"No!"
Shiina flatly denied it. "I was just checking what our relationship was, that's all."
Her heart pounded. Suddenly, she felt a tight ache in her chest.
So this is what rejection feels like...
She had always been immersed in a sea of books. Now, she'd finally experienced firsthand the feelings she'd read about.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I really, really don't!"
"We're absolutely just good friends, nothing more!"
Seeing Xia Mu's suspicious look, Shiina held up a hand, its lines clearly visible, and hurried to explain. She was afraid he'd misunderstood something.
"I see." Xia Mu looked away. "Got it."
Sure enough, goblins couldn't love.
"Huh?"
Shiina was a little stunned when Xia Mu simply stopped asking.
Wasn't he supposed to keep pressing her, until she demurred and finally blushed as she admitted it?
But now that she'd said it, she couldn't very well take it back.
Wait, admitted what? I really don't like Xia Mu.
We're just good friends who read together, you know.
She couldn't help letting her thoughts run wild. Even when they parted that evening, Shiina still felt dazed.
All night, she clutched her phone and tossed and turned in bed. She didn't feel like reading at all.
But even after waiting a long time, she still didn't get a message from Xia Mu.
"Ugh, what an idiot! How could he believe me just like that?!"
She lay helplessly in bed, staring at the ceiling.
He was usually so clever, but at a time like this, he'd gone and gotten stupid!
She was furious.
Time flowed by, impossible to hold on to.
Before long, it was the following afternoon, and school was out.
Xia Mu arranged to meet Sakura Airi at the place where he'd seen her secretly taking sexy photos the day before.
Honestly, Sakura was so shy in class, yet there she was posing provocatively beneath the fountain for photos.
The contrast was just too striking.
After waiting a while, Sakura came jogging over. She was so tired that she braced her hands on her knees and panted, making the two large white mounds on her chest bounce.
Xia Mu glanced at her. "You're tired, huh?"
"Huh?"
Caught off guard by Xia Mu's sudden concern, Sakura froze for a moment. Then she steadied her breathing and wiped the sweat from her face. "I'm okay."
"Um, well..."
"Xia Mu, what do you want me to do so you won't tell anyone about yesterday's secret?"
Sakura asked him in a quiet, uneasy voice.
It wasn't pleasant having someone hold something over her.
She regretted going outdoors to take those photos. She should've just taken them in her bathroom at home...
"Give me your camera." Xia Mu held out his hand.
"Huh?"
Sakura gripped the camera hidden behind her back, hesitating.
But Xia Mu had already copied the photos from it and was holding something over her. After a moment's hesitation, she handed it to him.
At the same time, her heart began pounding hard. Her hands and feet felt weak, and she was incredibly nervous.
"Click!"
Just then, Xia Mu raised the camera, adjusted his position, focused, and snapped several shots in quick succession.
"Huh? Huh?"
Dazzled by the camera flash, Sakura took two steps back. "X-Xia Mu?"
"Come take a look. What do you think?" Xia Mu handed the camera back to Sakura.
She took it doubtfully and looked down to check the photos.
The moment she saw them, she cried out in surprise. "A-amazing!"
The photos Xia Mu had taken were bright and vivid. They clearly captured her nervous, uneasy expression, and even the sweat on her face glistened like crystals.
"Not bad."
Xia Mu glanced up at the System Panel and the Grandmaster Photography Skill displayed on it.
He'd thought about it for a long time yesterday and had more or less figured out Sakura's problem.
She liked living in her own world and wasn't good at interacting with people.
So he'd first have to earn her trust, then slowly help her open up.
Honestly, compared to the others in Class D, Sakura's problem was one of the simpler ones. Xia Mu was confident he could help her solve it.
So he'd gone ahead and maxed out his photography skill first. It hadn't cost many Skill Points, after all.
"I was in the Photography Club in middle school. I really love photography."
"Yesterday, I saw you taking selfies by yourself. You looked beautiful, so I thought I'd make friends with you. I can take your photos from now on, and you can be my model."
"I won't tell anyone about your secret. Don't worry."
Xia Mu sounded sincere.
And he was telling the truth. He didn't really care what happened to Sakura in the future.
What he cared about was Skill Points.
As long as he had Skill Points, he'd have something to rely on. Even if terrorists suddenly showed up, he could immediately max out his firearms skills—though that would take quite a lot of Skill Points.
"Is... is that so?"
Sakura looked at Xia Mu doubtfully. He didn't seem to be lying.
She thought it over and hesitated for a moment before nodding.
For one thing, Xia Mu already had something to hold over her, so she didn't really have a choice.
For another, a photographer could take more photos than she could by herself.
Besides, deep down, she longed to make a real friend.
Xia Mu seemed so innocent, even a little clueless. He probably didn't have any bad intentions.
"Click, click!"
Over the next hour, Xia Mu took all kinds of photos of Sakura.
With his Grandmaster-level photography skills, he could make her look good in any pose.
At first, Sakura was a little shy, but once she got used to it, she gradually loosened up.
She even placed one hand over her chest and struck a sexy pose, giving Xia Mu's little brother a modest treat.
"Phew..."
By around five, Sakura was drenched in sweat from exhaustion. But as she looked at the photos on her camera, she felt completely satisfied.
The photos she'd taken that afternoon were better than the ones she'd spent half a month painstakingly taking herself.
She'd probably gain quite a few followers this time.
Seeing Xia Mu sitting on a stone bench, looking down at his phone, she bought a drink and brought it over to him.
"Ah, thanks."
Xia Mu looked down at Sakura's photos on his phone. He'd managed to get quite a few, claiming he needed to adjust them.
Honestly, if Sakura took off her glasses and let her hair down, she'd be a beauty on the level of a goddess.
"Pssht!"
"Gulp, gulp."
Xia Mu popped the tab and took a sip. "Sakura, you're actually very pretty. Why don't you show everyone what you really look like?"
As soon as she heard the compliment, Sakura's face turned red. She lowered her head and rubbed the drink can between her hands. "N-no, I can't! I'm not that pretty..."
For once, she had actually argued with Xia Mu.
If her classmates found out she secretly took sexy, pretty photos and uploaded them online, they'd definitely look down on her and curse her. Then she'd have nowhere left in the class.
Besides, this was her little secret. No one could ever find out.
"Pat."
Xia Mu tapped her shoulder, snapping her out of her reverie.
His eyes were calm as still water, yet held an unquestionable certainty. "Show your photos to some passersby and see how they react."
"N-no, I don't want to..." Sakura tried to refuse again.
But a suffocating glint flashed in Xia Mu's eyes. "You don't want your photos spreading around, do you?"
Only then did Sakura finally realize what that meant.
Right, he had not only her ordinary selfies, but all kinds of sexy photos, too.
He had her completely at his mercy. If he really spread them around, she'd be finished!
Before you continue