How Could Kushida Ever Hurt Her? (Two-Part Chapter)

But if it were that guy, he'd probably pounce on him right now.

Waaah...

"Of course, I also have a little selfish motive, so these photos are only for my enjoyment." Asakusa Toru added, "It would be even better if you could provide me with more photos separately."

"Beep beep--"

Just as he was speaking, the terminal in his hand suddenly rang, and a call request was immediately displayed on the screen.

Asakusa Toru talking, glanced at the screen, swiped his thumb to answer the call, and held the receiver to his ear.

"Come over."

A familiar yet indistinct voice came through the receiver, followed by brief words, and the call ended on the other end.

Asakusa Toru: "..."

Unfortunately, although I could ignore Little Kikyo's call, I would still have to figure out how to appease her afterwards. If I think about it carefully, it would be a bit of a loss.

... Never mind, there will be plenty of opportunities anyway, let's leave it at that for now.

"Oh, sorry, this is a bit of an inconvenient time."

So, putting away his terminal, Asakusa Toru gave a slightly apologetic look. "Anyway, don't worry too much, Sakura."

"You can continue using this place if you don't mind. No one else should be able to come in except for me. However, I still suggest that you change clothes in the dormitory if possible."

"As for whether I might threaten you with the photos or something... well, that's possible, but also unlikely."

He paused slightly, then said:

"Well, how should I put it? Playing the same game again after you've played it once might not be very interesting. Besides, I always feel that Sakura is the kind of pushover who will half-heartedly comply if threatened."

"That way, there won't be that feeling of being threatened, given a sour face and told what you like, only to later turn into loving eyes and reluctantly say something like 'I'm not giving in'."

He said something that Sakura Airi didn't quite understand at first.

But some things still don't need to be understood.

For example, the nickname 'Sakura'.

He knows himself!

Just as Sakura Airi was internally screaming, Asakusa Toru turned around and opened the door without hesitation.

"I'm leaving now," he said, disappearing behind the closed door before Sakura Airi could react.

Only Sakura Airi, completely unharmed and dressed perfectly, stood there bewildered.

"..."

After Asakusa Toru left, Sakura Airi was left alone on the rooftop once again.

As a result, her chaotic mind calmed down a bit, and she began to slowly organize her thoughts.

He knew he was 'Sakura Airi', and he also knew he was 'Shizuku'.

He took a picture of himself, saying he wanted to go back and admire it, adding that it might threaten him, but it was also unlikely to.

He described himself as a pushover who would only half-heartedly comply when threatened.

He said that once you've played a game, it's not very interesting to play it again.

He received a call from a voice that was muffled but somewhat familiar.

He had a scent about him that I felt I'd smelled somewhere before.

"..."

In a daze, a name surfaced in Sakura Airi's mind.

Kushida Kikyo.

The girl who helped her that morning Kushida Kikyo, a beloved and lovable little Angel.

The voice was hers, the scent was hers, and at the same time, the scent I smelled on Kushida Kikyo that morning seemed to be his.

Wait, wait...

Sakura Airi turned her thoughts back to what Asakusa Toru said earlier.

'A way of playing this game once'

No, no way...

Is it not a boyfriend, but a threat?

No, no, no, threats? How could that be?

Even if it were a threat, it should have been Kushida threatening him; otherwise, how could he have been summoned away with just a phone call?

Ugh... my head is all messed up.

Their identities were exposed, their names were revealed, and their bodies were photographed.

Sakura Airi felt like she was really about to collapse.

I'm stopping here for now, I'm going back to the dorm...

Then, find someone to discuss it with...

Sakura Airi felt she couldn't figure out what to do. If it were a minor matter, it wouldn't matter if she made a wrong judgment, but in this kind of situation, once she made a wrong judgment, it could really turn into... becoming the star of a short video.

She didn't think her Judgment was particularly strong.

But in this school, there was only one person she could trust.

Kushida Kikyo.

If it were Kushida... he should be able to give better advice, right?

The more Sakura Airi thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

If Angel were both victims of threats, Kushida would certainly be able to offer better and more helpful advice.

