Kazama Ya sounded so excited that Yui felt he might leap straight out and plant a kiss on her.
The more she thought about it, the more disgusted she felt. She shook her head, casting those strange thoughts out of her mind.
"Oh, right, Kazama Ya, you still haven't answered my question. Are there any traps on these stairs?" She stared at the gourd at her waist, waiting to hear what he would say. "You said you knew this place inside out, so surely you know all about its traps!"
Kazama Ya's nonsensical apology earlier hadn't lowered Yui's guard. If anything, it had made her even more wary.
She couldn't shake the vague feeling that everything happening here was bizarre.
"Ahem, ahem! Oh dear! I almost forgot about that." Kazama Ya hurriedly answered, "Yes, I know everything about this place. After all, I've been here so long that there's nothing I don't know."
After boasting a little, Kazama Ya slowly continued, "These stairs will shoot fire if you trigger a trap. Be careful as you climb."
"The trap is triggered when both feet step onto the same stair at once. All you have to do is put both feet on the same stair, and you'll make it through safely."
"That trap really could catch someone off guard." Yui was briefly taken aback. She hadn't expected the trigger to be placing both feet on the same stair at once.
"Then I'll give it a try."
She took a deep breath, gently raised one foot, and slowly placed it on the stair above, her eyes scanning her surroundings warily in case anything happened.
Just as Kazama Ya had said, the trap didn't seem to react at all.
Yui raised her other foot and placed it on a different stair.
"Crunch..." Suddenly, a