However, the moment Sakura Airi spoke, Clerk Yamamoto's head snapped up from behind the counter! His normally gloomy, vacant eyes now fixed on Sakura Airi like searchlights. His pupils contracted sharply, and his breathing grew heavy! A sickly flush and indescribable excitement surged across his greasy face!
"Y-you're...!" Yamamoto's voice went shrill and distorted with excitement. He hurried around the counter and stumbled two steps toward Sakura Airi, his hands trembling uncontrollably. "Ai-chan! You're Ai-chan, aren't you?!
"That 'Ai-chan'! I... I'm your fan! Those pictures you posted online... they were so beautiful! Every single one was a work of art! I... I saved them all! Really! I look at them every day!"
His expression twisted, and his eyes burned with frightening fervor, full of possessiveness and a chilling obsession. Sakura Airi was terrified by his sudden actions and words. Like a startled fawn, she jerked backward, her back slamming into the glass door with a dull thud! Her face went deathly pale, and her body shook like a leaf in the wind. Tears of fear welled up behind her large black-rimmed glasses.
"N-no... You've got the wrong person..." She shook her head frantically, her voice breaking as she just wanted to escape this nightmare.
"Impossible! I'd never mistake you for someone else!" Yamamoto grew even more excited and moved closer, spittle nearly spraying onto Sakura's face. "Ai-chan! Why did you stop taking pictures?
"Why did you hide yourself away? Your talent... your beauty... they shouldn't be buried! Let me see! Let me see what you look like now!" He actually reached out to grab Sakura Airi's arm, trying to take off her glasses!
"Ah—!" Sakura Airi let out a short scream and squeezed her eyes shut in despair, curling in on herself.
Just as Yamamoto's greasy hand was about to touch Sakura Airi's trembling arm—
"Sir."
A voice, so calm it was nearly devoid of inflection, rang out. It wasn't loud, but it pierced the feverish atmosphere in the store like a cold steel needle.
Yamamoto froze mid-motion. A flash of anger at being interrupted crossed his feverish eyes. He turned fiercely toward the source of the voice—it was the ordinary student who had been looking at the equipment, Toudou Shizuka.
Toudou Shizuka had set down the miniature camera and voice recorder at some point. He didn't look at Yamamoto; his gaze rested calmly on Sakura Airi, and his tone was gentle but firm. "Sakura, Teacher Hoshinomiya asked me to tell you to check the class meeting materials as soon as possible. She's waiting for you in the office."
He made up an excuse on the spot. His voice was steady, with a strange, soothing quality. (Sakura was in Class D.)
Only then did he turn his gaze to Yamamoto. His expression remained calm, but beneath it lay the palpable, icy pressure of his S-Rank Fighting Style. "Sir, the customer is only here to buy a cleaning cloth. Please don't do anything that could make either of you uncomfortable.
"Otherwise, I won't hesitate to contact the school's Security Department, or... call the police."
His words were clear and logical. First, he gave Sakura Airi a reason to leave—the teacher needed her. Then he pointed out Yamamoto's misconduct—harassing a customer. Finally, he issued a clear warning—school security or the police.
[Leader Charisma A-Rank] and [Social Affinity A-Rank], precisely controlled by [Thought Acceleration], gave him the presence of a protector while keeping him composed and rational, as befitted a student.
The pressure in Toudou Shizuka's calm gaze sent a chill through Yamamoto. The words "security" and "police" doused him like a bucket of cold water.
The feverish look in his eyes quickly faded, replaced by offended embarrassment and a trace of fear. He looked at Toudou Shizuka's composed face, then at Sakura Airi, trembling by the door like a startled bird. He seemed to realize that he'd lost control of himself.
"Hmph! Mind your own business!" Yamamoto spat in annoyance and glared at Toudou Shizuka before turning back behind the counter. He roughly swept aside the equipment Toudou Shizuka had set down, making a harsh scraping sound. But in the end, he didn't dare do anything else.
Toudou Shizuka paid Yamamoto no further attention. He walked over to Sakura Airi, keeping a respectful distance, and angled himself to block Yamamoto's view. His voice was low and reassuringly gentle. "Sakura, it's all right now.
"There's no rush to get to the teacher. Why don't you leave first?"
Sakura Airi was still trembling, too terrified to think straight. Through her blurry, tear-filled eyes, she looked at the unfamiliar boy in glasses standing before her—Toudou Shizuka.
His calm eyes and gentle words formed a barrier, keeping the frightening clerk at bay for the moment. She nodded unconsciously, a choked "Mm" escaping her throat. Almost scrambling on all fours, she pulled open the store door and stumbled out, disappearing into the crowds on Commercial Street.
Toudou Shizuka watched her flee and sighed softly. Her S-Rank Social Phobia and inferiority complex... they were like heavy shackles. He turned and walked back to the counter, his expression once again calm and unreadable, as though nothing had happened. "Sorry for the trouble. I'll take those two items I looked at earlier."
Yamamoto's face darkened. He scanned the items roughly and named a price. Toudou Shizuka calmly paid with points. Once the transaction was complete, he picked up the bag containing the miniature camera and voice recorder. Without so much as a glance at Yamamoto, he left the oppressive store.
The moment he stepped outside and back into the sunlight on Commercial Street, the corner of his eye caught a spot on the outdoor terrace of the cafe across the street.
A brown-haired boy in an ordinary school uniform sat quietly there, holding a cup of steaming coffee. His gaze passed calmly, without a trace of emotion, through the crowd and settled on Toudou Shizuka, who had just left the "Precision Electronics Workshop." (I'm not sensitive to hair color, so I called it brown.)
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
He was like an observer removed from the scene. Perhaps everything that had just happened in the store had fallen into those lifeless eyes, like inorganic glass beads.
Toudou Shizuka's heart skipped a beat. The instincts of his S-Rank Fighting Style made his muscles tense slightly the moment he realized he was being watched. But his expression didn't change in the slightest. He didn't even look toward Ayanokouji.
Like the most ordinary student, he joined the crowd on Commercial Street with his newly purchased electronics and walked steadily toward the dorms.
[Detected target (Ayanokouji Kiyotaka) maintaining a gaze. Correlation Analysis: Low. Motive: Observation. Threat Assessment: None.] [Sakura Airi Affection +15 (Grateful for being rescued, initial trust). Current: 15 (Neutral) -> Target: 60 (High Trust).] [Simulation Points +10 (Resolved potential conflict, protected another person). Current: 50 points.]
Toudou Shizuka walked back to the dorms, the sunset stretching his shadow long behind him. He felt the two cold electronic devices in his pocket and replayed the scene in his mind: Clerk Yamamoto's feverish gaze, Sakura Airi's desperate trembling, and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's terrifyingly calm stare.
The sunlight on Commercial Street remained warm, yet seemed to carry an invisible weight. The tendrils of intelligence had begun to spread, seeds of goodwill had been quietly sown, and unseen eyes watched in silence.
He opened the door to Dormitory 307, temporarily shutting out the clamor and shadows. Next, it was time to test his new equipment and build up his strength for the next hunt, nourished by [Deep Sleep].
A new piece had been played on the chessboard of points and connections.
Before you continue