Compensation

Kushida quickly arrived with the Student Council and security guards.

They woke the clerk and restrained him.

Shinomiya circled back, threw away the hood and gloves, and acted as if he had just arrived.

"How is she? Is everyone okay?"

Kushida supported Sakura and looked at Shinomiya, who had "just arrived." Her chest rose and fell slightly, a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, and her lips curled to one side.

He acted so convincingly.

The awakened clerk struggled when he saw that he had been restrained.

"Let me go!"

"You have no right to interfere with me!"

"We're destined to be together!"

Shinomiya felt that he had still been too kind. He had hit him too lightly!

The deranged clerk continued his chant.

"I'm Shizuku's fan!

She knows that.

We exchange letters every day!

She works so hard to update her photo books every day—it's all for me!

She came to this school for me too..."

Shinomiya could not make a move directly right now, but he had already decided that once this man left the school, he would have him measure the seawater depth in Tokyo Bay.

While Shinomiya was still considering the specifics, Sakura interrupted the clerk's chant.

"Stop talking!"

The clerk came back to his senses as well.

"Sh-Shizuku?"

"I've never considered you my fan. Please stop harassing me!"

Shinomiya sighed. Sakura was still too polite, but it was enough to shatter the clerk's delusion.

The basis for all his twisted arguments was that Sakura liked him.

At that thought, Shinomiya nearly laughed out loud again. This guy was just too ridiculous!

Kushida also spoke up righteously. "Stop being so unreasonable!" As she spoke, she shielded Sakura behind her.

The clerk's fantasy had crumbled, and he became furious.

"Liar! Liar!"

"Ugly... you ugly woman! You've been lying to me all this time!

Who would ever like someone like you?!"

Shinomiya felt like he would throw up if he listened any longer. He put on a new pair of gloves and covered the clerk's mouth.

"That's enough. Shut up!"

Shinomiya's fingers pressed down harder and harder, twisting the clerk's face out of shape.

Staring straight into Shinomiya's icy, bone-chilling gaze, the clerk remembered the person who had knocked him out earlier. His whole body began to tremble.

Shinomiya signaled for security to take him away, and only then was the clerk led off.

Watching the clerk being taken away,

Shinomiya took off his gloves. He would have to throw these away too. He rather liked this pair, but they were dirty now.

"Have Yōha take you back." Kushida went with the security guards and Student Council members to handle the aftermath.

"Leave it to Kikyo. She'll take care of it."

The two had yet to make their dates happen lately, but the way they addressed each other had changed.

"I'm sorry. I really am useless. I caused you so much trouble. I couldn't do anything myself."

Shinomiya still decided to comfort her. "Idols have their own hardships too."

Sakura shook her head as though she had made up her mind.

"But this might be a good thing too."

She took off her plain glasses and straightened her posture.

"Pretending every day is really exhausting."

"I'm sorry for deceiving you all this time."

Shinomiya looked at Sakura's change and felt that it was nothing special.

Did she really think her disguise was that good? Shinomiya had seen through it on the first day of school.

And compared to Kushida, her acting was still far behind.

But Shinomiya would not say any of that.

"You don't need to apologize. If you run into trouble again, you can always come to Kushida and me."

Shinomiya looked Sakura in the eye, his tone serious.

"Thank you!"

Sakura glanced at Shinomiya, her cheeks slightly red. "Shinomiya, you don't look at me with strange eyes."

Shinomiya raised an eyebrow slightly. Why was she still saying things like that?

"What exactly do you mean?"

Sakura tilted her head back and smiled, her eyes curving like crescents. "Mm~ don't worry about it!"

Afterward, Shinomiya took Sakura back to the dorms.

Later, the school found all kinds of evidence at the clerk's store and residence.

With the evidence conclusive, he was handed directly over to the police outside the school.

Today, Principal Sakayanagi had called Shinomiya, Kushida, and Sakura in for a talk.

On the way there, Shinomiya received a text message.

[K: It's done!]

Shinomiya smiled and put away his phone, in an excellent mood.

Throwing trash into the sea was not exactly good, but Shinomiya believed Mother Ocean would forgive him.

"What did you see that made you so happy?" Kushida asked curiously, tilting her head.

"Nothing. I was just discussing how to dispose of some trash with someone."

"What a weird thing to say," Kushida complained.

"I think it sounds pretty interesting," Sakura said weakly.

The three arrived outside the principal's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

The three pushed open the door and saw Principal Sakayanagi sitting behind his desk, a smile on his somewhat mature face beneath his silver hair.

"Please, have a seat."

The three sat down.

Principal Sakayanagi spoke first.

"This incident was the school's failure. On behalf of the school, I apologize to all of you."

After saying that, Principal Sakayanagi stood and bowed.

Sakura hurriedly stood to stop him. "Please don't do that. This isn't your fault."

Shinomiya simply watched calmly from the side.

Both sides sat back down.

"I called you here mainly to discuss a compensation plan for Student Sakura."

"For now, I have decided to offer two million points in compensation.

"Of course, we will also strengthen our screening of on-campus staff in the future."

Sakura's eyes widened when she heard the number. She had not expected the school to be so generous.

She looked at Shinomiya, and Shinomiya nodded for her to accept.

"Thank you, Principal!"

"However..." Principal Sakayanagi changed the subject and looked at Shinomiya and Kushida. "The two of you also contributed greatly to this incident. You helped restrain the suspect and protected Student Sakura. The school will not treat those with merit poorly."

Shinomiya's heart stirred.

Here it comes! The main event!

"I have decided to award Student Shinomiya and Student Kushida five hundred thousand points each."

Five hundred thousand?

Shinomiya raised an eyebrow.

That was a little low.

He had thought he could squeeze out more.

But on second thought, five hundred thousand was not bad either. It was practically free money, and there was no reason to turn it down.

"Thank you, Principal." Shinomiya accepted with a beaming smile.

Kushida thanked him as well, her smile sweet. "Thank you, Principal."

Principal Sakayanagi looked at the two of them and smiled meaningfully.

"No need to thank me. You are both outstanding students. The school will not bury talent."

That old fox was speaking with an ulterior meaning.

Shinomiya was not about to take the bait.

"You may return now. Someone will transfer the points to your accounts later."

The three stood and took their leave.

After leaving the principal's office, Sakura thanked Kushida and Shinomiya once more.

"Thank you both. I don't know what I would have done otherwise."

"No need to thank us. We're friends, after all. Friends are supposed to help each other." Kushida smiled gently and patted Sakura's shoulder.

Shinomiya yawned. "Just come to us directly if anything happens in the future."

"Mm..." Sakura nodded in agreement, looking a little embarrassed.

After the three parted ways, Kushida and Shinomiya headed toward the classroom together.

"Yōha, you made quite a bit today!"

"Five hundred thousand points. Are you happy?"

"More or less." Shinomiya curled his lip. "I thought the school would be more generous."

Kushida let out a laugh.

"You really are greedy."

She paused, then added in a low voice beside Shinomiya's ear.

"But I like that."

Shinomiya paused and turned to look at her.

Kushida winked at him. Her smile was sweet, but a sly gleam flickered in her eyes.

Are you trying to get a hold over me, Kikyo?