Airi Sakura Was Easy to Win Over

Why had she come out in the morning? Why had she just worked up the courage...

She was completely overcome with panic and regret.

"Um, actually, that's not what I wanted to ask. It's just... it's just... how should I put this?"

Toru Hasegawa scratched his head and squatted down awkwardly. To his surprise, that only made her quiet sobs grow louder.

A boy and a girl alone together, with no security cameras around, and she had just revealed her vulnerable side to him...

It was impossible for Toru Hasegawa to claim he hadn't entertained such thoughts. He couldn't help it.

After all, Airi Sakura looked so easy to bully right now.

But he had something more important to do.

"I'll just come out and ask, Sakura. Are you hiding your true self behind your glasses?"

Like Superman's glasses, perhaps Airi Sakura had somehow enchanted hers with magic.

That was only Toru Hasegawa's guess.

But as soon as he said it, Airi Sakura's sobbing stopped abruptly. Her eyes, already red and swollen, met those of the boy she had only just met. "You..."

But she couldn't continue. They had only just met, and he'd already figured out that much?

Could this really be a fateful encounter?

Had heaven arranged for her to change here?

So, should she do it? Now, right here?!

Airi Sakura was still hesitating.

Meanwhile, Toru Hasegawa watched her affection level.

It had gone from 60 at the start, down to a low of 30, and now back up to over 70.

Airi Sakura really was hiding her true self behind those glasses, some kind of external accessory.

His gamble had paid off.

But...

Wasn't this a little too easy?

Toru Hasegawa couldn't help laughing wryly.

"You just have to be yourself." Then he added, "But you won't get anywhere by standing around and waiting."

It felt a little awkward, but Toru Hasegawa pressed on. He thought he might actually be able to pull it off this way.

"You... really want to see?"

Having received a clear response, Toru Hasegawa knew she would react. Sure enough, Airi Sakura asked in a tearful voice.

"If you're willing." Toru Hasegawa nodded. He knew she meant the photos on her digital camera, and perhaps they held the key to solving the mystery.

Airi Sakura got to her feet, removed the digital camera from the tripod it had been mounted on, and handed it to Toru Hasegawa.

"You... you can look for yourself."

"...Um, how do I use this?" Toru Hasegawa was at a loss when he took it. This was outside his area of expertise.

"Press here to switch to playback mode, then turn this dial to look through them."

Airi Sakura showed Toru Hasegawa how to use the digital camera.

"Oh, okay."

He nodded, then focused on looking through the girl's camera.

And then he was stunned.

The further back he went, the more shocked he became. Th-this was really the same Airi Sakura from just now?

Not only was she wearing a cute smile, she was also striking all kinds of bold poses.

And, of course, she wasn't wearing glasses.

Then...

That was quite a lot...

Judging by the background, she was in her dorm room. So she was the kind of girl who would do things like this in a safe environment?

Toru Hasegawa didn't dare scroll any further.

He was afraid he might see something he shouldn't. What he'd seen so far was still fine.

"...Well?" the girl asked quietly beside him.

"These are... really hard to believe." Anyone would find it hard to believe after comparing these photos with Airi Sakura herself. "Are those glasses really some kind of magical seal?"

There were even stories where putting on glasses could switch someone's personality.

But as he observed the nervousness radiating from the girl, Toru Hasegawa knew she was different from Hayato Kito.

The latter was probably just having a bout of chuunibyou, but the former must have had a reason she couldn't help doing this.

"Anyway, you can count this as the first step toward changing." He offered the usual words of encouragement.

But Airi Sakura asked, "After seeing those... didn't you think of anything?"

"Should I have remembered something?" Toru Hasegawa picked up on the problem in her question.

The way she put it made it sound as if he was supposed to remember something. Could it be...?

"No, it's nothing. I'm grateful you helped me work up the courage, Hasegawa." Airi Sakura immediately changed the subject.

