Hearing the clerk's furious roar behind him, Uesugi Hara felt utterly calm. In fact, he even wanted to laugh.
If Sakura Airi had been alone, the clerk would definitely have followed her outside. But with Uesugi Hara there, things were different.
Uesugi Hara hadn't planned to bother with the clerk from the original story, a pervert who preyed on the weak. After all, Ayanokouji would step in.
Looking at the anxious girl behind him, he could see that her inferiority complex seemed to be carved into her very bones. It would be hard to change her personality. Uesugi Hara thought it over. He might as well treat her like a pet.
He took the girl to a bubble tea shop that wasn't too crowded, chose a quiet spot, and gestured for her to sit across from him.
He ordered her a warm taro ball bubble tea and himself an iced lemonade.
They started talking once their drinks arrived.
"Let me introduce myself first. I'm Uesugi Hara from Class 1-A." He picked up his lemonade and took a sip, his brow furrowing ever so slightly. Snow King's was still more to his taste.
Across from him, the girl clutched the rim of her cup, her knuckles turning white. "S-Sakura... Airi. F-First year... Class D." Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, and her shoulders unconsciously hunched inward.
Uesugi Hara watched her curl up like a frightened sea snail. Even the steam from her tea couldn't warm the tension in her. He couldn't help letting out a soft sigh. "From now on, do as I say. I ask, you answer. Nod if you understand."
The girl nodded twice, so quickly that the loose hair at her temples trembled. "I... I understand."
"Head up! Chest out! Stomach in!" He raised his voice, sounding like a drill instructor barking orders.
"Yes, sir!" The reflexive reply had barely left her mouth before the girl straightened her back. Her large breasts bounced lightly with the movement, then began to sway.
Uesugi Hara's gaze paused for half a second. By chance, their eyes met as she looked up at him. As if scalded, the girl instantly curled back in on herself, her ears turning pink.
"Hold that posture." He looked away, keeping his voice as even as he could.
"Oh..." The girl murmured reluctantly and straightened up again, but still kept her face lowered. Her eyelashes cast a small shadow beneath her eyes.
"Name?"
"Sakura Airi."
"Age?"
"I just turned eighteen."
"Sex?"
"F-Female." She secretly glanced up at him, wondering to herself: Was it necessary to ask something like that?
"Class?"
"Class D."
"Room number?"
"1106." The moment the words left her mouth, Sakura Airi suddenly covered it with her hand, her eyes wide. Oh no! She looked at Uesugi Hara, despair in her eyes as if she were silently pleading, How did I let that slip?
"Ahem." Uesugi Hara cleared his throat and turned away with a straight face. "I asked without thinking. Just pretend you didn't say it, and I'll pretend I didn't hear it." After a pause, he softened his tone. "Let's continue. When did you start taking cosplay photos?"
"Three years ago." This time, she answered more slowly, the end of her sentence touched with thoughtful consideration.
"What do you do when you come across malicious comments?"
"I... pretend I didn't see them." Her voice sank again, as if she were afraid someone might hear.
After hearing her answer, Uesugi Hara tapped a finger against his cup and sighed once more.
"One last question." He leaned forward a little. "Do you like taking photos?"
The girl abruptly raised her head. Some of the timidity in her eyes seemed to blow away, and though her voice wasn't loud, it was remarkably clear. "I do!"
"I see." Uesugi Hara replied, taking his Terminal from his pocket and immediately snapping a picture of her. The moment the screen lit up, Sakura Airi tensed her back.
"Take off your glasses and look at the camera." He didn't give her time to react. His finger lightly tapped the screen, and he took another photo. Her eyelashes still trembled as she removed her glasses, the frames clasped in her palm. A thin sheen of sweat had formed on her fingertips.
"Strike a pose." There was no emotion in Uesugi Hara's voice. Sakura Airi froze for two seconds, then tentatively moved her tea toward herself, though she still didn't dare relax her shoulders completely. When the shutter sounded again, she sneaked a glance at the camera before quickly lowering her eyes.
