A Day Spent Getting the Camera Repaired with Sakura

"Byakuya, thank you so much for accompanying me to get my camera fixed today." At the entrance of Keyaki Mall, Sakura bowed deeply to Ying.

"Not at all, Sakura, you're being too polite. It was my carelessness that caused your camera to break in the first place, so isn't it only right that I come along to help you get it repaired?" Ying said with a smile, though he definitely didn't agree to this just because he thought it would be fun to stroll through the mall with a beautiful girl.

"No, that day was entirely my own fault. I am truly grateful that you were willing to come with me, Byakuya." Sakura said hurriedly.

Feeling like he was about to fall into some kind of endless loop, Ying quickly said, "Well then, Sakura, let's get going."

"O-okay."

With that, Ying and Sakura stepped into the shopping street, remaining silent the entire way...

No, man, this is getting a bit awkward... Ying thought to himself.

"U-um, is there anything you'd like to buy, Byakuya?" Sakura asked, seemingly unable to bear the atmosphere any longer.

"No," Ying replied instinctively.

"Oh, sorry."

"..."

Ying: I'm such a damn idiot.

"Sakura, I just remembered I have a camera of my own. If you leave yours for repairs, you'll surely be inconvenienced, so why don't you use this one for now?" To salvage the situation, Ying said this and pulled out the camera.

"No, that's not necessary. Thank you for the kind offer, Byakuya, but I can wait until my camera is fixed." Sakura quickly declined.

But Ying didn't want to waste any more breath on it, so he shoved the camera into Sakura's hands and said, "Just take it. It's a gesture of goodwill from me; you can return it once yours is repaired. Besides, this isn't just an ordinary camera—it doubles as an MP3 player, you really have to try it."

Sakura finally accepted Ying's kindness and began to examine the "MP3 camera."

"Um, Byakuya, your memory card..." Sakura took a card out of the camera and asked timidly.

"That came with the camera. It can hold three cards, so don't worry about it." Ying recalled that he hadn't taken many photos himself, mostly just some scenery shots he took back when he was trying to boost his status, and he hadn't used it much since. The last time he used it was probably when he lent it to Beppu to use as an MP3 player. He hoped Beppu hadn't taken anything weird...

"So beautiful. Did you take these landscape photos, Byakuya? Ah, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have looked without asking!" After Sakura inserted the card back in, the camera automatically displayed the photos, and she had looked at them instinctively.

"It's fine, feel free to look. There's nothing shameful on there." Looks like Beppu didn't mess around. Ying breathed a sigh of relief.

"There are videos here too," Sakura said, playing one of them.

Ying: ?

Feeling puzzled, Ying leaned over to Sakura's side to see what was going on.

The video showed Ying performing a feat of breaking bricks with his bare hands.

"Uh, that's just a funny video I filmed with some friends," Ying said with a stiff smile.

Then, Sakura played the next video...

"...Melancholy, so melancholy..."

Ying: ...

"Although I don't know much about music, I think you sing quite well, Byakuya." Sakura praised.

Ying: Then you really don't know anything about music.

On the way, Ying and Sakura kept watching the videos Beppu had secretly recorded, until they finally reached their destination.

Beppu, you're dead today! Ying thought silently to himself.

Stepping into the electronics store, Ying recognized the clerk at a glance. It was the exact same guy who had tricked him into buying x-ray glasses, a future-recording camera, and an ultra-long-range camera.

"Whoa! My friend, it's you! We've just received a new batch of goods, any interest in taking a look? This time, it's a super camera that can record 360 degrees with no blind spots!" The clerk beamed as soon as he saw Ying and rushed over.

"Kisama! Do you really think I'd trust you again? I haven't even settled the score for the last time you scammed me! Do you want me to report you to the Kouiku market regulation department?" Ying said, clenching his fists and making them "crack."

"My friend, my friend, this one is for real! It's only 1888 right now, and it's buy-one-get-one-free!"

"Do you think I'm stupid!? Isn't this just a regular security camera!?"

"We support seven-day no-questions-asked returns!"

"Are you kidding me? I'll trust you one last time! Wrap it up, and if it's fake, you're done for!"

"Come back soon, my friend!"

Just as Ying was about to leave, he saw Sakura's timid expression and remembered he was here to help her fix her camera, so he quickly told her to hand it to the clerk.

The moment the clerk noticed Sakura, he suddenly straightened up, completely ignoring Ying, and started chatting her up. Seeing the clerk act this way, Ying remembered that this guy wasn't just a scammer, but also a perverted stalker.

Seeing Sakura's pale face, Ying quickly spoke up: "I'm here to get the camera fixed, don't you go pulling any of your nonsense."

The clerk gave Ying a look of undisguised disgust, but Ying didn't care at all and just told Sakura to take out the camera.

The clerk took the camera, examined it, and said, "This is a pretty serious drop, but it's not unfixable. Do you still have the warranty slip?"

Sakura quickly produced the warranty, and Ying looked it over; it stated that repairs were free within one year.

"It's a free repair, so hurry up and get to work," Ying said.

"Free repair only applies if there's a defect in the product itself. Damage caused by external forces like this still requires a repair fee. But, seeing as you're a regular customer and it's still within the warranty period, I'll give you a discount. Just pay me 30,000 points. I guarantee it'll be fixed by tomorrow." The clerk smirked.

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Do you want me to report you?" Ying said, pulling out his terminal, ready to dial the complaint hotline.

"Three hundred, three hundred. I just mistook the decimal point for a comma. Hahaha..." the clerk laughed.

Ying: I swear...

After paying the fees, the clerk asked Sakura to fill in her personal information, but Sakura gripped the pen tightly, unable to bring herself to write. The clerk stared at Sakura quite blatantly from the side.

Ying slammed his hand on the table and said, "Just record the information I gave you earlier."

"This, this isn't according to the rules..." the clerk said.

"Huh!? Do you want me to report you?"

"It seems it is within the rules after all."

Afterward, the two walked out of the electronics store together, and Sakura thanked Ying: "Thank you for your help today, Byakuya. I'm not very good at communicating with others, so it was really great having you by my side."

"It was nothing."

"I believe you already know, Byakuya. I was a witness to the fight that day," Sakura said, lowering her head.

Ying nodded: "I do know."

"Actually, I'm very troubled right now. If I don't testify this time, the class might face severe punishment. But I don't have the courage. Do you think I should step forward, Byakuya?" Sakura looked at Ying, troubled.

Seeing Sakura like this, Ying couldn't help but feel that she resembled a character from an anime he had watched in his previous life. So, he said:

"I once read a story. The protagonist, Bocchi-chan, has a personality very similar to yours, Sakura. Although she is terrible at communicating with others, she always dreamed of becoming an outstanding guitarist and performing on the world's biggest stage. At first, she only posted videos of herself playing guitar online, but later, through a series of coincidences, she formed a band with three others. Since then, her introverted personality has been gradually changing, and she has been working hard for her dream. The band became more and more famous, and she must have successfully achieved her dream in the end."

After listening, Sakura widened her eyes and looked at Ying, saying: "So you had already figured it out, Byakuya. I want to become someone like that too. I know what I need to do now. Thank you, Byakuya." After saying this, Sakura bowed, said goodbye to Ying, and left.

Ying thought to himself that although he had only told a story and hadn't even expressed his own opinion, nor did he understand what Sakura meant by saying he had "figured it out," since she already knew what to do, then so be it.