Just as Fūki Ran devoted all his energy to laying the groundwork for the Special Exam, a figure he had nearly forgotten reentered his life in an unexpected way: Sakura Eri. The shy girl, who always lingered at the edge of the crowd like a startled fawn, trying to hide behind thick glasses and a short bob, had lately seemed unusually anxious.
This strange change first came to light in one of Karuizawa Kei's routine reports.
[Feng Qi, Sakura's been acting a little strange lately. She used to be quiet, but now she always seems on edge. Today in the hallway, a boy from the next class was running too fast and accidentally bumped into her. She jumped as if she'd been shocked. Her books and camera almost fell out of her hands. She grabbed them and ran off, looking pale as a ghost, like she'd encountered something terrifying.] Karuizawa described it over the encrypted communicator, her tone carrying the distance and bewilderment of an "insider" toward an "outsider."
Almost at the same time, Kushida Kikyo mentioned a similar observation.
[Feng Qi, I've noticed Sakura Eri has been going to the abandoned Photography Club room in the Old School Building more often lately. She's even more cautious than before. Every time she goes in, she looks around for ages, then slips inside as soon as she's sure no one's there. She stays for hours. Do you think she's hiding something really important?] Curiosity and a taste for snooping colored Kushida's voice. She had clearly grown interested in the taciturn girl.
Sakura Eri? An image immediately surfaced in Fūki's mind: the girl who always clutched her camera carefully and avoided people's eyes. He vividly remembered the panic with which she'd reacted when he accidentally bumped into her, like a startled little animal, and the hurt and fear that had welled up in her eyes when the camera she treasured as if it were her life hit the ground. He also remembered taking her off campus to get it repaired, her soft-spoken thanks, and the grateful, curious glances she occasionally stole at him from behind her thick lenses. An intensely introverted girl who lacked a sense of security, an old clubroom that was all but forgotten, and her recently worsening anxiety... The clues strung together and piqued Fūki's interest.
On the eve of the Special Exam, when tensions were high, any abnormality could signal a complication—or a potential opportunity. He needed to find out whether Sakura Eri was hiding a deeper secret, whether he could make use of it, or at the very least, ensure it wouldn't interfere with his plans.
He didn't choose to approach Sakura directly. That would undoubtedly scare off this overly wary "fawn," who nevertheless seemed to harbor a faint fondness for him. Instead, he took a more circuitous, more deliberate approach.
First, through Kushida, he spread vague rumors among the girls, hinting that "strange noises could be heard in the Old School Building at night" and that "there were bad stories about the Photography Club from back in the day." The rumors had no substance; their only purpose was to cast a more mysterious shadow over whatever Sakura was secretly doing and subtly heighten any psychological pressure she might be under, making her more dependent on the one person who knew part of her secret and had helped her before.
Next, he instructed Karuizawa to show a little more friendliness and concern than usual—but never too much—during the few necessary occasions when she interacted with Sakura, such as an impromptu group assignment or passing something to her. For instance, after Sakura was startled again, Karuizawa could follow his instructions and walk over to ask softly, "Eri, are you okay? You look a little pale. Have you been tired lately?" He wanted to reinforce the idea that someone had noticed her unusual behavior in her closed-off, uneasy inner world, making her more sensitive and dependent, on a subconscious level, to kindness from others—especially kindness connected to Fūki.
Last, and most importantly, he decided to visit the old Photography Club room himself again. This time, he needed to learn more.
One evening, as dusk fell and the campus gradually quieted, Fūki returned without a sound to the room in the Old School Building, where a battered "Photography Club" sign hung on the door. It was still locked, but that posed no obstacle. With an exquisitely precise and professional technique, he opened the door without leaving a trace.
The clubroom was still full of discarded equipment and dust-covered photo paper, and the distinctive scent of developer hung in the air. But in the carefully tidied corner, Fūki found more traces of Sakura Eri. He cautiously looked through the neatly arranged photos and documents she had stored there, surprised to discover that the seemingly unremarkable girl had not only an exceptionally keen eye and superb photography skills, but was also active in an exclusive gravure idol circle online under the virtual identity "Shizuku." The carefully shot and edited artistic portraits showed a completely different side of her from the hunched, head-down Sakura Eri he knew—a striking, dreamlike figure brimming with expressiveness.
