Nothing Happened

The church was unnaturally quiet after the lightning faded.

The next second—

Ginny threw herself into Kuma's arms.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Her fists landed chaotically against Kuma's broad chest. They were not particularly strong, but carried emotions that had been suppressed for far too long.

Tears streamed down her face, and her voice was broken and trembling.

"You idiot! You idiot!!"

"What the hell were you thinking—?!!"

She cried and pounded on him, as if she were venting all the fear, despair, and fury she had felt in that moment.

Kuma stood frozen in place.

He lowered his head and looked at the emotionally distraught Ginny in his arms, not knowing how to comfort her for a moment.

For the first time, obvious panic appeared on his usually honest and gentle face.

"Ginny..."

He murmured in a clumsy, cautious tone, as if afraid that saying one more word might hurt her.

He instinctively wanted to hold her tighter, wanted to tell her, "It's all right now," and wanted to shield her from all her unease with his body.

But just as he raised his arms—

His movement suddenly halted, and something surged through his mind—

His cursed body.

The Buccaneer bloodline.

And all those fates that had once been implicated and taken away because of him.

It was as if some invisible shackle had tightened around his heart once more.

His body trembled faintly. His arms stopped in midair, then slowly lowered in the end.

Ginny did not notice his hesitation.

She only buried her face deeper into his chest and cried even harder, as if afraid that if she let go, everything before her would completely collapse.

—

Meanwhile, over the open sea.

Lightning tore across the sky.

Rock's figure transformed into a straight bolt of thunder, speeding between