Buy a Camera

"Hello, I'd like to buy a camera for my girlfriend. Do you have any recommendations?"

The pervert at the front desk had spotted Amakusa U bringing Sakura in the moment they walked through the door. He'd also recognized his idol at a glance—Shizuku.

But his idol was holding hands with another man! And that man had just called her his girlfriend!

The worst part was that his idol hadn't denied it! She was even keeping her head down! Could his idol actually be embarrassed?

No! Shizuku had to stay pure!

Absolutely not! Shizuku was his!

He suppressed the urge to explode and clenched his fists. A vein bulged faintly at his neck.

"Then... let her pick one herself."

The pervert spoke through gritted teeth, forcing out each word one by one.

"You're right. Airi, what kind would you like?"

Amakusa U put on an expression that said he'd give her anything. As he looked at Sakura, who had her head lowered, his fingers slipped between hers where they were holding hands.

He squeezed her fingers slightly, making sure she couldn't pull free.

"I, I... anything's fine, Amakusa... You, you should pick first. You need to buy one too, don't you, Amakusa?"

She usually didn't stammer when talking to Amakusa U, but she just couldn't get used to him acting like this.

It was too much for her. Sakura's whole face had turned red. She'd never imagined this was what Amakusa U had meant when he said he wanted her to play along.

Seeing this, Amakusa U leaned down and whispered in Sakura's ear, "It's okay, Sakura. We'll be done soon. Just pick the camera you want. I can come back and buy mine next time."

How am I supposed to choose like this?!

Feeling his warm breath against her ear, Sakura's legs went weak, as though she might collapse at any moment.

Ahhh... Why is Amakusa doing this...?

Her heart pounded so hard she could feel it even without touching her chest. Her hands were starting to sweat, too.

"I..."

"I recommend this one, Shi— This classmate should take a look at this one."

As he spoke, the pervert hurriedly handed the camera to Sakura, eager for her to take it.

"Could you let go of her hand? That way, she can get a better look at the camera, can't she?"

Amakusa U smiled faintly.

Well, well. He's making his move already?

The pervert, on the other hand, looked ready to explode.

From where he stood, Amakusa U leaning close to his Shizuku's ear to talk was the same as flirting with her right in front of him.

Let go of my Shizuku, you bastard!

Shizuku had to stay pure!

Shizuku, you can't do this! Shizuku is mine!

He understood the despair of those cuckolded men he'd read about in adult manga—the feeling of watching the person you loved get stolen away by some other man.

It was practically torture!

"Let's pick another one. This one... is too expensive..."

As soon as Sakura saw the camera, she recognized how good it was. She used cameras often, after all, so she knew it well.

It was excellent in every regard, which was why the price was so high—around 80,000 to 100,000 points.

She didn't want Amakusa U to spend so much on her, and she was reluctant to buy it herself, too. She only had a little over 70,000 points.

There was still about a week left in the month, and she might not have enough points anyway. If she wanted to buy one, she'd have to wait until next month.

The pervert knew all that, of course. He'd picked that camera on purpose. As a school employee, he knew the rules.

He wanted to make Amakusa U lose face in front of Sakura.

Damn it! Why hasn't that bastard let go of Shizuku's hand yet?

How could he let go? Amakusa U couldn't bear to release such a soft, comfortable hand.

"It's not too expensive, classmate. Take another look. You'll see if you try it with... him letting go of your hand. It only costs 90,000 Private Points now."

Heh. What're you going to do if I don't let go?

Before Sakura could say anything, Amakusa U lifted their interlaced hands, making sure the pervert could see.

He brought Sakura's hand to his lips and kissed it while they both watched.

"It's okay, Airi. If you like it, I'll buy it for you."

Mm, now he could add "sweet" to the list of things he liked about her hand.

"Amamama...!" Sakura stammered, unable to get the words out.

"Yeah, yeah~"

Amakusa U took the camera from Sakura's other hand and set it on the table. Then he lifted her head, which was about to droop again, and made her meet his eyes.

Sakura's face was so red it looked like it might drip blood. A few tears glimmered at the corners of her eyes.

Amakusa U smiled and said, "Just call me U, Airi."

"Ahhh..."

Sakura let out a string of incoherent sounds. Her legs seemed to have lost all strength and were about to give way, while wisps of steam seemed to rise from her head.

Oh, wow. He might've gone too far. She'd turned into a steam-breathing girl.

Just as Sakura was about to collapse, Amakusa U slipped an arm around her and pulled her into his embrace.

Sakura was out of commission.

Thinking back to the Photo Booth, Amakusa U couldn't help sighing.

Ah, well. There he went again.

He'd just have to shoulder the blame for this wickedness himself.

Kamuro's was pretty nice too, but compared to Sakura's, it was nothing.

With Sakura so close, Amakusa U could smell her shampoo. It had a floral scent, like chamomile.

"Could you wrap this one up for me? We'll take it."

Throughout the whole exchange, Sakura hadn't paid the slightest attention to the employee's leering expression or invasive stare.

The pervert could no longer hold back. His anger was plain to see.

Shizuku! Why are you throwing yourself into another man's arms?!

Impossible! Wait! That man must've hypnotized her! Yes, that had to be it!

Don't worry, Shizuku! I'll save you!

"Sir, you don't look too well. I think I'll find another employee to help us."

With that, Amakusa U prepared to carry Sakura off to buy the camera from someone else. It was a huge store; surely this man wasn't the only employee there.

Besides, he'd never intended to buy it from the pervert. He'd only wanted to see how long the man could keep his composure.

"Stop right there! Where do you think you're going?" the pervert shouted.

"What? Is there something you need?"

Amakusa U's expression visibly cooled. He curled his lips into a fierce-looking smile.

The pervert's shout naturally caught the attention of the other employees, who hurried over and held him back.

Sakura, still in Amakusa U's arms, came to her senses as well. But Amakusa U didn't seem inclined to let her have much contact with the pervert.

After settling Sakura in an empty seat, Amakusa U walked up to the pervert and said in front of the other employees:

"Sorry. I said I'd buy it from someone else, and that seems to have upset this employee. Is the commission on this sale really that important to you?"