Does Anyone Really Like Self-Torture?

Some time had passed since Kushida Kikyo's secret had been discovered.

During that time, she had behaved herself remarkably well.

Looks like she learned her lesson.

"Shi Cheng, could you come to my dorm room?" Sakura Airi's gaze darted about. Even though they were close, she was still terribly timid.

Even so, she could hardly wait to invite him over.

As for why she had managed to hold back until now, it was because Shi Cheng had told her to behave.

She had been suppressing her feelings all this time.

Seeing Sakura Airi acting so unusually, Shi Cheng naturally agreed to her request without making her explain herself right away.

After school, Shi Cheng sent Shiina Hiyori a message before heading to Sakura Airi's dorm.

"What is it? Did you find something specific?"

Shi Cheng was referring to the person who had been harassing her online.

Since Keyboard Warriors could never truly be eradicated, Shi Cheng had left the investigation to Sakura Airi herself.

It counted as training for her.

And it would give her something else to do while she was at it.

"No, it's something else." Sakura Airi shook her head, her tightly closed eyes trembling beneath fluttering lashes.

Watching her thick twin ponytails sway back and forth, Shi Cheng suddenly felt an itch in his hands and wanted to take control of them again.

But he remembered that he had come here for something important.

Shi Cheng was in no particular hurry.

Sakura Airi held up her camera with both hands and offered it to him like a treasured gift. "I took pictures of something bad, and I don't know what to do."

"What could be so troublesome to deal with? Did you photograph an alien or something?"

Shi Cheng teased her lightly.

Sakura Airi seemed to have genuinely entertained that bold possibility and murmured, "It would be nice if it really were."

No, you were serious?

Was that something you could casually photograph?

Taking the camera, Shi Cheng began flipping through the pictures.

Unsurprisingly, beautiful photos were the first to assault his eyes.

Shi Cheng looked at her.

So she had called him here for this?

He had no choice but to question whether her motives were really so pure.

Sakura Airi, standing beside him, blushed and hurriedly explained, "There are more after those."

Fine.

Even if there weren't—

Wouldn't he still be the one benefiting in the end?

"Eh!" Shi Cheng's expression shifted to surprise when he reached the later, different photographs.

He had never expected Sakura Airi to have actually called him over for something serious.

He had thought she had simply been overwhelmed by missing him.

Shi Cheng instantly thought more highly of her.

Sakura Airi really was obedient.

"Shi Cheng, what should I do?" Seeing that he had found the truth, Sakura Airi asked carefully.

"Just be yourself." Shi Cheng considered her feelings thoughtfully.

"Then I'll delete them?" Having gotten her answer, Sakura Airi was eager to erase them.

Her camera was only allowed to contain pictures of herself and Shi Cheng.

No one else was permitted to appear in it.

If she had not thought those photos might prove useful someday—

She would have deleted them long ago.

"Mm, delete them. There's no point keeping them anyway." Shi Cheng handed the camera back.

The photos showed Sudo Ken fighting with someone, but what could that prove?

It was not a complete recording.

"Okay." Sakura Airi smiled happily.

She had truly been afraid that if something happened, Shi Cheng might ask her to testify.

After deleting the photos, Sakura Airi felt completely at ease. She lightly poked her index fingers together, then shyly looked up. "Shi Cheng, can you stay with me a little longer?"

Since he was already here, her other thoughts naturally grew stronger as well.

"Of course." Shi Cheng could not possibly refuse her goodwill.

And just like that, July arrived.

Shi Cheng, who had expected some points to come in and replenish his funds, stared blankly at his phone when it remained silent yet again.

No, what was going on this time?

Shi Cheng spun his phone around, utterly speechless.

This school really had far too many incidents.

Shi Cheng did not need to step forward over this matter. Someone else would ask.

When Chabashira Sae entered the classroom, Yamauchi Haruki, already sick of looking at her, eagerly launched into questioning.

"Teacher, why haven't this month's points been issued yet?"

He clearly remembered that they had earned back several dozen class points in the midterm exam.

And after everyone learned that certain bad behavior was tied to their living allowance—

No one dared make little moves during class anymore.

So there was no way they could have been deducted again.

Yamauchi Haruki was in a hurry now.

He was waiting for that money to improve his life.

Knowing there would be questions, Chabashira Sae did not even open her textbook.

Facing his inquiry, she said calmly, "There have been some complications. Once they are resolved, the points will naturally be issued."

"What?!" Yamauchi Haruki was somewhat displeased.

After seeing Shi Cheng succeed last time, he wanted to show off in front of everyone this time as well.

Forcing a teacher to compromise and all that was seriously flattering.

Yamauchi Haruki declared with great momentum, "Since this is the school's mistake, shouldn't you compensate us?"

He was not asking for much. A hundred thousand or eighty thousand would do; even ten thousand was fine.

After all, he had nearly gone mad from poverty lately.

She had admitted it when it was her fault last time, but this time was different. Chabashira Sae crossed her arms and sneered.

"Forget about compensation. There's nothing I can do about it either."

Knowing what was about to happen, even if it only affected Shi Cheng a little—

Chabashira Sae still found it immensely satisfying.

She smiled brightly. "Don't worry. As long as the matter is resolved, the points will be issued soon enough."

"If there are any left."

Chabashira Sae had quite the talent for speaking in riddles.

She once again said something vague that prompted everyone to speculate.

Unfortunately, most people only heard that the points would be issued before long and ignored what came after.

After class.

As expected, Horikita Suzune came over.

After Shi Cheng's guidance—

She had fully realized just how unreliable Chabashira Sae was.

So she had carefully noted down every single thing the teacher said.

Then she filtered out the suspicious parts.

And she successfully found the final sentence.

There were far too many questionable points in that statement.

She simply could not figure it out.

That was why she wanted another person's opinion.

"Shi Cheng, what do you think she meant by that last sentence?"

Horikita Suzune frowned, unable to understand.

After experiencing such dramatic ups and downs—

She did not think there was any idiot left in the class who would fail to cherish their hard-earned class points.

Could someone really enjoy eating the free meals provided by the cafeteria?

She did not think anyone liked torturing themselves.

Because she had personally tasted it before.

Even she could not keep eating it for very long.

Let alone everyone else.

Shi Cheng remained unmoved and said indifferently, "What else could it be? Someone probably caused trouble again."

He did not lack this little bit of living allowance anyway.

Besides, he wished their points would continue staying at zero.

That way, his points would finally have a real use.

Instead of being spent merely on food.

"Then it seems my worst-case guess was right." Horikita Suzune knitted her brows, deeply puzzled.

No way, was there really such an idiot in the class?

Her sharp gaze swiftly swept across everyone present.

But there were too many people, and she could not identify the culprit right away.

So she stood up directly and said, "I have something very important to say. It concerns your living allowance."

She was not lacking money at the moment, so she was not in a hurry.

What mattered was the gap widening between them and the other classes.