What? You Want My Contact Information?

"Really? Airi."

Hasebe looked at Airi Sakura with a delighted expression, never expecting that this usually shy friend could be so reliable.

Under the gaze of the three, Airi Sakura couldn't help but feel a little shy:

"Actually... actually, I felt his gaze was very familiar, a lot like... that clerk who fixed my camera for free."

"That creepy-looking clerk?!"

Hearing that description, Hasebe caught on and let out a startled exclamation.

"Is that true, Sakura?"

Though he asked it that way, Yuki Gyakukai, familiar with the original story, had already confirmed the stalker was definitely that clerk.

"Probably... I just think it might be the clerk, but I'm not very sure."

To be honest, if you asked Airi Sakura to be certain, she wouldn't dare confirm it.

After all, locking onto a suspect based solely on a single glance was too absurd.

But Himeno Yuki, standing nearby, had a different take:

"Let me ask, Sakura, are you close with that clerk? Why would he fix your camera for free?"

Airi Sakura hurriedly shook her head:

"I don't know him at all. It's just that I bought the camera from him, and it keeps having small problems every so often, so I have to go to him for repairs."

Himeno Yuki's expression turned odd:

"If that's the case, then I'm pretty sure the stalker is that clerk. Even if he isn't, he's still highly suspicious."

"But we can't be completely certain yet. We need to test him first."

Looking at Yuki Gyakukai, Hasebe seemed worried:

"What exactly do we need to do? Will it be dangerous?"

"It's fine. Himeno and I will handle it. You two are responsible for keeping evidence and assisting. Later, you'll help Himeno with..."

Wearing her school uniform, with the zipper pulled all the way up in a conservative manner, Airi Sakura hunched her back slightly.

After making sure no one was around, she hurried into the Digital Store.

The clerk, outwardly showing weariness toward his job but inwardly delighted, greedily fixed his gaze on the figure with the pink twintails.

Frustrated by what had happened earlier, he put down his work and rushed over to Airi Sakura with a smile.

The sudden appearance of his figure startled Airi Sakura. Her shoulders trembled, and she instinctively stepped back, her expression timid.

"Um... Clerk..."

Seeing Sakura like this, his heart felt healed. A wild joy spread across his face, and a fervent gleam appeared in his eyes.

The way he looked at Airi Sakura was like that of a devout worshiper.

"...Clerk?"

Noticing Sakura's puzzled gaze, the clerk cleared his throat twice:

"Sorry, I spaced out. Miss, is your camera broken again? Here for repairs today?"

Airi Sakura shook her head without speaking.

She kept her head down, as if shy, her pink hair completely covering her facial expression.

From her sleeve, she extended two fingers and began fidgeting with them unconsciously.

Cute!!!

Shizuku! My Shizuku!

His heartbeat quickened, fast as a drumbeat.

"Actually... Clerk... I..."

Come on! Say it!

Seeing Sakura's coy, shy demeanor, the clerk, believing happiness was about to descend, could no longer contain himself.

A wild joy spread across his face, and his voice grew excited:

"Could it be... you like me..."

He reached out to grab Sakura's hand, but she dodged.

He didn't mind, just taking it as the shyness of a girl her age.

Just as he stepped forward, intending to grasp Airi Sakura's hand again and tell her not to be shy—

A tall figure suddenly inserted itself between the two.

"Excuse me." Yuki Gyakukai, with a gentle expression, held out the item in his hand to the clerk:

"Checkout."

Then, right in front of him, he reached out and pulled Airi Sakura into his embrace, staring at him with a half-smile:

"Would you mind?"

The clerk didn't answer, his face twisted as he stared at the hand resting on his goddess's shoulder.

But considering the surveillance cameras and the vast height difference between them, he forced himself to calm his nearly exploding temper.

Seeing the clerk frozen, Yuki Gyakukai shook the item in his hand again.

"Could it be... you want my contact info?"

"N-No... that's fine... thanks for your patronage..."

Then he watched as Yuki Gyakukai, one arm around Airi Sakura, headed for the exit.

His voice carried without any attempt at discretion:

"I'll hold onto this for you; we'll try it out later." He watched Yuki Gyakukai speak while shoving the 'gum' into his goddess's hand.

In an instant, he felt his eyes nearly split, veins bulging on his arms as his fists clenched tight, his teeth grinding as if about to crack.

"N-No... we've barely met a few times."

His goddess's soft voice was like a frightened rabbit's, and her expression showed clear resistance.

He was about to speak up to stop them.

But Yuki Gyakukai seemed to read his mind, shooting him a fierce glare before forcefully dragging Airi Sakura away.

"What's the big deal? It's not like it's the first time."

Those light, floating words struck like a critical blow, stabbing deep into the clerk's heart.

Watching them disappear completely, he collapsed to his knees on the floor, his head feeling as if it were already crowned with a vast green pasture.

"Shizuku! My Shizuku! Why..."

His expression was dazed, his eyes filled with despair, but he quickly shook his head:

"No... no, Shizuku isn't like that. She must have been forced, yes!"

His eyes gleamed with a glimmer of hope, as if convinced:

"She must have been threatened. I have to save her, I have to save her—she loves me!"

Then, he quickly closed up the shop, changed into black clothes and a mask, and just as he was about to leave, seemed to remember something.

He went to his locker, pulled out a fully charged stun baton, and grabbed a solid iron rod from beside it.

Staring in the direction the two had gone, he hurriedly chased after them.

When he caught up, he only heard a startled cry.

"No... I don't want to do it here... let me go!"

"No!"

Rip!

The sound of tearing fabric jolted the clerk's nerves.

He sprinted over immediately, his eyes nearly splitting as he glared at the scene before him.

"Ah! Shizuku, I'm here to save you!"

Iron rod in hand, he closed in from behind Yuki Gyakukai, raising the rod high, aiming for the head, ready to swing down hard!

Bang!

Suddenly, a flying kick slammed into his stomach, sending his whole body flying, the stun baton clattering to the ground!

It was Himeno!

She had been hiding behind a wall, and delivered a flying kick the moment he burst in.

Groaning in pain, he tried to stand, but Yuki Gyakukai was already in front of him, snatching the iron rod from his hand.

His face cold, he stared down with a hint of mockery:

"Couldn't find anything better to do? Had to be a stalker?"

In front of everyone, he bent the iron rod, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it casually to the ground, where it left a small crater.

Then, under the clerk's terrified gaze.

He grabbed him by the collar with one hand, lifting him into the air, bent down to pick up the stun baton, and tested it—still crackling with sparks.

"Didn't expect you to bring your own torture tools. You'd better hope you can hold out until it runs out of battery..."