A Small Incident at the Electronics Store

"Ah, I see." Shangguan Che rubbed his chin, looking at the camera Sakura was clutching tightly to her chest. "Did you take it to a repair shop to have it checked? What exactly is wrong with it?"

Sakura shook her head slightly, her voice barely audible. "Not yet... I'm a little afraid to go by myself."

"Easy. I'll go with you!" Shangguan Che thumped his chest and agreed without a second thought.

He'd been planning to head back to the dorm and catch up on sleep that afternoon, but looking at Sakura's timid expression, how could he bring himself to refuse?

Besides, helping a pretty girl—even one who kept her looks under wraps—get her camera fixed was a good deed that would earn him some karma.

"Won't that be a bother, Shangguan?" Sakura immediately looked up, worry filling her eyes as she feared she might be keeping him from something.

Shangguan Che laughed to himself.

She was still so afraid of troubling other people.

He deliberately put on an "annoyed" expression. "Well... it is a little bit of a bother. But you're my friend, after all. How about this: today we'll just go to the repair shop. We can put off that sightseeing you mentioned. That way, I won't be too inconvenienced, right?"

Truth be told, he hadn't wanted to go far anyway. It'd be best if they could take care of it somewhere near the dorm.

"Okay!" Sakura nodded emphatically, her eyes lighting up like a little squirrel that had just gotten a promise. "Thank you, Shangguan!"

They set off together. Following Sakura's directions, they walked to an electronics store near the school.

Shangguan Che had barely pushed the door open when he froze.

What kind of repair shop was this? It was a general electronics store selling computers, phones, and cameras, with shelves packed full of all kinds of gadgets.

"Sakura, are you sure this is the place?" Shangguan Che pointed to the sign by the entrance. "It says 'Sakura Electronics Store.' It doesn't say anything about camera repairs."

"This is the place," Sakura said, pointing to a small counter in the corner. "There's a repair section over there. I bought my camera here on the first day of school, and the owner said I could bring it in if it ever broke."

Shangguan Che followed her gesture and spotted a counter with a "Repairs" sign. A guy in black-rimmed glasses and a plaid shirt was hunched over a laptop, tinkering with it. He looked like a textbook otaku.

Just as Shangguan Che was about to lead Sakura over, something on the shelves caught the corner of his eye.

It was a black, hemispherical device with a lens hidden in the middle. It looked awfully familiar.

"Wait, isn't that a security camera?" Shangguan Che stopped and leaned in to read the label. "It really is a dome camera. Didn't expect them to sell those here, too."

"Shangguan, what's wrong?" Sakura asked, looking at him in confusion.

"Nothing. I just saw something interesting." Shangguan Che waved it off and led her over to the repair counter. "By the way, did the store offer a warranty when you bought your camera?"

He'd never had an electronic device repaired in his life and had no idea how the process worked, so all he could do was ask.

"Yes!" Sakura hurriedly took a crumpled warranty slip from her schoolbag and carefully unfolded it. "The clerk said this would get me a one-year warranty. I've kept it safe ever since."

"Great. Let's ask them." Shangguan Che took the warranty slip. Just as he was about to speak, he felt Sakura tug gently at the back of his shirt.

He turned around and saw Sakura hiding her face against his back, only her eyes showing as she timidly peered at the repair clerk.

Her social anxiety had flared up again.

Shangguan Che sighed to himself, then turned to the clerk with a polite smile. "Hello. Could you fix this camera? It got dropped by accident yesterday, and now it won't turn on." As he spoke, he handed it over.

The repair clerk raised his head, pushed up his glasses, and took the camera to examine it.

Shangguan Che took the chance to size him up.

The guy looked to be in his twenties, with messy hair and bloodshot eyes. His fingers were stained with solder. A classic tech nerd.

Good thing he hasn't noticed Sakura's face, Shangguan Che thought. With Sakura's looks, it'd hit this guy's peace of mind for ten thousand damage.

"Sakura, give me the warranty slip. I'll talk to the clerk," Shangguan Che said quietly to the person behind him.

Sakura didn't say anything. She just handed over the warranty slip, but her fingers tightened their grip on his shirt.

Shangguan Che felt a heaviness settle in his chest.

Sakura had always been shy around strangers, but she hadn't been this bad before. Had her social anxiety gotten worse after she received that harassing letter?

Shangguan Che had been keeping an eye on Sakura these past few days. He'd even gone to the place where she'd found the letter and waited there several times, but apart from a few scattered leaves, he hadn't found a single clue.

My luck is terrible, he gritted his teeth. If it comes to it, I just won't sleep tonight. I'll go stake the place out again! It's not like one sleepless night will kill me. For a friend, it's worth it!

While he was lost in thought, the repair clerk suddenly stopped fiddling with the camera and looked up at him, his eyes darting vaguely toward the person behind Shangguan Che.

Shangguan Che's heart gave a jolt.

Had the guy realized the camera wasn't his? How could a repair clerk be so observant? That was way over the top.

"It can be fixed," the clerk finally said, his voice as hoarse as sandpaper. "But it'll take three days. Come back to pick it up then. Also, you'll need to fill out an information form." As he spoke, he pulled a form from a drawer and slid it across the counter.

