"Sorry about that. I said I'd buy it somewhere else, and it seems to have really upset this clerk. Is the commission from this sale that important to you?"
"N-no, we're the ones who should apologize. We're truly sorry for causing you any trouble."
With that, a female clerk bowed to U Amakusa apologetically, then hurriedly added, "Are you looking to buy this camera? I'll wrap it up for you right away."
U Amakusa propped his chin on one hand at the counter and chuckled. "But what if I don't want to buy it anymore? Someone's customer service really leaves a lot to be desired... I hope this store hires some better-educated staff."
"You!"
"Don't say another word!"
The one who spoke was another clerk, holding back the pervert from behind.
The female clerk in front could only manage an awkward smile before saying, "Thank you for your feedback. I'll give it serious consideration."
"Okay, I've suddenly decided I'll take it after all. Sorry for the trouble."
U Amakusa thought it over. He had come out today to buy a camera with Sakura, after all. He couldn't very well go home empty-handed.
He could have gone to another store, but buying it right in front of this pervert would be nice, too.
After all, wasn't the point of a camera to record things?
The female clerk moved quickly, as if afraid U Amakusa might change his mind at any moment. As soon as she had wrapped it up, she handed it to him.
"Here's your camera."
U Amakusa paid 80,000 Private Points on the spot, then took the camera.
"Thanks." U Amakusa stood up and stretched, then pretended to sniff his hand. "Smells so nice~"
The pervert behind him looked as though his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. His face and neck had turned bright red, and several veins bulged.
"Oh dear, you seem to have some serious blood rushing to your head, Mr. Clerk." After offering that warning, U Amakusa turned to head back toward Sakura.
"Oh, right. Just so you know, my girlfriend's tired, so I'm planning to let her rest in a room later.
"Thanks to the camera you recommended, I'll be able to record the bond between us. It should come out really clear, don't you think, Mr. Clerk~"
I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'm going to kill you!
The pervert had completely lost his reason. All he wanted now was to kill the man in front of him and take Shizuku back.
That's right! If I kill him, Shizuku will go back to normal! He hypnotized her!
That's right! I have to kill him! Then Shizuku will come back to me!
Meanwhile, unlike the pervert, who was consumed by rage, the other clerks were utterly confused by what U Amakusa had said.
But what did that matter? U Amakusa had already achieved his goal.
At the thought, U Amakusa's lips curled into a faint, wicked smile. His thick bangs hung like a black curtain, obscuring the upper half of his face.
U Amakusa took out his phone and silently sent a message, then smiled and waggled it at the pervert.
"Be sure to check your phone, Mr. Clerk."
Before crossing over, U Amakusa had dabbled in all sorts of things to avoid inheriting his family's martial arts school, and as a result, he'd picked up a little bit of every kind of skill.
Hacking was one of them.
"Sakura, are you okay?"
When he reached Sakura, U Amakusa returned to normal and offered her a caring smile as he held out his hand.
"Mm... I-I'm okay..."
Thinking back to what had just happened, Sakura still stammered a little. She covered her face, desperately trying not to remember it.
But... it seemed impossible to forget!
"Sakura, if you don't get up soon, my arm's going to get tired. We should go. We can come back and buy it another time."
"Eh? Ah...? Mm, um..."
The three words in a row made it hard to tell what Sakura was trying to say. Only then did she notice U Amakusa's outstretched hand.
"Um... Amakusa, I can stand up by myself..."
Does Amakusa think I'm that fragile?
Well... maybe I am a little...
I couldn't even stand properly just now. I fell into Amakusa's arms, too. How embarrassing...
My face feels so hot...
"I know. I'm not holding out my hand to help you up. I want to hold your hand."
Sakura slowly lifted her head, which had been bowed the whole time. Before her was U Amakusa's gentle smile, warm as the spring sunshine.
At that moment, it was as if a soft breeze had swept past, gently stirring Sakura's hair. Her lovely face was fully revealed, and someone's reflection shone in her eyes.
At some point, her hunched back had straightened. The simple reason was that she wanted to be a little closer to U Amakusa, who was standing there.
She wanted to get closer, to see Amakusa's face more clearly.
Without realizing it, Sakura responded, gently placing her hand in U Amakusa's outstretched one.
Were they lovers, but not quite? Maybe not.
"Let's go."
"Mm... Mm!?"
"What's wrong?"
"...No, it's nothing..."
They were only holding hands so she could use his support to stand up, but U Amakusa once again pried apart Sakura's tightly closed fingers, not letting her pull away out of embarrassment.
Sakura didn't resist. Instead, she wrapped her fingers around U Amakusa's hand.
She merely pressed her other hand tightly against her chest and turned her face away, trying to hide her bashfulness.
"Really, nothing?"
U Amakusa grinned and leaned toward Sakura, lightly scratching the back of her hand with their fingers entwined.
"Amakusa... you're really sneaky..."
"Eh? How am I sneaky?"
"Is... is it not over yet? The helping-you-out part..."
If it's not over yet, my heart won't be able to take it...
Sakura remembered U Amakusa saying earlier that she should play along for a bit. She didn't know what he was planning, but she wanted to help him.
"That's right. It's not over yet."
Of course, he was lying.
"Sakura, do you often feel like someone's watching you when you're going to or coming home from school?"
"Huh?"
As soon as U Amakusa brought it up, Sakura immediately remembered. Every now and then, she felt like someone was following her, like a stalker.
But she hadn't been sure. Having gone through something similar in the past, she was especially sensitive to things like that, but she hadn't had anyone she could talk to about it.
But now... Amakusa was here.
"I think so... Sometimes I feel someone watching me, but whenever I look around, there doesn't seem to be anyone there."
"I see. Well, you don't need to worry about it anymore. It was probably just your imagination."
"Is that so? Maybe."
Before you continue