Sakayanagi's Indirect Rescue

At midnight in the dorm, Shangguan Che rolled over and opened his eyes. Hirata was still tapping away at his phone.

The screen's glow lit up Hirata's face, revealing the gentle expression he wore as he replied to messages.

It didn't take much guessing to know that another girl from their class was asking him about schoolwork.

This guy has way too much energy, Shangguan Che grumbled to himself. He spent all day looking for clues, and now he's staying up this late chatting with girls. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

He stared at Hirata's back for a few seconds, then his eyelids began to droop again.

Whatever. It was Hirata's choice. Shangguan Che would just get some more sleep. He'd walked nearly twenty thousand steps today, and his legs were about to give out. There was no point worrying about other people.

Just as he was drifting off, an image from the cafeteria earlier that day suddenly flashed through his mind.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had been sitting across from Horikita Suzune, seemingly lost in thought, while actually observing everyone around him.

He shot upright. "Wait, has Ayanokoji made a move?"

During the discussion about the Sudo Incident, Ayanokoji had barely said a word, yet at a crucial moment he'd asked, "Did the school record it?" The question had instantly brought everyone back to reality.

The more Shangguan Che thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Ayanokoji seemed to be acting through Horikita, never appearing himself. Was he trying to hide his abilities, or helping Horikita build her reputation?

"Was that handshake between them the other night some kind of deal?" Shangguan Che rubbed his chin, suddenly reminded of The Full-Time Mage, which he'd read earlier. "Like the protagonist teaming up with that 'tortoise shell' at the academy—he gets the fame, and I get the benefits?"

If Horikita wanted the reputation of leading Class D to Class A, what did Ayanokoji want? Money? Points? Something else?

He tossed and turned for ages, but still couldn't figure it out. "No wonder this is a mystery-school world. It's way too complicated. I can't make heads or tails of it!"

In the end, he gave up thinking and went back to sleep.

As long as Ayanokoji didn't cause him trouble, he could do whatever he wanted.

Early the next morning, Shangguan Che had just finished washing up when he saw Sakura Airi standing outside the dorm with her schoolbag on. She wasn't holding her camera like she usually did.

His heart skipped a beat, and he hurried over. "Sakura, where's your camera? Why didn't you bring it?"

Ever since buying it at the school store on the first day of term, Sakura had barely let the camera out of her sight.

Whether she was going to the cafeteria to eat or the library to study, she always wore it around her neck.

Shangguan Che had once teased her that her camera mattered more to her than a boyfriend. Her face had turned bright red, but she'd still clung tightly to the camera.

Sakura's eyes darted away when she heard his question. "I... accidentally dropped it. It won't turn on."

"How did you drop it? Are you hurt?" Shangguan Che immediately caught her by the arm and looked her over, afraid she'd injured herself.

"I'm fine. I just dropped it while I was walking." Sakura lowered her head, her voice growing quieter as she nervously twisted the hem of her clothes.

She was lying.

The camera had been damaged when she was followed yesterday, but she didn't want to worry Shangguan Che, much less become a burden to him. In her mind, a good girl wasn't supposed to trouble anyone.

Watching how nervous she was, Shangguan Che felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't get anything more out of her. He could only ruffle her hair. "I'm glad you're okay. Cameras can be repaired. But if you'd gotten hurt, I'd have a bone to pick with whatever made you fall!"

Sakura looked up at Shangguan Che's earnest expression, and her eyes suddenly began to redden.

What had happened yesterday was much scarier than she'd let on.

Yesterday afternoon, when Shangguan Che had said he was going with Hirata to look for clues, Sakura had wanted to go with them. But she was afraid she wouldn't be any help, so she stayed in the dorm and studied.

By dinnertime, she was starving. She didn't want to bother Shangguan Che, so she took her camera and went alone to the mall's cafeteria.

It was the first time she'd gone out by herself since receiving the threatening letters.

As soon as she entered the mall, she felt as if someone was watching her. The chilling sensation made her tremble all over.

She hurried through dinner and practically ran back to the dorm. Her mind was completely blank, and she'd long since forgotten Shangguan Che's advice: if she was in danger, she should run somewhere crowded.

Just as she turned into a quiet corridor, she suddenly bumped into someone.

