Can We Be Friends? / Time to Turn Up the Pressure on Kushida

"If that's the case, we should be able to file a complaint, right? We can't just waste our points."

The clerk's expression changed as soon as he heard the boy's threat. He had paid a great deal to get a job here, and being reported would cause him a lot of trouble.

"Of course... Of course it's fixed. Please wait a moment."

The male clerk briskly pulled Sakura's pink camera from a cabinet behind him. He had intended to hand it to Sakura himself, but when he saw that the boy had no intention of moving, he had no choice but to pass the camera to him instead.

"Okay, thanks."

After replying to the clerk without much enthusiasm, Hashiba Hikaru turned and handed the camera back to the red-haired girl in front of him. In a gentle voice, he said, "Why don't you check it first, Sakura? See if it's working properly now."

"Okay."

Sakura nodded seriously and lowered her head to test the camera. Before bringing it in for repairs, she had already removed her memory card. There were so many important photos on it—she absolutely couldn't let anyone else see them.

After a few simple tests, the screen lit up again. A faint smile touched the girl's lips. She looked up at Hashiba Hikaru and said softly, "Classmate Hashiba, the camera's fixed."

"That's good. Could you two wait here for a little while? There's something I want to ask the clerk."

Hashiba Hikaru gestured for Kushida to take the girl aside, leaving him to speak one-on-one with the clerk.

He'd caught the guy looking at Sakura Airi again, trying to sneak a peek. Combined with the odd attitude he'd shown yesterday, it had left Hashiba Hikaru with plenty of questions. He decided to test the waters.

Could We Become Friends?

Once Kushida Kikyo and Sakura Airi had reached the rest area beside the electronics shop's entrance, Hashiba Hikaru met the male clerk's gaze again.

"Um, could I ask you something about cameras?"

"Uh, what is it...?"

The clerk felt a surge of anger when he saw the short-haired girl lead Sakura Airi far away from him. But faced with the boy's calm question, he remembered the threat from earlier and hurriedly said, "Are you looking to pick out a camera?"

"Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come back a second time."

Hashiba Hikaru shrugged, as if to say that was exactly right. He could come up with any answer he liked if it helped earn the other man's trust. Since the guy worked here, he couldn't turn away a customer who seemed interested.

In theory, since this Artificial Island was completely enclosed, the staff should have been selected well in advance. Even if there was turnover, it shouldn't happen very often.

And Sakura Airi had only enrolled a little over a month ago. No matter how he looked at it, the clerk shouldn't have known her—unless he'd met the girl before she started school.

But the way Sakura had acted yesterday hadn't seemed like she was facing an acquaintance at all. She'd looked afraid and clearly uncomfortable with his gaze.

That meant the guy probably knew Sakura, but she didn't know him.

After a quick review in his head, the boy started asking questions, drawing on the photography knowledge he'd picked up that morning.

"Um, is there a big difference between cameras for taking portraits and cameras for taking landscape shots?"

"There is a difference. Portraits and landscapes require different settings." The clerk began to explain based on his experience. "If you're a beginner, you need to find the settings you're comfortable with."

"What camera would you recommend for portraits?"

Hashiba Hikaru continued asking questions. His eyes skimmed over the various camera models on the counter, but he was really watching the clerk's expression.

"For portraits, I recommend this one. It has excellent settings and image quality all around."

At that, the clerk instinctively pointed at a camera sitting right beside him. It was pink, too, and looked a little like Sakura's.

"What model is that? Is it expensive?"

Hashiba Hikaru glanced at it, then immediately reached out to touch the camera. The clerk stopped him.

"Um, customers can't try out this display model right now." The moment he saw Hashiba Hikaru reach for it, the clerk's eyes widened, and he quickly snatched the camera back.

He offered the boy an awkward explanation. "This camera was broken before, and the replacement parts are still on their way here, so it can't take pictures right now."

"Is that so?"

Hashiba Hikaru rubbed his chin. This guy really couldn't lie. It was obvious how much he cared about the camera, yet he'd come up with such a clumsy excuse.

If it was broken, why were you so nervous?

