Miss Idol and the Camera

At this moment.

The collision came suddenly.

Xu Nuo was strolling along in deep thought when his body unexpectedly struck something soft; the sensation in that instant felt like two exceptionally plump mounds of jelly.

He didn't budge an inch.

Instead, the other person lost her balance entirely, crying out as she tumbled backward onto the ground.

"Eek—!"

Immediately following.

Accompanied by the girl's flustered cry, a pink object slipped from her hands, traced a parabola through the air, and slammed heavily onto the ground.

"Snap—"

A crisp, shattering sound rang out.

It was a camera.

Only then did Xu Nuo notice the person he had knocked over.

He saw.

Sitting on the ground was a girl with pink twin-tails, wearing simple, non-prescription glasses. Behind the lenses were a pair of azure eyes, currently misted with a faint veil of tears from pain and fright.

She had a round, adorable baby face with fair, delicate skin, and her slightly curled-up posture radiated timidity.

She looked just like a startled little rabbit.

Extremely cute!

But what was most eye-catching...

Was her figure, which stood in stark contrast to her temperament.

Even though the girl wore a loose school uniform, it still couldn't fully conceal those overly voluptuous curves.

Especially.

Because of her sitting position, the fullness of her chest was squeezed into even greater prominence, as if the buttons of her shirt were about to burst at any moment.

A slender waist.

Formed a sharp contrast with her full upper body.

Clearly.

This was the true definition of a slender branch bearing heavy fruit, surpassing even a certain blonde little angel.

Furthermore.

She exuded a contradictory charm—

Despite possessing a figure that made one's blood boil, she displayed the timidity of a small animal.

The sense of contrast was maxed out!

"It hurts..."

Airi Sakura's eyes were brimming with tears as she instinctively rubbed her sore bottom, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

It was clearly very painful.

However.

The next second.

When her gaze landed on the camera not far away, she froze instantly, her face draining of all color.

One could see.

The lens of the pink camera was completely shattered.

The body of the camera also had cracks, and some parts were scattered on the ground; it had clearly suffered heavy damage.

"No, it can't be..."

Airi Sakura's voice began to tremble as she hurriedly crawled over to cradle the camera, her fingers frantically pressing various buttons in an attempt to make it work again.

Unfortunately.

No matter how hard she tried, the camera remained completely unresponsive.

"How could this happen? It was the most important thing..." Airi Sakura's face was a mask of misery, tears swirling in her eyes, ready to fall at any moment.

Her entire body was trembling slightly.

To her.

This camera was not just a tool for taking pictures.

It was an essential item for her activities as the internet idol "Shizuku," her only connection to the outside world, and the only thing that made her feel at ease in this terrifying reality.

But.

Now, it was broken.

"Wuu..."

The girl let out a faint whimper as tears finally spilled down her cheeks, her expression utterly pitiful.

She showed not the slightest hint of blaming the other party.

After all, she had been the one who failed to watch where she was going, distracted by thoughts of trying on new clothes tonight and letting her guard slip a little.

Still, it hurt so much.

Wuu wuu wuu...

Was it her?

Xu Nuo blinked, recognizing the class's little wallflower at once. He hadn't expected to run into her so coincidentally, let alone knock her over.

He remembered...

She supposedly had a secret idol identity, didn't she?

He didn't dwell on it.

Seeing her pitiful, tear-streaked face, Xu Nuo sighed and stepped forward, extending a hand.

"Sorry, I was spacing out just now."

"Get up first, the ground's cold."

At those words, Airi Sakura, still lost in her sorrow, instinctively lifted her head. Through her tear-blurred vision she looked at the person before her, then froze in a daze.

Her sobs weakened at once.

Sunlight poured down behind him, casting a soft golden glow over that strikingly handsome, almost otherworldly face. His pitch-black eyes held a trace of apology.

It was him...

Xu Nuo...

He's so good-looking...

The girl recognized him in an instant.

The super handsome guy who had introduced himself as the "Ultimate Phantom Thief" during the opening ceremony.

He seemed...

Like someone with a very strong personality.

Although they had barely spoken in class, his presence was simply too overwhelming; the girls had been talking about him nonstop, making it impossible not to notice.

"Ah, um..."

Airi Sakura tried to stand up in a panic.

But she was so nervous that her movements grew even clumsier, nearly sending her tumbling again.

Seeing this, Xu Nuo felt a touch of helplessness and said nothing more.

He simply reached out, grasped her wrist, and pulled her to her feet with a gentle tug.

Her hand was very soft, her skin as delicate as silk, the slight coolness making one want to hold on a little longer, even sparking the absurd urge to play with it.

At the same time, a pleasant scent drifted into his nose—

Not perfume, but the natural fragrance of a two-dimensional beauty, a light mix of milky sweetness and floral notes, fresh and sweet without being cloying.

Like freshly made milk pudding.

"Th-thank you..."

Airi Sakura murmured her thanks, quickly withdrawing her hand. Her cheeks burned crimson as she kept her head down, not daring to meet his eyes, both hands clutching the broken camera tightly.

This is bad...

My heart's beating so fast...

At the sight, Xu Nuo's gaze slowly fell upon the camera.

"This,"

"Mind if I take a look?"

"Eh?"

Airi Sakura blinked, instinctively taking a step back and hugging the camera even closer, yet for some reason she felt not the slightest wariness.

"Don't worry, Sakura-san."

"I can fix it."

Xu Nuo offered a reassuring smile. "Besides, this is my fault, so I'll take responsibility for getting it repaired."

"There's no need..."

"It's not Xu Nuo-kun's fault. I wasn't watching where I was going, so I should be the one apologizing..."

The girl shook her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.

At the same time.

Airi Sakura felt flattered.

Xu Nuo-kun actually remembered someone as inconspicuous as her in class, and even called her by name...

The girl's cheeks burned, and she felt shy inside.

Of course.

She still wanted to refuse.

On one hand.

The camera was simply too important to her.

She didn't want to hand it over to anyone else.

On the other hand.

Facing such a dazzling existence, her instinct was to run away; after all, for someone with her social anxiety.

Even having a normal conversation with others was difficult.

Let alone.

Communicating with a boy who was... who was so handsome that it was hard to look him in the eye.

However...

Not knowing what she thought of, Airi hesitated.

The camera was indeed broken.

If she didn't get it fixed, she might have to go to a repair shop, and she really didn't want to do that.

"Um..."

"Can Xu Nuo-kun really fix it?"

Thinking of this.

Airi Sakura gathered her courage and asked in a small voice.

In the end, she chose the handsome and reliable classmate over a stranger at a repair shop.

"Of course."

Xu Nuo nodded.

"Although it looks serious, it's mainly the lens and the casing that are damaged. The internal circuitry should be fine. It'll take two days at most."

"I guarantee I'll return the camera to you as good as new."

In fact.

It wouldn't even take two days.

However.

Xu Nuo didn't say that out loud. After all, with Airi Sakura's personality, getting her to take the initiative was impossible, and if he wanted to win her over, he couldn't be too hasty.

He had to prolong their time together, like boiling a frog in warm water.

Otherwise, he might scare her off.

This was also why Xu Nuo had changed his usual style today; this little animal couldn't handle being teased.

Hearing this.

The girl bit her lower lip, a war raging within her.

She trusted Xu Nuo, but she was also afraid... afraid of having more contact with him, afraid of making a fool of herself in front of him, afraid of so many, many things.

"Th-then,"

Finally.

Airi Sakura made up her mind and solemnly handed the camera to him, saying timidly:

"I'll leave it to you..."