Sakura Airi's Favorability Increases by Another 1

Dongfang Yi grabbed Sakura Airi and rapidly fled the scene.

And behind them, the stalker dude didn't know what he stepped on—or maybe got slashed by glass shards and nails from god-knows-where—letting out an involuntary wail of pain.

I'm turning into a beast, awooo, awooo awooo~

But what did this have to do with Dongfang Yi? It wasn't like he'd asked the guy to stalk them.

So he slipped away guilt-free, without even glancing back once.

A moment later.

"Hmm, if we're here, he shouldn't catch up."

Dongfang Yi smugly arched a brow; school had just started and it was already this fun, making him anticipate the days ahead.

"Hu~ huhu~"

Sakura Airi seemed to have overexerted herself and was now clutching his arm tight, gasping for breath.

Her full, round fruits heaved unstably with her chest, magnetically locking down a certain someone's gaze.

Dongfang Yi kindly took her bag, patted the girl's back lightly to smooth her breathing, and sneaked a few... three, four extra glances.

"Dongfang classmate, th-thank you."

Sakura Airi gradually caught her breath, gratefully bowing slightly to Dongfang Yi with sincere thanks.

"Mm, no problem, Sakura classmate. I always like helping people out."

Dongfang Yi puffed his chest, nodded confidently, and accepted her gratitude without a hitch.

Gotta say, being thanked by a beautiful girl~ feels so damn exhilarating~

He arched a brow, feeling a pure joy he hadn't known in ages.

[Unlocked Linked Achievement: Childhood Fun: Hide and Seek]

[Unlock all linked achievements for massive points; host, figure it out yourself]

[System Points +1000]

What a surprise bonus—doing good really pays off somehow.

Dongfang Yi was even happier.

In the past month, he'd roughly mapped the pattern for these achievements—they tied deeply to the trigger target.

Take that yellow-haired punk who robbed him then got robbed back; finishing the full 'A Gentleman Never Lets a Grudge Go Unavenged' series netted him a 3K-point title—Gentlemanly Revenge, From Dawn Till Dusk.

This series' sub-achievement was just 30 points—a hundredfold jump.

Dongfang Yi had a hunch: this was a 100K-point series, and Sakura Airi was the key.

He hadn't earned that much in the whole month!

Enough to buy ten straight months of skills!

Now, Dongfang Yi seriously pondered Sakura Airi's future storyline.

This brief encounter had earned her trust, but it clearly wasn't enough.

Her crisis wasn't fully resolved; she could still follow the original plot, hit danger, and fall for Tyrannosaurus.

From points or personal taste, that wasn't Dongfang Yi's desired plot.

He couldn't stomach even a 1% chance.

With that thought, Dongfang Yi steadied Sakura Airi with a hand, locking eyes seriously as he probed: "Sakura classmate, do you know why that guy was following you?"

Sakura Airi had a hunch and nearly spoke, but swallowed it: "Sorry, Dongfang classmate, I, I don't know."

Some students at this school hoped these three sealed years would sever their past, granting a normal, beautiful new life.

She was one of them.

She hated idol gigs, hated the stares, even hunching her back and playing plain for it.

Though the recent ordeal spiked her fondness for Dongfang Yi, that fondness made her even less want him knowing she'd been a gravure idol.

She didn't want special treatment.

As expected—her downcast eyes told Dongfang Yi everything; he'd seen through her.

This was the danger he'd spotted: left like this, she'd handle it solo to keep him in the dark, landing in peril.

Tormenting people... oh wait... skipping his heroic rescue?

Frankly, that sucked.

Dongfang Yi stepped closer, hands on her shoulders, eyes locked with Sakura Airi's: "If Shizuku-chan doesn't know, I actually know a little."

"Shi-Shi-Shizuku-chan?!!" Her secret pierced, Sakura Airi instinctively tried to bolt but got gently pinned by Dongfang Yi.

Escape failed.

Her mind reeled in chaos, body trembling, eyes shaken—but she stubbornly bluffed: "Wh-what are you talking about, Do-Dongfang classmate, I, I have no idea..."

You don't look very convincing like that, Sakura-san.

If you can't find the book by its title, try searching for the author; maybe the name was just changed!

