"Shizuku... You mean the Shizuku, the Energetic Girl?!" Ichinose's voice carried a note of disbelief. "I—I think I've seen you online! Oh my gosh, Sakura, you're amazing!"
There was no strange look, no curious probing—only pure, heartfelt surprise and praise.
The sudden compliment left Sakura Airi reeling. Her cheeks flushed bright red, the heat spreading from her ears down to her neck. She waved her hands frantically. "N-no... It's nothing... I'm not that amazing..."
"That's still an incredible achievement!" Ichinose exclaimed sincerely.
"But that also means," Natsukawa said, drawing the conversation back to the cold reality, "she's been targeted by an obsessive fan at school."
He unlocked his device, opened the private message, and handed it to Ichinose.
"'Shizuku-chan'... 'I've been watching you all this time'..." Ichinose read the words quietly, her expression darkening with each one.
"And then," Natsukawa said, nudging the stack of photos on the table, "these showed up in her personal mailbox on the first floor of the dorm this afternoon."
Ichinose's breath caught. She carefully picked up the photos. After looking through only a few, her hands began to tremble with anger.
"This is too much..." There was a rare fury in Ichinose's voice. "This isn't just harassment anymore. It's an outright threat and invasion of privacy!"
"Have you reported it to your homeroom teacher?"
"We told Chabashira-sensei when we saw the message, but she refused to get the school involved directly because there wasn't enough evidence."
"Sakura," she said, looking up with a resolute expression, "I'm sorry you've had to go through something so frightening. Please let me help. I won't allow someone like this to threaten my... friends."
"Ichinose..." Sakura's eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up.
"I have a favor to ask." Natsukawa spoke up at the right moment. "Until we find this person, Sakura's safety comes first. As a guy, I can't always stay by her side, and I also want to avoid provoking the stalker."
He turned to Ichinose. "Could you stay with Sakura for the next few days? During lunch and after school, for example. You're both girls, so it'd be convenient for you to walk back to the dorm together."
"Of course!" Ichinose agreed without hesitation. "That's exactly what I was planning to do!"
She turned to Sakura, her voice gentle as she checked, "Sakura, are you okay with that? Starting tomorrow, I'll come to your Class D classroom at lunch and after school, and we can go together. All right?"
Sakura Airi looked at the radiant girl before her, then at the steady Natsukawa beside her. She knew they were building a wall of protection around her. She nodded emphatically, and the tears finally spilled over. "...Sorry for the trouble."
"Then," Natsukawa concluded, "I'll leave Sakura's safety in your hands for now. I'll try to trace this blog account's online activity and see if I can find any more clues."
With everything settled, the atmosphere in the café eased.
Ichinose seemed to remember something and tried to lighten the mood. "By the way... I just slipped away from Class B's karaoke outing. Now that we've taken care of this, Natsukawa, Sakura, would you like to... come join us and unwind? Maybe it'll help take your minds off things?"
She meant it as a kind invitation, hoping the warmth of Class B would help ease Sakura's fear.
But the word "karaoke" made Sakura tense up all over again! Her face, which had just regained some color, turned pale in an instant, and she instinctively grabbed the hem of Natsukawa's shirt.
Natsukawa immediately felt her stiffen. Without drawing attention to it, he raised a hand and gently covered the hand clutching his shirt, patting it reassuringly. Only then did he look up at Ichinose, an apologetic expression on his face.
"Thank you very much for inviting us, Ichinose. But I still have a few things to take care of, so we won't intrude on your class's outing."
Seeing Sakura's frightened expression, Ichinose immediately understood.
"Ah! I'm sorry!" She clasped her hands together, apologizing to Sakura. "I—I didn't consider how you'd feel at all! I'm sorry, Sakura. I was so thoughtless!"
"N-no... It's my..." Sakura hurriedly shook her head.
"Then we'll head back to the dorm first." Natsukawa stood up and naturally picked up Sakura's schoolbag for her.
"Okay! See you tomorrow, Sakura, Natsukawa!"
Natsukawa left the café with Sakura. Ichinose Honami sat alone, watching them go. Her smile slowly faded, replaced by deep thought and worry.
She didn't notice the figure that had been standing quietly for some time behind the dense decorative shrubs outside the café window.
The figure watched in the direction Natsukawa and Sakura had gone for a while, then turned back. Through the glass, like a stubborn, slightly unhinged ray of light, its gaze remained fixed on Ichinose Honami's beautiful, thoughtful profile...
The next morning, Sakura Airi completed her usual morning run under Natsukawa's guidance. The fear still clung to her, but Natsukawa's steady pace and Ichinose's promise had given her a thin layer of armor around her heart.
As soon as lunch break began, Sakura Airi sat anxiously in the Class D classroom, waiting. Before long, a light knock sounded at the door.
"Sakura, I'm here to get you!"
Ichinose Honami stood in the doorway, wearing a radiant smile. Her appearance immediately drew the attention of several Class D students. Many of them knew her as Class B's leader, but she walked right into Class D without the slightest hesitation.
Sakura Airi immediately stood up. Her body was still somewhat stiff, but she knew that following Ichinose was her only choice for now.
"S-sorry for the trouble, Ichinose."
"Don't mention it!" Ichinose said affectionately, taking Sakura by the wrist. The warmth of her touch steadied Sakura's heartbeat a little.
The two of them headed for the cafeteria. As they passed through the corridor connecting the school building and the gymnasium, Ichinose's gaze suddenly sharpened.
"Sakura," Ichinose said softly, her voice still gentle, "let's do a little 'counterattack' preparation."
Sakura Airi looked at her nervously, unsure what she meant.
"Last night, I told a few trustworthy classmates in Class B about what happened to you," Ichinose explained. "They're stationed at a few key spots around campus—like this route we're taking now, Keyaki Mall, and the library. They'll help us keep an eye out for anyone acting suspiciously."
"The first thing we need to do is find where he took the photos." Ichinose led Sakura toward an open area thick with vegetation.
"Almost all the photos you received were taken from above. The angles are steady, and the school building's exterior walls and windows often appear in the background. That means he was probably taking them from a fixed, elevated spot near the school building."
Following Ichinose's directions, Sakura Airi looked up at several windows in the nearby school building. Ichinose pointed to a window on the second floor. "My classmates asked around yesterday. That room is an unused clubroom. He might be hiding in there, taking pictures through a gap in the window."
Ichinose didn't approach recklessly. She merely took Sakura around the perimeter, hoping to learn more from Sakura's physical reactions.
"Sakura, do you think... he's been in there?"
Sakura Airi's sensitive blue eyes were filled with fear. Her subconscious seemed to be screaming. Her fear of being watched reached its peak as they neared the empty clubroom. She took a small step back, instinctively trying to hide behind Ichinose.
"I-I don't know... But, but this place makes me feel awful..."
Ichinose stopped immediately, understanding how Sakura felt. She didn't press her any further and simply led her away.
However, these "countermeasures" of theirs inevitably alerted the "predator" lurking in the shadows.
Their actions were discreet, but they were still purposeful. To a highly vigilant stalker who considered Sakura his "property," any attempt to interfere would be seen as an invasion of his territory.
Before you continue