind the large boulder.
"Good, there's no one around." Gokou Ruri quickly scanned their surroundings. After confirming no one was there, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief. With her small face burning hot, she issued a command, "Pervert Sora, hurry up and put me down."
Izumi Sora's body moved on command. He grabbed Kuroneko's armpits with both hands, forcefully lifted her upwards, and then gave a gentle toss.
"Ah..."
Gokou Ruri was completely panicked. Seeing her body falling, she hurriedly closed her eyes in fear.
Fortunately, the next second, Gokou Ruri felt herself caught by a pair of strong arms. She quietly opened one eye, happening to meet Izumi Sora's face.
Their eyes met.
Izumi Sora's expression was super innocent, but his movements didn't stop. With a neat and stylish gentle toss, he let Kuroneko land steadily on the ground:
"It really is my body moving. I also don't know why it lifted you high."
"...Shine! (Die!)"
Kuroneko's small face was burning red with shame. Gritting her teeth, she couldn't help but want to bite him.
Why did your body suddenly lift me high?
It must be because your head is full of lewd things, that's why you messed around!