After saying goodbye to Kushida, Ayanokoji headed alone to the electronics store in the shopping center.
He still had something else to take care of.
"Hello. I'm here to pick up a camera."
Ayanokoji spoke as casually as if he were ordering a glass of water.
A few seconds later, a middle-aged man with a receding hairline popped up from behind the counter.
When he saw that the only person at the entrance was a deadpan-faced boy, he couldn't hide his disappointment.
But there was nothing he could do. He handed the camera to Ayanokoji reluctantly, looking just like you after clearing your hard drive once you'd finished rewarding yourself.
"Make sure you give it to her properly, okay~"
Uncle, does your family know you're this creepy?
As he signed the receipt, Ayanokoji shot the man a look of disdain.
The way one might look at a maggot in a garbage heap.
The man noticed Ayanokoji's expression and hurriedly tried to explain himself.
"W-what? I repaired it properly for her! I even checked to see if any of its functions had been damaged."
"I'm a good fan... Ahem, a good person!"
Ayanokoji remained silent. There was no need to coax information out of a creature that had just confessed everything, its brain clearly located in its lower half.
Once he'd signed, he handed over the receipt and left without another word.
The camera's owner, Sakura Airi, had already paid.
Even after walking some distance, Ayanokoji could still feel the man's lecherous, excited, expectant gaze on him.
He found a shady spot to sit down and opened the camera's photo storage. Just as he'd expected.
The old guy was rotten to the core.
The most recent photos were from yesterday, when the camera had still been in the man's shop.
Ayanokoji opened them, already knowing what he'd find.
There were three photos dated yesterday, and most of them were selfies of the man. They showed different parts of his body; two of them probably couldn't be shown without censoring.
The other was a photo of him hugging a life-sized body pillow. It bore the picture of a real girl, and Ayanokoji recognized her.
The areas around the girl's more private parts on the pillow were visibly yellowed, and there were even several darker spots that looked like saliva stains.
Ayanokoji blinked, feeling the urge to go wash his eyes.
He hadn't felt much when looking at his own stuff before, but seeing someone else's—especially a creepy middle-aged man's—made his stomach turn.
Disgusting!
He couldn't help cursing inwardly.
He took a video, then deleted the three photos.
As soon as he deleted the last one, he shut the camera. Ayanokoji was a man of principle; he didn't want to pry into anyone else's privacy.
He'd only decided to do this after becoming fairly certain of the man's behavior.
Now he just needed to find an opportunity to return the camera to Sakura.
As he walked, Ayanokoji wondered whether he should let the man off the hook if he didn't do anything worse from here on.
Life was hard, after all. He remembered how he himself had once let off steam without restraint.
No!
Ayanokoji came to his answer two and a half seconds later.
There was room for only one pervert at this school, and that was Ayanokoji.
By evening, the sky had darkened, and the rain began to fall at the worst possible time.
No matter how strong Ayanokoji was, he didn't want to catch a cold, so he decided to avoid the rain for now.
"Looks like weather forecasts can't always be trusted."
Ayanokoji added another valuable lesson to his little notebook. His blind spots in knowledge were now vanishingly few.
Under the awning of a shop, Ayanokoji waited out the rain. Raindrops splashed onto the ground, forming puddles that reflected his cold face against the gloomy sky. It was a picture-perfect scene!
Ayanokoji gazed down at his reflection for a long time, as if the only person in the world who could meet his eyes was himself.
Of course, he wanted to glance around now and then, but that would be a little awkward.
At some point, a white-haired girl had come to stand beside him, two books held against her chest. She had a gentle, refined air about her.
"This rain really couldn't have come at a worse time."
The white-haired girl parted her lips slightly, her voice light and lovely, striking a chord in the heart.
Ayanokoji's pupils contracted slightly as he gathered his thoughts.
He confirmed that the two of them were indeed alone.
He took a closer look at the girl. Her silvery-white hair fell to her slender waist; her features were as lovely as a painting, her skin as white as snow, her face as delicate as a peach blossom, and her eyes were veiled in purple. She had a gentle, jade-like air, yet also seemed approachable.
"It's certainly an untimely rain. But since it's here, it must have a reason to be."
Ayanokoji replied calmly.
He didn't know what he was saying, but he had to say something. Otherwise... wouldn't it be awkward?
Like right now, when Ayanokoji was so embarrassed he wanted to dig a hole with his toes.
Hey! You started the conversation, so keep it going, damn it!
After a long while, the girl spoke as if she'd suddenly had an epiphany. "Whatever exists is reasonable... That's from Hegel's Elements of the Philosophy of Right, isn't it?"
"Sorry, I read it a long time ago, so I couldn't recall it right away."
Ayanokoji: "..."
So she'd been analyzing what he'd said and trying to figure out where it came from?
Was she some kind of expert on the origins of modern human language?
Ayanokoji was at a loss, but his face remained impassive.
He glanced at the girl's gentle, quiet smile. A glimmer of warmth passed through her dark violet eyes, as if she were waiting for his next famous quote.
Give me a break...
"There are two things you shouldn't look at directly: the sun and the human heart."
Not wanting to play a pointless guessing game, Ayanokoji decided to end the conversation with that line.
Nice try. I've got the knowledge of two lifetimes.
The little knowledge Ling Xiaolu had was nothing to brag about, but it was just enough to exploit your blind spots.
Sure enough, even after a long while, the girl still couldn't respond.
"May I ask which famous work that comes from?"
The girl asked curiously, looking adorably bewildered.
"The Legend of Ayanokoji," Ayanokoji replied calmly.
"Which great master wrote it?"
The girl grew even more curious, her eyes brightening as she moved closer to Ayanokoji without realizing it.
"..."
"Class D. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka."
"Huh?"
The girl froze for a second, then covered her mouth and laughed. Her laughter was pleasant to the ear.
"That's a wonderful line."
Ayanokoji watched her indifferently, but inwardly, he felt a little comforted by her smile. Such a smile seemed rare in this place.
It wasn't for personal gain or the vanity of Class A.
She was simply amused and happy.
"What about you? What's your name?"
Ayanokoji was a little curious.
"Shiina Hiyori. I'm Shiina Hiyori from Class C."
The girl smiled as she spoke.
At the same moment, the dark clouds receded, and the deep blue sky began to emerge and spread outward from a single ray of sunlight. This time, the rain stopped at just the right moment.
Before you continue