No One Is Allowed to Be Worse Than Me

Shinomiya was instantly stunned when he heard that.

According to the information he had looked up, relationships that developed gradually were generally believed to last longer.

That was why he had said that. Otherwise, he would have wanted to go all the way in one step.

Was Kushida originally this impatient?

Still, I'm delighted by your enthusiasm!

Listening to Kushida's voice fade into the distance, Shinomiya began regulating his breathing.

After some time, Shinomiya returned to normal.

He still needed to find someone to follow Sakura.

He took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. In the end, Shinomiya chose to message Sakayanagi and Ichinose.

Kushida returned to her dorm and touched her slightly accelerated heartbeat.

What she had said in Shinomiya's dorm had been half true and half false.

She truly felt that Shinomiya had changed, but only toward her.

It was obvious from how he treated Sakura.

Shinomiya had very little moral sense. As long as he was not committing a crime, he did not care.

Sometimes, as long as he would not get caught, he could even commit crimes.

Yet now, he was willing to change for her.

Kushida found it unbelievable.

When she had first noticed it, she had even thought she was dreaming.

She had once believed that even if Mars crashed into Earth, Shinomiya would not change.

He was a complete egoist who put himself first in everything.

Kushida had long since given up on Shinomiya, yet he had forcefully barged back into her life.

So, should she give it another try?

Kushida lay facedown on her bed and buried her face in her pillow.

[S: The target is safe and sound. The stalker remains at large.]

[Shinomiya: Received.]

Shinomiya put away his phone and reported the situation to Kushida.

"Sakura is fine for now."

The worry between Kushida's brows eased slightly.

Kushida and Sakura had grown quite close recently. Shinomiya had hired a stalker from Sakayanagi to secretly watch Sakura and report on her situation at any time.

Hiring that stalker had cost Shinomiya quite a few points.

In short, it was King Hassan, with EX-rank Presence Concealment.

Sakayanagi had specifically told him that this expert had witnessed Shinomiya beating up the three people from Class C, giving Shinomiya quite a scare.

Shinomiya's senses had become somewhat mystical by now, yet he had not noticed anyone watching him.

He immediately decided to hire that expert!

After only a few days of following Sakura, they had discovered something was wrong!

There was another stalker!

That person was quite capable, making it difficult for the expert to notice his trail while keeping an eye on Sakura.

"Is the person you hired reliable?" Kushida's unease had not completely faded.

"Don't worry. An absolute expert! Five thousand a day!"

Shinomiya felt that Sakayanagi was definitely skimming a cut. He transferred the money to her every time, and she said it was to keep the expert's identity secret.

Kushida had actually been rather fond of Sakura lately. Mainly because Sakura was cute and obedient, never burdened her, and Kushida had not even cursed at Sakura when venting.

"Kikyo, we need to think of a way to solve this. We can't keep dragging this out."

Kushida was thinking as well when her phone rang. It was a message from Sakura.

The more Kushida read, the paler her face became. Then she handed the phone to Shinomiya.

"What is it?" Shinomiya took the phone.

Inside were photos Sakura had sent. They were secretly taken pictures of Sakura, along with letters professing love. What angered Shinomiya most was that Kushida had also been photographed.

"Damn it, we can't let this bastard stay!"

Shinomiya clenched the phone tightly.

Kushida prepared to comfort Sakura. Sakura was very vulnerable right now.

Shinomiya went with her as well. He needed to discuss things with Sakura too.

Sakura walked down the road alone, her expression hurried.

The footsteps behind her drew closer and closer.

Sakura quickened her pace and fled into an alley.

Clearly panicking, Sakura took out her phone and had just called Shinomiya when the person behind her grabbed her wrist and knocked the phone away.

A hand covered her mouth, and her eyes were filled with terror and despair.

Sakura finally saw clearly that the person attacking her was the clerk from the camera shop.

The man began speaking of his "love."

"You understand how much I love you, right? You saw all those letters, didn't you?"

Sakura shut her eyes in fear. The clerk was becoming a little crazed.

"Why are you avoiding me?! I really love you. You understand, right?"

He released Sakura's hand, and she slid down the wall to sit on the ground.

"Save me..."

Sakura spotted her discarded phone and lunged for it, trying to make a call.

But the clerk snatched it away.

"No calls! Damn it!"

During the struggle, Sakura was flung aside and fell to the ground. Supporting herself with both hands, she involuntarily backed away, looking pitiful and helpless.

The clerk revealed a lecherous smile.

He closed in on Sakura.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out. The clerk clutched his crotch and dropped to his knees. (The toy gun Shinomiya had bought.)

At the end of the alley stood a man wearing a Nine Circles mask.

It was Shinomiya.

He had laid several ambushes over the past few days, yet failed to lure out this pervert.

Then, just after today's ambush ended, he received news that something had happened to Sakura.

He rushed over. Seeing surveillance cameras in the distance, he bought a mask to wear so he could act more conveniently.

He had heard that Nine Circles masks were popular in a major Western country.

"When the gun goes off, someone falls."

"When someone falls, someone cries."

"When someone cries, they spill their heart."

"You have at least three things to say."

Wearing the mask, Shinomiya walked over to the clerk and turned on his phone's recording function.

"What were you doing just now?"

The clerk was still clutching his injured spot and wailing. Shinomiya impatiently urged him on.

"Did you leave your fucking ears at home? This gun doesn't use those water-bead pellets. It shoots solid plastic. Want another shot?"

"Talk!"

The clerk spoke haltingly.

"I... I just wanted to talk to her."

"Not that."

Shinomiya fired several shots at his hands and feet. They did not cause much injury, but they hurt terribly!

"Ahhh!!" The clerk screamed, tears spilling from his eyes.

Shinomiya irritably picked at his ear. He truly did not want to hear this thing's voice.

The last time he had used a camera, Shinomiya had gotten someone else to do it for him.

"I'll kill you!!" the clerk roared.

Shinomiya sneered. "Who does this eunuch think he's killing?" He fired another shot at the clerk's crotch.

"Ahhh!!" The clerk's screams went on without end.

Shinomiya put on gloves and grabbed the clerk's face.

"If I say you intended to molest a high school girl, do you admit it? You could even make the news."

The clerk was still trying to argue. "No, that's not what happened!"

Shinomiya pointed his gun outside. The clerk looked in that direction and saw the surveillance camera beneath a streetlamp.

"Actually, I don't need you to admit it, but you disgusted me!"

Shinomiya moved together with the clerk's body. From the surveillance camera's angle, it looked as though the clerk had lunged at Shinomiya, forcing Shinomiya to retreat in panic.

Shinomiya delivered a high roundhouse kick, sending the clerk flying into the wall and knocking him unconscious.

Shinomiya went over to check him and found nothing seriously wrong, so he gave him a strike to injure his internal organs a little. If he was weaker in the future, he would have no mind for doing this sort of thing.

Sakura stared in dumbfounded shock. That string of actions had left her utterly bewildered.

"Sh-Shinomiya?" Sakura was not entirely sure.

Shinomiya had already told Kushida to call someone. Since he had beaten someone under surveillance, he would not show his face.

"No, my name is Zhang Mazi!"