(Thanks to Xin Huo Bu Jin and Le Le Zai Shi for the generous tips, big thanks (*˘︶˘*)...:*♡)
Someone gently knocked on the door of Dormitory 307, the sound as faint as a feather drifting down on the breeze. Toudou Shizuka set down the Miniature Camera he had been testing and got up to answer it.
Sakura Airi stood outside. She was still wearing that oversized gray hoodie, her huge Black-rimmed Glasses almost covering half her face. Her long bangs hung down, and she looked like a snail trying to retreat into its shell after being startled.
She kept her head lowered, both hands clutching a paper bag decorated with cartoon rabbits. Her knuckles had gone faintly white from gripping it so tightly.
"F-Fuj... Toudou..." Her voice was barely audible, and it trembled noticeably. "Th-thank you... for yesterday... at the shop..."
Toudou Shizuka stepped aside to let her in, a gentle smile on his face. He softened his voice even further. "Sakura? Come in and sit down. Yesterday was no trouble at all."
"N-no, I can't!" Sakura Airi shook her head sharply and took half a step back like a startled rabbit, as if the dorm room were a den of dragons.
In a fluster, she thrust the paper bag toward him and lowered her head even further. "Th-this... I made it myself... just some Coarse Snacks... Please... take them... I'm... really grateful!" It seemed to take every bit of courage she had to say that. Then she turned, ready to run.
"Sakura," Toudou Shizuka called after her in time. His voice remained gentle, but carried a reassuring steadiness. "That shop clerk... he hasn't bothered you again, has he?"
Sakura Airi stiffened visibly, then slowly turned around and shook her head. Her voice was colored with lingering fear. "N-no... I... I ran away..." She hesitated, then summoned a great deal of courage to add in a small voice, "He... he seemed kind of... scary..."
[Target: Sakura Airi (Refreshed)]
Social Phobia (Severe): A-rank (Core negative trait, active)
Extreme Inferiority Complex: A-rank (Core negative trait, active)
Photography (Composition and Light Capture): A-rank (Suppressed)
Observational Skill (Detail Capture): B-rank (Suppressed)
[Affection: 15 (Neutral) → 20 (Grateful)] - Sincere gratitude for being helped increased affection.
"That's good." Toudou Shizuka nodded and accepted the paper bag, still warm from her hands. A faint sweetness wafted from inside. After a moment's thought, he spoke with concern and consideration for her. "Sakura, even if that clerk hasn't done anything else for now, this kind of harassment is very serious, especially on the school's Commercial Street.
I think you should tell Teacher Chabashira. She's your Homeroom Teacher, and it's her responsibility to protect her students. The school should have clear rules for dealing with this kind of harassment." He invoked "rules" and "responsibility," trying to give her a legitimate reason to seek protection.
"Teacher Chabashira..." At the name, Sakura Airi instinctively shrank back again. A deeper fear and reluctance flickered behind her huge glasses. "I... I can't... Teacher Chabashira is... so strict..." Her A-rank Social Phobia made her instinctively afraid of interacting with any authority figure, especially someone like Chabashira Sae, who exuded A-rank Aura Intimidation.
Toudou Shizuka understood her fear. He softened his voice and gently coaxed her. "You don't need to be afraid. Teacher Chabashira may look strict, but she's your Homeroom Teacher. Keeping the students in her class safe is her responsibility.
"You only need to tell her exactly what happened yesterday. I'm sure she'll take care of it." He emphasized "responsibility" and "take care of it," trying to encourage her.
Sakura Airi bit her lower lip, deeply conflicted. Toudou Shizuka made sense; the teacher ought to do something. But the thought of facing Chabashira Sae's cold, appraising gaze and describing that frightening incident made it hard to breathe. Her hands and feet turned cold.
In the end, fear and inferiority overwhelmed her faint courage.
"I... I'll try... Thank you, Toudou..." she mumbled, her voice so quiet it was almost inaudible. Then she turned and ran off as if fleeing for her life, leaving Toudou Shizuka alone with the sweetly fragrant paper bag.
Toudou Shizuka watched her disappear around the corridor corner and sighed softly. Her A-rank Social Phobia and inferiority complex were like a thick wall of ice.
He shut the door and returned to his desk, then opened the paper bag. Inside were several rustic-looking butter cookies that gave off an enticing aroma. It was clear the maker had put care into them.
He picked one up and tried it. The flavor was simple, with a warm sweetness. Sakura's gratitude was sincere.
But Toudou Shizuka knew there was little chance Sakura would report the matter to Chabashira Sae herself. A cool glint flashed in his eyes. Fortunately, he wasn't without a plan.
With a thought, the System Interface unfolded in his field of vision. He pulled up an audio file and a video file. The audio contained everything from the moment Yamamoto recognized Sakura Airi inside Precision Electronics Workshop the previous day to his hysterical, feverish confession and verbal harassment, and finally Toudou Shizuka's intervention and warning.
The Miniature Camera had clearly captured Yamamoto approaching Sakura and trying to grab her arm, her terrified and helpless expression, and the resentful, unwilling look in Yamamoto's eyes after he was warned.
The evidence was conclusive. Faced with the audio and video, there was no way to deny Clerk Yamamoto's harassment.
Toudou Shizuka encrypted and saved both files. He didn't plan to use them just yet. He was waiting to see what came of Sakura Airi's attempt, and for a better opportunity to step in.
Just as Toudou Shizuka had expected, two days later he "happened" to run into Kanzaki Ryuji in the Teaching Building corridor. Kanzaki was hurrying along, brows knitted.
"Kanzaki, what's wrong? You look upset." Toudou Shizuka greeted him first, sounding concerned.
Kanzaki pushed up his glasses. Behind the lenses, his eyes held a trace of barely concealed exhaustion and irritation. "Nothing. I just dealt with a bit of trouble.
"Sakura Airi from Class D went to report that a clerk at Precision Electronics Workshop on the Commercial Street had harassed her."
"Oh? What did Teacher Chabashira say?" Toudou Shizuka already understood, but showed an appropriate look of surprise and concern.
"Hmph!" Kanzaki rarely showed his displeasure so openly. "After listening to Sakura's halting account, which was barely coherent, Teacher Chabashira just coldly replied, 'Understood. I'll look into it.'
"Then this morning, Sakura timidly went to ask what had happened. Teacher Chabashira just brushed her off with, 'The clerk denies it. There's no evidence, so I won't take action.' Sakura burst into tears right there. Kushida Kikyo, who happened to be passing by, comforted her and took her back to Class D."
Kanzaki's voice carried restrained anger. "My B-rank Observational Skill tells me that clerk is definitely up to no good! There's no way Sakura was faking her reaction!
"But Teacher Chabashira's attitude... she was practically brushing it off! She's their Homeroom Teacher!" He clearly disapproved of Chabashira Sae's disregard for her students' safety.
Before you continue