Mika jerked back in perfectly feigned horror.
"E-Explode?" He stammered, voice cracking just right. "You're joking, right? There's no way my penis can actually...explode?"
But Fauna shook her head frantically, tears spilling anew.
"No, Mika—no. Why would I exaggerate something like this?"
"I've checked the projections over and over. The pressure buildup, the vascular strain, the mana saturation levels...that's the only possible outcome if we do nothing."
She then surged forward, wrapping her arms around him from the side in a desperate hug, pressing her tear-streaked face to his chest.
"I'm so sorry, Mika!...I'm so, so sorry!" She choked out. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. It's all because of me—because I didn't think it through, because I was careless!"
"I should have predicted the interaction! I should have flushed the system between doses!"
"People call me the greatest healer in the world, but I made such a stupid, unforgivable mistake…"