Watching the girl become guarded once again, Dongfang Yi sighed inwardly, feeling an inexplicable illusion that he was the villain.

Though, in truth, he was never a good person to begin with.

He took Sakura Airi's hand and spoke softly to soothe her emotions: "Don't be nervous, take a deep breath, take it slow."

"Dongfang-san, I'm not..."

"I already know you are, there's no need to keep making excuses, Sakura-san."

"Ugh..."

Sakura Airi hugged her chest and crouched down, burying her head inside, wanting to curl up into a ball right there.

Like an ostrich.

She looked like she really didn't want to face reality.

And it was hard to tell which reality she was so reluctant to face (laugh).

"Do I scare you that much?" Dongfang Yi felt a bit helpless, but he still kindly began to help the girl calm down.

"No, it's not that."

Is she worried about being treated differently? Dongfang Yi understood, and he decisively changed the subject.

"Then are you... very afraid of fans?"

"Mm."

"Have you encountered bad experiences in the past?"

"...Yes."

"That must have been hard for you." Dongfang Yi sat down beside her without any regard for his image, reaching out to gently smooth the girl's red hair: "Aren't you going to ask how I knew?"

"How... how did you know, Dongfang-san?"

Sakura Airi finally calmed her emotions and looked up at Dongfang Yi beside her, her eyes rimmed with red.

"In that shop just now, I recorded this."

Dongfang Yi took out his phone and played the footage he had just captured in the store, where one could clearly see a crisp portrait of someone on a computer screen.

In the photo, the girl had delicate pink skin and a brilliant smile; she was pure, cute, and very charming.

The photo was also affectionately labeled with the name "Shizuku-chan," appearing to be part of a promotional project for some talent agency.

"Waaah!"

The girl snatched the phone away, covering the screen tightly, looking flustered.

"Alright, alright, rest easy, I won't show these things to anyone else."

"Th-thank you."

"Come to think of it, do you have any others? I think they're quite nice; could you give me a few for my collection?"

"..." Sakura Airi held Dongfang Yi's phone, struggling for a moment, but in the end, she didn't delete the recording for him.

Her cheeks were flushed red, and she returned the snatched phone to Dongfang Yi with both hands, but her eyes shifted to the side, avoiding his gaze.

She was shy.

"Does Dongfang-san think they look good?" she asked softly, her voice unconsciously carrying a hint of expectation.

"Mm, of course, very beautiful. It makes me restless; for the first time in my life, I want to be a fan, too," Dongfang Yi said with a smile.

"D-Dongfang-san, don't you think I..." Sakura Airi hesitated.

"I don't." Dongfang Yi cut off her Interruption: "People say that an idol's most brilliant age is their youth—dazzling and eye-catching. That is the time when they can most easily gain fan support and money."

"Yet, during such precious time, Sakura-san chose to attend this isolated school. Although I don't know what you've been through, I believe you must have your own reasons."

Dongfang Yi gently patted her head. He thought Sakura Airi was foolishly cute, and he truly didn't think there was anything wrong with her.

Don't you see that even Dongfang Yi, this cheater, has to work hard to scrape together money to support himself right now?

People always have a period in their lives where they cannot choose their own path.

That is perfectly normal.

"Th-thank you. Actually, I... I have some more on my phone." Sakura Airi didn't say anything else, her voice as thin as a mosquito's, yet it seemed to hide an irrepressible joy.

"Then I'll be grateful in advance. I'll prepare a thank-you gift."

"No, that's not necessary. Dongfang-san has already helped me so much." She waved her hands in a panic.

"No, the problem is only temporarily resolved; it hasn't been completely dealt with yet." Dongfang Yi waved his hand righteously: "Actually, your disguise is really good; I didn't even notice it at first."

"Eh? Th-then why?"

"I really didn't notice it; it was mainly because that shop clerk was too suspicious, so I verified it a little." Dongfang Yi shrugged: "To be honest, at first I thought he just had lecherous intentions toward you because you were alone."

"Thinking about it now, the situation with this person is clearly more serious; he should count as the type of fanatical fan mentioned in the news."

"Moreover, the reason I finally brought you into the area under renovation was also to verify his personality. Judging by the speed at which he rushed in at the end..."

"I'm afraid he isn't the type to give up easily."