Shangguan Che

"Student, you're saying someone has been sending you harassing letters, that they not only know a lot of your personal information but also frequently post inappropriate messages online, is that correct?" After Sakura finished speaking, Mashima waited a moment before summarizing the situation gently, his voice clear and firm.

Sakura clutched the hem of her skirt and nodded slightly, her small movements betraying obvious nervousness: "Yes... the letters even mentioned the photography spots I frequent, and the comments online are very strange too."

Standing to the side, Shangguan Che felt his eyelid twitch.

Great, he had been counting on Sakura's voice being quiet enough that Kamuro Masumi at the door wouldn't hear, but thanks to Mashima's recap, it was practically like reading it over a loudspeaker.

He muttered to himself: The goddess of luck just kicked my unrealistic fantasies to pieces.

"Show us the evidence, Sakura." Shangguan Che suppressed his inner grumbling and reminded her softly; the most important thing now was to nail this down. If they couldn't even clear this hurdle, it would be a real problem.

Sakura hurriedly took the six harassing letters out of her bag and handed them to Mashima with both hands.

Mashima picked up the top letter, opened it, and read it carefully, his brow gradually furrowing.

After finishing, he nodded at the two of them, his tone serious: "This can indeed serve as key evidence. The personal information in the content is highly specific."

"So, you are hoping the school will help identify the harasser, is that right?" Mashima set the letters down, his gaze shifting between the two of them.

"Yes!" Sakura's answer was firmer than before, perhaps because seeing Mashima's serious attitude made her feel much more at ease.

"I will report the situation to the Student Affairs Office first, and at the same time, I will pull the surveillance footage from the locations Sakura frequents. For example, the library, the area near the Photography Club, and the road by the school gate." Mashima took out a notebook and recorded the details diligently. "Send me the usernames used to post the messages online as well; I will contact the technical department to trace the IP addresses."

He paused, looked up at Sakura, and his eyes held a reassuring warmth: "The fact that they could precisely place the letters in your shoe locker means the person is either a student, a staff member, or perhaps an outsider familiar with the campus environment. Don't worry, as a teacher, I will definitely get to the bottom of this and won't let you be wronged any further."

This sentence was like a sedative, and Shangguan Che instantly felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

This was the core reason he had sought out Mashima to report the matter. The two of them spoke almost simultaneously: "Thank you, Mashima-sensei!"

"By the way, Sakura, try not to go to secluded places after you go back, and it's best to walk to and from school with classmates; don't be alone." Mashima cautioned, then looked at Shangguan Che. "Shangguan, as a boy, keep an eye out and help protect Sakura."

"Don't worry, sensei! I'll definitely protect Sakura well!" Shangguan Che patted his chest in assurance, though his peripheral vision caught Kamuro Masumi moving at the door.

It seemed she was preparing to leave.

"I'll keep the letters here as evidence for now. I'll notify you as soon as there's any news." Mashima put the letters into a file folder and made a gesture for them to leave, clearly signaling the end of the meeting.

Kamuro Masumi was the first to step away, leaving the hallway without a sound.

Shangguan Che quickly grabbed Sakura, who was about to stand up, and patted her shoulder lightly: "You go out and wait for me first; your face is completely red. I'll ask the teacher for his contact information so it's easier to communicate later."

Sakura touched her cheeks, which were indeed burning hot. She lowered her head in embarrassment, nodded, and walked out of the office on tiptoe.

When only Shangguan Che and Mashima remained in the office, Mashima set down his pen, his eyes filled with a hint of inquiry: "Shangguan, you and Sakura are both in Class D, right? Why did you think to come to me, the homeroom teacher of Class A, to report this?"

Shangguan Che had been prepared for this, but he put on a sincere expression: "Mashima-sensei, you are famous in the school for being responsible. We felt more at ease leaving this matter to you. Besides... Chabashira-sensei has been busy dealing with Sudo lately, and we didn't want to add to her troubles."

Mashima smiled, not bothering to poke holes in his little scheme.

He had recognized Shangguan Che long ago and had even specifically given him his contact information, saying, "Feel free to ask if you have other questions."

Now that Shangguan Che was asking for his contact info, it was clearly just an excuse to stay behind.

"Tell me, what else is there?" Mashima leaned forward slightly. "You specifically sent Sakura away; it can't just be for a contact number."

Shangguan Che didn't beat around the bush. He took a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over: "Mashima-sensei, this contains some clues I've gathered. The harassing letters appeared near Sakura's shoe locker around last night. Surveillance captured a man in a gray jacket lingering near the school building, and his build is very similar to that clerk from the Sakura Electronics store."

The reason he dared to present these clues was that he had long since figured out Mashima's character.