Toru Hasegawa saw that her affection level had settled at 70 and realized he still hadn't broken through that last barrier. So he took a deep breath and pressed on while he had the chance. "You haven't been posting these photos online, have you?"

It was unlikely that she took these photos just for her own amusement.

People took photos so others could see them!

Toru Hasegawa made a reasonable guess based on what she had just said.

As he spoke, he gestured toward the digital camera in his hand, then returned it to her.

"...No." Airi Sakura's explanation sounded incredibly unconvincing to Toru Hasegawa.

"Oh, really? Now that you've shown me these photos, you don't think you can just go back to how things were, do you? Guys are pretty good at tracking down this kind of stuff online." He smiled slightly, deliberately putting on a lecherous air. "Let me think... A blog? Or a magazine? If I narrow down the search by your exact age, I should be able to find them pretty quickly, right? You wouldn't want everyone finding out about you, would you, Sakura? Just tell me here, and I won't tell anyone."

How come I'm getting more and more comfortable saying stuff like this?

Toru Hasegawa was briefly puzzled by his own behavior, but the girl in front of him was still the most pressing concern.

Airi Sakura was so frightened she nearly fainted. Trembling, she took back the digital camera, her heart filled with regret—

Why had she believed in something as ridiculous as a fateful encounter? That was the kind of nonsense manga made up.

If she had just kept quiet as usual, she could have made it through this crisis.

"I... used to be a gravure idol, and I still... update my blog." Airi Sakura confessed her experience honestly.

But Toru Hasegawa's reply took her by surprise. "So, what are you planning to do?"

"Huh?"

"You still haven't accepted your true self, so you keep running away... or, you could say, you're living behind a mask. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but you must want to change, too, don't you?" Toru Hasegawa's tone was no longer flippant.

He was starting to understand.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's extreme inner coldness, Suzune Horikita's aloof attitude and belief that she didn't need any friends, Kikyo Kushida's naive desire to be friends with everyone, and...

Airi Sakura's false life behind a mask.

Without a doubt, these were the real reasons they had been assigned to Class D.

As for Sudo and Ike... they had their own obvious flaws, too.

Thinking of Ike reminded him that Sakura had been mentioned in the chat group Ike had created. They called her an ugly girl with a gloomy personality and, as a side note, huge breasts.

They were definitely huge...

Toru Hasegawa had to admit it. It was something he could tell without actually having to check by hand.

"But..." Airi Sakura still wanted to struggle a little.

Toru Hasegawa understood how hard it was to change. Unless something major happened, words alone wouldn't be enough.

Besides, he wasn't anyone special to her.

"You don't have to tell me any of this. You're doing it for yourself, aren't you? Of course, if you need help, you can contact me anytime." Toru Hasegawa smiled and shook his head. "Sorry for saying those things earlier. If you need points, I can give you some, too. That digital camera must have been expensive, right?"

Why did he suddenly feel like he was trying to convince a woman of the night to go straight...?

After he spoke, Toru Hasegawa saw her affection level suddenly shoot up to 95. That earlier drop seemed like an illusion.

...She really was a little too easy to win over.

"No, I'm fine." Airi Sakura answered in a faint voice.

Toru Hasegawa held out his hand. "Want me to help you up?"

"Eek—!"

For some reason, Airi Sakura suddenly felt full of energy. Once she was standing, she snuck a glance at Toru Hasegawa.

Only a few minutes had passed, yet she realized she already kind of liked him.

I wonder if he has a girlfriend...

No, she couldn't think like that! She had to be more reserved as a girl!

Airi Sakura hurriedly banished the rather ridiculous thought from her mind.

Meanwhile, Toru Hasegawa was feeling awkward, too.

Guys, can you believe this?!

I'd just met this girl, and I'd already spouted off all sorts of nonsense to her. And her affection level for me kept going up and up.

Was this really not a dating sim?

Was I dreaming?

My heart was pounding, my hands were trembling.

And this feeling I didn't know what to do with...

The two parted ways after leaving the Special Building together.

After all, time was a very important thing that needed to settle.