Dongfang Yi dragged Sakura Airi away from the scene at top speed.
Behind them, Stalker had apparently stepped on something—or perhaps some shards of glass or nails had cut him. He let out a scream of pain against his will.
"I'm turning into a beast! Awooo! Awooo!"
But what did that have to do with Dongfang Yi? He hadn't asked the man to follow him.
So he ran off with a clear conscience, without looking back even once.
A little while later.
"He shouldn't be able to catch up with us if we stay over here."
Dongfang Yi raised an eyebrow smugly. The first day of school had already been this exciting, and he couldn't help looking forward to what the rest of the year had in store.
"Huff... huff, huff..."
Sakura Airi seemed to have overdone it. She was clutching his arm tightly, gasping for breath.
Her full, rounded curves rose and fell with her chest, drawing someone's gaze as irresistibly as a magnet.
Dongfang Yi kindly took her bag, patted the girl's back to help steady her breathing, and took a few... three or four extra glances while he was at it.
"Dongfang, th-thank you."
Sakura Airi gradually caught her breath. Feeling relieved, she gave Dongfang Yi a small bow and thanked him earnestly.
"Don't mention it, Sakura. I've always liked helping people."
Dongfang Yi stood tall and nodded with confidence, accepting her thanks without a trace of embarrassment.
He had to admit, being thanked by a beautiful girl felt so good!
He raised an eyebrow, feeling a simple, uncomplicated happiness for the first time in a while.
[Unlocked chain achievement: Childhood Fun: Hide and Seek]
[Unlock the entire chain of achievements to receive a large number of points. Please explore on your own, Host.]
[System Points +1000]
What a pleasant surprise. Good deeds really did bring their own rewards.
Dongfang Yi was even happier.
Over the past month, he'd gotten a rough idea of how these achievements appeared—they were closely tied to the person involved.
For example, the blond punk who'd tried to mug him, only to get mugged right back. Completing the full achievement series A Gentleman Never Lets a Grudge Go Unavenged had earned him a title worth 3K points: A Gentleman's Revenge, from Dawn to Dusk.
The minor achievement in that series had been worth only 30 points. That title had paid out a hundred times as much.
Dongfang Yi had a hunch that this chain achievement would be worth 100K points, and Sakura Airi was the key to it.
He hadn't earned that many points in the entire month!
It was enough to buy ten months' worth of skills!
Dongfang Yi began thinking more seriously about what might happen next in Sakura Airi's story.
This brief encounter had already earned him Sakura Airi's trust, but clearly, that wasn't enough.
After all, her crisis hadn't been resolved completely. There was still a chance she'd follow the original story and fall for Tyrannosaurus after getting into trouble.
Whether it was for the points or his own personal preferences, that wasn't the kind of story Dongfang Yi wanted.
He couldn't accept even a one-percent chance of it happening.
With that in mind, Dongfang Yi helped Sakura Airi to her feet. Looking the girl in the eye, he began to guide her. "Sakura, do you know why that man was following you?"
Sakura Airi seemed to have an idea. She started to speak, but changed her mind at the last second. "Sorry, Dongfang. I-I don't know."
Some of the students who came to this school hoped that three years of isolation would let them cut ties with their past and start over with a more normal, happier life.
She was one of them.
She hated working as an idol. She hated being watched by others. She'd even gone so far as to keep a hunched posture and make herself look plain.
What had just happened had made her feel much more warmly toward Dongfang Yi,
but because she liked him, she wanted even less for him to know that she'd once been a gravure idol.
She didn't want him to treat her differently.
Just as he'd expected. Seeing her eyes lowered, Dongfang Yi understood. He'd already seen through the girl's thoughts.
That was the danger he'd noticed. If things went on like this, she might try to handle the matter herself to keep him from finding out—and end up in danger.
How cruel... no, a chance to save a damsel in distress, and she wanted to keep it from him, Dongfang Yi?
Honestly, that wasn't good at all.
Dongfang Yi stepped closer and placed both hands on the girl's shoulders, meeting Sakura Airi's gaze. "If you don't know, Shizuku-chan, I happen to know a little."
"Sh-Sh-Shizuku-chan?!" Sakura Airi's secret had been exposed. She instinctively tried to run, but Dongfang Yi gently held her in place.
