Closing the Net

Sakura Airi stared at the private message that had appeared out of thin air, exposing the location on its own, and her brain briefly short-circuited.

Is this... what Natsukawa-kun was talking about?

"No matter what you see, do not reply, and do not call me."

Natsukawa's instructions echoed in her ears, forcing her to suppress the shock and suspicion in her heart. She knew this must be part of Natsukawa's plan. That bullet seemed to have reached its target with perfect precision.

She took a deep breath and, following Natsukawa's next instruction, forwarded the chat screenshot—containing the latest threat and the location—to Ichinose Honami without changing a single thing.

"Honami, this is the latest situation... Natsukawa-kun told me to send this to you, saying it can serve as direct evidence for you to file a formal complaint with the school through the Student Council."

Not long after the message was sent, Ichinose called her directly, her tone filled with irrepressible anger and determination.

"This is too much! This person is completely lawless!" Ichinose's voice rose slightly with fury. "Not only are they threatening you, but now they even dare to designate a meeting spot! Don't worry, Sakura-san, I understand! With such clear evidence, the Student Council President will definitely not sit idly by! I will report this matter and ensure the school intervenes!"

After hanging up, Sakura Airi clutched her personal terminal and curled up on her bed. Although a lingering fear of the unknown remained in her heart, the absolute trust she placed in Natsukawa had become a sturdy barrier, blocking out the most overwhelming panic.

She only needed to wait.

The next day, Keyaki Mall, inside the electronics store.

The sleazy-looking clerk was leaning behind the counter, listlessly wiping a digital camera with a rag.

He was in a good mood, one could even say he was delighted.

The performance of that "plain girl" Sakura Airi over the past few days had satisfied him greatly. Ever since he sent that threatening letter, the annoying flies around her had indeed vanished. She had returned to being that "Shizuku-chan" who only dared to walk with her head down, belonging solely to him, waiting for him to admire her.

He was addicted to this feeling of having complete control over someone. He had even begun to imagine what kind of expression he would wear and what words he would say when Sakura Airi obediently arrived at the rooftop that afternoon, all to express his pure, fervent love.

He habitually took out his phone, a greasy smile on his face, and skillfully opened the blog app. He first checked Shizuku-chan's updates as usual, then entered the private message interface with her. He wanted to savor the "date invitation" he had sent yesterday once more, feeling the irresistible love that permeated his words.

However, as he scrolled to the bottom of the chat history, the smile on his face instantly froze.

"My dear Shizuku-chan, listen to your uncle, be there at four o'clock tomorrow afternoon, okay? The meeting spot has been changed to the electronics store where I work. If you don't come, I'll spread Shizuku-chan's real identity and the photos I took earlier."

"If that happens, your high school life will surely be very exciting, and the expression on your face at that time will definitely be very delightful!"

"...?"

For a split second, he thought he had misread it.

He blinked hard and leaned closer to the screen to look again.

It was correct.

Those two messages were lying there clearly, as if mocking him. The sender was himself, and the tone mimicked his own perfectly.

But... he could swear to the heavens that he had absolutely never sent those two messages!

A chill, like an electric current, shot from his tailbone to the top of his head, making the hair on his body stand on end. Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

What is going on?

What on earth is happening?!

There was no way he would be stupid enough to expose his own lair! Setting a meeting place at the electronics store where he worked? Wasn't that digging his own grave?!

Was his account hacked? But who would bother hacking his account?

His brain was in chaos, countless guesses and possibilities warring wildly in his mind, but each one made him shudder. The very existence of this message revealed a fact he couldn't accept—the control he thought he had, his sense of superiority hiding in the shadows, had been easily exposed by someone in a corner he didn't know, as if he were a clown.

No! Must delete it!

His heart hammered violently from panic, almost jumping out of his throat. His fingers were unusually clumsy from trembling, tapping wildly on the screen. He had to delete these damn records immediately, right now! As long as they were deleted, there would be no evidence! Yes, as long as they were deleted...

Just as he was fumbling to long-press the message, preparing to click delete—

"Creak—"

The door to the electronics store was suddenly pushed open.

He jumped in fright, and his phone nearly flew out of his hand. He hurriedly looked up, only to see several middle-aged men in school uniforms with stern expressions walking in. Pinned to their chests were the badges of the school's Security Office.

The man in the lead had eyes like torches, locking directly onto him, his voice steady and authoritative: "You are the clerk of this store, Yamamoto, right? We are the school's Safety Committee. We received a report from a student suspecting you of long-term stalking, voyeurism, and intimidation of students at this school. We need to investigate you now. Please cooperate and hand over your personal terminal and work computer."

Boom—!

The man's words hit the clerk's head like a heavy hammer.

How... could it... be so fast?

His brain completely stopped thinking, leaving only the most instinctive panic. He subconsciously hid his phone behind his back, his eyes darting around as he stammered in defense: "Y-you... what are you talking about? I... I don't know... I didn't do anything! You're slandering me!"

His guilty, flustered appearance practically had the words "I'm guilty" written all over his face, running headlong into the trap set by the Security Office personnel.

"Whether we are slandering you or not, we'll know once we check." The lead man remained expressionless, signaling with a glance. Two colleagues immediately stepped forward, restraining him from both sides.

"Let go of me! By what right are you searching my things! This is an invasion of privacy!" The clerk was still struggling in vain.

One of the security officers easily took the phone that hadn't been locked yet from behind him. On the screen, the chat interface full of threatening words and the exposed location was clearly visible.

"It seems we found the right person."

A flash of confusion crossed the security officer's face as well. They couldn't fathom how someone could be so stupid as to expose their own address in such a clear way, and then not make any preparations afterward, not even knowing to delete the chat history in advance. But that didn't stop them from carrying out their mission.

Soon, they discovered a massive, shocking number of voyeuristic photos on the clerk's phone and the private computer in his locker. The victims were not just Sakura Airi, but several other female students from different classes.

Caught red-handed.

Faced with ironclad evidence, the clerk's psychological defenses completely collapsed. He slumped to the ground, still muttering incoherently: "It wasn't me... I didn't send that message..."

But no one paid any attention to his excuses anymore.