The Timid Cat's Transformation

She didn't dress up not because she didn't know how, but because she didn't want to attract anyone else's attention.

If they behaved the same way, but the reasons behind their behavior were mostly different,

then she could almost marvel that there really was someone else like her in the world.

By now, she was more than halfway convinced. After all, even making things up took time and thought.

But Tanaka Yukishin's description had been so specific—from her social anxiety to her online persona, even down to her clothing preferences—that it was unsettling.

Still, Sakura Airi needed one final confirmation.

She stealthily reached for the student ID terminal in her uniform pocket.

She tried to keep her voice from trembling.

"Then what name does Tanaka's childhood friend use online?"

"Guitar Hero."

Sakura Airi quickly pulled out her terminal and swiped across the screen.

When he saw Sakura Airi take out her student ID terminal and start searching,

Tanaka Yukishin felt sweat about to break out across his back.

Come on, is her guard really that high?

I made up Bocchi-chan! She's a character from Bocchi the Rock!

He wailed inwardly, while forcing himself to look calm.

Curiosity killed the cat.

We're all cats. Why tear each other apart?

Countless thoughts rose in his mind.

But he had no reason to stop her. All he could do was hold his breath and wait for the verdict.

When the search results appeared, Sakura Airi's breath caught—it really was a pink-haired girl, holding a guitar and wearing the familiar pink tracksuit, playing with intense concentration in the video.

She looked up and met Tanaka Yukishin's eyes for the first time.

Sunlight danced across his eyelashes, outlining them with a faint glow.

For some reason, she suddenly felt that she might really be able to trust this boy.

Chapter 44: The Timid Cat's Transformation

Thank you, Little Bocchi.

Tanaka Yukishin had never imagined that Goto Hitori, the childhood friend he'd made up, would actually exist in this world.

Admittedly, he had already confirmed that this world contained characters he'd encountered in his previous life, thanks to places like Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School and people like Kushida Kikyo and Koenji Rokusuke.

But he wasn't surprised.

After all, he'd transmigrated and gotten a cheat. What was one more thing?

The problem was that he'd seen too many anime, movies, and entertainment news in his previous life.

He couldn't just assume they all existed in this world.

After marveling at the coincidence, Tanaka Yukishin looked at the girl before him.

He'd gone to the trouble of coming up with an excuse and had nearly been found out. Now it was time to reap the rewards.

He cleared his throat, softening his voice.

"Now tell me what's troubling you, Airi-chan."

"It happened like this."

Sakura Airi pressed her lips together, glanced at him, then quickly looked away.

Her fingers gently twisted the hem of her uniform skirt, and her voice was faint.

After listening to Tanaka Yukishin talk about Goto Hitori and verifying the details, Sakura Airi now considered him someone she could trust.

So she told him everything that had happened over the past few days, step by step.

"Five days ago, I first noticed something was wrong."

She spoke softly, her brows drawing together.

"But I never saw anyone when I looked back." She paused, sounding a little frustrated. "I thought I was imagining it."

Tanaka Yukishin noticed her fingertips trembling, as if she were remembering how uneasy she'd felt.

He lowered his voice a little, encouraging her to continue. "And then?"

Sakura Airi took a deep breath, her voice growing a little firmer.

"Two days later, I felt more and more like someone was watching me."

"I knew it wasn't my imagination, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find out who was following me."

Remembering what had happened a few days earlier, she curled her fingers until her nails nearly dug into her palms.

Tanaka Yukishin instinctively wanted to reach out and comfort her, but stopped himself. He simply waited quietly for her to finish.

"After that, I changed my route," she continued, her voice still faint. "I stopped taking the same roads and started wandering wherever I felt like going...but the feeling didn't go away."

Perhaps because she now had someone she could trust beside her, her voice gradually grew calmer and steadier.

Tanaka Yukishin's mind started working.

His exceptional intelligence automatically distilled her account into a concise timeline.

First noticed something was wrong → thought it was her imagination → noticed it again → tried to find the person → failed → changed her usual route and wandered at random → still felt watched.

"Hmm,"

he said softly. "I think I understand."

Sakura Airi looked up at him, seeming to wait for what he would say next.

Tanaka Yukishin didn't rush to analyze the situation. Instead, he asked what seemed like an unrelated question. "Airi-chan, have you tried asking anyone for help? A teacher or school security, for example?"

