Sakura Airi's Fear

The shutter clicked, and Wu Qiao nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the frozen image on his camera screen. Ichinose Honami's smile was incredibly infectious, and paired with the soft afternoon backlight, the entire photo looked both bright and vibrant.

He turned the camera screen toward Sakura Airi, a questioning look in his eyes. Sakura Airi leaned in to take a look, pushed up her glasses, and gave a serious assessment: "Hmm... the composition and expression capture are decent, and it's very lively. However, the lighting and shadow effects aren't quite handled well."

With that, Sakura Airi gently signaled for Ichinose Honami to hold her original pose. She picked up her own camera, but instead of pressing the shutter immediately, she turned slightly, adjusting to an extremely subtle angle.

"Click."

With a crisp shutter sound, Sakura Airi lowered her camera. She walked between the two and showed the screen to Wu Qiao.

It was the same location, the same Ichinose Honami, and even the curve of her smile was almost identical. Yet, the two photos gave off completely different feelings.

While Wu Qiao's photo was clear and bright, the lighting felt a bit flat and straightforward; Ichinose Honami's silhouette blended into the trees in the background, lacking depth.

In contrast, Sakura Airi's photo, thanks to that subtle shift in angle, cleverly utilized the dappled shadows between the leaves to perfectly outline Ichinose Honami's profile.

Her hair glowed with a diffused light in the backlight, and the light spots scattered across her fair skin didn't look cluttered at all; instead, they created a dreamlike sense of three-dimensionality and airiness.

"Here," Sakura Airi said, pointing her finger gently at the light spots on the screen, explaining softly, "If you just lower the camera position a little and use the shadows of the leaves as a foreground, the light becomes more layered. Wu-kun was too focused on getting a clear shot of the face just now, and ended up ignoring the narrative power of the ambient light itself."

Wu Qiao looked at the photo on the screen, which was full of warmth and professional texture, and felt a slight jolt in his heart. Although he had understood that photography required emotion, his actual technical application had remained stuck at the level of piling up theories.

Sakura Airi's casual shot not only demonstrated her professional standard but also intuitively showed him the gap between himself and a true recorder of moments.

"I see..." Wu Qiao rubbed his chin thoughtfully, a flash of realization in his eyes. "Using the flaws of the environment to achieve the perfection of the subject? I've learned much, Teacher Sakura."

Ichinose Honami looked at the photo Sakura Airi had taken, her eyes lighting up instantly. She exclaimed, "Wow! This is amazing! Sakura-san, you've practically used magic on the camera! I look even better in this photo than I do in person!"

Being praised so directly by Ichinose Honami, Sakura Airi's cheeks instantly flushed. She lowered her head in embarrassment and whispered, "N-no, it's not that exaggerated... It's just that Ichinose-san is naturally very photogenic."

Watching the shy Sakura Airi and the admiring Ichinose Honami, Wu Qiao shrugged with a smile. It seemed he had gained even more from today's photography lesson than he had expected.

Although Wu Qiao had generously promised to cover the food and drinks, Sakura Airi remained very restrained. She didn't take the opportunity to order expensive desserts or drinks, choosing only the most basic meals and ordinary bottled water. Watching Sakura Airi's frugal nature, Wu Qiao made a mental note of it without saying anything.

By Sunday afternoon, Sakura Airi continued to fulfill her duties as a "photography teacher," guiding Wu Qiao on outdoor shooting. While looking for a high-angle vantage point, Sakura Airi unexpectedly discovered Wu Qiao's terrifying physical fitness.

Facing a wall over two meters high, Wu Qiao didn't even need a running start; with a simple push of his hands, he leaped up lightly and crouched steadily on the wall to frame his shot.

This scene was like discovering a new world for Sakura Airi. She pushed up her glasses, her eyes filled not only with surprise but with a newfound understanding of "framing angles."

So, in order to capture the perfect image, a photographer's physical ability could actually serve as an important auxiliary tool.