Fūki immediately understood the source of her recently worsening anxiety. She wasn't just using her camera to observe and document the real world; she was also playing the role of another, dazzling self in the virtual world. If this secret came out, it would destroy the quiet school life she had so carefully maintained. The public scrutiny and possible disciplinary action would be devastating for a girl as sensitive as her. That was probably what she feared: perhaps someone had begun to suspect the truth, or perhaps she was worried that the tense atmosphere before the Special Exam would make it harder to keep the secret hidden.
Now that he understood, Fūki immediately began to reconsider how he might use this. Sakura Eri, the girl who already felt some fondness and trust toward him, was more valuable than he had expected. She was not only a witness with an ideal vantage point, but also a potential source of information with a huge secret that could overturn the image she presented to others. Controlling that secret meant controlling Sakura Eri's weakness, and her existing fondness for Fūki could make her much easier and less risky to control.
He carefully put everything back as it had been and left the clubroom without a sound, as if no one had ever been there.
A few days later, during lunch break, Fūki timed it just right and "happened" to pass through the quiet hallway where Sakura Eri often went to look out over the courtyard. She was there, holding her camera and staring out the window, a persistent shadow of melancholy and anxiety clouding her brow.
Fūki didn't approach right away. He stopped some distance away and leaned against the railing, his eyes on the courtyard. In a calm voice, but loud enough for her to hear, he spoke as if to himself:
"Sometimes our truest selves are hidden behind the lens. Whether we're recording others or showing a different side of ourselves, it takes great courage. That courage deserves to be protected."
Only after he had finished did he turn his head slightly and look at Sakura, his expression calm.
Sakura Eri turned around sharply. When her eyes met Fūki's, she froze as if struck by lightning. The camera in her hands nearly slipped. She hurriedly clutched it to her chest, her face turning deathly pale, her lips trembling. Her eyes brimmed with disbelief and panic, as if he'd seen straight through her soul. He... knew? How could he know? Was he talking about her?
But the accusations or threats she expected never came. Fūki simply gave her a slight nod, his expression still calm, with perhaps... a hint of something hard to describe... understanding? He said nothing more, then turned and walked away, leaving Sakura alone, rooted to the spot, her heart pounding and her thoughts in disarray.
That familiar feeling of being seen through but not exposed welled up in her again. But this time, along with the fear, something more complicated and indescribable began to stir. He... seemed to understand her. Was he hinting that he would... protect her secret? Thinking of how he had helped her repair her camera, and how his manner had always been calm, neither pitying nor intrusive, Sakura's heart felt as if a great stone had been thrown into it.
In the days that followed, Sakura Eri's attention to Fūki Ran reached new heights. Her camera found itself following him more and more often, and her eyes lingered on him for longer each time. But now, beyond the observation and vague fondness she had felt before, there was also deep confusion, a trace of secret dependence, and a growing trust she herself had yet to recognize. She began to feel that there was something strangely safe about being near that boy who was always so unnervingly calm.
Through indirect feedback from Kushida and Karuizawa, Fūki learned that Sakura remained tense but had made no rash moves. If anything, she seemed to have developed a deeper kind of "fixation" on him. He knew he had achieved the effect he wanted. Building on Sakura's existing fondness for him, he had subtly applied pressure, then hinted at "understanding" and "protection," binding her fear to that nascent affection. He didn't need to force her into his camp. He only needed this sensitive fawn to instinctively want to draw close to his seemingly calm "shadow" whenever she felt threatened.
He wasn't in a hurry to play the Sakura Eri card before the Special Exam. She was like a unique, sensitive plant that needed careful tending and the right moment to bloom. For now, he only needed to make sure she grew under his influence and drew her "light" and "water" from him alone. At some crucial moment in the future, this investment might bring an unexpected return.
Before you continue