Classroom of the Elite, I Can Add Points Infinitely Chapter 48

[Sakura Airi]: "Um, Aragaki-kun, actually, I have a hobby of taking selfies with my camera, and I post those photos on a blog."

[Aragaki Shun]: "I know. The gravure idol 'Shizuku', right? Because I was curious about the name that shop clerk mentioned, I looked it up online yesterday and only then realized that Sakura-san actually has so many fans."

"Eh~ No way, you already found out?"

Sakura was genuinely startled. Anxious, she stood up from her bed immediately and rushed to her laptop, opening the webpage she frequented.

It was none other than the blog of the gravure idol "Shizuku."

Sakura nervously checked the fan comments on the blog, and after confirming that there weren't any strange new remarks, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

Actually, that wasn't quite right; in reality, the comment section was filled with many deranged and twisted messages.

--[Do you believe in fate? I do. From now on, we will be together forever.]

When she first saw this comment, she thought it was just the overactive imagination of an ordinary fan, but she never expected the harassment to intensify from there.

Since then, the person's account would leave comments like this every single day, and they gradually became even more excessive.

--[I've always felt that we are a perfect match.]

--[You were even cuter today.]

--[Did you notice that we made eye contact? I did.]

Comments like these, which filled her with dread, lined up in the comment section, appearing one after another.

That tangible sense of fear, as the number of messages grew, had been constantly crushing Sakura Airi in the past.

But what caused her to break down even more was that it wasn't just online; after enrolling in Kodo Ikusei Senior High School, she also began receiving various anonymous harassment letters in real life, the deranged style of affection clearly matching the comments on her blog.

In other words, the fan who kept harassing her online was actually present at this school!

That person even knew where her room was and would sneakily deliver harassment letters every morning, which had accumulated to dozens by now.

Thinking about how she was being coveted by such a stalker every day, Sakura Airi couldn't help but let out a cry of despair, nearly losing all hope for her life.

She wanted to ask for help, but as a reclusive girl, she couldn't find a single person she could trust, leaving her to tremble in fear alone, curling up in her dorm room and crying by herself every day.

That hellish existence made it almost impossible for her to breathe.

It was during these days that Aragaki Shun suddenly appeared.

Despite it being nothing more than a chance encounter, the boy's casual intervention cleanly and efficiently resolved the source of the fear that had been plaguing the girl, as simple and effortless as a human subconsciously swatting a mosquito.

Sakura had never imagined that she, who was about to fall completely into darkness, would one day suddenly encounter a ray of light.

"Aragaki-kun..."

Sakura Airi murmured the name of the hero in her heart with a flushed face. When she looked at the comment section of her blog again, that past sense of fear was gone.

Because she knew that the stalker who had been harassing her in the shadows had been completely expelled from this school by Aragaki-kun.

With that, the only person in Kodo Ikusei who knew about her identity as "Shizuku" was Aragaki-kun.

The red-haired girl looked somewhat dazed at the various selfies stored on her laptop. She really wanted to know, after seeing the photos on the blog, what did Aragaki-kun think of "Shizuku"?

[Aragaki Shun]: "Still there?"

Sakura Airi had been silent for several minutes, so Aragaki Shun guessed that the girl might be worried about the shop clerk incident repeating itself, and thus took the initiative to offer a guarantee.

[Aragaki Shun]: "Sakura-san, you can rest assured. Regarding your identity as a gravure idol, I haven't told anyone else."

[Aragaki Shun]: "As for me, I don't have a hobby of chasing idols, and I have plenty of admirers of my own, so you shouldn't have to imagine me as a fanatical fan like that shop clerk, right?"

[Sakura Airi]: "No! That's not it! I wasn't worried about that, because I actually wanted to explain everything to Aragaki-kun..."

Just like that, Sakura Airi told Aragaki Shun about everything—not only being harassed on her blog but also being stalked in real life by the shop clerk.

[Sakura Airi]: "He wrote increasingly excessive things in the letters. I was so scared, so scared that one day that man would come directly for me."

[Sakura Airi]: "Fortunately, I had Aragaki-kun's help; otherwise, I wouldn't even dare to imagine how I would survive in this school from now on."

[Sakura Airi]: "So please, Aragaki-kun, you must accept these points. Because I'm useless, my grades and physical fitness are both poor, and I don't have any close friends, so I don't know what else I can do to thank you."

After saying this, Sakura transferred the 500,000 Private Points over once again, leaving Aragaki Shun speechless.

This girl really seemed a bit of a naive airhead.

However, thinking about it, he didn't like owing people things either, so others were likely the same.

Thus, he didn't transfer all the points back, but instead kept 400,000 of them.

[Aragaki Shun]: "Then I'll accept the bulk of it. Keep the remaining 100,000 for yourself. Class D only gets so much in monthly allowance, so you have to budget carefully for normal food and drinks, not to mention you have a photography hobby."

