Where are you, Ayanokoji? Airi Sakura

The day of the Sports Festival drew nearer, and the air on campus seemed to carry a faint scent of gunpowder.

Inter-class rivalries quietly festered behind the scenes, especially among classes that had performed poorly in the Special Enrollment Exam or already harbored grudges.

Yuefeng's life was filled with training, coursework, and updating the Survival Notes.

He carefully studied the Obstacle Relay rules and past years' footage, analyzing the risks specific to his relay position—the curved handoff zone most prone to collisions, and a net-like obstacle requiring climbing.

He targeted his reaction speed and core strength training, even using his unreliable Slow Motion ability to simulate emergency responses in his imagination.

True to her word, Hiyori Shiina handed him several neatly printed papers the next day after class.

Yuefeng thanked her earnestly, and they exchanged a few brief thoughts on the coursework.

Hiyori Shiina seemed somewhat surprised by Yuefeng's rapid progress in logic class, but more than that, she appeared appreciative.

Yuefeng, in turn, increasingly felt that this seemingly fragile girl possessed a breadth of inner world and sharpness of thought far beyond her appearance.

Kiyotaka remained elusive as ever, their occasional "chance encounters" on campus amounting to little more than nods—or rather, Kiyotaka's one-sided, emotionless stare before they passed each other by.

That "Be careful" had no follow-up, but Yuefeng couldn't shake the feeling that Kiyotaka's calm eyes were watching him more often than before, at moments he didn't notice.

He observed Class C's movements, especially the subtle standoff between himself and Ishizaki.

That afternoon, Yuefeng was delayed by returning a library book on sports injury prevention.

He took a shortcut through a secluded path connecting the old school building to the commercial district.

The path was lined with dense shrubs and tall zelkova trees, usually sparsely populated, and at this hour, it was especially quiet.

As he rounded a sharp bend, voices ahead made him stop abruptly.

"...Please, don't! I really don't need it!"

"Oh, come on, don't be shy! This sunscreen is a new product, works great. With skin as fair as yours, you can't afford not to protect it! Here, a sample—free!"

"No, no thanks! Please move aside!"

"Move aside? I'm just trying to help you out. Here, take it, and just sign your name—simple as that..."

Around the corner, a girl in school uniform, wearing thick glasses and twin braids, was backed against the wall by a man in casual clothes with an exaggerated smile plastered on his face.

The man held a tube in his hand, trying to shove it into the girl's grasp, leaning forward until his shadow nearly swallowed her whole.

The girl—Airi Sakura, Yuefeng recognized her immediately, the extremely introverted, communication-phobic girl from Class D—was pressed against the wall, clutching her schoolbag to her chest, trembling slightly, her voice choked with tears, her face pale with terror.

This is that scene! Yuefeng's heart jolted.

In the original story, this was the pivotal event where Kiyotaka Ayanokoji "happened upon" and rescued Airi Sakura!

Kiyotaka, with his flat yet oppressive rhetoric, had driven off the persistent salesman, leaving a deep impression on Sakura and setting the stage for later using her photography intel.

But... where was Kiyotaka?

Yuefeng quickly scanned the area. The path was empty, just the three of them. No sign of Kiyotaka.

The plot... shifted? Because of his presence? Or something else?

No time to dwell.

Airi Sakura was on the verge of tears, and the salesman's fake smile was turning impatient, even lecherous, as he reached out as if to grab her arm.

A surge of blood rushed to Yuefeng's head.

He couldn't afford to think about "what if Kiyotaka doesn't come," "will interfering change key plot points," or "will offending this local thug cause trouble."

He only knew he couldn't stand by and watch a fellow student be harassed like this.

He took a deep breath, mimicking the calm, almost cold tone and demeanor from his memory of Kiyotaka—one that carried an invisible pressure.

He stepped forward, his footsteps neither light nor heavy, just loud enough for the other party to hear.

The salesman and Airi Sakura both turned.

Yuefeng stopped a few paces away, his face expressionless.

He first glanced at the trembling Sakura, confirming she wasn't hurt, then calmly fixed his gaze on the salesman.

"Sir," Yuefeng began, his voice steady, not loud but cutting through the salesman's earlier bluster, "according to the enforcement regulations of the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions, and Article 3, Clause 7 of the Memorandum on Standardized Business Operations Around Campus signed between this school and surrounding commercial establishments, without school permission and the student's explicit consent, any form of forced sales, street solicitation, or harassment targeting our students is prohibited.

Your current actions already constitute a violation of the law and the agreement."

He rattled off the pre-studied clauses in a flat tone, like reading a manual.

The salesman's fake smile froze, clearly not expecting a student to pop up and hit him with formal legal jargon.

He sized up Yuefeng, noting his school uniform and young age.

But his calm demeanor and eyes held no typical student panic or anger—instead, there was an unsettling scrutiny.

"Kid, you've got it wrong. I'm just recommending a new product to this classmate—free samples..." the salesman tried to explain, but his momentum had already weakened.

"Free?" Yuefeng tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on the tube in the man's hand. "A 'free sample' that requires a signature for registration?"

"According to the Consumer Protection Law, this constitutes a conditional promotional activity. You must clearly inform the consumer of any subsequent costs and liabilities. Did you inform her?"

"I..." The salesperson was at a loss for words.

"Moreover, your current stance and body language have already constituted harassment and intimidation toward this student. Do I need to contact the School Security Department immediately, or directly dial the report hotline corresponding to the Nuisance Prevention Ordinance? I think the police officer in charge of this area would be quite interested in behavior like pestering female students near the campus." Yuefeng stepped half a pace forward, his gaze sharpening slightly. Though his heart was actually beating a bit fast, he forced himself to maintain a surface calm.

As he spoke, he made a motion as if to pull out his phone from his pocket (in reality, his terminal was already in his hand).

"Wait! Wait!" The salesperson was genuinely panicked now. Someone like him, doing ground-level promotions, feared lawsuits and police the most—especially disputes near prestigious schools that could easily attract attention. "I'm leaving! I'll leave right now! Sorry for the trouble!"

He packed away that "trial sample," shot Yuefeng a fierce glare, but ultimately didn't dare say anything more. Turning around, he hurriedly left the path, his retreating figure somewhat disheveled.

Only when the salesperson's footsteps had completely faded and the path had returned to silence did Yuefeng secretly let out a sigh of relief. A thin layer of sweat had already formed on his back. That little "performance" just now had nearly drained all his composure reserves. He turned around and looked at Airi Sakura, who was still leaning against the wall, visibly shaken.

"Are you alright?" Yuefeng softened his tone, trying his best to appear gentle and harmless. He knew that Sakura was extremely shy around strangers.