With a thud, the camera slipped from her hands and hit the ground. Its screen went black.

Sakura was terrified out of her wits. When she looked up, she saw a white-haired girl sitting on the floor, her cane lying beside her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Sakura hurriedly bowed in apology, her body trembling uncontrollably.

She'd not only bumped into someone, she'd also broken her camera. This was a disaster.

"Don't you watch where you're going?" a cold voice said. Sakura looked up and saw a girl with long purple hair standing nearby, glaring at her with a frown and clear impatience in her eyes.

"It's all right, Masumi. She just made a mistake." The white-haired girl on the floor smiled and waved a hand. Her voice was as gentle as a spring breeze, but Sakura still felt a little afraid.

The girl was smiling, but there was something hidden in her eyes that Sakura couldn't quite understand.

The purple-haired girl, whom the other had called "Masumi," clicked her tongue softly and said nothing. She bent down and helped the girl on the floor to her feet.

Only then did Sakura come to her senses. She hurried to pick up the cane, fumbling so badly that she nearly knocked over a nearby flowerpot.

As Sakura crouched to retrieve the cane, the white-haired girl suddenly looked past her. The corners of her mouth lifted into a knowing smile.

She'd just seen a shadow flash past behind Sakura. It looked like a boy.

Was he following her? Or was he from another class? Interesting.

"Stop smiling like an idiot. You can't even brush the dust off yourself? Do I have to do it for you?" Kamuro Masumi's voice interrupted Sakayanagi Arisu's thoughts. She sounded thoroughly annoyed, but still reached out to dust off Sakayanagi's clothes.

"Of course! My sweet Masumi always takes such good care of me." Sakayanagi Arisu raised both arms as if asking for a hug, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Who's going to hug you...?" Kamuro Masumi started to refuse, but Sakayanagi drawled, "I suddenly feel like having a beer. I wonder if the convenience store near the school sells it."

Kamuro Masumi's words caught in her throat. She could only give in and brush the dust off Sakayanagi's clothes, muttering, "You really are impossible..."

Sakura came over with the cane and carefully handed it to Sakayanagi Arisu. "I'm sorry. Here's your cane. Is it okay?"

"It's fine. Thank you, dear." Sakayanagi Arisu took the cane, her smile still gentle. "Which class are you in? What's your name? Would you like to be friends?"

"My name is Sakura Airi. I'm in Class 1-D," Sakura answered softly, feeling a little flustered.

She'd never made friends with a stranger before—except Shangguan Che—and especially not with a girl this beautiful.

"As for being friends..." She hesitated for a long time, but couldn't bring herself to refuse. She lowered her head, afraid to meet Sakayanagi's eyes.

"That's all right. You don't have to be friends if you don't want to." Sakayanagi Arisu tactfully changed the subject. "Then why were you walking so fast just now? You seemed to be in a hurry."

Sakura stiffened instantly.

She couldn't exactly say she'd been followed, could she? That would only worry the other girl and make Sakura seem useless. She opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word, standing there awkwardly.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Sakayanagi Arisu smiled and patted her shoulder. "We'll see each other again, then, Sakura." With that, she left with Kamuro Masumi, leaning on her cane.

Sakura stood there watching them disappear at the end of the corridor before finally letting out a breath.

Strangely, after that, she no longer felt as if someone was watching her. She picked up her camera and tried to turn it on, but the screen didn't respond at all.

It really was broken.

Thinking about it made Sakura's eyes redden again. She wasn't upset about the camera. She was scared.

If Shangguan Che hadn't been busy yesterday, would this have never happened? If the camera couldn't be repaired, she wouldn't be able to take pictures for Shangguan Che anymore.

Meanwhile, Sakayanagi Arisu sat on a bench by the roadside, gazing at the scenery beside her with a smile still on her lips.

Standing behind her, Kamuro Masumi couldn't help asking, "Why were you smiling just now? Is there anything special about that girl from Class D?"

"Nothing," Sakayanagi Arisu said with a smile. "I just think this school is getting more and more interesting. By the way, Masumi, you should keep an eye on that girl named Sakura Airi."

"Got it." Kamuro Masumi sighed helplessly, though she was a little curious. What could have made Sakayanagi so interested?