After taking the last picture, Uesugi Hara put away his Terminal and swiped across the screen a couple of times. Then he held it out to Sakura Airi. "Have a look. I'm not as good at this as you are, so you'll have to make do."
The girl hesitantly reached out. The tip of her finger had barely touched the edge of the Terminal when he suddenly asked, "Do you think you're pretty?"
"N-No..." Her voice was even fainter than a mosquito's buzz. She stared at her image on the screen, her lashes lowered further. The person in the photo still looked a little stiff, but her straight back softened her features.
"Is that so?" Uesugi Hara glanced at her hand clutching the hem of her clothes, his tone somewhat casual. "I think you're pretty. You're just lacking a little confidence. The photos on your blog have such natural smiles, so why are you in real life like a hamster that curls into a ball the moment someone touches it?"
Sakura Airi's fingertip paused. In the picture, she was looking up, as if meeting her own gaze. She pressed her lips together and said nothing, but her ears quietly turned red.
"Can I ask one more question?"
"Sure." Sakura Airi's voice was more relaxed now. She no longer stammered like before, and her fingers quietly loosened their grip on her clothes.
Uesugi Hara nodded, his eyes settling on her face. "Is Shizuku-chan Sakura Airi, or is Sakura Airi Shizuku-chan?"
The girl froze. When she looked up at him, confusion filled her eyes, and her lashes fluttered lightly. "W-What's the difference?" She unconsciously bit her lower lip, as though trying to figure out what difference those two sentences could possibly hide. They both referred to the same person, but the way he asked made it seem as if there were some distinction after all.
"Of course there is." Uesugi Hara tapped his finger on the table. "The first is like confirming a name hidden inside you. The second means that even your shyness is part of who Shizuku-chan is."
Sakura Airi blinked, her fingers curling around the Terminal. The screen was still lit. In the photo, she wasn't wearing her glasses, a breeze had swept some of her bangs aside, and the corners of her mouth were curved in a faint smile she hadn't even noticed. It was the kind of expression Shizuku-chan only wore in front of the camera.
"I..." She opened her mouth, suddenly remembering the photos on her blog that people had praised for their "spark." Back then, she had never been afraid of the camera. She would even secretly pull faces at the reflector. But in real life, whenever people stared at her, it always felt as though her hands and feet were tied.
Seeing that she had gone quiet for so long, Uesugi Hara suddenly pushed his lemonade toward her. "Want to try some? It's not as sweet as Snow King's, but it'll quench your thirst."
The girl hesitated, then picked it up and took a small sip. As the chill of the lemonade spread through her, she didn't hunch her shoulders like she had before. Instead, she let out a soft "Ah."
"See?" Uesugi Hara suddenly smiled. "That just now was exactly the sort of thing Shizuku-chan would do."
Sakura Airi's cheeks suddenly grew hot. She hurriedly put the cup back, but she didn't lower her head this time. Instead, she looked at the water droplets on its rim, tracing circles with her fingertip without thinking. Her voice was as light as a feather. "Maybe... Shizuku-chan is the part of me that dares to look up and speak."
"Are we friends now?" Uesugi Hara's voice was steady and gave little away, but it dispelled most of the tension in the air.
Sakura Airi abruptly raised her head. A light like starlight seemed to fall into her once-timid eyes, making them shine brilliantly.
Her fingers tightened around the cup, and her voice carried a hint of incredulous joy. "F-Friends? Is that okay?" Her voice rose slightly at the end, like a child carefully offering someone a piece of candy.
"Of course." Uesugi Hara nodded and sent the photos he had just taken to her Terminal. "If you ever want to take photos, or get bothered by comments, you can come to me."
The girl's fingertip paused on the screen. Looking at the new contact in her otherwise empty chat list, she couldn't help smiling.
This time, she didn't lower her head. Instead, she quietly glanced up at him, then quickly looked away. Her voice was much clearer than before. "T-Then next time, I'll treat you to some Snow King lemonade, okay?"
"Sounds good."