Discussing Strategy

"Shizuku... is that... the energetic idol Shizuku?!" Ichinose's voice carried a hint of disbelief. "I, I think I've seen her online! Oh my god, Sakura-san, you're amazing!"

There were no strange looks, no curious probing, only the purest, most heartfelt exclamation and praise.

Sakura Airi was left dizzy by this sudden compliment, her cheeks flushing a deep red that burned all the way from her earlobes to her neck. She waved her hands in a panic: "No, it's not... I'm not... that amazing..."

"This is already a truly incredible achievement!" Ichinose exclaimed sincerely.

"But because of that," Natsukawa pulled the conversation back to the cold reality, "she has been targeted by a fanatic on campus."

He unlocked his terminal, pulled up the direct message interface, and handed it to Ichinose.

"'Shizuku-chan'... 'I've been watching you'..." Ichinose read the text aloud softly, her expression darkening with every word.

"And then," Natsukawa pushed the stack of photos on the table forward, "this afternoon, these things appeared in her personal mailbox on the first floor of her dormitory."

Ichinose's breath hitched. She carefully picked up the stack of photos, and after looking at only a few, her hands began to tremble slightly with anger.

"This is too much..." There was a rare flash of fury in Ichinose's voice. "This isn't just harassment; this is clear intimidation and violation!"

"Have you reported this to your homeroom teacher?"

"We went to Chabashira-sensei when we saw the messages, but she refused to let the school intervene directly due to a lack of evidence."

"Sakura-san," she looked up, her gaze filled with determination, "I'm sorry you had to go through something so terrifying. Please, let me help you with this. I will never allow someone like that to be near us, threatening my... friend."

"Ichinose... san..." Sakura's eyes turned red instantly, tears welling up in her sockets.

"I have a favor to ask." Natsukawa spoke up at the right moment. "Until we find this person, Sakura-san's safety is the top priority. As a guy, it's ultimately inconvenient for me to accompany her at all times, and it might also provoke the stalker."

He looked at Ichinose: "For the next few days, could I trouble you to move around with Sakura-san? For example, during lunch breaks and after school—you're both girls, so it'll be more convenient for you to return to the dorms together."

"Of course, no problem!" Ichinose agreed without hesitation. "That's exactly what I was planning to do!"

She turned to Sakura and confirmed in her gentlest voice: "Sakura-san, are you willing? Starting tomorrow, I'll come to the Class D classroom to pick you up during lunch and after school, and we can walk together, okay?"

Sakura Airi looked at the girl before her, who shone as brightly as the sun, and then at the steady Natsukawa beside her. She knew this was the defensive line they had built for her. She nodded vigorously, tears finally sliding down her cheeks: "...Thank you for the trouble."

"Then," Natsukawa summarized, "Sakura-san's safety is temporarily in your hands. As for me, I'll try to trace the network footprint of this blog account to see if I can find more clues."

With the matter settled, the atmosphere in the cafe loosened.

Ichinose seemed to remember something and tried to make the mood lighter: "Speaking of which... I just slipped out of a karaoke event in Class B. Now that things are settled, Natsukawa-kun, Sakura-san, would you like to... come over and relax? Just to change the pace?"

It was a well-intentioned invitation, hoping to use the enthusiasm of Class B to dilute Sakura's fear.

However, the word "karaoke" instantly caused Sakura's body, which had just begun to relax, to tense up again! Her face, which had only just regained some color, turned pale once more, and she subconsciously grabbed the corner of Natsukawa's shirt.

Natsukawa felt her stiffness immediately. He calmly raised his hand, gently covering the back of the hand Sakura was using to grip his clothes, patted it soothingly, and then looked up at Ichinose with a hint of apology:

"Thank you very much for the invitation, Ichinose-san. However, I still have some things to take care of, so we won't go over to disturb your class's activity."