According to the Student Council's past records, Mashima had been the homeroom teacher for Class A for several terms and was recognized by the school as the "optimal teacher" on the surface.

While the school encouraged competition between classes, it strictly forbade teachers from intervening directly. As a "model teacher," Mashima would certainly uphold this bottom line.

Simply put, Shangguan Che was taking a gamble.

He was betting that Mashima wouldn't be like Wang Mang or Sima Yi, willing to trade a lifetime of reputation for "heaven-defying maneuvers."

If he lost the bet, he would just have to accept it; at worst, he would have to put in more effort and keep an eye on that clerk himself.

"I'll be going now. Sorry for the trouble, sensei. Goodbye!" Without waiting for Mashima to respond, Shangguan Che turned and walked out.

Sakura was still waiting outside, and he didn't want to leave her alone for too long.

In truth, the reason he hid the source of his information from everyone was simple.

If his Clairvoyance ability were exposed, he might be studied by the school as an "abnormal individual." While the idea of being dissected seemed absurd, in this strange school, no one could be sure.

As for sending Sakura away, it was partly because he feared she would overthink things if she saw him "keeping secrets," and partly to guard against Kamuro Masumi.

He always felt that Kamuro Masumi's eavesdropping wasn't due to a weird habit of "liking to listen at corners" (after all, it wasn't in her file), but rather a woman's intuition.

If Kamuro Masumi happened to turn back on a hunch and saw him talking to Mashima alone, she might get suspicious, and his carefully laid plans would become a joke.

By having Sakura wait outside, even if Kamuro Masumi returned, she would hesitate upon seeing her, and that time would be enough for him to finish what he needed to say.

Walking out of the office, he saw Sakura standing obediently at the end of the hallway, clutching her skirt, her eyes occasionally darting toward the office.

Shangguan Che walked over with a smile: "Let's go, Sakura. I got the contact info; I'll send it to you when I get back."

"Oh, okay." Sakura nodded, her voice still soft.

The two walked side-by-side toward the stairwell. Watching Sakura's visibly relaxed profile, Shangguan Che suddenly spoke: "Sakura, don't worry. I will definitely protect you."

Sakura's footsteps faltered, and she looked up in surprise: "Eh?"

"That wasn't just a polite remark for Mashima-sensei, nor was it a whim." Shangguan Che stopped walking and looked into her eyes earnestly. "For the next three years of high school, I will protect you. I won't let you be troubled by things like this again."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sakura let out a soft "thump" and crouched down, covering her face with her hands, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Shangguan Che was startled and quickly crouched down: "Sakura? What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

Sakura didn't speak, only shook her head, the tips of her ears peeking through her fingers turning red enough to drip blood.

Only then did Shangguan Che realize what had happened. His words just now had been too ambiguous; Sakura must have been shy.

He thought with a wry smile: I originally wanted to put her at ease, but I ended up making her shy instead.

Seeing the sky growing darker and the teaching building set to close in half an hour, he reached out to pull Sakura up: "Don't crouch here anymore, let's go back quickly, or the dorms will be locked if we're late."

But he pulled once and didn't budge her.

Sakura was crouched firmly, as if she had taken root.

Shangguan Che felt helpless: "How can my '7-point attribute' not be able to pull a girl? It must be because I was afraid of hurting her and didn't dare to use force! If I really used force, it would be like pulling a radish; how embarrassing would that be, especially with security cameras in the hallway!"

Shangguan Che had no choice but to crouch beside her and wait patiently: "Then crouch for a while, we'll leave once you've recovered, no rush."

Sakura crouched for about a minute before slowly raising her head. The flush on her face hadn't faded yet, but her eyes were shining: "Shangguan-san... is what you said true?"

"Of course it's true." Shangguan Che nodded with a smile, "When have I ever lied to you?"

Sakura nodded heavily, finally stood up on her own, and whispered: "Then... thank you."

"You're welcome." Shangguan Che ruffled her hair, "Let's go, if we don't leave now, we'll really be locked out."

The two walked quickly toward the dormitory. Shangguan Che felt much more at ease.

With Mashima-sensei's help, Sakura's matter should be resolved soon. As for Kamuro Masumi, although there were still hidden risks, at least for the moment, he could ensure Sakura wouldn't have to live in fear anymore.

Meanwhile, in the teacher's office, Mashima-sensei looked at the note Shangguan Che had left behind, his eyes turning profound.

He took out his phone and dialed the Student Affairs Office: "Hello, help me look into someone, a clerk at the Sakura Electronics store... Yes, focus on his recent whereabouts and any records of contact with students from the school."

After hanging up the phone, he picked up the harassment letter Sakura had received and flipped through it thoughtfully; this case seemed even more complicated than he had imagined.