On Saturday morning, sunlight lazily spilled through a gap in the curtains and onto the dormitory floor. For most students, it was a rare, pleasant day off. But for Sakura Airi, today was destined to be anything but peaceful, because she was about to receive an invitation from Wu Qiao.
That's right, she was "about to" receive it, not had already received it.
Sakura Airi sat on the edge of her bed, her gaze fixed intently on the ordinary-looking notebook in front of her.
It was her greatest secret: a diary with infinite pages. It not only recorded the past but also updated itself in real time with what was to come. What's more, its words changed in response to her actions.
Soon, new writing appeared on the page, clearly predicting what would happen next. At the same time, the terminal beside her beeped, and the message arrived right on schedule.
Wu Qiao: [Sakura, I heard you're good at photography. Are you free today? I was hoping you could teach me some photography techniques.]
Looking at the message on the screen, Sakura Airi didn't react with the flustered embarrassment of an ordinary girl being invited out by a boy. Instead, she let out a long sigh, wearing the resigned look of someone thinking, "So it's my turn, after all."
Ever since word had spread that Wu Qiao had been going around asking his classmates, boys and girls alike, for advice with such humility, invitations like this had become nothing unusual in Class D.
Whether someone was good at studying, good at sports, or, like her, had a special skill, sooner or later Wu Qiao would come looking for them. This idea that "anyone with a talent will eventually be discovered" seemed to have become an established fact in the class.
Sakura Airi lowered her eyes, her finger hovering above the screen as she tried to think of a tactful excuse to refuse. She was afraid of interacting with people, and even more afraid of making too many connections with them outside the viewfinder.
But before she could finish typing, the terminal vibrated again. Wu Qiao had sent a second message.
Wu Qiao: [As a thank-you, you can order whatever you want for lunch and snacks today. It's on me.]
At those words, Sakura Airi's finger froze. She instinctively glanced at the beloved digital camera in the corner, then at the balance of her personal points displayed on the terminal.
She had gritted her teeth and bought this high-performance camera at the start of the school year to pursue her hobby. As a result, she was now scraping by on personal points, and even had to carefully budget for meals.
With her points running out, Wu Qiao's offer was simply too tempting to resist.
The writing in the diary seemed to warp subtly at that moment, and what had been a vague prediction of what came next became clear. Sakura Airi hesitated for a while, but in the end, the pressure of reality won out. She bit her lip and replied: [Really?]
A few seconds later, Wu Qiao immediately sent back an affirmative sticker.
Sakura Airi looked at the sticker and gave a helpless smile before replying: [All right.]
Maybe spending time with Wu Qiao wasn't as scary as she'd imagined.
After all, even the diary showed that this was just an ordinary invitation to ask for photography advice.
Sakura Airi's photography skills were truly professional. Her eye for composition and lighting, as well as her ability to capture a fleeting moment, were all far beyond what you'd expect from someone her age.
Wu Qiao hadn't approached Sakura Airi to learn photography on a whim. He was preparing to follow the Path of Remembrance.
He couldn't help it. The core of this Path was "recording and witnessing."
Of course, there were many ways to follow a Path. Wu Qiao could also draw on other people's memories by listening to their stories and gain experience that way. But how much experience he gained depended on the weight of the memory itself.
The weight of a memory differed from person to person. To some, a past experience might mean little, like a passing cloud; to others, it could be precious beyond measure, even a spiritual pillar that sustained them for a lifetime.
Objectively recording the world through photography would allow Wu Qiao to gain experience as a "witness" more steadily and purely.
In the afternoon, Sakura Airi looked through the viewfinder at Wu Qiao, who was carefully adjusting his camera in the distance. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.
Wu Qiao was learning incredibly fast. At first, he could barely get the aperture and shutter speed to work together. His photos were either overexposed or blurry. But by the afternoon, he was already taking decent pictures with balanced compositions and clearly defined layers of light and shadow.
"Wu-kun, you adjusted the aperture really well in this shot." Sakura Airi rarely offered praise first. Her voice was still soft as a mosquito's buzz, but her tone carried a little more appreciation for a fellow enthusiast.
Wu Qiao lowered his camera and looked at the image frozen on the screen. He smiled and gave a slight shake of his head. "I can pick up the settings and composition quickly through theory, but I can tell that something's still missing from what I take."
Sakura Airi nodded, then walked over to him with her camera in her arms. "Mm... Photography relies on instinct, so you can't learn it overnight. It's not something you can master just by cramming knowledge into your head."
She pointed toward the scenery in the distance, then toward her own chest. "The camera is just a tool. What really matters is the emotion the photographer wants to convey. It might be the feeling of being moved in that moment, or the desire to hold on to a memory. Your photos are perfect now, Wu-kun, but they're still missing a little... warmth."
Wu Qiao listened, thoughtfully rubbing the edge of his camera. Sakura Airi was right. So far, he was only recording things mechanically; he hadn't yet infused his work with the emotions of a witness.
It seemed that technical skill wasn't enough to truly understand the essence of the Path of Remembrance. He also needed to capture moments that carried real weight.
"Warmth, huh..." Wu Qiao looked up at Sakura Airi, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I guess I'll have to feel my way toward it."
Around four in the afternoon, the sunlight grew gentler, stretching long shadows from the buildings across the campus. The two of them were still searching for a suitable location to shoot when they ran into Ichinose Honami on the tree-lined path near Commercial Street.
She was dressed in a cool, casual outfit and carrying several shopping bags. It looked like she'd just been out shopping.
Ichinose Honami recognized Wu Qiao at once and cheerfully went over to greet him. "Wu-kun, hi! Are you... taking pictures?"
Wu Qiao nodded and lifted the digital camera in his hand. Seeing that Sakura Airi looked a little nervous, he turned slightly and introduced them. "This is Sakura Airi, my classmate and my photography teacher for the moment. Sakura, this is Ichinose Honami, Class B's class representative."
At Wu Qiao's introduction, Sakura Airi instinctively shrank behind him, like a startled little animal.
She could clearly sense Ichinose Honami's powerful presence. It was the confidence and cheerfulness of a top-notch social butterfly, and it naturally made someone as painfully shy as her feel pressured.
Still, under Wu Qiao's gaze, Sakura Airi mustered her courage and poked half her head out. "H-hello, Ichinose. I'm Sakura Airi."
Ichinose Honami didn't show the slightest impatience at Sakura's shyness. Instead, she smiled even more warmly and brightly, replying with enthusiasm, "Hi, Sakura! I didn't know Wu-kun had such an amazing photographer for a friend!"
With just a few words, she easily eased the awkward tension. Before long, Ichinose Honami's eyes fell on the camera in Wu Qiao's hand. She tilted her head and suggested with a grin, "So, Wu-kun, want me to model for you? It's such a nice day, and I'd love to take a few pretty pictures to remember it by!"
At her suggestion, Wu Qiao looked Ichinose Honami over. There was no denying that she was beautiful and had an exceptionally approachable air about her. She was an ideal choice for a model.
Besides, this was a perfect chance to practice capturing the lively emotions that a charismatic person showed in a natural moment.
He smiled slightly and raised the camera toward Ichinose Honami. "Since Class B's popular class representative personally invited me, I can't very well refuse. All right, Ichinose, I'm in your hands."
Sakura Airi watched Ichinose Honami stand confidently in front of the camera, smiling without a trace of worry. Then she looked at Wu Qiao, already focused on composing the shot. Her fear of socializing seemed to have eased a little.
She quietly stepped aside and watched them, wondering how Wu Qiao would capture the warmth that belonged to Ichinose Honami in the image.