Wouldn't it have been the same if you'd just let me find out for myself?

After the male clerk took the camera back, he looked at Hashiba Hikaru's thoughtful expression and grew impatient. He hurriedly asked, "Have you picked out a camera to buy yet?"

"Uh... I think I'll wait for now."

Understanding the hint, Hashiba Hikaru put on an apologetic expression and replied, "I'm a little short on Private Points right now. Maybe I'll come back next month to buy one. Sorry about that."

"..."

He was already cursing under his breath, but as someone working in customer service, the male clerk knew there were some things he absolutely couldn't say out loud—or he'd definitely be fired.

"That's all right. If you're still interested next month, you can come back."

"Okay, I will. I'll get going, then."

Hashiba Hikaru left the counter without a second glance and rejoined the two girls.

"I asked a bit about cameras, but they're a little too expensive. Maybe I'll try using my phone for now."

The boy pretended to sigh with regret and said to Sakura Airi, "You can take pictures with a phone too, right?"

"Of course. The quality isn't as good as a camera, but you can still get some nice shots."

Sakura Airi often took selfies with her phone, so she knew how convenient it was. Seeing that the boy seemed genuinely interested in photography, she offered, "If you really want to use a camera, Classmate Hashiba, you can borrow mine..."

The girl's cheeks had turned pink. Hashiba Hikaru simply shook his head and answered gently, "I'm not in a hurry. Let me try using my phone first."

"Now that the camera's fixed, why don't we go take some pictures together later?" Hashiba Hikaru suggested with a smile. "Would you like to, Sakura?"

"Um... sure."

"Um, I have something to do, so I'll get going. You two can go take pictures together."

Seeing the two of them somehow become fellow photography enthusiasts, Kushida Kikyo didn't want to stick around as an unnoticed third wheel any longer.

The short-haired girl looked deeply at Hashiba Hikaru's expression. She seemed about to say something, but in the end, she kept quiet. After saying goodbye, she promptly left.

"Bye, Kushida."

"Uh, looks like it's just the two of us now. Will you feel uncomfortable, Sakura?" Hashiba Hikaru quietly asked.

"I won't, Classmate Hashiba. If you want to learn how to take pictures..." Sakura Airi clenched her little hands and worked up the courage to say, "I can give you some advice."

She had nearly offered to teach him, but then decided that might sound rude, so she changed it to offering advice instead.

"Really?"

Hashiba Hikaru looked delighted. His voice carried a hint of excitement as he said, "Thank you so much. If I have someone to show me the way, I'm sure I'll make great progress with photography."

"Thank you, Sakura."

"It's nothing. I'm not some amazing photography expert..." The girl shook her head, a blush rising on her cheeks again.

Hashiba Hikaru thought it over. Since she'd already said that, maybe he could seize the moment and take things just a little further.

So the boy gently asked Sakura Airi, "Since we both like photography, could I... become friends with you, Sakura?"

"!"

Sakura Airi's heart gave a sudden jolt. A little nervous and embarrassed, she looked at Hashiba Hikaru's face. His expression remained gentle, and all she could sense from him was warmth and consideration.

"Friends... Would you really want to be friends with someone like me, Classmate Hashiba?" Sakura Airi asked, using nearly all her strength to get the words out.

"Of course I would. You're willing to help me, Sakura. Naturally, I'd like to be your friend." The boy gazed at the red-haired girl in front of him, his eyes bright.

"Then... I'd be happy to be your friend, Classmate Hashiba."

Even though she was shy and unaccustomed to it, Sakura Airi agreed.

She wanted to get a closer look at this boy, the first person who had made her feel something so different inside. She wanted to find out what kind of person he really was.

"Yeah, yeah. From now on, we're friends, Sakura."

As soon as he finished speaking, the system notification rang out right on time.

[Because of your shared interest and gentle attitude, Sakura Airi agreed to become your friend. Sakura Airi Stock rose by 10 points. Current stock price: 50.]

Nice. Sakura.

