Dealing with Yamamoto

Yamamoto vanished as if he were a stain wiped away by an eraser.

A few days later, the "Precision Electronics Workshop" quietly welcomed a smiling middle-aged aunt. The hustle and bustle of the commercial street remained unchanged, as if the greasy store clerk with the fanatical gaze had never existed. Only Sakura Airi knew that the fear that had been dogging her steps had finally receded a little.

Toudou Shizuka received a text message from an unknown number. The content was so brief it contained only two words:

"Handled."

The sender was unknown, but he knew exactly who it was. Chabashira Sae's promise, cold and efficient.

On the evening of the day he received the message, a fine mist of rain began to fall. Toudou Shizuka, having just finished his Sanda Club training, walked out of the gymnasium with an umbrella. He saw a familiar figure standing under the eaves outside the gym, like a wet, lost little animal, nervously clutching a familiar waterproof paper bag printed with cartoon rabbits.

It was Sakura Airi. Rain had soaked her bangs, making them cling wetly to her large, black-rimmed glasses. The hem of her oversized hoodie was also stained a darker shade of wetness. She kept her head down, her body trembling slightly, unsure if it was from the cold or from nervousness.

Seeing Toudou Shizuka emerge, she startled and looked up abruptly. Behind her oversized glasses, her eyes, always filled with unease, now shone with a faint but real light she had never possessed before.

Mustering immense courage, she took a small step forward, her voice moist with the rain and tinged with an irrepressible lightness.

"Tou... Toudou-kun!"

Toudou Shizuka paused, tilting his umbrella slightly to shield her from the stray raindrops falling from the edge of the eaves. He looked at the girl, damp and with sparkling eyes, and the tension in his chest, tightened by the rooftop confrontation and the suspicious glint, inexplicably eased a little.

"Sakura-san? What are you doing here on a rainy day?" His tone was softer than usual.

"I... I heard that... that clerk... was fired!" Sakura Airi's voice held a hint of joy, as if a heavy burden had finally been lifted. "Teacher Chabashira... she... she must have found the evidence! That's great!"

She clearly attributed the success to her homeroom teacher's "due diligence," completely unaware of other possible reasons. After all, teachers were supposed to help students, which was why the "student harassment issue" was resolved so quickly.

Toudou Shizuka watched her relief and genuine happiness. The words "I did it" swirled in his throat, but ultimately, he didn't say them.

It was probably better to let her maintain her trust in her teacher and her simple joy. He simply nodded, a gentle smile on his face. "Yes, I heard too. You can rest easy now."

"Mhm!" Sakura Airi nodded vigorously, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks, a mix of excitement and shyness. She carefully handed him the waterproof paper bag she was holding, her voice trembling slightly with a hint of appeasing gratitude. "Th-this... this is new cookies... and... and this..."

Flustered, she took out something else from the paper bag, carefully placed in a transparent file sleeve. It wasn't cookies, but a printed photograph.

Toudou Shizuka took it. The photograph depicted a corner of the campus. Against the backdrop of the continuous drizzle, a nameless wild grass grew in the cracks of an old brick wall.

Rainwater washed over its slender stem and leaves, but at the tip of the grass, a tiny, almost overlooked white flower stubbornly bloomed. The Composition and Light Capture were excellent, creating a stark contrast between the gloomy rain and that fragile yet tenacious vitality. The composition was simple yet possessed a silent power.

[Target: Sakura Airi (Status Refresh)]

Photography (Composition and Light Capture): A-rank (Core Skill, temporarily activated!)
Observational Skill (Detail Capture): B-rank (Core Skill, temporarily activated!)
Social Phobia (Severe): A-rank (Activated, but temporarily suppressed by joy)
Self-Perception (Extreme Inferiority Complex): A-rank (Activated)

[Affection: 25 (Gratitude) → 35 (High Gratitude and Initial Trust)] - Immense gratitude for crisis resolution and sharing joy.

"I... I took this..." Sakura Airi's voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum, filled with immense shyness, as if she were revealing her deepest secret. "I thought... I thought it looked a lot like... a lot like..." She didn't finish, but Toudou Shizuka understood her meaning. It was like herself, like that faint light that existed despite being buried by fear.

Toudou Shizuka looked at the photograph, then at the girl standing in the rain, bravely sharing her "faint light." The hard corner of his heart, wrapped in calculations, seemed to have a tiny crack pried open. He was silent for a few seconds, carefully placed the photo back into the file sleeve, and took it along with the paper bag.

"It's a great shot, Sakura-san."

His voice was lower than usual, with a rare seriousness. "Truly, it has so much life." This compliment was not polite; it was a genuine appreciation for the A-rank capture skill.

Sakura Airi's face turned even redder. Even her large glasses couldn't hide the brilliance that flashed in her eyes. It was as if she had received the most precious affirmation in the world. She nodded vigorously, the corners of her mouth involuntarily curving into a shy yet incredibly genuine smile.

"Then... I'll be going now!" She seemed to have used up all her courage, afraid to look at Toudou Shizuka again, and turned to run into the rain.

"Wait."

Toudou Shizuka called out to her.

He took out his personal device, opened the contact creation page, and handed it to her. His voice held a hint of barely perceptible awkwardness, his gaze shifting slightly. "It's raining quite a bit. Let's exchange contact information. Next time... next time you want to share photos, or... well... if anything else happens, you can contact me directly."

This action was somewhat "out of character" for him, not fitting his low-key and transparent "Toudou Shizuka" persona. But seeing her slender back about to dash into the rain, the words "contact me directly" slipped out.

Sakura Airi froze, staring blankly at the device screen he held out, then at Toudou Shizuka's slightly averted face. Overwhelming surprise and disbelief washed over her. Toudou-kun... was asking for her contact information? This... this was like a dream!

Her hands trembling, she almost poked the screen with her fingertips, typing in her number. Then, as if holding a treasure, she brought up her own device's QR code, letting Toudou Shizuka scan it.

[Sakura Airi Affection +10 (Gained immense trust boost from initiating contact and sincere praise). Current: 45 (High Gratitude and Trust) -> Target: 60 (High Trust).]

After exchanging contact information, Sakura Airi, like a startled but incredibly happy little rabbit, quickly said, "Thank you, Toudou-kun! Goodbye!" and then turned and dashed into the fine rain, her steps even carrying a hint of lightness. Toudou Shizuka watched her disappear into the rain curtain, looked down at the newly saved "Sakura Airi" on his device, and pushed up his glasses, concealing his momentary awkwardness.