No Need to Fear

"I... I cannot stop."

She chose the second path.

Only then did a hint of imperceptible approval flow into Natsukawa's voice: "Very good, Sakura. You are much braver than you imagine yourself to be."

"You were not cowed by fear; you chose to fight back. Since you have chosen to fight back, what comes next is simple."

"You do not need to think about whether he will expose you, nor do you need to think about what to do if he does."

Natsukawa's voice carried a power that made one unconditionally convinced.

"Because, I am here."

"I promise you, Sakura. I will absolutely not let you fall into that kind of situation. If he wants to expose you on the school forum, he will have to ask me first. The worst-case scenario you are worried about will absolutely not happen."

Sakura Airi's mind went blank.

That heavy, suffocating fear seemed to be... forcibly held up by Natsukawa's understated yet mountain-heavy assurance.

"Natsukawa-kun..." Her tears welled up again, but this time, it was not because of fear, but because of an indescribable sense of relief.

"Alright." Natsukawa sensed her emotions steadying. "Now, there is one more thing you need to do."

"Ichinose-san has also put in a lot of effort to help you, and she might even be targeted by that stalker because of our actions. You should let her know the current situation."

"You..."

"Me, me?" Sakura instinctively wanted to shrink away...

"Yes, you." Natsukawa's tone was gentle, yet allowed no room for refusal. "Ichinose-san is your ally. You must let her know about the latest threat. Besides, Sakura, you need to learn to rely on more than just me. Ichinose is also a friend you can trust."

"Tell her what happened. Tell her that I already know and am working on a solution. If you two still have no progress after discussing it, or if that stalker makes any further dangerous moves, come find me."

"I... I understand." Sakura Airi took a deep breath. Natsukawa had already shouldered everything for her; all she had to do was take a step forward.

"Go. Lock your door tonight and sleep soundly. With me here, he cannot do anything."

The call ended.

Sakura Airi sat on the cold dormitory floor, hugging her knees. The room was quiet, but Natsukawa's final words, "I am here," echoed in her ears.

Her heart, which had been beating wildly from fear, finally began to stabilize, bit by bit.

She wiped away her tears and, with still-trembling fingers, tapped on Ichinose Honami's contact information. She stared at the name for a long time, Ichinose's warm smile and Natsukawa's firm back flashing through her mind.

She pressed the call button.

Meanwhile, in a karaoke room at Keyaki Mall, the atmosphere was lively.

Ichinose Honami had just been pushed onto the stage by her friends and was laughing as she wrestled the microphone away from Amikura Mako when her personal terminal suddenly lit up in the corner of the sofa.

"Wait! Wait! I have to take a call!" Ichinose laughed as she begged off, seizing the chance to escape the stage.

She picked up the terminal and saw "Sakura Airi" on the caller ID; the smile on her face turned into a hint of worry. She immediately pressed the answer button and walked quickly out of the room, leaving the deafening music behind the door.

"Sakura-san? It's so late, what happened?"

From the other end of the line came Sakura Airi's intermittent, nasally-congested account.

Ichinose's expression grew solemn as Sakura spoke, eventually turning into deep self-reproach and anger.

"...I'm sorry, Sakura-san!" As soon as Sakura finished, Ichinose apologized immediately.

"It's all my fault! I was too impatient these past few days, taking you around to investigate, and our actions were too obvious... Not only did we not help you, but we alerted the enemy and put you in an even more dangerous situation..." Ichinose's voice was filled with regret; as the leader of Class B, this was the first time she felt her "good intentions" had caused harm.

"No! That's not it!"

On the other end, hearing Ichinose's apology, Sakura Airi mustered a bit of courage and hurriedly retorted: "It's not Ichinose-san's fault! You, you were helping me..."

Her voice lowered again, filled with self-loathing: "It's me... I'm too useless. I can't do anything, I only know how to be afraid... only know how to... hide behind Natsukawa-kun and Ichinose-san..."

"Natsukawa-kun...?"

Ichinose keenly caught the name. Her heart skipped a beat for no reason, but her tone remained gentle: "You... also told Natsukawa-kun?"

"Mm..." Sakura's voice was as small as a mosquito's. "I, I contacted him... first."

An indescribable, complex emotion surged in Ichinose's heart—a realization that it was as she expected, mixed with a hint of bitterness she hadn't even noticed herself.

"Then..." Ichinose tried to make her voice sound as energetic as usual. "What did Natsukawa-kun say? He must have given a lot of brilliant analysis again, right?"

"Mm..." Sakura Airi whispered, repeating Natsukawa's analysis and that most important assurance.

"He said... he would absolutely not let me fall into a dangerous situation..."

"Is that so..." Ichinose repeated softly, the stone hanging in her heart finally settling because of Natsukawa's intervention. That man always managed to provide a sense of absolute security at the most critical moments.

"He also said..." Sakura continued, "If, if Ichinose-san and I... still have no progress, or if there is more danger... then, then we should go find him."

Ichinose Honami was silent for a moment.

The cold wind in the hallway blew past, making her much clearer-headed.

Then, she suddenly let out a "pfft" laugh, the sound once again carrying her unique, infectious vitality.

"Sakura-san, I understand!"

"Eh?" Sakura couldn't quite keep up with her pace.

"Oh my... then we really have to give it our all!" Ichinose's tone carried a hint of teasing and an inexplicable sense of drive, "We can't let Natsukawa-kun laugh at us for everything!"

"If the two of us girls can't even handle a small matter like this and end up crying as we run to him for help," Ichinose said jokingly, "that would be too embarrassing! Don't you think?"

"I, I..." Sakura felt her cheeks burning from her words.

"I'm just kidding!" Ichinose laughed to reassure her, "Natsukawa-kun is right; we can't let that bastard lead us by the nose."

She set aside her joking tone, her eyes turning firm: "Sakura-san, don't worry. Since Natsukawa-kun already has a backup plan, we have even less reason to back down. Starting tomorrow, we will proceed as usual, but we'll change our approach."

"Lock your door tight tonight. I'll come to pick you up tomorrow."

"Mm!" Sakura Airi nodded vigorously.

Hanging up the phone, Ichinose Honami leaned against the cold wall of the hallway and let out a long sigh. She looked down at the name Natsukawa Sosuke pinned to the top of her contact list, the corners of her mouth curling upward uncontrollably.