Shangguan Che had just reached for a pen when the clerk added, "The camera's owner has to fill this out."

"Oh, so he really did figure it out," Shangguan Che thought, then immediately reconsidered.

Sakura had bought the camera here on her first day of school. She'd definitely filled out the information herself at the time, so the clerk might still remember her. He'd been overthinking it.

But then the clerk glanced at Sakura again, his gaze tinged with ill-intentioned curiosity, and Shangguan Che's brow furrowed at once.

He could clearly feel Sakura clutching his shirt more tightly. Her body had begun to tremble slightly, too.

"Could you make an exception?" Shangguan Che pushed the form back, putting on a smile. "My friend isn't feeling well and can't write. Could I fill it out for her? If any of my classmates need to buy electronics, I'll definitely recommend your store!"

The clerk turned his head away, his attitude unyielding. "No. It's store policy. The owner has to fill it out in person. Please hurry up. I have other work to do."

Shangguan Che felt his anger flare. The guy was obviously doing this on purpose! Was he picking on Sakura because she was timid? Was he some kind of perverted stalker?

He forced down his rash anger, and an idea suddenly occurred to him.

What couldn't points solve at this school?

"Then I'll spend points to buy the right to fill in the information for her." Shangguan Che looked at the clerk, his tone flat. "Name your price. How many points would it take for you to make an exception?"

He remembered reading in a document that the school turned a blind eye to students using points to buy "special services" on campus. This should count, right?

At the mention of "points," the clerk's eyes visibly flickered. He stole a glance to Shangguan Che's left, then quickly looked away. His voice began to tremble. "Th-this... I don't think that would be a good idea..."

Shangguan Che followed his gaze and saw a security camera running above the shelves, its red light flashing.

He understood at once.

The school must be monitoring students' "special transactions" involving points. The clerk was worried about being caught on record, which was why he'd panicked.

I see, Shangguan Che thought, coming up with a plan. So I can't force it. I'll have to try another way.

Meanwhile, the clerk's thoughts were already a complete mess. He was staring at Sakura behind Shangguan Che, his eyes wide.

Wasn't this his beloved "Shizuku-chan"? When Sakura had come in to buy the camera, he'd thought she was especially cute. He'd secretly noted down her information and even come up with the nickname "Shizuku-chan" in his mind.

But now this brat dared to "force" Shizuku-chan and try to buy him off with points? Absolutely not! Shizuku-chan was his! If he reported this, the lie he'd made up about the owner having to fill out the form would be exposed. If he lost his job, how could he ever live "happily ever after" with Shizuku-chan?

But if he didn't report it and the brat reported him, he'd be in trouble all the same.

As the clerk agonized over what to do, Shangguan Che suddenly picked up the pen and filled out the form in a flurry of strokes. Then he thrust it at the clerk. "There. It's filled out. We'll come back in three days to pick it up. No problem, right?"

The clerk was stunned. He stared at the form for a long moment before finally reacting. "Y-you filled it out?"

"What else was I supposed to do, wait for you to refuse?" Shangguan Che raised an eyebrow and led Sakura toward the door. "By the way, we'll pay the repair fee when we pick it up. Is that okay?"

Before the clerk could answer, Shangguan Che hurried out of the electronics store with Sakura.

They'd walked quite a distance before Sakura finally let go of his shirt. In a small voice, she asked, "Shangguan, are you sure that was okay? Will the clerk get mad?"

"Don't worry. It'll be fine!" Shangguan Che patted his chest, secretly amused.

He'd deliberately acted quickly and filled out the form while the clerk was still hesitating. Even if the clerk wanted to refuse, he hadn't had the time.

Under normal circumstances, the clerk would certainly repair the camera. Filling out the form was a small matter, after all.

Even if it didn't work, they could just come back and fill it out again. It was no big deal.

"Mm, I trust you, Shangguan." Sakura nodded, and a faint smile finally appeared on her face.

"By the way, if it really doesn't work, I'll come with you again next time," Shangguan Che said offhandedly.

"Huh?" Sakura froze, surprise filling her eyes.

"What do you mean, 'huh'?" Shangguan Che ruffled her hair and changed the subject with a smile. "Are you hungry? It's almost lunchtime. Let me treat you. We can... celebrate successfully dropping off your camera for repairs!"

"Oh, okay!" Sakura nodded quickly, her steps growing lighter.

They walked side by side down the street, sunlight falling warmly and pleasantly over them.

Watching Sakura walk carefully beside him, Shangguan Che silently resolved to find whoever had been harassing her, no matter who it was. He wouldn't let Sakura suffer again.

And as Sakura looked at Shangguan Che's profile, warmth filled her heart, too. With a friend like him by her side, even the scariest things didn't seem quite so frightening.

As for the clerk in the electronics store, he was now staring at the form Shangguan Che had filled out and slapping the table in anger. "Damn it! How dare he steal my Shizuku-chan! Just you wait. One of these days, I'll give you a good 'lesson'!"

What he didn't know was that his little schemes had already been recorded by the security camera above the shelves, and that footage would soon end up in the hands of someone he'd never expected.