Enlightenment

Listening to the roar of the clerk behind him, Uesugi Hara felt indifferent, even a little amused.

If it had just been Sakura Airi alone, that clerk would certainly have followed them out, but with Uesugi Hara present, things were different.

Regarding this bullying, spineless pervert of a clerk from the original story, Uesugi Hara had originally intended to ignore him; after all, Ayanokouji would have taken care of it.

Looking at the uneasy girl behind him, whose low self-esteem seemed carved into her very bones, he knew correcting her personality would be difficult. Uesugi Hara thought for a moment—he would just treat her like a pet.

He led the girl to a less crowded bubble tea shop, chose a secluded spot, and signaled for her to sit opposite him.

He ordered a warm taro ball milk tea for the girl and a glass of iced lemonade for himself.

Only after the drinks arrived did the two begin their conversation.

"Let's start with an introduction. I am Uesugi Hara from Class 1-A." He picked up his lemonade and took a sip, his brow furrowing imperceptibly—the one from Snow King still tasted better.

The girl opposite him gripped the rim of her cup, her knuckles turning white. "Sa... Sakura... Airi, from... Class 1-D." Her voice was as thin as a mosquito's hum, and she subconsciously shrank her shoulders back.

Watching her curl up like a startled snail, unable to even warm up from the steam of her tea, Uesugi Hara couldn't help but sigh. "From now on, you do as I say and answer what I ask. Nod if you understand."

The girl nodded twice in rapid succession, her bangs trembling along with her. "Un... understood."

"Head up! Chest out! Stomach in!" He suddenly raised his volume, his tone like an instructor barking orders.

"Yes!" The reflexive response had barely left her lips when the girl suddenly straightened her back, the large white rabbits on her chest jumping slightly with the movement before beginning to sway.

Uesugi Hara's gaze paused for half a second, just as he happened to catch her looking up—the girl looked as if she'd been burned, "whooshing" back into her shell, her ears turning pink.

"Maintain that posture." He shifted his gaze, keeping his tone as steady as possible.

"Oh..." the girl whispered, reluctantly straightening her back again, though she still kept her face buried low, her eyelashes casting small shadows beneath her eyes.

"Name?"

"Sakura Airi."

"Age?"

"Just turned eighteen."

"Gender?"

"Fe... female." She peeked at him, wondering to herself: was this question even necessary?

"Class?"

"Class D."

"Room number?"

"1106." The moment the words left her lips, Sakura Airi suddenly covered her mouth, her eyes wide—oh no! She looked at Uesugi Hara, her eyes filled with the despair of someone thinking, how did I let that slip out?

"Ahem." Uesugi Hara cleared his throat and looked away with a straight face. "I just got into the rhythm of asking. Pretend you didn't say it, and I'll pretend I didn't hear it." He paused, switching to a gentler tone. "Let's continue—when did you start getting into photography?"

"Three years ago." This answer was slower, her voice carrying a hint of thoughtful sincerity.

"What do you do when you encounter malicious comments?"

"I... I just pretend I don't see them." Her voice dropped again, as if afraid of being overheard.

After listening, Uesugi Hara tapped his fingertips against the glass, letting out another sigh.

"One last question," he leaned forward, "do you enjoy photography?"

The girl suddenly lifted her head, the timidity in her eyes blown away by the wind. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear: "I do!"

"I see." Uesugi Hara replied, pulling his terminal from his pocket and snapping a photo of her. The moment the screen lit up, Sakura Airi subconsciously tensed her back.

"Take off your glasses and look at the lens." He didn't give her time to react, his fingertip tapping the screen to take another shot. The girl's eyelashes were still trembling from having just removed her glasses; she clutched the frames in her palm, her fingertips damp with sweat.

"Strike a pose." There was no discernible emotion in Uesugi Hara's voice. Sakura Airi froze for two seconds, tentatively sliding her milk tea cup forward, though she still didn't dare to fully relax her shoulders. When the shutter sound rang out again, she stole a glance at the lens before quickly looking away.

