The dormitory building looked especially quiet beneath the afternoon sun.
Students occasionally came and went, but most were in a hurry.
Lin Mu slowly walked into the lobby, pressed the elevator button, rode upstairs, and stopped in front of a door.
He raised his hand.
"Knock, knock, knock."
There was a moment of silence inside.
Then a small, nervous voice came from within, like a startled little animal tentatively poking its head out of a burrow:
"E-excuse me... Who is it...?"
"Classmate Sakura, it's me, Lin Mu."
Lin Mu softened his voice to avoid startling her:
"I'm here to make good on the promise I made before. Could you open the door?"
The room fell silent at once.
Then Lin Mu could even hear faint sounds from inside: footsteps, the rustle of fabric, and a soft clatter as something was knocked over.
After quite a while, Sakura's voice finally came again, faltering:
"N-no, you don't have to... You really don't have to buy me a present..."
Her voice grew quieter and quieter:
"I can't accept it..."
Lin Mu sighed helplessly.
Just as he'd expected.
He'd known she would react like this.
"Classmate Sakura," he said gently, doing his best to make his voice sound less imposing.
"You already agreed to this with Kushida and me. You can't take it back now."
He thought for a moment, then decided to try another approach:
"If you accept the present, I'll have kept my promise, and I won't bother you again afterward. Just do me a favor, okay?"
That seemed to work.
The silence inside lasted even longer.
Lin Mu could imagine the inner struggle she was going through: she wanted to refuse, but felt too awkward to do so.
She was afraid of troubling people, yet didn't know how to keep turning