Sakura Airi tumbled awkwardly to the floor. Ignoring the pain, she stared fixedly at the shattered camera on the ground through her huge glasses.
All the color drained from her face. Her lips trembled violently, but she couldn't make a sound.
Horikita Suzune froze, her outstretched hand suspended in midair. For the first time, shock and a hint of... helplessness crossed her usually cold face. She hadn't expected this to happen.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's gaze settled on the shattered camera. His eyes behind his glasses remained calm, but a glint seemed to flash briefly through his narrowed eyes.
And Kushida Kikyo... The concern on her face froze for a fraction of a second the moment the camera hit the ground, like a mask. Then an even more intense, even more "sincere" look of concern and guilt flooded her face.
"Oh my goodness! Sakura, are you okay?!" Kushida cried. She immediately let go of Sakura's hand, crouched down, and hurriedly helped her up, while looking at the camera on the ground with overwhelming "guilt." "I'm so sorry!
"I'm really sorry! I... I was just trying to stop you... I didn't think... the camera... would break... It's all my fault! I was so careless!"
Her voice caught in her throat, and her eyes reddened at once. Her guilt was plain to see, as though she had broken something she cherished most.
Sakura Airi let Kushida "help" her, but her body was limp and unresponsive, like a puppet with its strings cut.
Her gaze remained fixed on the shattered camera. At last, a crystal-clear tear slipped from behind her huge lenses, too heavy to hold back, and fell silently onto the cold floor.
Toudou Shizuka stood in the shadow of the back door to Class D, his fingertips still warm from sending Sakura