The Chase and the Escape

The clerk reluctantly packed up the digital camera Sakura Airi had chosen, put it in a box, and tucked in the warranty card.

He looked as though he wanted to do something but couldn't, his face pinched with frustration.

But before he could even hand Sakura Airi the plastic bag, Dongfang Yi intercepted it in midair.

Dongfang Yi looked at the man before him with faint amusement, taking in his gloomy, practically dripping expression and murderous glare.

Did the man have a lion hidden in his eyes, too?

Dongfang Yi was curious to see just how worked up he could get.

He raised an eyebrow smugly, said, "Thanks," in a taunting tone, then put an arm around Sakura Airi's shoulders and led her out of the shop.

The gesture was a little intimate, but not too intimate.

It was the sort of thing that two people who'd just met and were mutually attracted to each other might allow.

But that was the limit. Anything more might be considered harassment.

Even holding her like that for too long would be pushing it.

Sakura Airi felt a little uncomfortable. After all, she was still afraid of stalkers and obsessive fans, and her instinctive aversion to men was strong.

She'd only refrained from refusing because the clerk looked even more frightening.

Of course, Dongfang Yi's own MAX-level charm had also helped.

Dongfang Yi leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Sakura, do you have a compact mirror with you? I'd like to borrow it. I think I got some sand in my eye."

He squinted his right eye as if it really had happened.

Sakura Airi didn't suspect a thing. She hurriedly rummaged through her handbag and handed him the mirror. After all, it was an essential item for women.

When they didn't have a proper mirror, they often used one to touch up their makeup.

Dongfang Yi tightened his arm around her slightly. Using their bodies to block the view from behind, he watched the clerk's reaction in the mirror.

When they'd first left the shop, the clerk had stood at the entrance, glaring after them with a sinister look.

But after watching them for a while, he closed the shop door, lifted a foot as if by chance, and followed them from a distance.

"Dongfang, I..."

After they'd walked a little farther, Sakura Airi began to feel they were standing too close. With Dongfang Yi's arm around her like that, her discomfort and fear were still gradually gaining the upper hand.

She'd spent too long as an idol, and it had left her with psychological issues. She hated interacting with the opposite sex, was afraid of being watched, and was even more afraid of men.

That was why she'd been assigned to Class D.

Now, she finally summoned the courage to hope that Dongfang Yi would be more mindful of how it looked.

"Shh... Look behind us."

Dongfang Yi cut her off, gesturing toward the mirror. He also hung the camera around his neck and switched it on.

In the middle of the mirror, a furtive figure kept stopping to pretend to inspect the goods in various shops before continuing to follow them.

A-a stalker?!

Sakura Airi felt her body go weak and unsteady. Without thinking, she leaned some of her weight against Dongfang Yi.

"Don't panic. Don't look back. You can just use the mirror." Dongfang Yi sounded rather intrigued. "This is my first time seeing a pervert like a stalker in real life. I'll have to write this down in my diary when we get back."

Sakura Airi trembled, and the stammer she'd finally overcome returned. "H-he is..."

"The clerk from earlier. Male, age unknown, salary unknown, name unknown. I suspect he's a stalker, and you're probably his target. I'd say there's an eighty percent chance."

Dongfang Yi watched the man behind them out of the corner of his eye and analyzed the situation offhandedly.

His relaxed, easygoing voice calmed her. Sakura Airi asked quietly, "Then what do we do? W-what should we do?"

"How do we handle it? Honestly, I'm already recording him, but a single video of him following us probably won't be convincing enough. He could say it was a coincidence or something. So I'm planning to shake him off by taking a side street." Dongfang Yi blinked. "Sakura, do you trust me?"

"Huh? D-Dongfang, why are you asking that?"

"No, don't you think this is all a little too convenient? Have you considered that I might be in cahoots with that creep behind us? That we're abducting an innocent girl to some den of vice?" Dongfang Yi made a dramatic, villainous roar.

"..." Sakura Airi fell silent.

Dongfang Yi was right. That was possible.

Following his line of thought, Sakura Airi even began to imagine that the road ahead led into endless darkness.

The girl felt flustered and didn't know what to do.

But she soon calmed down, perhaps because of the warm arm around her, or perhaps because Dongfang Yi was looking at her with a playful expression, as though he were enjoying a show.

"I-I trust you, Dongfang." Though she stammered a little, Sakura Airi was firm.

If they were in cahoots, Dongfang wouldn't have warned her, would he?

"Sakura, you're surprisingly gullible." Dongfang Yi sighed. "Next time something like this happens, head for a crowded place right away. Don't trust anyone who tries to take you somewhere deserted."

He was happy she trusted him, but at that moment, he really wished the silly girl were a little smarter.

She was so gullible that it'd be easy to manipulate her.

Especially at their school, where there were countless masters of manipulation among the first-years. Class D had the master of all masters: that bastard, Tyrannosaurus.

He didn't want to hear that, by their second year, this silly girl had been forced to drop out and become an idol.

As he spoke, he led Sakura Airi into the abandoned section of Keyaki Mall.

According to the original story, because the area was being renovated, security cameras hadn't been installed yet.

But the floor was covered in construction debris. Shattered glass, rusty nails, and all sorts of other junk were scattered everywhere.

The difficulty was MAX, making it perfect for shaking off a tail.

"Here, hold these." Dongfang Yi unceremoniously handed Sakura Airi the items they'd just bought.

"O-okay. Huh?"

Before Sakura Airi could finish speaking, Dongfang Yi swept her up in his arms.

He leapt lightly into the corridor, nimble and agile, and soon carried her deep into the area without being slowed at all by her weight.

At the corner, he stopped with Sakura Airi in his arms, then tiptoed aside so their pursuer couldn't see them.

Then he imitated a girl's voice, coquettishly calling out, "Dongfang, don't!" and "This isn't the place!"

His performance was so lifelike that it left plenty to the imagination.

Sakura Airi, still in his arms, blushed bright red.

"Crash! Bang!"

The sound of shattering glass and someone falling came from the path they'd taken, but the person quickly got back up and rushed inside.

The stalker had been worked into a frenzy by Dongfang Yi's performance. Hook, line, and sinker!

Dongfang Yi raised an eyebrow at Sakura Airi in triumph, then carried her lightly out in the opposite direction.

He had the system-rated S-rank Muscle Control Ability. On such uneven ground, he moved as easily as if he were walking on level ground, and was no slower than the clerk who'd charged in at a run.

After leaving the area under renovation and setting Sakura Airi down, he even had enough time to pull over some nearby debris to block the way.

"All done. Let's leave the clerk to search for undiscovered treasures in there."

Dongfang Yi clapped his hands. "I'm sure he'll have a great time looking."