Bang!
Someone slammed a fist down on the glass table in the KTV Room, making the drinks and dishes tremble.
"Mio, don't," Hiyori urged.
Sakura Airi, sitting nearby, had clearly been startled by her short temper, too.
"Sorry, Airi. But I just can't hold it in. There are really creeps like that at our school?"
Ibuki and Hiyori had learned about Airi's troubles from her.
Ever since she'd started school, she'd been receiving Harassment Letters from an Unknown Fan. The language in them had grown increasingly disgusting, like an evil spirit that had latched onto Airi from the very first day of school.
"Oh, right!" Ibuki suddenly said. "Airi, wasn't that Yamauchi and Others in your class expelled for doing something awful? Have you received any more of those Harassment Letters since he was kicked out?"
Ibuki meant that she suspected Old Man Yamauchi was behind this, too!
But this time, she really had wronged Old Man Yamauchi.
While he was still at school, he hadn't yet discovered Sakura's true face. Otherwise, he really might have had ideas.
In the original story, Yamauchi had overestimated himself, thinking a woman like Sakura would be easy to win over. During the upcoming Deserted Island Exam, Ayanokōji had ruthlessly exploited that.
But Old Man Yamauchi was now a free man. He had no worries about food or lodging outside Gao, so he'd completely escaped the misery of Class D.
Kindhearted Sakura hurriedly denied it. "No, it wasn't Yamauchi... I'm still receiving those letters."
"Ugh, that's a problem. We don't even know if the culprit is a student or an adult. All we can be sure of is that it's someone from this Closed Campus..."
"Hiyori, can you think of anything?" Ibuki asked, pinning her hopes on Hiyori.
She really wasn't good at finding people. But once they found the culprit, she could kick him hard!
Hiyori was scrolling through her Student Terminal, seemingly checking something. Her pretty brows furrowed now and then.
"Hiyori?" Ibuki called her name again.
Hiyori put down her terminal and came back to herself. "...I'm fine. I was just looking at something."
"Airi."
Sakura was already a little nervous. When she heard Hiyori call her name, she nearly stood up at attention.
She was worried her troubles would become a burden to these two precious friends, and regretted talking so carelessly earlier.
"You don't need to be nervous. We'll definitely find this creep and bring him to justice! For now, just go about your life as usual. You don't need to be too careful with your points, either. I'll have Kaede transfer some to you... Just consider it a loan. You can pay it back later."
Hiyori preempted Sakura's attempt to refuse.
That reminded Sakura of Tennoji from last week. He and Hiyori had such good chemistry—their words had been almost exactly the same...
"Also, if anything unexpected happens, remember to contact us right away. Airi, you have to contact us, okay?"
"Mm... Thank you both."
Hiyori nodded. "It's getting late. I'll have Ibuki take you home. We'll invite you out again another day."
She gave Ibuki a look, and Ibuki nodded in understanding.
"Oh, Airi, don't forget to take your new uniform home. I know your clothing size, so next time, let's go shopping together and buy some clothes~"
Sakura felt a weight lift from her shoulders. She was relieved she could go home now.
After that, Ibuki left the KTV Room with Sakura, chatting and laughing along the way.
Hiyori took out her Student Terminal and sent Kaede a message asking him to come.
Then she switched back to the personal profile for "Shizuku" on Twitter.
Under every one of her posts were comments that made for deeply uncomfortable reading.
It was as if an obsessed fan were relentlessly pursuing Shizuku's true identity.
"Do you believe in 'destiny'? I do. Let's be together forever from now on."
"Did you notice our eyes meet? I noticed."
"You're ignoring me? That's so cruel. Or did you just not notice me?"
Tennoji Kaede put away his terminal and stood. "Morishita, I have to get going. It was nice meeting you."
"Mm... Remember to call me 'Sis' next time. I've decided it sounds pretty nice~" the poker-faced beauty earnestly reminded him.
"Uh, haha. Okay, Ai-jie. Got it, Ai-jie."
She seemed satisfied, so Kaede took his leave.
Morishita Ai watched Tennoji Kaede walk away, her gaze lowered slightly.
He was an interesting man, too...
When Kaede returned to the KTV Room, he found Hiyori sitting there alone.
"Looks like everything went smoothly. I'm glad you're willing to accept Sakura."
He sat beside Hiyori, quite close to her.
"You were gone for a while, Kaede... How much do you know about that Stalker?"
"I didn't tell you about it... But I have a pretty good idea who it is. Once I get the evidence, I'll send him to join Yamauchi. Don't worry."
Hiyori gave a small nod. "I trust you, Kaede."
Kaede smiled wryly. "Don't overthink it! I'm really not that kind of person. Isn't Sakura cute? Besides, I really hate extreme fans like Stalkers."
"I meant the smell."
"Huh?"
"I said you smell strongly of women's perfume, along with something natural... Where did you go just now, Kaede?"
Hiyori narrowed her eyes, feigning curiosity.
Good grief... No matter their personality, women really were born with a powerful radar!
Embarrassed, Kaede told her everything: how he'd run into Ai-jie's Master, been treated to some brand-new Ice Cream, and learned Forest Breathing.
Shiina looked at Kaede as if he were some kind of lunatic.
Kaede: ...
"I'm giving you two days to deal with the Stalker. Otherwise... next time, I'm not going to your dorm..."
Kaede instantly stood at attention. "I guarantee I'll complete the mission assigned by Shiina Queen!"
He felt like he'd just discovered another side of Hiyori.
The next day, Tennoji Kaede went to a Digital Store near Keyaki Mall.
A greasy-looking Otaku Clerk was currently chatting away with an unfamiliar, petite girl, who clearly looked troubled.
At first glance, the culprit behind Sakura's harassment seemed fairly skilled at communicating with customers. He was also well-versed in 2D culture and often brought up topics that sounded interesting.
Without a word, Kaede walked right into their conversation and said to the petite girl, "You're done, right? I've been waiting ages. Can I go now?"
"Oh, sorry!" She looked relieved and quickly made room for Kaede. "Go ahead."
Kaede strode forward without hesitation and faced the Stalker Culprit's dark, sullen expression.
"...What can I do for you, sir? We offer repairs and trade-ins. As long as you have enough points..."
Kaede casually tossed over the voice recorder he'd taken from Kushida last time. It rolled to the other side of the counter.
In a brazen, cold voice, he said, "Cut the crap. You don't know what class I'm in?"
"If you can't fix this recorder, you won't be working at this store anymore. Go argue with our 'tyrant' yourself!"
The petite girl, who'd been about to leave on her own, suddenly decided to wait outside the store after hearing Kaede's "bold words."
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