[Sakura Airi]: "Okay, I understand. Thank you for your concern, Aragaki-kun."

A somewhat silly smile appeared on the red-haired girl's face. Even though she was the one giving away money, not only did she not feel any heartache, but she even thanked the person receiving it, which was quite absurd.

Shaking his head, Aragaki Shun decided not to dwell on the thoughts inside a girl's mind. Rather than considering these things, it was better to think about what to eat later.

[Aragaki Shun]: "Sakura-san, you should be more careful in the future. I don't know much about gravure idols, but I know a thing or two about the trouble that fanatical fans can bring."

[Aragaki Shun]: "To be honest, the personality you show at school makes it really hard to associate you with the word 'idol'."

To be fair, although they were in different fields, if one were to really talk about it, Aragaki Shun himself, his stepsister, and his foster parents all actually possessed a certain degree of fame.

He himself was a top-tier light novel author in the industry, one of his foster parents was a member of the House of Representatives, and the other was the president of the PTA. As for his stepsister, Ayase, she had gone off to work as a model for fun.

He and his foster parents didn't need to worry about this aspect. As for Ayase, both Aragaki Shun and his foster father had already made arrangements with her agency, so there was certainly no need to worry about her safety.

However, it seemed that before he even entered Kodo Ikusei Senior High School, Ayase had already quit her modeling job. Rumor had it that she wanted to pour all her energy into her grades so that in two years, she would definitely pass the entrance exam to Kodo Ikusei and find him.

Thinking about it now, his foster father must have done that on purpose. He knew full well that admission to Kodo Ikusei had little to do with grades, yet he still tricked Ayase like that.

[Sakura Airi]: "Um, I actually never thought 'Shizuku' would have so many fans. At first, I just thought I'd try uploading photos to a blog."

Because her physical development had been somewhat excessive since she was young, Sakura Airi was always troubled by the gazes of others. Most of them were boys, but there were quite a few girls as well.

This was especially true during her middle school years, when her peers hadn't yet shown any obvious growth, but Sakura Airi's development stood out uniquely, which caused her no small amount of distress.

To lower her presence, Sakura Airi rarely interacted with others from then on. She also deliberately wore unfashionable glasses and dressed very plainly, successfully turning herself into a wallflower in the corner so that she wouldn't attract attention.

But humans are social animals by nature. A normal person who is always alone will inevitably feel lonely and isolated. Therefore, deep in the girl's heart, she had always longed for someone who could truly understand her.

When she couldn't find such a person, she could only pour all her attention into her only hobby: taking various photos.

The reason she uploaded the photos to a blog was simply due to the girl's loneliness, hoping to gain some attention on the internet.

She had thought that since everyone was a stranger, it wouldn't matter.

Yet, she never expected that the fame of "Shizuku" would grow larger and larger, until it was completely beyond her control.

[Sakura Airi]: "Um, Aragaki-kun, you've seen the 'Shizuku' blog too, so what do you think of those photos?"

99. Karuizawa Kei is willing to do anything

The time came to six o'clock the next afternoon.

After saying goodbye to Shiina Hiyori, Aragaki Shun left the library and began heading to the location Karuizawa Kei had sent for the treat.

On the way, he suddenly received an email from Sakura Airi. The young man raised an eyebrow, opened it, and saw that it was actually the latest selfie of "Shizuku."

In the photo, the red-haired girl had removed her dowdy glasses and was wearing a simple white dress. Her exquisitely styled twin tails fell to her waist, making her look exceptionally fresh and refined.

Her skin was as fair as snow, seemingly glowing with a faint halo under the sunlight. Her delicate features were like carefully crafted porcelain, especially those bright, large eyes, which hid a hint of shyness amidst their liveliness, like a flower bud about to bloom, drawing everyone's attention.

Aragaki Shun had to admit that the "Shizuku" in the photo didn't look like the same person as the Sakura Airi he saw every day. Compared to the reclusive and withdrawn Sakura, "Shizuku" was like a fairy who had walked out of a fairy tale—lively and cute. Just looking at the photo was enough to make one's heart flutter.

It was no wonder she could have so many fans online; this appearance certainly had the qualifications for it.

[Sakura Airi]: "Aragaki-kun, th-this one is one I just took."

Looking at Sakura's inquiry in the email, Aragaki Shun paused his steps, admiring Sakura's selfie while falling into thought.

Last night, Sakura Airi had asked him what he thought of those "Shizuku" photos.

Although Aragaki Shun didn't know what kind of thoughts the girl had when she asked such a question, he still honestly gave his stance.

To sum it up in one sentence—"Very pretty, I like looking at them, send more."

Then, the person on the other end panicked and cut off the chat immediately.