She didn't get away.
Her mind went into a turmoil. Her body trembled, and her eyes were full of uncertainty, but she forced herself to deny it. "D-Dongfang, what are you talking about? I-I don't understand..."
That expression wasn't very convincing, Sakura.
Watching the girl grow wary again, Dongfang Yi sighed inwardly. For some reason, he felt like the bad guy.
Not that he was a particularly good person to begin with.
He took Sakura Airi's hand and gently soothed her. "Don't be nervous. Take a deep breath. Take it slowly."
"Dongfang, I'm not..."
"I already know you are. There's no need to deny it, Sakura."
"Ugh..."
Sakura Airi hugged herself and crouched down, burying her head in her arms as she tried to curl into a ball.
Like an ostrich.
She clearly didn't want to face reality.
Who knew which kind of reality she was avoiding? (Laughs.)
"Am I scaring you?" Dongfang Yi asked helplessly, but still kindly helped the girl sort out her feelings.
"N-no."
Was she worried he'd treat her differently? Dongfang Yi understood and promptly changed the subject.
"Then are you... scared of your fans?"
"Mm."
"Did something bad happen before?"
"...Yes."
"That must've been hard." Dongfang Yi sat down beside her without a shred of decorum and gently smoothed the girl's red hair. "Don't you want to ask how I found out?"
"H-how did you know, Dongfang?"
Sakura Airi had finally calmed down. She raised her head and looked at Dongfang Yi beside her, her eyes red-rimmed.
"At that shop just now, I recorded this."
Dongfang Yi took out his phone and played the footage he'd just recorded at the shop. Someone's unmistakable gravure photo was clearly visible on the computer screen.
The girl in the photo had soft, pink skin and a radiant smile. She looked sweet and charming, and was quite captivating.
The photo was labeled "Shizuku-chan," apparently as part of some entertainment company's promotional campaign.
"Eek!"
The girl snatched the phone and covered the screen with both hands, flustered.
"All right, all right. Relax, relax. I won't show this to anyone."
"Th-thank you."
"By the way, do you have any others? I think they look pretty good. Could I have a few to keep?"
"..." Sakura Airi held Dongfang Yi's phone and hesitated for a while, but in the end, she didn't delete the video.
Her cheeks were red as she handed the phone back to Dongfang Yi with both hands. But she turned her eyes to the side, avoiding his gaze.
She was embarrassed.
"Dongfang, you think I look good?" she asked softly, a hint of hope slipping into her voice.
"Of course. You're beautiful. You make me feel all restless. For the first time in my life, I've wanted to be a fan of someone." Dongfang Yi smiled.
"D-Dongfang, you don't think I'm..." Sakura Airi hesitated.
"I don't." Dongfang Yi cut her off. "People say an idol's brightest years are her youth, when she shines like a star. That's when she can most easily win the support of fans and make money."
"But you chose to spend those precious years studying at this isolated school. I don't know what you've been through, Sakura, but I believe you must have had your reasons."
Dongfang Yi gently patted her head. He thought Sakura Airi was adorably silly, and he truly didn't think there was anything wrong with her.
Even a cheat like Dongfang Yi had to work hard to earn money to support himself, after all.
There were times in everyone's life when they couldn't choose their own path.
That was perfectly normal.
"Th-thank you. Actually, I have some more on my phone." Sakura Airi didn't say much. Her voice was as quiet as a mosquito's, but she couldn't quite hide how happy she was.
"Then I'll thank you in advance. I'll prepare a gift for you."
"N-no, you don't have to. You've already helped me so much, Dongfang." She waved her hands in a panic.
"No, we've only solved the problem for now. It hasn't been dealt with completely." Dongfang Yi waved his hand righteously. "Your disguise was really good, by the way. I didn't see through it at first either."
"Huh? Then why...?"
"I really didn't see through it. The shop assistant was just suspicious, so I decided to look into it a little." Dongfang Yi shrugged. "Honestly, at first I thought he'd just gotten lecherous because you were alone."
"But thinking about it now, his situation is clearly more serious. He sounds like the kind of obsessive fan you hear about in the news."
"And I took you into the area that was being renovated at the end to test his personality. Judging by how fast he rushed in after us..."
"He's probably not the type to give up easily."
Before you continue