Time to Turn Up the Pressure on Kushida

After inviting Sakura Airi to become friends, Hashiba Hikaru was quite pleased to see her stock price rise to 50 points. He owned 5,000 shares in the girl, so as long as the price didn't drop later, he'd already made 100,000 in funds. And there was still more potential to tap.

Hashiba Hikaru's expression grew even gentler as he wandered around campus with Sakura Airi. Only then did he realize that the red-haired girl knew all sorts of quiet, deserted places on campus. They were probably spots she'd found herself for taking pictures, places where nobody would bother her.

Hashiba Hikaru had only learned a little about photography, so he was still a beginner. Sakura Airi, on the other hand, was extremely skilled at taking pictures and fully embraced her role as his teacher. Though she'd seemed shy and quiet before, she explained things vividly when they talked about photography. Her beautiful eyes shone with a light born of passion.

This was probably how happy she looked when she was taking pictures normally.

Sakura Airi's outfit looked a little dowdy, and she wore a pair of red-framed glasses that concealed her eyes. But Hashiba Hikaru could still feel how much she loved photography. No wonder she was a Blog Idol and a print model.

"Classmate Hashiba, look over there. You can get different results by changing the angle."

Sakura Airi stood beside the attentive boy, carefully showing him how to use his phone to capture different scenes.

"Yeah, yeah. This angle is really nice, and you can see the reflection of the trees too."

Hashiba Hikaru exclaimed in admiration, acting like an eager student and listening intently.

"That's right. You found a great angle. I think you have a real knack for this, Classmate Hashiba."

Standing very close beside the boy, Sakura Airi could feel his masculine presence washing over her.

At first, that made her a little embarrassed. But once she'd immersed herself in taking pictures, she gradually found herself getting used to it.

Classmate Hashiba and I are friends now. It should be all right if we stand a little closer.

The girl convinced herself and continued accompanying Hashiba Hikaru to the less crowded parts of the school. In the process, Hashiba Hikaru picked up some information he hadn't known before.

Damn, Sakura really knew her stuff.

Their photography outing lasted about two hours. Seeing the thin sheen of sweat on the girl's forehead, Hashiba Hikaru decided they should call it a day.

"Phew, I'm finally happy with this shot."

The boy showed Sakura Airi the last landscape photo he'd taken. Then he lowered his head as if checking the time and said, "Time really flies. It's already six!"

"What time do you usually have dinner, Sakura?"

"Um..."

At his words, Sakura Airi realized that she'd been so absorbed in what they were doing that she'd almost lost track of time. It was indeed time for dinner.

"About the same time as everyone else, I guess. Around six works."

"Since you taught me so much about photography today, let me treat you to dinner."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled as he suggested it, then quickly added, not giving her a chance to refuse, "You're not allowed to say no. We're friends now, so it's normal for us to eat together, right?"

"Um..."

Feeling the boy's gaze and sensing the warmth in his heart, Sakura Airi gave a small nod.

When picking a place for dinner, Hashiba Hikaru took Sakura Airi's shyness into account. Instead of choosing the crowded cafeteria or a popular restaurant, he picked a noodle shop that was usually less busy.

As they waited for their food, Hashiba Hikaru struck up a conversation with Sakura Airi, hoping to grow closer to her.

"Sakura, since we're already friends, would you like to exchange contact information?"

"Um..."

"If I have any more questions about photography, I can message you directly. Wouldn't that be more convenient?" Seeing the girl hesitate, Hashiba Hikaru quickly offered her a way to say yes. It was up to Sakura whether she wanted to take it.

"Okay."

Sakura Airi did want to exchange contact information with Hashiba Hikaru. Now that they were friends, she wanted to experience what it was like to text back and forth with a friend.

"Great."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded. After they exchanged contact information, he said gently, "I think this is an important first step."

"Friendship begins when both people are willing to take that first step. Then they support and understand each other, and more stories and memories can come later. That's why the first step matters."

"Yeah. Becoming friends with you is a first step for me, too..."

Sakura Airi adjusted her glasses, warmth passing through her blue eyes.

After first realizing that this boy made her feel different, she'd never imagined that they would actually become friends—and that they would share the same interest.