That Bright Ray of Light

With someone backing her up, Sakura Airi did not skip class and attended as usual.

In truth, even without anyone to back her up, she would not have dared to skip class.

After all, she had always been committed to being an invisible nobody.

How could she dare do anything that drew attention?

Noticing the strange glances repeatedly cast his way from behind.

Shi Cheng thought Sakura Airi had come to her senses so quickly.

But the result was.

What her eyes revealed was nothing of the sort.

After confirming it several times, Shi Cheng finally determined.

It was deep fear.

That left Shi Cheng rather puzzled.

They had not even begun yet, so how did she know?

Could she, like him, recognize talent at a glance?

Shi Cheng did not take the matter to heart.

Given the personality Sakura Airi had shown, escaping his grasp was impossible.

So there was no need for him to rush.

His top priority was determining his next direction.

When school ended again, he briefly greeted Kato Megumi.

Then Shi Cheng quickly left the classroom.

Kato Megumi silently watched his retreating back.

She did not ask how much progress he had made.

Knowing he was handling serious matters, Kato Megumi did not want to burden him for no reason.

After all, they had agreed long ago that if he needed help.

Shi Cheng would contact her.

All she needed to do was wait.

Compared to Kato Megumi, who waited patiently with a calm heart.

Sakura Airi was tense beyond belief.

Seeing Shi Cheng head toward her.

Sakura Airi was so frightened she nearly pressed a hole into the floor with her smooth toes and jumped in to escape.

Even after Shi Cheng brushed past her.

Sakura Airi still did not breathe a sigh of relief.

If anything.

She was even more afraid.

Because she had already resolved herself to face Shi Cheng.

Yet now.

Shi Cheng did not even spare her a glance.

He was even going to keep humiliating her online.

What was this supposed to be?

Sakura Airi lowered her head, her small hands clenched tightly atop her smooth thighs.

Her heart filled with indignation.

She had thought Shi Cheng was a good person.

She never expected him to be this excessive.

Unfortunately, Sakura Airi could not even compare to a Keyboard Warrior.

She could only endure in silence.

On top of that, she was an invisible nobody in class and had no friends.

So no one cared about the state she was in.

Sakura Airi felt even more hopeless.

She suddenly felt the urge to just give up.

I'm tired. Let it all be destroyed.

Or Shi Cheng could come find her whenever he wanted.

She gave up struggling.

Shi Cheng knew nothing of Sakura Airi's inner turmoil.

He was currently busy pursuing his next target.

Shi Cheng did not wander aimlessly down the youth-filled paths.

He had a clear goal.

A few minutes later.

A building appeared before him.

Through the gleaming, spotless glass, he could clearly see the activity inside.

Shi Cheng did not look any longer and walked straight in.

Upon entering.

The scent of books filled his nostrils.

That was right.

This was the Library.

It was also the best place to Capture literary girls.

Horikita Suzune did not count.

She had been an accidental corruption.

Shi Cheng strolled around, his footsteps light as he tried not to draw attention.

This was a library.

Keeping quiet was basic etiquette.

He soon found several targets worth trying.

One of them was rather troublesome, with too many people around her.

After thinking it over, Shi Cheng did not approach her rashly.

Although she was very attractive, given the current situation.

He would not cause even the slightest ripple if he went over.

There were simply too many people around her.

Remembering her pink hair and a heart no less impressive than Sakura Airi's.

Shi Cheng painfully switched to another target.

This girl was clearly worth pursuing.

She gave off a light, soft, fluffy sort of aura.

And there was no one around her.

She perfectly embodied the words delicate and graceful.

Faced with such an unmissable target.

Shi Cheng's eyes reddened.

The only pity was that compared to the previous one, her heart was seriously lacking.

It did not give him much motivation.

What a shame.

Shaking his head, Shi Cheng suddenly snapped awake.

What was he even thinking about?

It had been some time since the last occasion.

By now, he could barely even remember it when reminiscing.

Yet here he was, looking down on someone else.

Did he still want to become stronger as quickly as possible or not?

After sternly warning himself, Shi Cheng did not walk over directly.

Instead, he wandered around nearby.

In the end, he casually picked out a book and went to Shiina Hiyori's side, asking softly, "Excuse me, may I sit here?"

From his observation.

This girl had piled many books in front of her.

One look was enough to tell she was a seasoned book lover.

Naturally, he had to cater to her interests.

As for the fact that he had only just entered the field.

Shi Cheng did not think she would mind.

Who could refuse the chance to serve as someone's guide?

"Ah, please sit!"

Shiina Hiyori let out a soft cry of surprise, looked up at Shi Cheng's gentle, elegant smile, then hurriedly invited him to sit.

Though she had been engrossed in reading.

She was still aware of movements nearby.

What surprised Shiina Hiyori, however, was.

No one had ever spoken to her before.

This was the first time.

That was why she had been caught somewhat off guard.

Once Shi Cheng sat down.

Shiina Hiyori hurriedly shifted the books piled on the table to make room for him.

There had actually been plenty of space already.

But she still did it.

Shi Cheng smiled. "Thank you."

Shiina Hiyori blushed slightly upon hearing it.

Because she did not deserve those thanks.

After all, she had completely done something unnecessary.

But it was not easy for her to say anything now.

She could only pay closer attention to Shi Cheng's movements.

And try to help him with something equally valuable.

Shiina Hiyori was confident she could do that.

Although she had only caught a fleeting glance.

Her internal radar had accurately detected the book Shi Cheng was holding.

Shiina Hiyori lightly bit her lip, resisting the urge to spoil it immediately.

She only waited to descend like a divine soldier at the crucial moment.

Sure enough, things developed in the direction Shiina Hiyori had hoped.

Shi Cheng revealed a deeply puzzled expression after turning only one page.

Shi Cheng truly was not fishing for attention on purpose.

Making a fool of himself so quickly—did he not care about his dignity?

His grades were decent, that was true.

But that did not mean he could understand profound literary works.

So he was genuinely stumped.

The chance had come.

Excited light flickered in Shiina Hiyori's beautiful purple eyes.

She had been impatient for this moment for a long time.

If Shi Cheng still did not need help.

She would not be able to suppress the urge in her heart.

Fortunately, Shi Cheng did not make her wait long.

Shiina Hiyori's voice was soft and gentle, yet it carried a note of excitement, creating a huge contrast.

"Did you run into something difficult? You can tell me. I might know."

Shi Cheng looked up in astonishment. Wait, was it really going this smoothly?

Who exactly was the prey, and who was the hunter?

Looking at Shiina Hiyori's gentle, sincere face, Shi Cheng, with his lofty self-image, viciously slapped himself in his heart.

Who was taking advantage of whom? Did he even need to think about it?

Shi Cheng pushed the book over and pointed to a passage. "Here."

"Let me see." Shiina Hiyori lowered her head slightly and raised a hand to tuck a lock of silver hair that had fallen across her soft face behind her lustrous ear.

A simple movement.

Yet it suddenly made Shi Cheng's heart race.

Damn it, he had really become the prey.