If the relationship were reversed, she wouldn't need to worry about anything either; Kushida would definitely help her.

Even if he were her boyfriend, Kushida would definitely not like him threatening others.

And so, Sakura Airi made her decision.

Chapter 158 How could Kushida possibly harm her? (Part 2)

In the Advanced Nurturing, each student has Personal Terminal issued by the school.

Meanwhile, Personal Terminal always have GPS positioning enabled.

Normally, this is a function that should only be available to users and the school, and only they should be able to access and view the information.

However, Advanced Nurturing takes an unconventional approach.

The school has allowed all students who are friends with each other to view each other's locations.

Once you've exchanged contact information, you can check each other's current address at any time.

In this Advanced Nurturing system, which is neither particularly large nor small, such positioning is especially useful.

Although it's impossible to determine the vertical height, most of the time, just clicking in like this will tell you where the other person is.

When she has nothing to do, Kushida Kikyo's favorite thing to do is to check someone's location and spy on their movements.

--Ever since he sent that message, 'I have something to do, you can deduct it yourself today,' and even turned off his phone and location services, Kushida Kikyo has developed this habit.

It's not about being controlling or anything like that; she just simply wanted to watch.

Let's see what this guy does all day.

Where did you go, and who did you meet?

Although Kushida Kikyo didn't pursue the matter of the previous incident involving the location of the agency, she still harbored some resentment towards it.

"..."

The location indicated that he was currently in a school building.

... Tsk.

What are you doing standing there in the middle of the day instead of going back to your dorm?

Lying on someone's bed, clutching someone's blanket, with a pillow between her legs, Kushida Kikyo dialed a phone number.

"Come here." That was all she said.

Sakura's dormitory.

Although she had made a decision, Sakura Airi got stuck on the step of sending the message.

How should I send the message? What should I say? Should I explain the situation directly on a messaging app, or should I go to her in person to ask for help?

Won't this be disturbing Kushida a little?

Her mind was already a bit of a mess, and with all the worries piling up, she felt her head getting hot again.

Waaah...

She gritted her teeth, her fingers trembling slightly, and after several revisions, she finally sent the message.

[Kushida, there's something I'd like to discuss with you... is that alright?]

After sending the message, Sakura Airi immediately threw her phone on the bed and curled up into a ball.

I've never been this nervous before...

She rolled around on the bed for a long time, expecting a response soon, but Sakura Airi didn't hear her phone vibrate for a long time.

Did you accidentally turn off the sound?

She hesitated for a moment, then reached out and grabbed her phone.

The sound wasn't turned off.

The message is still unread.

The clock beside her ticked away, and for no apparent reason, a sense of tension rose in Sakura Airi's heart in the quiet air.

I don't know how much time has passed, but it probably hasn't been too long.

She finally received a response before her lunch break ended.

[Sure, sure! Just tell me what's on your mind. Is it about love? Or something else? How about we talk on the phone? It's a bit late now that lunch break is over, so let's talk after school. If you don't want to call, how about we talk when we meet?]

A very reassuring response has arrived.

Fearing that replying would make Kushida feel neglected, Sakura Airi quickly typed out her response.

[Good]

Feeling that it might seem a bit perfunctory, she added.

[Thank you Kushida. This isn't about romance, and talking on the phone is a bit... Let's meet up. Thank you so much.]

She received a response very quickly.

[Yes, you're welcome. It's what I should do.]

Almost as soon as school was over, Kushida Kikyo approached Sakura Airi.

"Sakura ~" With a clear and energetic greeting, Kushida Kikyo stood smiling in front of Sakura Airi.

Sakura Airi shuddered and almost jumped up from her seat.

She hurriedly packed her schoolbag, her eyes darting nervously around behind her glasses.

I'm so nervous, so very nervous.

"I, I'll be right there..." Her voice was barely audible, and her fingers trembled slightly with nervousness. She had already stuffed her textbooks and other belongings into her bag, but the zipper on her hand was stuck on the edge of the bag and she couldn't pull it up.

"No need to rush."

Kushida Kikyo walked briskly to her side and naturally took the schoolbag from her hand.

"Let me help you," she said.