Ichinose looked at Sakura's panicked expression and realized it immediately—

"Ah! I, I'm sorry!" She pressed her palms together, looking at Sakura with a face full of apology. "I, I didn't consider your feelings at all! I'm sorry, Sakura-san, I was so careless!"

"No, no... it's me..." Sakura shook her head in a panic.

"Then, we'll head back to the dorms first." Natsukawa stood up and naturally picked up Sakura's bag for her.

"Yes! See you tomorrow, Sakura-san, Natsukawa-kun!"

Natsukawa left the cafe with Sakura. Ichinose Honami sat alone at the table, watching them leave, the smile on her face slowly fading, replaced by deep thought and worry.

She did not notice that outside the cafe window, behind the dense decorative shrubbery, a figure had been standing silently for a long time.

That gaze stared at the direction Natsukawa and Sakura had left for a moment, then turned back, piercing through the glass like a stubborn, slightly morbid beam of light, motionless... focused on Ichinose Honami's beautiful, pensive profile.

The next morning, Sakura Airi completed her morning run under Natsukawa's guidance as promised. Although fear still followed her like a shadow, with Natsukawa's steady pace and Ichinose's promise, a thin layer of armor had formed around her heart.

As soon as lunch break arrived, Sakura Airi sat nervously in the Class D classroom, waiting. Before long, a series of light, rhythmic knocks sounded at the door.

"Sakura-san, I'm here to pick you up!"

Ichinose Honami stood at the door with a smile as bright as the sun. Her appearance immediately attracted the attention of many students in Class D. As the leader of Class B, many knew her, yet she walked into Class D without the slightest bit of awkwardness.

Sakura Airi stood up immediately. Her body was still a bit stiff, but she knew that following Ichinose was her only choice right now.

"Th, thank you for the trouble, Ichinose-san."

"Don't mention it!" Ichinose affectionately took Sakura's wrist, the warmth of the touch helping Sakura's heartbeat steady slightly.

The two walked toward the student cafeteria together. As they passed the corridor connecting the school building to the gymnasium, Ichinose's eyes suddenly became sharp.

"Sakura-san," Ichinose's voice lowered slightly, but remained gentle, "let's do a little bit of 'counter-attack' preparation work now."

Sakura Airi looked at her nervously, not understanding what she meant.

"Last night, I told a few reliable classmates in Class B about your situation," Ichinose explained. "They are distributed in key locations around the campus—like the path we're walking on now, or Keyaki Mall, the library, and so on. They will help us keep an eye out for anyone acting suspiciously."

"The first step we need to take now is to find the location where he took the photos." Ichinose led Sakura toward a clearing with dense vegetation.

"The photos you received almost all have a high-angle perspective, the angles are stable, and the background often features the exterior walls and windows of the school building. This means he is likely taking the photos from a fixed high point near the school building."

Sakura Airi followed Ichinose's guidance and looked up at several windows of the nearby school building. Ichinose pointed to a window on the second floor: "My classmate went to ask around yesterday; that is a vacant club activity room. It is very likely he is hiding there, taking pictures through the gaps in the window."

Ichinose did not rush to approach; she simply led Sakura in a circle around the area, trying to gather more information from Sakura's physical reactions.

"Sakura Airi, do you think... he stayed there?"

Sakura Airi's sensitive blue eyes were filled with terror. Her subconscious seemed to be screaming; her fear of being watched reached its peak as they approached the vacant clubroom. She took a slight step back, instinctively wanting to hide behind Ichinose.

"I, I don't know... but, but this place makes me feel very uneasy..."

Ichinose stopped immediately, understanding how she felt. She did not continue to push, simply leading Sakura away from that spot.

However, these "counter-offensive" actions of theirs—inevitably alerted the "predator" lurking in the shadows.

Although their behavior was subtle, it was ultimately purposeful. To a stalker who was highly vigilant and viewed Sakura as his "private property," any force attempting to intervene would be seen as an infringement upon his territory.