As the howling wind high above faded, Ginro, perched in the treetops, witnessed every moment of Li Xiang's leap.
Through the drifting, pale white poisonous mist, he saw the girl's face clearly.
Her light yet resolute figure struck him deep in the heart, stirring towering waves in a place that had lain still for so long.
Until then, he had lived in insecurity and cowardice, always shrinking back, convinced he was weak and useless, good for nothing but trailing behind the others and holding them back.
But in that instant, he finally understood.
Everyone ventured into danger not to shelter his weakness, but to protect those standing beside them, to make sure every companion could live on!
So what excuse did he have not to improve?
The breeze gently stirred his hair. The familiar fear and timidity faded from the boy's eyes, replaced little by little by a glimmer of steady determination.
His gaze was clear and burning, as though he had suddenly found a reason to move forward.
He clenched his fists until his knuckles paled, and a voice in his heart grew ever clearer.
I... I have to become someone useful.
I chased after everyone without a second thought and risked my life coming here, but it was never so I could hide behind them.
It was to help, to become someone they could rely on!
At that moment, high in the treetops, Ginro changed.
A seed called growth, tempered by desperate danger, finally broke through the soil and sprouted.
[Oh my god...]
[Li Xiang took such a huge risk. What if she hadn't made the jump?]
[Relax. The author wouldn't let that happen.]
[Author: What's that supposed to mean, bro?]
Meanwhile, Kohaku held the still-shaken Li Xiang securely in her arms, following the mountain path home and