After the final shot, Uesugi Hara retracted the terminal, swiped across the screen, and handed it to Sakura Airi. "Take a look. It's not as professional as your usual work, but make do with it for now."

The girl reached out hesitantly. Just as her fingertips touched the edge of the terminal, he suddenly asked, "Do you think you're pretty?"

"No... not pretty..." Her voice was quieter than a mosquito's hum. She stared at herself on the screen, her eyelashes drooping even lower. The person in the photo still looked a bit reserved, but her straightened back made her silhouette look much softer.

"Is that so?" Uesugi Hara watched her hands gripping her hem, his tone nonchalant. "I think you're quite pretty. You're just lacking a bit of confidence—the photos on your blog show you smiling so naturally, so why is it that in reality, you're like a hamster that curls into a ball the moment someone touches it?"

Sakura Airi's fingertips paused. The version of her on the screen happened to be looking up, as if meeting her gaze. She pursed her lips and said nothing, though her ears turned red.

"Can I ask one more question?"

"Go ahead." Sakura Airi's voice was more relaxed than before, no longer stuttering, and her fingers had quietly loosened their grip on her clothes.

Uesugi Hara nodded, his gaze fixed on her face. "Is Shizuku-chan Sakura Airi, or is Sakura Airi Shizuku-chan?"

The girl was stunned. When she looked up, her eyes were filled with confusion, her lashes fluttering. "Is... is there a difference?" She subconsciously bit her lower lip, as if trying to figure out what hidden meaning lay behind those words—it was clearly the same person, yet the way he asked made it seem like something was different.

"Of course there is." Uesugi Hara tapped the table. "The former sounds like confirming a name hidden inside your body; the latter implies that the reserve you carry is, in itself, Shizuku-chan."

Sakura Airi blinked, her fingers curling around the terminal. The screen was still lit; the version of her in the photo wasn't wearing glasses, her bangs were swept aside by the wind, and the corners of her mouth held an unconscious curve—that was the look "Shizuku-chan" only had in front of the lens.

"I..." She opened her mouth, suddenly remembering the photos on her blog that were praised for their "spirit." Back then, she was never afraid of the lens; she would even make faces at the reflectors. But in reality, whenever someone stared at her, her hands and feet felt as if they were bound.

Seeing that she hadn't spoken for a long time, Uesugi Hara suddenly pushed his lemonade toward her. "Want a taste? It's not as sweet as Snow King, but it's refreshing."

The girl hesitantly picked it up and took a small sip. As the chill of the lemonade spread, she didn't shrink her neck like before; instead, she let out a soft "Ah."

"Look," Uesugi Hara suddenly smiled, "that just now, it was very much like something Shizuku-chan would do."

Sakura Airi's cheeks flushed hot instantly. She hurriedly set her cup back down, but this time she didn't lower her head—her gaze lingered on the droplets of water along the rim of the cup, her fingertips tracing circles unconsciously, her voice as light as a feather: "Perhaps... Shizuku-chan is the version of me who dares to look up and speak."

"Are we friends now?" Uesugi Hara's voice was steady, devoid of much emotion, yet it dissipated most of the tension in the air.

Sakura Airi snapped her head up. Her eyes, previously filled with timidity, seemed to catch the light of the stars, shining brilliantly.

Her fingers tightened around the cup, and her voice carried a note of incredulous joy: "Fri... friends, is that okay?" Her voice rose slightly at the end, like a child cautiously offering a piece of candy.

"Of course." Uesugi Hara nodded and casually transferred the photo he had just taken to her terminal. "In the future, if you want to take photos or get annoyed by comments, you can come to me."

The girl's fingertips paused on the screen. Looking at the new contact that had appeared in the lonely chat box, the corners of her mouth curled up uncontrollably.

This time she didn't lower her head again; instead, she stole a glance at him before quickly looking away, her voice much clearer than before: "Then... then next time, let me treat you to some Snow King lemonade?"

"Sure."