Aragaki Shun had thought Sakura was scared off by his bluntness and didn't pay much attention to it, but the next day, she actually sent the latest selfie?

Young lady, isn't there something a bit off about this?

Forget it, let nature take its course. It's not a big deal, after all.

[Aragaki Shun]: "This style of Sakura is very cute. The lighting and composition of the photo are also good; you really live up to your name as a famous online gravure idol."

[Sakura Airi]: "It's actually not as good as Aragaki-kun says."

[Sakura Airi]: "As long as Aragaki-kun likes it, um, should I continue to send photos later?"

Back in her dorm room early again, Sakura Airi's face was slightly flushed as she waited expectantly for a reply.

She didn't know what had gotten into her yesterday; she had a sudden lapse in judgment and asked that strange question.

But what she didn't expect even more was that Aragaki Shun had truly and frankly stated his opinion on the idol "Shizuku," not only praising her but also bluntly saying that he wanted more photos like that.

It made her toss and turn all night, unable to sleep. When she was taking photos this afternoon, she was also absent-minded. After she finished, she subconsciously opened her phone and sent the specially selected photo to him.

"Ugh... I'm done for..."

Covering her cheeks with both hands, Sakura knew she was acting strange and definitely not normal, but what could she do when she couldn't control herself?

[Aragaki Shun]: "That's up to you to decide. If you don't mind, I naturally have no problem with it."

Aragaki Shun looked at Sakura's email speechlessly; he felt that the person on the other end was deliberately seducing him.

She clearly looked exceptionally reclusive in her daily life, yet she was unexpectedly bold online.

Is this the difference between the two identities of Sakura Airi and "Shizuku"?

[Sakura Airi]: "I, I understand. I'll do my best."

What exactly are you "doing your best" for?

Just as this doubt arose in Aragaki Shun's mind, the phone interface suddenly displayed several more emails being transmitted at once.

Those were also selfies belonging to "Shizuku," but they were clearly not taken today. Not to mention that "Shizuku" in the photos looked even more youthful than the current Sakura, one only needed to look at a certain part of the selfies that proudly surpassed her peers to understand how terrifying the girl's growth rate was.

Moreover, the clothing styles in these few selfies were also different, including school uniforms that didn't belong to Kodo Ikusei, exquisitely designed kimonos, and a black-and-white maid outfit that looked exceptionally cute.

[Aragaki Shun]: "Are these from your old stash?"

[Sakura Airi]: "Yes, these are selfies I kept from before that I didn't upload to the blog. If Aragaki-kun wants them, I can find some suitable ones to send over."

"I actually wanted to see the ones that weren't suitable."

Although he really wanted to say that, he felt that given Sakura's personality, if she took those words seriously, things would become very troublesome.

Aragaki Shun closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, all distracting thoughts had been cast aside; his powerful mental focus completely suppressed every instinctive impulse in his body.

[Aragaki Shun]: "Sakura, if you're free tomorrow or the day after, come by the Cultural and Entertainment Club and fill out a club registration form."

[Sakura Airi]: "I, I understand. The Cultural and Entertainment Club, right? I'll be there."

Aragaki Shun looked at the overly swift response from the other side, speechless.

Judging by the speed of that reply, that girl Sakura hadn't even thought it through seriously and had just subconsciously agreed to his suggestion.

Could this naive girl be latching onto him?

[Aragaki Shun]: "...Do you even know what the Cultural and Entertainment Club does? You agreed without even asking about the club's activities—aren't you afraid I might sell you off?"

[Sakura Airi]: "Eh? How could Aragaki-san ever do something like that? Please don't make jokes like that."

[Aragaki Shun]: "Just take it as a joke then. The Cultural and Entertainment Club is a club I applied to the school to establish myself. Right now, the members only consist of some students from Class A. Anyway, just come over when you're free tomorrow or the day after."

Seeing that she was still spouting naive remarks, Aragaki Shun clicked his tongue lightly and ultimately decided it would be better to keep her under his own watch for now.

Otherwise, he felt she was far too trusting of strangers; someone could give her a few favors, trick her into going with them, and after she'd been completely taken advantage of, she'd still be foolishly counting the money for them.

Since she had transferred him so much money and sent him a bunch of nice photos today, Aragaki Shun felt it was better to look after her a little; otherwise, he felt a bit guilty about that heavy, misplaced trust.

[Sakura Airi]: "Aragaki-san's club? I understand, I will go, I will definitely go!"

In her dormitory, Sakura Airi's eyes lit up. She had never expected such a windfall, and in her pleasant surprise, the girl hurriedly opened her collection and quickly found a few more photos to send over.

Aragaki Shun: "..."

He felt like the other party had misunderstood something.

But whatever, it would be a waste not to look at the perks.

Aragaki Shun shook his head, looked at the photos constantly being sent over from the other side, and offered just a brief reminder—