"Of course. If you have a good reason you absolutely have to buy it, just pretend I never said anything."
Sakura Airi fell into thought.
Her pretty eyes, hidden behind those oversized black-rimmed glasses, blinked as she carefully examined the recorder and hidden camera in Dongfang Yi's hands, worth 20K points.
Then she looked down at the digital camera in her hands, which had cost less than 15K points.
She thought carefully about Dongfang Yi's earlier claim that he was supposed to be saving money.
Her clear eyes filled with big question marks.
Something about this just didn't seem right.
Dongfang Yi blinked and explained, "Don't let all my spending fool you. These are actually all essential expenses."
He paused, then stressed, "They're important tools for ensuring a wonderful school life."
Sakura Airi tilted her head, the confusion in her eyes growing.
She thought it over carefully, but in the end, she nodded, accepting Dongfang Yi's explanation.
She still couldn't quite understand why things like hidden cameras and recorders were necessities for school life,
but Dongfang must have his reasons... right?
Women were easily swayed by their emotions, and Sakura Airi was no exception.
Just then, the shop assistant, whom Dongfang Yi had already tricked once, hurried back over. He was eager to wedge himself between the two and interrupt their conversation.
But Dongfang Yi blocked him without drawing attention to it.
As if. Did he even know what "double B in strength and speed" meant?
To be blunt, aside from the tiny handful of people at the very top of the strength hierarchy,
Dongfang Yi no longer thought he was weaker than anyone. And this insignificant shop assistant was certainly no exception.
As for Tyrannosaurus, the protagonist of this story, they hadn't fought yet. He'd decide after they did.
Dongfang Yi casually took a camera out of his pocket and tucked it between his fingers. He switched it on and secretly aimed it at the shop assistant, who was already getting agitated, while pretending to patiently wait for Sakura Airi to make her final decision about the camera.
If the shop assistant lost control and attacked first, Dongfang Yi wouldn't mind showing him why flowers were so red, then reporting him to the school so they could fire him on the spot.
Unfortunately, the shop assistant didn't have the nerve.
The sleazy shop assistant clenched his fists, but ultimately didn't approach. He held himself back.
He simply stood there with a fake smile and said, "Miss, please don't harass other customers in the shop, or you'll put me in a difficult position."
"How is this harassment? I'm talking with my friend. What's it got to do with you?" Dongfang Yi turned around and stared coldly into the shop assistant's eyes. "You're sticking your nose into things that are none of your business."
Like a startled little rabbit, Sakura Airi jumped at the sudden hostility between the two.
"Friend? You must be joking, sir. You two are obviously strangers," the shop assistant retorted, unwilling to back down.
"Whether she's my friend isn't something I need to prove to you." Dongfang Yi took a step sideways, perfectly shielding Sakura Airi behind him. "I think you'd be better off taking care of your own business first."
"You!" The shop assistant had wanted to say more, but Dongfang Yi's stare frightened him, and his bluster immediately faded. His mouth twitched, and he looked thoroughly dissatisfied.
But in reality, he had already backed down.
He'd gone limp, chickened out, and become a turtle hiding in its shell.
Watching this, Dongfang Yi thought it was boring.
He'd wanted to goad the other man into attacking, then take him out with a combo. But the guy was a sleazy, cowardly bully who picked on the weak.
It seemed the stakes weren't high enough yet. Or perhaps the setting wasn't secluded enough to make the other man attack at all costs.
Maybe he should've acted more intimate just now, Dongfang Yi mused.
But since he'd already failed, he turned away and ignored the shop assistant behind him.
"Have you picked one?"
His expression remained calm and composed, a faint smile on his lips.
He leaned forward slightly, which made him seem closer to Sakura Airi.
Now he was gentle and warm, as though he weren't the same person who'd just argued with the shop assistant.
"Um, Dongfang, I've made my choice."
Sakura Airi held up the digital camera, worth 12K points, and spoke softly.
She didn't know how to defuse the tension between the two, so she could only keep her voice as low as possible.
Her voice was truly lovely, like a babbling spring or an echo in a quiet valley.
She had real potential to become an idol or a singer.
"Wouldn't you like to look around some more? We have other excellent photography equipment in the shop, and if you buy today, you can get 20% off." The shop assistant plastered on a smile, hoping to stall for time.
He didn't believe Dongfang Yi, who'd suddenly appeared out of nowhere, would wait around forever.
After all, the two of them had been strangers at first.
"Huh?"
Sakura Airi felt tempted. She loved photography, so naturally she wanted to try out better equipment.
She glanced at Dongfang Yi, torn between the handsome guy and the high-quality photography gear.
"It's fine. Take your time choosing. I'll wait for you."
Dongfang Yi reassured her gently.
He had plenty of time. He could afford to keep dragging things out with the shop assistant.
"Huh?!"
A blush crept across the young girl's cheeks.
Dongfang Yi, entirely focused on guarding against the sleazy shop assistant, hadn't noticed the boyfriend-like thing he'd just said.
Of course, if he had noticed~
It still wouldn't matter.
After all, a Sigma Male never falls into a woman's trap.
Big-Breasted Beauty being the exception.
"Um, sir, I-I've made up my mind. I don't need to look at anything else."
Sakura Airi made up her mind and rejected the shop assistant's suggestion without hesitation.
She could buy equipment anytime.
But she couldn't meet Dongfang Yi just any time.
"Wouldn't you like to think it over a little more?"
As he watched the two grow closer before his eyes, the shop assistant seemed to erupt with an invisible, intangible fury. It was as if his first love had just betrayed him. His voice was low, angry, and resentful.
"No, I've made my decision."
Even Sakura Airi, as unguarded as she was, could tell something was wrong now.
The shop assistant's attitude was far too strange!
It was nothing like the behavior of someone working in customer service!
Recalling some unpleasant memories, she instinctively shrank behind Dongfang Yi and grabbed his clothes without realizing it. Her body trembled a little.
Dongfang Yi gently patted the girl's back, signaling for her to calm down.
He bent down and whispered softly in her ear, "Don't worry."
Then he straightened up and said with a smile, "You're just nervous because you didn't bring your student ID, right? Don't worry so much. I'll pay for you."
Before you continue