Yukinoshita Yukino saw it all. She bit her lip with her pearly teeth, took a deep breath, and said softly:
"Hold me."
"Huh?"
Amamiya Natsuki paused, then looked at Little Yukino in confusion.
Yukinoshita Yukino's pretty face tensed.
"I'll use the frying pan to shield us from the hail. Hurry."
Amamiya Natsuki quickly caught on and couldn't help smiling.
"Little Yukino actually asked me to hold her of her own accord. I suddenly feel like I can die without regrets."
Yukinoshita Yukino's face went expressionless. She turned to leave.
"Offer withdrawn."
"I sincerely apologize. Please, you must forgive me."
Amamiya Natsuki apologized earnestly, then scooped her up in both arms and carried Yukinoshita Yukino bridal-style.
She had said the offer was withdrawn, but when Amamiya Natsuki lifted her, Yukinoshita Yukino's body was quite cooperative. One arm wrapped around his neck to keep herself steady, while her other hand raised the frying pan to fend off the giant hailstones falling from the sky.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Hailstones the size of fists struck the frying pan with a ringing clang. Yukinoshita Yukino could feel the entire pan trembling.
Fortunately, she was a player, and her physical abilities had been enhanced many times over. An ordinary person might not have been able to keep holding the pan up.
Danger lurked everywhere.
Countless hailstones rained down from above. If one hit them in the head, the consequences would be unthinkable.
In such a perilous environment, Amamiya Natsuki had no time to tease Little Yukino. He held Yukino tightly in his arms, pushed off with both feet, and sprinted away.
Thud! Thud! Thud...
The hailstorm seemed to cover a vast area. Amamiya Natsuki ran hundreds of meters without a break, yet they were still in the hail zone. The ground as far as the eye