Glimmer in the Dark Night

On Monday morning, the sky was a hazy gray. Last night's rain had left shallow puddles across the campus, reflecting the leaden clouds. Fūki Ran woke up precisely at 5:30 AM. The dorm room was still dark, with only the faint light from the window outlining the furniture. He got up silently, turned on the desk lamp, and began organizing his recent observation records under the soft glow.

He meticulously marked Ryuen's recent movements on a special calendar with red, yellow, and blue markers. Red represented Ryuen's direct interactions with Class D students, yellow his meetings with students from other classes, and blue his abnormal wanderings around campus. As more marks accumulated, a disturbing pattern began to emerge: not only had the number of red marks increased recently, but they were also starting to concentrate at specific times, particularly during lunch breaks and after-school club activities.

At precisely 7:00 AM, his phone vibrated softly. It was an email from Horikita: "Sudo went to the gymnasium at 6:00 AM this morning, forty minutes earlier than usual. I've asked Hirata to 'accidentally' pay him a visit to prevent him from acting alone."

Fūki replied briefly: "Keep observing, don't alert them. Focus on whether anyone from Class C appears near the gymnasium during the same period."

During breakfast, a light drizzle began to fall again. Fūki walked towards the school building, holding a black umbrella, the raindrops creating a fine rhythm on its surface. At the corner of the covered corridor connecting the main building and the special school building, he unexpectedly encountered Sakura Eri. She stood alone under the eaves, lost in thought as she gazed at the rain, clutching a slightly worn sketchbook to her chest, her fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of its cover.

"Good morning, Sakura-san," Fūki said softly, raising his umbrella slightly to avoid startling her.

Sakura flinched slightly, as if startled from her reverie. She turned her head, her pink hair swaying gently with the movement. Seeing Fūki, her tense expression eased slightly, but her fingers still gripped the sketchbook tightly. "G-good morning, Fūki-san..."

"Are you waiting for someone?" Fūki noticed the edges of her sketchbook were worn, and the cover showed faint traces of repeated modifications, clearly indicating it was a frequently used item.

"No, no..." Sakura lowered her head, her voice a mere whisper, almost drowned out by the rain. "I just... wanted to draw the cherry blossoms in the rain. The cherry blossoms this season, in the rain, they look particularly... fragile and beautiful."

Fūki followed her gaze. The few cherry trees outside the corridor were indeed swaying in the light rain, their pink and white petals dotted with water droplets, possessing a unique charm. However, he keenly sensed that Sakura's attention wasn't entirely on the scenery. Her gaze flickered towards the gymnasium, a hint of imperceptible worry in her eyes.

"Are you... doing alright lately?" Fūki asked tentatively, maintaining a suitable distance to avoid pressuring her.

Sakura's fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of the sketchbook, her knuckles turning slightly white from the pressure. "Someone... someone is protecting me from the shadows, I know... Thank you." Her voice was still soft, but this statement surprised Fūki slightly. He had never imagined that this seemingly timid maiden was so perceptive.

"That day in the library," Sakura said softly, her gaze still lowered, "and before, behind the school building... I noticed. Every time people from Class C got close, someone would happen to be there. At first, I thought it was just a coincidence, but it happened too many times..."

The rain intensified, striking the eaves with a crisp sound, as if accompanying her words. Sakura looked up, her eyes shimmering with complex emotions – gratitude mixed with a hint of self-reproach. "I've always been afraid... afraid of interacting with people, afraid of getting hurt. But seeing everything you've done for me, I feel... I should do something too. I can't always hide under someone else's protection."

She carefully took out a stack of drawing paper from her sketchbook. The edges of the paper were slightly curled, clearly having been flipped through repeatedly. Surprisingly, they weren't landscapes, but detailed character sketches – each one vividly depicting Class C students in various situations. Beside them, in small, neat handwriting, were annotations of time, location, and detailed behavioral patterns. One drawing showed Ishizaki Daichi talking to a stranger by a vending machine, annotated "April 15th, 3:23 PM, exchanged items with unidentified individual." Another depicted Ibuki Mio lingering between bookshelves in the library, annotated "April 16th, 10:17 AM, frequently checking the area where Class D students usually sit."

"This is..." Fūki flipped through the drawings, deeply impressed. Sakura had not only noticed their protective actions but was also secretly gathering such valuable information, its meticulousness far exceeding their expectations.

"I've been used to observing people since I was little," Sakura's voice remained soft, but with a newfound firmness. "Most people don't notice my presence... which allows me to see more details that others overlook." Her finger lightly tapped a sketch of Ryuen talking with Class B students in the cafeteria. "For example, Ryuen-san, he meets different people in a fixed spot in the cafeteria every Wednesday afternoon, and he always chooses the corner seat."

The preparatory bell for the first class rang, its clear tone echoing through the rain. Sakura hurriedly put away her drawings, carefully placing them back into her sketchbook, and bowed slightly to Fūki. "If this information is useful... please tell me. I, I want to do something for the class too." With that, she quickly walked towards the school building, her figure soon disappearing into the rain.