Sakura Airi's shoulders drew in slightly, as if he'd asked about something she didn't want to bring up.

Her voice grew even softer. "I have. I told Chabashira-sensei."

Tanaka Yukishin noticed the change in her tone, but didn't interrupt. He quietly waited for her to continue.

"She suggested two possibilities," Sakura Airi said, lowering her head as her voice grew fainter. "The first was that I might be nervous because I'm not used to being away from my family...and that I should see a therapist."

Her fingers unconsciously clenched the hem of her skirt, the tips turning faintly white.

Tanaka Yukishin didn't respond right away. He simply looked at her, waiting for her to go on.

"The second possibility was that someone really was following me."

Her voice faltered, as if what came next was even harder to say. "She said... I could ask a friend to walk with me."

Her voice was almost inaudible as she said the word "friend."

Tanaka Yukishin understood why she looked so awkward. They'd been at school for two weeks, and she still didn't have a single friend.

Perhaps it was the empathy of one cat for another.

His brows furrowed before he realized it.

Chabashira Sae's response made him uncomfortable.

As a teacher, when a student came to her with a problem like this, was she really going to brush it off by merely suggesting that she "find a friend to walk with"?

This wasn't an ordinary school. It was a closed-campus school, and teachers were supposed to take more responsibility for their students' safety.

That response was unacceptable.

But he didn't criticize the teacher outright; it might lead the girl in front of him to imagine things that weren't there.

He looked at Sakura Airi and asked evenly, "What about now? Do you still think someone is following you?"

Sakura Airi nodded slightly, the unease in her eyes plain to see.

"First,"

he continued, a note of thoughtfulness entering his voice, "we need to figure out how the person is tracking you before we can find a way to deal with them."

He looked at her and asked seriously, "What have you been carrying with you these past few days?"

"Besides your student ID terminal, is there anything else?"

Sakura Airi nodded.

"A digital camera."

"You mean some kind of tracking device?"

Tanaka Yukishin's question made Sakura Airi catch on.

"That's right."

"Then let's add each other as friends first. You..."

Tanaka Yukishin had initially planned to exchange student ID terminals for a while,

to control the variables and find out whether the person following her was tracking her through her student ID terminal or her digital camera.

But when he thought of the contacts and messages on his terminal,

he changed his mind.

"You might not know this, but once you add someone as a friend, you can use the map in your contacts to see their exact real-time location on campus."

"Wait. Hand your digital camera over to me later."

"Then we'll see..."

Tanaka Yukishin stopped himself again. If they alerted the stalker, the person might go even deeper into hiding.

He did feel for the girl, but he had no intention of playing nursemaid and staying by her side all the time.

So the most effective solution was to settle this once and for all.

"No."

"Tomorrow, leave your digital camera in your dorm. See if that feeling goes away."

His tone was natural and put no pressure on her; he made it sound more like they were discussing an ordinary matter. "If we can confirm that the person is tracking you through a device, we'll know how to handle it."

Sakura Airi looked at him, the tension in her eyes easing a little.

She murmured, "Okay," as if she'd made up her mind.

Tanaka Yukishin then told her the rest of his plan.

"After tomorrow, we'll be able to tell whether the person is tracking you through your digital camera or your student ID terminal."

"Then, based on what you told me about who's handled your belongings, we can identify the suspect."

"After that, I suggest we draw them out."

"I'll follow you from a distance."

"If you don't think I can protect you on my own, I can ask Hirata and some other classmates to come along. We could also notify the security staff."

Sakura Airi's eyes widened slightly, and uncertainty flickered behind her glasses.

She instinctively reached up to fix a loose strand of hair beside her ear. Tanaka noticed that her fingertips had stopped trembling.

"Tanaka-kun, I'll leave it to you..." Her voice was soft, but much firmer than before. "I'll leave my camera in my dorm tomorrow."

After saying this, she raised her head and looked directly into Tanaka's eyes.

She only held his gaze for a few seconds before looking away, but for her, it was already a huge step forward.

Tanaka Yukishin raised an eyebrow, a flicker of interest passing through his golden eyes in the bright sunlight.

He hadn't expected this "timid cat" to make up her mind so quickly.

"Then it's settled."