Not long after, Onizuka and Sakura Airi were strolling through the mall's spacious corridors.
"How are you feeling? A little better?" Onizuka asked casually, concern in his voice.
At his words, Sakura's hands twisted together involuntarily, and a hint of tension and unease appeared on her face.
She lowered her head slightly and replied in a voice barely above a whisper:
"W-what do you mean...? I've been in a g-good mood lately."
Seeing her like that, Onizuka's lips curled into a faint, barely noticeable smile. He didn't call out her attempt to hide her feelings, and instead continued teasing her lightly.
"Yeah, yeah. Airi's always in a good mood."
As they talked, Onizuka noticed an electronics store ahead. The sign at the entrance caught his eye.
"Airi, let's go in and have a look. Doesn't your camera need maintenance?"
Sakura Airi furrowed her brows slightly. Though she was reluctant to enter the electronics store, she didn't want to reject Onizuka's kindness, so she eventually followed him inside.
Onizuka noticed her hesitation and thought to himself, Maybe the problem is here...
As they slowly approached a counter, a greasy, lecherous male shop assistant came toward them, making them feel extremely uncomfortable.
The instant Sakura saw him, she stopped in her tracks, as if she'd spotted something disgusting. She made no attempt to hide her revulsion.
Her hand moved as if by reflex and grabbed the hem of Onizuka's clothes beside her, seemingly seeking protection.
Normally, Sakura Airi was an introvert who rarely showed such emotions.
But her reaction was so obvious now that it was clear she detested this man.
Onizuka narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the lecherous middle-aged man.
"Hello. I'm looking for a mini camera with a long battery life and clear video recordings. Do you have any recommendations?"
Hearing Onizuka speak first, the shop assistant turned toward him reluctantly and rummaged through the counter below, pulling out a box no bigger than a finger.
"Sir, this is the newest ultra-mini camera we've got in stock. You can put it anywhere and no one will find it. It's very convenient."
As he spoke, he shot a malicious glance at Sakura beside them, a sickening smile on his face.
At that look, Sakura felt uncomfortable all over. Her grip on Onizuka's clothes tightened until her fingertips were almost digging into the fabric.
The shop assistant had clearly noticed. He stared fixedly at the place where the two of them were touching.
After thinking for a moment, Sakura let go of Onizuka's clothes, even though her face had gone pale.
Just then, Onizuka suddenly laughed, but his eyes were unusually cold.
He turned and gently brushed a hand across Sakura's cheek, tenderly sweeping a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Look at you. Your hair's all messed up, and you haven't even fixed it."
Watching their intimate gesture, the male shop assistant pressed his hand down hard on the counter.
The empty box he'd been holding had been crushed into a ball, yet he still kept his face calm.
Onizuka clearly paid him no attention and continued interacting with Sakura.
While Sakura was too stunned by his sudden affection to know how to react, Onizuka gently slipped an arm around her waist and gave her a loose embrace. He leaned close to her ear and whispered:
"Don't be afraid. I'll always be by your side."
After saying that, Onizuka stepped back twice, glanced at his phone, then gave a faint smile.
"By the way, I've got something to do later. Airi, you can head back on your own first."
Before Sakura could react, he paid for the items and turned to leave the store.
Left behind, Sakura didn't know how to react. She stood there, stunned, for a long while.
After noticing that Onizuka had left, the shop assistant beside her asked Sakura with a gloomy expression:
"Miss Sakura, is there anything else you need?"
Sakura Airi suddenly realized she'd been left there and jumped like a startled rabbit.
"N-no!!!"
With that, she hurried out of the store.
In a small alley along the route back to the dormitory.
Since she and Onizuka had spent a long time walking around the mall, it was already dark by the time Sakura Airi came out, and the atmosphere around her had grown increasingly gloomy.
The alley's power lines had recently been damaged, and even the streetlights weren't working.
Holding her phone, Sakura turned on the flashlight. Its faint light illuminated the path ahead as she nervously steeled herself and tried to stay calm.
At the corner ahead, a figure caught Sakura's eye.
She shone her flashlight toward it and instantly recognized the shop assistant from earlier!
A strange smile hung on his face. He no longer hid his malice at all, displaying it openly before Sakura.
"Shizuku, my Shizuku, how could you be so intimate with someone else? You betrayed me, Shizuku. I'm so disappointed..."
Sakura instantly felt suffocated. Her feet stopped moving of their own accord, and the phone in her hand trembled slightly.
"I... I don't know you. Who are you?"
At Sakura's words, the shop assistant's expression twisted even further.
"How could that be? I've been watching you all this time! Have you forgotten those letters confessing my love? Didn't they prove how I feel?"
As he spoke, the shop assistant kicked over the trash can beside him and moved toward her with a contorted expression.
"So those letters harassing me were from you? How... how did you find out my information?"
Sakura slowly backed away, but in the darkness, she tripped over a can that had spilled from the trash can and fell onto the ground.
"When you showed up at the counter, I recognized you at first sight, my Shizuku. Wasn't it only natural to find out where you live afterward?"
"Heaven itself is bringing us together. I'll show you just how much I love you!"
With that, the shop assistant reached out to grab Sakura.
Just then, a hand appeared from the side and seized his wrist. A crack followed.
"Ow, ow, ow!!! Who the hell are you?!"
The shop assistant turned around and saw Onizuka behind him, his clothes faintly glowing with a layer of light.
The moment he saw Onizuka's outfit, the shop assistant understood.
"You... you were... putting on an act!!!"