The Weeping Girl

"Ugh, why did I just do that?"

Toru Hasegawa, eating breakfast alone at Keyaki Mall, thought to himself with regret.

Showing interest in a girl so bluntly—no matter how you look at it, it would only make the other person put their guard up!

But I really couldn't think of any other way!!!

It's not like I could actually apply the tropes from galgames to real life, right?

Come on, where in reality do you find the cheat codes from galgames, like "effort will always be rewarded" or "sincerity will surely be returned with sincerity"?

Toru Hasegawa had acted very boldly, yet with extreme caution.

"However, if the target is Ichinose, it doesn't seem to be a problem."

From the very beginning, she had... well, she probably had a base favorability rating of 90 toward everyone, and in the end, he had successfully managed to raise that number by 1 for himself.

That is progress!

After finishing breakfast, Toru Hasegawa wandered around the campus.

The group chat created by Ike, consisting mostly of Class D boys, was filled with all sorts of messages again yesterday.

Topics like "what's the side dish tonight" or "Kushida is definitely mine" were evergreen, appearing almost every day.

Although Toru Hasegawa wasn't particularly into those things, he unexpectedly resonated with Ike's desire to "get a girlfriend."

Perhaps this is the friendship between men?

Thinking this, Toru Hasegawa arrived at the Special Building, a place where people rarely went.

Even club activities didn't use this area, and you basically never saw a soul here on weekdays.

Taking advantage of the holiday, he planned to explore areas he hadn't visited before.

"Though, only the third floor here doesn't have surveillance cameras."

After secretly noting this information in his mind, Toru Hasegawa continued to stroll around.

Then, as he rounded a corner in the hallway, he saw a girl.

She didn't notice his presence; she was holding a digital camera, seemingly taking selfies.

Toru Hasegawa knew who she was. He had seen her at the entrance ceremony; she was a girl from Class D who seemed very pretty... at least, that was the case just looking at her from behind.

What kind of action should he take here?

Leave quietly while she hadn't noticed him, or speak up and start a conversation?

If the goal was to get a girlfriend, then surely only one option remained, right?

"Um... hello? I'm Toru Hasegawa from Class A."

He greeted her, and she jumped as if startled, hurriedly taking something out of her bag and putting it on her head.

Glasses, it seemed?

Toru Hasegawa thought, not entirely sure, as he waited for her response.

"Sorry, I think I scared you." In any case, he apologized politely first.

The girl shook her head, her fiery red hair swaying: "It's okay, I just didn't expect anyone else to be here at this time."

She had gone through the trouble of getting up early to do her business, only to be seen by someone immediately—what a terrible turn of events.

"If I remember correctly, you're a student from Class D, right?" She kept her head buried very low, which was quite strange.

Was it because her face wasn't presentable?

"Eh? You know me?"

Seeing her show an obvious defensive posture, Toru Hasegawa quickly explained the reason: "I remembered your hair from the entrance ceremony. You were in the Class D line, which is how I knew."

"I'm Airi Sakura from Class D." After hearing Toru Hasegawa's explanation, Airi Sakura relaxed slightly and told him her name.

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Seemingly interested in this fated encounter, she inexplicably found the courage to take the initiative to start a conversation, even though she still kept her head down:

"What is the reason Hasegawa-kun is here?"

"Because I didn't have any plans for the morning, and after breakfast, I felt like I had nothing to do, so I thought I'd wander around the campus. How about you, Sakura-san?"

"Ah, um—my hobby is photography, so..."

"Can I take a look?" Deliberately saying something intended to further the interaction, Toru Hasegawa observed Airi Sakura's reaction.

Because she had clearly been taking selfies just a moment ago, and people only show their true selves when they are alone.

Toru Hasegawa was very curious about what kind of person she really was; he had a feeling that the glasses she was wearing didn't quite suit her.

When she was taking selfies earlier, she wasn't wearing glasses...

Toru Hasegawa was almost certain of this.

"No, no!" As expected, this request was met with fierce resistance. Seeming to feel that it wasn't quite right, Airi Sakura hurriedly added an explanation, "The ones I take... aren't very good."

Even though this was a perfect opportunity to make a friend, she had retreated because she was afraid of her true self being discovered.

Airi Sakura felt resentful toward herself for being this way.

"I see..."

The rejection in her words was clear, and Toru Hasegawa wasn't so oblivious as to say something like "I don't mind." He simply nodded.

"If that's the case, then it can't be helped. Would you like to exchange contact information with me?"

I should have just said "I don't mind" instead!

Toru Hasegawa couldn't believe the words that had just come out of his own mouth.

Was he getting carried away after receiving recognition from Student Council President Manabu Horikita?

Or had he simply not yet recovered from his encounter with Honami Ichinose?

He waited for Airi Sakura's reply, feigning indifference while actually feeling extremely nervous.

"...Okay."

The result was unexpectedly smooth, and Toru Hasegawa obtained Airi Sakura's contact information.

Logically speaking, he should have left after getting her contact details.

Logically speaking, that is...

But a spark of curiosity had ignited within Toru Hasegawa.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, Suzune Horikita, Kikyo Kushida, and the Airi Sakura standing before him—they were all from Class D.

And as everyone knew, Class A was where the most outstanding students in the school gathered... or so he would assume for the time being.

So what about Class D?

Were the students inside really just there to be mere background characters?

What kind of potential did the school see in them, exactly?

He wanted to know the answer to that.

And so, Toru Hasegawa asked a question that she absolutely could not avoid: "Why was your first reaction to put on your glasses the moment you realized there were other people here?"

"Huh? That's because... my eyesight isn't very good." Airi Sakura felt a terrifying aura radiating from Toru Hasegawa, making her want to run away uncontrollably.

However, her legs felt incredibly heavy at that moment, as if they had taken root.

Airi Sakura, she had nowhere to run.

"Is that so?" Toru Hasegawa revealed a faint smile. "If you can't see who's coming without glasses, wouldn't that interfere with your photography?"

"If it's just taking pictures..." Airi Sakura still wanted to continue her explanation.

Toru Hasegawa cut her off directly: "The glasses you're wearing don't have any prescription, am I right?"

"Eek--!"

Struck down by this fatal blow, Airi Sakura's legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground, a pained expression crossing her face as she accidentally sat on her hair.

Toru Hasegawa: "..."

Wait, why did she just collapse? Was what he said really that scary?

However, the girl slumped on the ground didn't give Toru Hasegawa time to stay dazed, as faint sobs began to drift toward him—

Airi Sakura had started crying.