The next day~
Sakura led Long Aotian to a spot on campus without any surveillance cameras.
Sakura stood in front of the camera, striking all kinds of cute poses. After taking several photos in a row, she stopped to look them over. Seeing her youthful, energetic self on the camera screen, she smiled with satisfaction.
Then she pulled Long Aotian, who had been standing off to the side, over to take some pictures together.
Long Aotian looked completely wooden, with no idea how to pose. Sakura smiled helplessly and guided his hands into a heart shape. Just as she pressed the shutter, a breeze swept by, sending cherry blossom petals drifting down like pink snow. The two of them were surrounded by blossoms in the photo, making the scene as beautiful as a painting.
Sakura was overjoyed as she looked at the picture of them together.
Looking at Sakura, Long Aotian thought, If she posts this photo, her fans' hearts will probably shatter. What if I'm walking down the street one day and someone suddenly throws a sack over me and beats me up?
Just then, footsteps sounded in the distance. It seemed someone was coming this way. Worried they'd be spotted, Sakura hurriedly pulled Long Aotian behind a nearby bush. Pressed tightly together, they didn't dare make a sound. Only after the footsteps faded did Sakura finally relax.
He patted Sakura on the head. He was getting rather hooked on it. Come to think of it, why was there someone here?
"Everyone's gone. Where do you want to go next?"
"Aotian, that building over there! Let's go take pictures on the third floor!"
Sakura excitedly pointed toward a building in the distance. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation and joy, like two brilliant stars.
"Hm?"
Long Aotian looked at the building Sakura was pointing to. Could that be the one from the story?
"Sure."
"Hehehe, let's go!"
Sakura's mood was like a flower blooming in spring, bright and radiant. Her little hand held tightly to Long Aotian's, and she walked with a light step.
When they reached the third floor, Sakura let go of Long Aotian's hand and began searching for the best spot to take pictures. She crouched down, then stood up again, trying to find the perfect angle.
Long Aotian stood quietly to one side, checking out the surroundings. He knew this place all too well. Wasn't this the scene of the fight? First, he'd place a Flying Thunder God Mark here.
"Aotian, over here."
At last, Sakura found a spot she liked. She smiled at Long Aotian.
Long Aotian smiled and walked over to stand beside her. Sakura raised the camera and adjusted the angle. With a click of the shutter, their happiness in that moment was captured forever in the photo.
Looking at the picture on the camera, Sakura smiled happily, her expression as radiant as a blooming flower.
Long Aotian took the camera from Sakura and looked over the pictures. He had to admit, Sakura was good at taking photos. She'd found just the right angle and lighting.
"Ahem, send them all to me later, okay?"
"Okay."
Long Aotian and Sakura then visited several more places and took over a dozen pictures. Along the way, Long Aotian also memorized several spots without surveillance cameras, making it easier to bring people there in the future.
"Aotian, let's go get something to eat! To celebrate all the fun we had today!" Sakura's voice was full of anticipation. She looked forward to spending more warm, happy moments with Long Aotian.
Long Aotian smiled and nodded, his eyes full of affection. He gently took Sakura's hand, felt the warmth of her palm, and felt a rush of warmth in his heart. "Sure. What would you like to eat? I'll take you."
Sakura thought it over, then eagerly suggested, "There's a really nice Japanese restaurant nearby. Let's go try it!"
Her eyes sparkled with longing for good food, as though she could already smell its tempting aroma.
Long Aotian agreed, and the two of them walked out of the building side by side, heading for the Japanese restaurant.
When they entered the restaurant, the faint aroma of charcoal and the fresh scent of seafood washed over them, instantly putting them at ease. The decor was simple yet elegant. The wooden tables and chairs and paper lanterns created a warm, old-fashioned atmosphere.
They sat down by a window, opened the menu, and began carefully choosing what they wanted.
"These sushi look good. Five orders of this, and two of that..."
Long Aotian pointed at the menu as he spoke to the server.
Before long, plate after plate of carefully prepared sushi was set in front of them, and they eagerly began to dig in.
Sakura gently picked up a piece of sushi—her favorite, salmon. She took a small bite. The savory salmon and the sweet-and-sour vinegared rice mingled in her mouth, creating a wonderful taste beyond words. Her eyes lit up at once, and a happy, satisfied smile spread across her face.
Long Aotian picked up a piece of tuna sushi and chewed slowly. The delicate tuna and the firm rice blended perfectly, creating a whole new taste experience. He gave a slight nod to show his appreciation for the delicious sushi.
At last, after they'd eaten all the sushi on their plates, they smiled at each other, as if they'd reached an unspoken understanding.
After their outing, he walked Sakura back to her dorm, stayed for a while, then returned to his own dorm.
Long Aotian first went to D Intersection to retrieve his computer and phone, then brought them back to his dorm.
By the time Long Aotian turned on his computer, he'd already noticed that account A had been deleted.
It seemed Horikita Manabu had gone to a teacher to investigate his whereabouts. But the teachers didn't have the authority to delete accounts, which meant someone in the school's upper administration had done it. And the only person Horikita Manabu could reach among the higher-ups was the Chairman.
Long Aotian wasn't worried, though. If account A was gone, he still had account B. He just had to be more careful from now on. Even if something was secure, frequent use could still expose him.
Long Aotian didn't plan to create another account, either. That would make it easier to expose himself. Better to play it safe.
Next came the red-haired Sudo's fight incident. Ayanokoji and Horikita Suzune's solution was to lure the three students from Class C to the scene, then scare them into dropping the case by claiming that the school was testing them with surveillance cameras.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Long Aotian shook his head in disbelief. "This is way too far-fetched. Those three were lured there according to Ryuen's plan in the first place. The fight itself was supposed to be kept under wraps; they'd arranged to cause trouble somewhere without surveillance cameras. Then suddenly there are cameras? Isn't that suspicious? Are those three just stupid, or is this a plot contrivance?"
It was all too far-fetched. Long Aotian decided to interfere. Since those three had fallen into a trap after being lured to the scene by someone unknown, he'd start with them. Sudo had to be expelled. That was final.
As for Kushida Kikyo's fingerprints-on-the-test incident, Long Aotian planned to get involved in that as well, so he could control Kushida Kikyo later.
Given Kushida Kikyo's personality, she probably wouldn't agree and would try to find a chance to turn the tables on him. But she probably wouldn't get the opportunity to uncover Long Aotian's secrets.
Once he'd thought everything through, he messaged Sakura and told her to spend more time with Kushida Kikyo from now on.
[Sakura: Okay.]
When he'd sold the exam papers last time, he'd lowered the price to forty thousand points because Sakura was her friend. Part of his reasoning had also been that he wanted Sakura to get along with Kushida Kikyo and the others.
Ayanokoji definitely wouldn't believe that excuse, while Horikita Suzune probably hadn't given the matter much thought and might not even have noticed it yet. As for Kushida Kikyo, she liked making friends, so there shouldn't be a problem with Sakura spending time with her.
Why send Sakura to get involved? Because the timeline in the anime wasn't entirely clear. And the anime didn't line up with reality, so the timing might change. That was why Sakura needed to get close to Kushida Kikyo and confirm when things would happen.
His poor little sweetheart would have to deal with it, though. The thought of a socially anxious girl approaching a social butterfly was almost too much to imagine. He'd make it up to her later.
Before you continue