Watching the direction she left, Fūki realized for the first time that this seemingly fragile maiden harbored an unknown strength. Her "invisibility" wasn't a weakness, but rather a unique advantage.

During the break, Fūki had a brief meeting with Horikita and Kushida in the corridor outside the teachers' office. Rainwater slid down the windows, leaving winding trails on the glass. He informed them about Sakura's situation, and all three felt both surprised and encouraged.

"We were always thinking about how to protect her," Kushida sighed, unconsciously twirling a strand of her hair. "But we overlooked her own potential. She's much stronger than we imagined."

Horikita, uncharacteristically, agreed, though her tone remained calm. "Everyone has their unique value; the key is whether they are given the opportunity to utilize it. Sakura-san's observational skills are indeed unexpected."

During the lunch break, a sudden downpour trapped most students indoors. Dense raindrops hammered against the windows, and the sky was as gloomy as evening. Fūki seized this opportunity to hold a small meeting in the innermost bookshelf area of the library. This area was rarely frequented, surrounded by tall bookshelves, forming a natural private space. Besides Horikita and Kushida, Hirata was also invited.

"I believe we need to re-evaluate our current strategy," Hirata said straightforwardly, keeping his voice low. "One-sided protection not only consumes energy but may also make the protected students feel pressured, even dependent."

Fūki spread Sakura's drawings on the small round table in the center. The desk lamp illuminated the delicate artwork. "Sakura-san's abilities have given us a reminder. Perhaps we should establish a more equitable cooperative network, allowing every student willing to participate to contribute their strengths, rather than passively accepting protection."

Kushida carefully examined the sketches, her finger lightly tracing the annotations on the paper. "This information is very detailed. If we can establish a mechanism for information sharing, we can more effectively predict Ryuen's movements. For example, this one," she pointed to a drawing of Ryuen talking with Class A students, "if Sakura-san can continue to record this type of information, we might be able to discover Ryuen's behavior patterns."

"But we must be cautious," Horikita warned, her gaze sweeping across the surrounding bookshelves to confirm no one was nearby. "The more people involved, the greater the risk of leaks. We need to strictly screen participants and ensure everyone is trustworthy."

Raindrops beat intensely against the library's glass windows, and the indoor lights cast warm halos on the bookshelves. The four of them sat around the table, discussing feasible plans in low voices, their shadows intertwining on the bookshelves, as if performing a silent drama.

"We can start small," Hirata suggested, tapping his finger lightly on the tabletop as if contemplating something. "Find a few reliable students, each responsible for different areas. For instance, Sudo could be responsible for monitoring the sports clubs' activities, and Shinohara might help keep an eye on the girls' cliques."

"I can handle communication with Sudo," Horikita said, a hint of confidence in her tone. "His wariness towards me has decreased significantly recently, and after the last incident, he's more willing to cooperate."

"Leave Sakura-san to me," Kushida smiled warmly. "She seems to trust me quite a bit now, and we both participate in art-related activities, so interacting will be more natural."

Fūki nodded, tidying the scattered drawings. "I will continue to be responsible for overall coordination and intelligence analysis. Hirata, as class representative, it's best to remain visible and not directly involved in these actions. Your value lies in maintaining the normal operation of the class and serving as everyone's pillar of support."

The meeting lasted for nearly an hour amidst the sound of rain. Afterward, the four left the library one after another, with approximately five-minute intervals between each departure, as if they were just students coincidentally studying there. Fūki left last, carefully checking the tabletop to ensure no traces were left behind.

In the evening, the rain subsided, and the sky began to clear. On his way back to the dorm, Fūki saw Ryuen standing alone on the rooftop of the school building from a distance, looking down at the entire campus. The afterglow of the sunset pierced through the clouds, casting an eerie golden edge on his silhouette. Even from such a distance, Fūki could feel the scheming and waiting in that gaze, like a leopard patiently waiting for its moment.

That night, Fūki organized his gains from the day in his dorm. Sakura's drawings not only provided valuable information but also allowed him to see the hidden strength within Class D. Each delicate sketch told a fact: in this class, everyone possessed unique talent, needing only the right opportunity to reveal it. Perhaps, what they needed wasn't to build higher walls, but to find the most suitable position for each piece, allowing the entire pattern to be fully displayed.

He wrote in his diary: "True strength isn't about protecting the weak, but about enabling everyone to discover their own power. Today, I learned that even the most inconspicuous corners can hide the brightest light."

Outside the window, the rain had completely stopped. A crescent moon peeked out from behind the dispersing clouds, casting clear radiance over the damp campus. Tomorrow would be a new day, and a new beginning. Fūki turned off the desk lamp, letting the moonlight fill his desk. In the quiet night, he could almost hear the heartbeats of the entire Class D, faint yet firm, like faint lights in the dark night, small but never extinguished.

(My Genshin pulls were unlucky again today, got Qiqi instead of the rate-up character. Not counting the pity pulls, this is the sixth time I've missed the rate-up. I'm done.)