I Really Am a Good Person

Leaving the lakeside, Uesugi Hara walked toward the dorms. After only a few steps, he suddenly stopped and tilted his head toward the tree beside him: "Ayanokoji, do you think I count as a good person?"

Ayanokoji stepped out from the shadows of the trees, brushed the grass clippings off his clothes, and instead of answering directly, he countered: "The matter with Kushida, is it resolved?"

"Well, haven't you been watching the whole time?" Uesugi Hara shrugged indifferently and steered the topic back, "Don't change the subject, you still haven't answered my question."

Ayanokoji was silent for a moment before saying reluctantly: "I suppose... you do?" If only you would stay further away from me.

"Eh? Even you think I'm a good person?" Uesugi Hara's eyes lit up, and he muttered while rubbing his chin, "Could it be that I'm actually a hidden 'good guy'?"

He struggled with the thought for two seconds, quickly gave up on overthinking it, and waved his hand: "Forget it, I can't figure it out. Let's go, time to head back to the dorms."

"Yeah."

On a Sunday morning, the sunlight was exceptionally gentle. Sakura Airi was holding her camera, planning to take some photos around campus—her blog hadn't been updated in a long time. But just as she reached the corner of the dormitory building, she bumped straight into someone.

"Ouch!" A crisp cry of pain rang out.

Uesugi Hara had just finished breakfast and was heading back when he was caught off guard by the collision. He looked down to see a girl crouching on the ground.

He remembered it was Sakayanagi Arisu last time, and this time—

It was Shizuku-chan!

Isn't this what fate is all about!

He squatted down, raised his hand to wave it gently in front of the girl's eyes, and softened his voice: "Are you okay?"

"I, I'm fine..." Sakura Airi shrank her neck and answered in a small voice. As she spoke, she tried to stand up and flee. Just as she straightened her back, she gave Uesugi Hara a deep bow: "I'm really sorry! Excuse me, I'm leaving now!"

"Wait, your camera." Uesugi Hara picked up the camera that had fallen to the ground and pressed a few buttons on the lens, but the screen showed no reaction: "It seems to be broken?"

"How could it be..." Sakura Airi hurriedly took the camera, her fingers frantically adjusting it, but no matter which button she pressed, the camera remained unresponsive.

There was a hint of aggrieved nasal tone in the girl's voice.

"I'll compensate you."

"No need, it's my fault, you don't need to trouble yourself. Sorry, I'm leaving now." Sakura Airi spoke at a rapid pace, bowed again, and then tried to run away.

"Hey, wait," Uesugi Hara grabbed her, "I'll take you to get it fixed."

"No, no need, really no need!" The girl struggled, trying to break free from Uesugi Hara.

Unfortunately for her, she was facing Uesugi Hara.

Uesugi Hara had plenty of forceful ways to handle a girl like this.

But he didn't choose to be forceful.

Instead, he deliberately put on a troubled expression: "If you don't agree, my conscience will hurt."

He chose to use moral coercion.

Sure enough, as soon as these words were out, Sakura Airi instantly fell into a dilemma. Her fingers gripped the camera tightly, and her little head hung even lower.

Uesugi Hara struck while the iron was hot, his tone becoming even more sincere: "Just do me a favor, otherwise I'll always feel like I owe you something."

"Then, then okay..." Sakura Airi finally relented, her voice as thin as a mosquito's hum, her bangs covering her eyebrows and eyes.

"Then let's go." Uesugi Hara turned around with a smile, but after only two steps, he felt a light tugging sensation on his hand.

He looked down and realized he was still holding the girl's small hand.

He took another look at the girl.

Sakura Airi's small face was flushed red, and even the tips of her ears were tinged with pink, looking incredibly cute.

--Kawaii.

"Sorry, I didn't notice for a second." Uesugi Hara let go of her hand and scratched his head, looking embarrassed, though he secretly pinched that soft little hand with his fingertips before letting go.

It was soft, and the texture was even better than he had imagined.

He just didn't know if it was intentional or accidental.

"I, it's okay..." Sakura Airi's voice was even softer. Her head was bowed so low it almost touched her chest, and her footsteps were half a beat slower as she followed closely behind Uesugi Hara.

The two walked in silence for a while before Uesugi Hara took the initiative to speak: "By the way, I'm Uesugi Hara from Class A. And you?"

Although he had known her name for a long time, he still had to go through the motions of this "first meeting" to get closer.

Sakura Airi snuck a glance at him. This was the first time the girl had looked at him directly, as she had been keeping her head down before.

The boy had a tall, straight figure, sharp side profile lines, and refined features. He should have looked a bit cold and hard, but it was neutralized by the faint smile at the corners of his mouth. There was a touch of casual gentleness between his brows, which made her heart beat a little faster.

"I, I'm Sakura Airi from Class D..." she answered in a small voice. After speaking, she quickly lowered her head again, the pink on her earlobes deepening.

"Is Sakura-san going to take pictures today?" Uesugi Hara glanced at the camera she was clutching tightly to her chest and asked, knowing the answer.

"...Yeah." Sakura Airi responded softly, her fingertips subconsciously pinching the camera casing, a hint of lingering disappointment hidden in the depths of her eyes.

"Eh, then I'm really sorry, I've delayed your photo shoot." Uesugi Hara wore an expression full of apology, but in his heart, he was already screaming wildly—Ah! My Shizuku-chan! The blog update is going to be delayed again! If I had known, I should have walked slower!

"It, it's fine..." Sakura Airi hurriedly waved her hands, her voice soft and gentle. "It doesn't matter if we take the photos a little later."

"How could it be fine!" Uesugi Hara's tone rose instinctively, but seeing the girl startled by his outburst, he quickly softened his voice. "I was the one who wasn't looking where I was going, bumped into you, broke your camera, and ruined your plans. I'm the one who should be apologizing."

He turned his head to look at Sakura Airi's lowered head, his internal frustration mounting—not only had he delayed Shizuku-chan's update, but he had also scared the girl so much.

Sakura Airi felt his gaze, her cheeks heating up even more as she whispered, "You really don't need to apologize... Besides, the fact that you're willing to take me to get the camera fixed is already, already very kind."

Uesugi Hara's eyes lit up, and he immediately seized the opportunity to press further: "So, does that mean I'm a good person?"

Sakura Airi was stunned for a moment, a flicker of confusion crossing her eyes—they were just talking about the camera a second ago, so why the sudden question?

She tilted her head and thought about it carefully; although the boy in front of her had bumped into her by accident, he hadn't shirked responsibility and had even offered to take her to get the camera repaired. He certainly didn't seem like a bad person.

"...Mm." She nodded gently, her voice as thin as a mosquito's hum.

She felt a strange sensation in her heart, though she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

Confused kitten.jpg

Uesugi Hara: Crying—I didn't expect Shizuku-chan to see through my "good person" nature at a glance. As expected of the idol girl I acknowledge.

He suppressed the corners of his mouth that were threatening to curl upward, clapped his hands, and looked full of energy: "Let's go! I know a shop in the commercial district that repairs electronics; they'll definitely be able to fix your camera."

"Oh..." Sakura Airi replied softly, following closely in his footsteps, though the blush on her lowered face never faded, and even the tips of her ears were tinged with a faint pink.

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