Interest and Peeping

As this warmth quietly grew, Toudou Shizuka's senses, amplified by both [Stamina Enhancement] and [Thought Acceleration], caught an extremely subtle sense of being watched from the side and behind!

It wasn't the cold, inorganic observation like Ayanokouji's earlier, but a sticky, probing feeling, like a shadow clinging to him!

Under the guise of scanning items and bagging them, he naturally turned his body, his peripheral vision precisely sweeping towards the magazine rack near the supermarket entrance.

A brown figure stood with their back to them, seemingly engrossed in flipping through a magazine. However, Toudou Shizuka's instantaneous capture ability, enhanced by [Dynamic Vision (Fine-tuning)], clearly revealed the magazine's cover—an expired car magazine!

The person's ear, slightly turned towards them, and their somewhat stiff posture betrayed their true state!

Kushida Kikyo! She had followed him here. He glanced at her again with his peripheral vision.

He had felt a sense of familiarity when browsing the fresh food section, thinking he saw her. Now, at the checkout, she was still nearby.

Kushida and I have only met a few times, we haven't even spoken much.

Was it a coincidence? But their routes overlapped too much.

He watched her lower her head, browsing the shelves, her gaze occasionally drifting towards them.

At the same time, Sakura was murmuring in his ear about which brand of yogurt tasted better, but he was somewhat puzzled about Kushida. What exactly did she want?

She couldn't possibly have followed Sakura and him out of mere curiosity about his relationship with Sakura, could she?

Maintaining a calm expression, he continued to interact gently with the cashier, paying for their items (naturally including the cost of Sakura's art supplies and snacks, not giving her a chance to refuse), and picked up the two full shopping bags.

He turned to Sakura, his smile still gentle, but a hint of imperceptible sharpness lurked in his eyes: "We're done. Shall we go? I'll help you take your art supplies back to the dormitory?"

Sakura Airi was still immersed in the small flutter of excitement and warmth from earlier, completely unaware of the gaze from the shadows. She simply nodded gratefully, "Um... Thank you, Toudou-kun..."

Toudou Shizuka carried the bags, walking alongside Sakura out of the supermarket.

The sunlight was a bit harsh. He could clearly feel that sticky gaze behind them, like a persistent burr, following them closely. It only seemed to disappear after they turned onto the path leading to the dormitory building.

[Kushida Kikyo Affection: 16 (Neutral) -> 17 (Neutral)] - System Notification: Interest slightly increased due to continuous observation of target interaction. Threat Assessment: Potential information collector.

[Ayanokouji Kiyotaka Correlation Alert: Kushida Kikyo's continued attention may be a reason for Ayanokouji's scrutiny.]

Toudou Shizuka escorted Sakura to the base of the dormitory building, handing her the bag of art supplies. He said casually, "Thank you for your help today, Sakura-san. Let's plan another trip next time."

"Um... Goodbye, Toudou-kun..." Sakura Airi took the bag. Behind her large glasses, there was a hint of reluctance, but more so, satisfaction and peace of mind.

She turned and headed upstairs, her steps seeming lighter than when she arrived.

Toudou Shizuka stood at the base of the building, watching her disappear. The gentle smile on his face gradually faded.

The sunlight shone on him, but he couldn't feel much warmth.

Kushida's trailing felt like a small stone dropped into a calm lake.

Sakura's 65 points of affection, and the A-rank Photography skill within reach. The 65 Simulation Points were also enough to purchase the next talent ([Dynamic Vision (Fine-tuning)] still needed 55 points for 120 points).

But at this moment, the danger hidden behind Kushida Kikyo's closed door, and the invisible connection that might exist between her and Ayanokouji, had become a more pressing issue to address.

(During this period, Class D is preparing for exams and reviewing, so Ayanokouji needs Kushida as a facilitator to invite other classmates to join study groups.)

He carried his own shopping bag and turned towards the dormitory building.

In his mind, [Rational Analysis B-rank] and [Information Synthesis B-rank] began to operate at high speed like precise gears, analyzing Kushida's behavior patterns, possible motives, and... how to leverage her "interest" in him.

In turn, he could pry open the door to her trust and obtain the coveted A-rank Disguise Skill.

The faint light brought by Sakura still lingered in his heart, but the shadow cast by Kushida made the chess game of Kōdo Ikusei High School even murkier.

The next step: continue nurturing Sakura's growth, or proactively step into the shadows and contend with the "social monster" named Kushida Kikyo?

Toudou Shizuka adjusted his glasses. The lenses reflected the scorching afternoon sun, and also mirrored a thorny path leading into a deeper vortex.

Sakura Airi disappeared behind the dormitory door. Toudou Shizuka stood in place for a moment. The cool early autumn evening breeze brushed against his cheek, but it couldn't blow away the heavy thoughts weighing on his mind.

Kushida Kikyo flashed through his mind, carrying scrutiny, and a hint of imperceptible probing.

He took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the discomfort of being watched, and turned towards his dormitory.

Now was not the time to dwell on this. Improving his own "skills" was the real priority.

Returning to his simple single dormitory, the door shut out the outside world.

He casually placed the purchased stationery and daily necessities on the desk, but his gaze involuntarily fell upon the window.

Twilight deepened, and the campus lights gradually lit up, outlining the silhouettes of buildings against the deepening indigo sky.

The light became soft and layered. The halo of the streetlights cast long, subtly gradient reflections on the damp ground—this scene.

As the night slowly spread, the buildings became clear once the lights came on. The shadows on the ground merged with the moonlight, making one feel calm.

Just a few minutes ago, it was just an ordinary night view.

"System, enter Virtual Training Ground, simulate skill: Photography (Composition and Light Capture) A-rank." He needed to thoroughly master this precious gift from Sakura.

The moment the thought was issued, a pure white space enveloped him.

No camera, no physical body, only pure consciousness and perception infinitely amplified, projected onto the ever-changing virtual scenes constructed by the system.

[Virtual Training Ground activated. Simulation target: Photography (Composition and Light Capture) A-rank. Simulation count: 1/1000.]

[Scene generation: Twilight Campus.]

The scene before him was not a static image, but a flowing world of light and shadow.

He could "see" the trajectory of light rays, perceiving every wisp of light's scattering in the air, its reflection and refraction on the surfaces of objects.

The cold cement walls of the teaching building, under the slanted illumination of the sunset glow, presented a warm golden-brown hue, forming a strong contrast of warm and cool tones with the unlit shadow areas.

This contrast was no longer a simple matter of light and dark, but a temperature difference imbued with emotion.

[Composition Perception activated - Golden Ratio point capture - Guide Lines generated]

With a slight shift in thought, faint golden auxiliary lines automatically appeared in his field of vision.

The edges of the buildings, the extension of the road, even the blurred silhouette trajectory left by the students running in the distance, all became potential visual guide lines.

These lines drew his gaze towards the area within the frame that possessed the strongest "sense of breath"—the streetlight that had just lit up, emitting a warm yellow halo.

It happened to be located at a golden ratio point that was incredibly comfortable for the eyes.

Beneath the streetlight, a few ginkgo leaves, blown down by the wind, took on a semi-transparent texture within the halo, serving as a wonderful foreground embellishment.