"Alright, we need to hurry and catch up. It would be bad if we fell behind."
Yukino smiled slightly, even giving Tuanzi a wink.
Tuanzi was stunned to see the cheerful Yukino.
"Even Yukino has grown to this extent? I… I really am ridiculous."
A small flame ignited in Tuanzi's heart. Though not large, it already had the potential to illuminate her entire heart.
Perhaps with a little more fuel, this flame would become a raging inferno, devouring all difficulties.
Tuanzi patted her face, mustered her courage, and then followed the two.
The three had already reached the stairwell. Bai Yuze looked at the viscous liquid on the stairs and fell into contemplation.
"Have you found anything?"
Yukino brushed her hair back, leaning down to examine the stairs.
"Yes, there's even more of this viscous liquid on the stairs. If we step on it, our shoes would probably get stuck."
Bai Yuze reached out and touched the liquid. Its viscosity was no less than maltose that coats the throat.
"Then how do we get past it? And how did that guy get through this stuff?"
Yukino was shocked by humanity's desire for life. Running on stairs with such viscosity—that was practically superhuman!
"How about I carry both of you across?"
Bai Yuze didn't really care about his shoes; he could just run barefoot. But Yukino and Tuanzi's feet couldn't handle the feeling of direct contact with the floor.
Yukino took a few steps back, instantly switching to a look of disgust.
"Oh? Is pervert-kun deliberately luring us here? Just to take advantage? It seems that guy wasn't woken up by you on purpose, was he? All just to lay a hand on us two weak women. Pervert-kun really is an out-and-out scumbag, isn't he~"
"Go, go, go, where do you get so many strange names? If you don't want to, then fine, I'm afraid of my back getting stiff anyway!"
"You!"
Yukino was getting a bit heated, but before she could erupt, Tuanzi quickly intervened.
"Ahaha, how about I carry Yukino? Xiao Ze, you just lead the way."
Tuanzi thought of a compromise. After all, the stairs were too sticky. If something suddenly happened ahead, then carrying someone while moving forward, the best outcome would be not to end up crippled.
Therefore, Bai Yuze leading the way with the Town-Suppression Strange Object, and Tuanzi carrying Yukino, was the optimal solution. Yukino's stamina was poor, so she naturally couldn't carry Tuanzi.
Of course… not that anyone was afraid of someone feeling inferior, absolutely not.
After discussing for a while, the three finally agreed to Tuanzi's suggestion.
"Then I'll trouble Yui Yuigahama."
Yukino apologized to Yui Yuigahama from her back. There was no helping it; her stamina was too poor. Asking her to carry Yui Yuigahama through the sticky stairwell was a pipe dream.
"It's fine, it's fine. Yukino is so light, it's not tiring at all."
Tuanzi cheerfully reassured Yukino, though she did agree with Bai Yuze's words.
Yukino… was a bit bony…!
"You don't need to go so fast. These stairs have changed, and there might be some small fry or something."
Bai Yuze took the lead, walking at the very front. At this moment, he held a cleaver like a general facing a thousand armies, occasionally turning back to reassure his soldiers.
Sure enough, just after Bai Yuze finished speaking, tentacles suddenly appeared on the stair steps, gradually attacking the three.
"Attack!"
Bai Yuze's cleaver rose and fell. As it sliced through the tentacles, several sword cries echoed, cutting down a large section with one swing.
Yukino also wielded her scalpel from Tuanzi's back. Although she could precisely kill each tentacle, there were simply too many of them, and she was having trouble coping.
Fortunately, Bai Yuze noticed their danger. He tried his best to clear the attacking tentacles for the two of them, moving upward step by step.
Tuanzi also tried her best to steady herself, not letting herself fall over.
"Almost there! One step… two steps… three steps…"
Due to nervousness, Tuanzi subconsciously counted the steps in her mind, and this was Bai Yuze's oversight.
He only thought that the more people were told not to do something, the more they would do it. But he didn't consider that in a tense, oppressive, and dangerous situation, people would unconsciously count down to the end of their suffering…
Suddenly, a pair of huge tentacles attacked the three, startling Tuanzi and Yukino. But Bai Yuze acted as if he didn't see the huge tentacles.
Tuanzi, due to excessive fright, didn't steady herself. It wasn't until the tentacles passed through Bai Yuze's body that she realized it wasn't real, but rather the environment…
The two women only felt their bodies plummeting, as if endlessly.
"Tuanzi! Yukino!"
Bai Yuze watched the two women fall directly through the stairwell, calling out anxiously.
But no matter how he shouted, the two women did not respond, still falling together into the abyss…
"Damn it! I'm going to fight you all!"
Bai Yuze roared, swinging the cleaver with immense force. Even after severing the attacking tentacles, the cleaver still swung downwards due to inertia.
Clang!
The cleaver struck the stair step, and the maltose-like sticky liquid vanished instantly.
"So that's it… I should have thought of it sooner! The sticky liquid in this stairwell is also a type of strangeness; I should have realized it!"
Bai Yuze irritably ran his hands through his hair. At this point, no amount of regret would help.
Therefore, he could only continue forward…
——
Yukino gradually woke up. She heard the sound of dripping water.
"Where am I now? Oh right! Where's Yui Yuigahama!"
Coming to her senses, she quickly searched for Yui Yuigahama's figure. When she turned her head, she found Yui Yuigahama lying beside her.
Seeing that Yui Yuigahama was not missing, Yukino breathed a sigh of relief. She called out Yui Yuigahama's name and reached out to push her body.
"Passed out?"
Seeing no signs of Yui Yuigahama waking up, Yukino quickly pressed her thumb into Yui Yuigahama's philtrum.
"Mmm…? Uh… I know… I'll get up in a bit… Mom… just let me sleep a little longer~"
Yui Yuigahama's voice was lazy.
No… calling her Tuanzi would be more appropriate now.
After hearing Tuanzi's mumbling, the stone in Yukino's heart also fell.
She couldn't help but call out with a smile.
"Yui Yuigahama, it's time to get up. This isn't the time for sleeping. Pervert-kun will be anxious if he can't find us."
"Hmm?"
Tuanzi sat up and rubbed her eyes. Seeing Yukino, she was momentarily stunned.
"Eh? Yukino, did you come to my house to visit?"
Looking at Tuanzi's dazed expression, Yukino smiled.
"If we can get out, I will personally and formally visit your home."