By dinner time, Sakura Airi had originally intended to grab a quick bite at the cafeteria and head back to the dorms.

However, as soon as the two walked out of the commercial district, they ran into Ichinose Honami again. Upon learning they hadn't eaten yet, the enthusiastic Ichinose Honami insisted they join her at the school's buffet restaurant.

She seemed to see through Sakura Airi's reserve, winking as she said, "Let Wu-kun treat Sakura-san! Besides, it's too lonely for Wu-kun to eat at the buffet by himself anyway. Think of it as helping us split the bill and keeping us company!"

The price of the buffet was naturally much higher than a regular restaurant. Sakura Airi was just about to wave her hand in refusal when she was enthusiastically pulled into the restaurant by Ichinose Honami.

However, less than half an hour after sitting down, Sakura Airi witnessed a scene that shattered her worldview.

She watched as the plates in front of Wu Qiao were swapped out round after round. From meat and vegetables to staples and desserts, the speed and volume at which he ate were simply staggering.

Sakura Airi secretly calculated in her mind: the total amount of food Wu Qiao had consumed in this one meal was equivalent to her entire three-day food supply!

She stared, dumbfounded, as Wu Qiao elegantly and rapidly polished off the food on his plate, unable to stop a silent scream in her heart: Are you serious? Is there a black hole inside this polite, soft-spoken Wu Qiao who was just humbly asking for advice on the art of photography?

Ichinose Honami, however, was not at all surprised by Wu Qiao's appetite. She maintained her bright smile and teased, "It seems Wu-kun really studies very hard, needing to replenish so much energy!"

Wu Qiao put down his cutlery and took the napkin Sakura Airi handed him to wipe his mouth. "After all, whether it's using your brain or exercising your body, both require a massive amount of energy."

Looking at the boy before her who could leap onto high walls to frame a shot and then consume three days' worth of food in one sitting, Sakura Airi's perception of Wu Qiao was refreshed once again.

After dinner, Sakura Airi returned to her dorm, showered, and went to bed early. She stared at the fluorescent light on the ceiling, blinking slowly as she replayed the bits and pieces of the last two days in her mind.

From being invited by Wu Qiao to teach photography, to running into the enthusiastic and cheerful Ichinose Honami, and then witnessing Wu Qiao's astonishing appetite at the buffet... Although the process had been a bit bumpy and even included a few shocks, the feeling of being needed and accepted made her feel more secure than ever before.

This could be considered... making new friends, right?

It turned out that stepping out of her self-contained little world to interact with different people wasn't as terrifying as she had imagined.

Thinking of this, she rolled over and sat up, taking out the diary that had been with her for so long from under her pillow. She habitually flipped it open, intending to see what would happen tomorrow so she could prepare herself mentally and avoid being flustered by nervousness in a crowd.

However, when her gaze landed on the content for tomorrow morning, Sakura Airi's brows instantly furrowed, and her previously relaxed mood plummeted to the bottom in an instant.

On the page of the diary, a cold and glaring reminder had appeared: [In the morning, a harassment letter and several candid photos were found in the indoor shoe locker.]

Sakura Airi's breath hitched, and her fingertips trembled uncontrollably. The predictions in the diary had never been wrong, which meant that she would definitely encounter this terrifying event tomorrow morning.

Those malicious gazes, the fear of being watched, and that letter someone had shoved into her locker...

Everything felt like an invisible net, instantly shattering the small sense of security she had just built up. She subconsciously hugged her arms, as if she could ward off the impending harm.

Harassment letter... candid photos...

These words were like sharp knives, instantly piercing through the fragile defenses she had just established.

Who was it? Or had her hidden identity already been discovered?

Fear engulfed her like a tidal wave. She curled up on the edge of the bed, hugging her knees. The spark of anticipation for campus life that had just been ignited was, at this moment, cast into the abyss.

Tomorrow's sun would rise as usual, but for Sakura Airi, it seemed it would be the beginning of another nightmare filled with malice and voyeurism.