This time, the rain finally fits the mood!

After parting ways with Kushida, Ayanokoji walked alone toward the electronics store in the shopping mall.

He had other business to attend to.

"Hello, I'm here to pick up a camera."

Ayanokoji said it as casually as if he were asking for a glass of water.

A few seconds later, a middle-aged man with a thinning hairline crawled out from behind the counter.

Seeing only the poker-faced boy standing in front of the counter, the man couldn't hide the disappointment on his face.

But with no other choice, he handed the camera over to Ayanokoji, his lingering reluctance looking exactly like you after you've wiped your hard drive clean following a reward.

"Make sure you hand it over to her properly, okay~"

Mister, do your family members know you're this sleazy?

As Ayanokoji signed the receipt, he cast a look of contempt toward the man.

It was as if he were looking at a maggot in a trash heap.

Noticing Ayanokoji's gaze, the man stammered a nervous defense:

"W-what is that look for? I fixed it up properly for her, and I even checked to make sure none of the functions were damaged."

"I'm a good fan... cough, a good person!"

Ayanokoji remained silent; there was no need for him to bait information out of a creature whose brain was located in his lower half and who would confess without being asked.

After signing the paper and handing it over, Ayanokoji turned and walked away without another word.

The money had already been paid by the owner of the item, Sakura Airi, beforehand.

A few steps away, Ayanokoji could still feel the man's sleazy, excited, and expectant gaze on his back.

Finding a shaded spot to sit down, Ayanokoji opened the camera's photo storage, and as expected.

This old bastard was truly rotten.

The most recent photos were dated yesterday, back when the camera was still in his shop.

Ayanokoji tapped them open, his mind clear as a mirror.

There were three photos from yesterday, basically all selfies of the man, taken from various angles; two of them would likely be unpostable without censorship.

The other one was a photo of him hugging a life-sized body pillow, which featured the image of a real girl that looked very familiar to Ayanokoji.

On that pillow, the areas near the girl's more private parts were visibly yellowed, and one could even see several darker patches that looked like saliva stains.

Ayanokoji blinked, feeling an urge to wash his eyes out.

He hadn't felt much when looking at his own, but looking at someone else's—especially a sleazy middle-aged man's—truly made his stomach churn.

How disgusting!

He couldn't help but curse inwardly.

He recorded a video, then deleted those three photos.

He closed the camera immediately after deleting the last one; Ayanokoji was a man of principle, and he didn't want to pry into other people's privacy.

This action had only been taken after he had basically confirmed the man's behavior.

Next, he just needed to find an opportunity to return the camera to Sakura.

As he walked, Ayanokoji pondered whether he should consider letting the man off the hook if he didn't commit any more egregious acts in the future.

After all, life wasn't easy, and he recalled that he, too, had once vented his stress in his own way.

No!

After a mere two and a half seconds, Ayanokoji had his answer.

One pervert in this school was enough, and that was Ayanokoji himself.

By evening, the sky had turned dim, and rain began to fall at an inopportune time.

Even as strong as he was, Ayanokoji feared catching a cold, so he prepared to avoid the brunt of it.

"As expected, weather forecasts aren't entirely trustworthy."

Ayanokoji noted another valuable piece of knowledge in his little notebook; his blind spots in knowledge were becoming negligible.

Under the shelter of a storefront, Ayanokoji took cover from the rain. The raindrops hitting the ground formed puddles, reflecting Ayanokoji's cold face, which harmonized with the gloomy sky—it was as beautiful as a painting!

Ayanokoji silently looked down at his reflection for a long time, as if the only person in this world who could meet his gaze was another version of himself.

Of course, he also wanted to glance around occasionally, but it was a bit awkward.

At some point, a white-haired girl had come to stand beside him, clutching two books to her chest, looking gentle and refined.

"This rain really came at a bad time."

The white-haired girl opened her mouth slightly, her voice nimble and soft, tugging at the heartstrings.

Ayanokoji's pupils constricted, and he pulled his thoughts back.

He confirmed that there were indeed only the two of them, himself and the white-haired girl, in the vicinity.

He took another careful look at the girl; her long, silvery-white hair reached down to her slender waist, her features were as picturesque as a painting, her skin was like snow, her face was as lovely as peach blossoms, and her eyes were like purple curtains. Her temperament was as gentle as jade, yet she gave off a sense of approachability.

"It is indeed an ill-timed rain, but since it has appeared, it must have its own reason for existing."

Ayanokoji said indifferently.

He didn't even know what he was saying, but he had to say something, otherwise... wouldn't it be incredibly awkward?

Just like right now, Ayanokoji was so awkward that his toes were curling inside his shoes.

Hey! You were the one who started the conversation, so at least keep it going, you jerk!

After a long while, the girl spoke as if she had just had an epiphany: "Existence is reasonable... that comes from Hegel's Elements of the Philosophy of Right, doesn't it!"

"My apologies, it has been a long time since I read it, so I couldn't recall it immediately."

Ayanokoji: "..."

So you were actually analyzing what I just said and trying to figure out its source?

Are you some kind of expert in the etymology of modern human language?

Ayanokoji was speechless, though his expression remained as calm as ever.

He glanced at the girl's gentle and serene smile, a soft light flashing in her deep purple eyes, as if she were looking forward to Ayanokoji's next famous quote.

Spare me...

"There are two things in this world that cannot be looked at directly: the sun and the human heart."

Not wanting to play a boring guessing game, Ayanokoji intended to use this sentence to end the conversation.

Little one, I have the knowledge reserves of two lifetimes.

Although the little bit of ink I had as Ling Xiaolu wasn't worth mentioning, it was just enough to attack your blind spots in knowledge.

Sure enough, after a long while, the girl still hadn't responded.

"May I ask which masterpiece this comes from?"

The girl asked curiously, looking adorable and dazed.

"The Legend of Ayanokoji," Ayanokoji said indifferently.

"Which master wrote it?"

The girl became even more curious, her eyes brightening as she unconsciously leaned closer to Ayanokoji.

"..."

"Class D, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka."

"Eh?"

The girl froze for a second, then covered her small mouth and laughed, her laughter sounding very pleasant.

"That's a wonderful sentence."

Ayanokoji looked at her indifferently, though inside, he felt somewhat healed by this smile; such a smile seemed rare to see in this place.

It wasn't for profit, nor for the vanity of Class A.

It was simply because she was amused, happy.

"What about you? What is your name?"

Ayanokoji was a bit curious.

"Shiina Hiyori. I am Shiina Hiyori from Class C."

The girl said with a smile.

At that same moment, the dark clouds receded, and the azure sky began to reveal itself, starting from a single beam of sunlight expanding outward; this time, the rain had stopped at just the right moment.