Sakura's Trouble

As morning training concluded, a light breeze brushed past. Ichinose Honami wiped the fine beads of sweat from her temple, her gaze subconsciously sweeping toward Wu Qiao not far away. She keenly noticed that Ayanokoji Kiyoha's gaze, which usually clung to Wu Qiao like a shadow, had uncharacteristically shifted away today.

In the past, Ayanokoji Kiyoha's level of attention toward Wu Qiao had been incredibly high; Ichinose Honami was well aware of that subtle, hidden concern.

Yet now, as that gaze no longer focused on Wu Qiao, Ichinose Honami felt an inexplicable tightening in her back.

Why was the pressure suddenly on her? Could it be that her own lackluster physical performance had drawn some criticism from this inscrutable Ayanokoji?

Although a mere month of morning training hadn't allowed her athletic performance to make a leap, it was certainly much better than before. At the very least, after finishing the eight-hundred-meter run today, she was only slightly breathless instead of collapsing to the ground as she used to.

After resting briefly by the track and hastily finishing a bread-based breakfast, they grabbed their school bags and headed toward the first-year classroom building.

On the way, Ayanokoji Kiyoha seemed to intend to return to the dormitory to retrieve something; after a brief farewell to the two, she turned and left.

The morning campus was very quiet, with few pedestrians on the path to the classroom building. Just as the two were about to reach the entrance, a fiery red, furtive figure caught their eyes.

It was Sakura Airi. She seemed to wish she could shrink into a crack in the ground, head lowered as she hurried ahead, slipping into the area for changing into indoor shoes.

It was still very early, and there were almost no other students around. Wu Qiao and Ichinose Honami exchanged a glance before following her into the entrance hall, each heading toward their own shoe locker.

However, the moment Wu Qiao bent down to change his shoes, his gaze inadvertently swept over Sakura Airi not far away. She was standing with her back to the aisle, her shoulders trembling slightly as she hurriedly organized her bag, her movements frantic and uncharacteristic.

Wu Qiao frowned slightly, keenly sensing that something was wrong. The moment his gaze landed on her, she spun around like a startled deer, and their eyes met unexpectedly in the air.

Sakura Airi's face was pale, her eyes filled with obvious panic and fear. The instant their gazes collided, she almost instinctively shoved her bag tightly behind her back and stammered a greeting: "Wu, Wu-san... Good, good morning!"

Without waiting for a response, she didn't dare linger, not even bothering to change into her indoor shoes; she fled the scene in a disheveled panic, still wearing her outdoor shoes while clutching her bag.

Wu Qiao stood where he was, watching her panicked retreating figure, his brow furrowing even deeper.

In that split second, he had clearly caught a glimpse of a glaring corner of pink stationery and the edges of several photographs through a gap in Sakura Airi's bag.

Connecting this to Sakura Airi's hesitant, tongue-tied demeanor, a certain speculation began to form in Wu Qiao's mind.

Sakura Airi stepped into the classroom long after Wu Qiao. She kept her head down, slipping back to her seat like a startled rabbit, not daring to look at Wu Qiao even once.

Wu Qiao didn't initiate any conversation either, simply sitting quietly at his desk and flipping through a book, as if the scene from that morning had never happened.

It wasn't until the morning break that Wu Qiao closed his book and stood up to head into the corridor.

Not long after, he caught sight of Karuizawa Kei in the bustling crowd and naturally stepped forward to ask, "Kei, do you know anything about Sakura lately?"

Karuizawa Kei was stunned, clearly not expecting Wu Qiao to suddenly ask about her, and blinked in confusion. "Sakura? Why are you suddenly asking about her?"

Although she asked, Karuizawa Kei's mind was already racing. She quickly accessed the information in her consciousness—those system messages that only she could see.

Most of the intelligence consisted of dry, daily trivialities, such as who ate what in the cafeteria or gossip about various classes.

However, among this complex stream of information, there was indeed a record regarding Sakura Airi that caught her attention.

The confusion in Karuizawa Kei's eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by a look of realization. She leaned closer to Wu Qiao and lowered her voice. "Sakura-san... it seems she hurriedly hid something this morning and looked very scared. Although I don't know exactly what it was, that state of terror definitely didn't look like a simple prank."

Wu Qiao listened quietly without asking about the source of her information. He knew well that Karuizawa Kei had her own unique and secret channels; since she said so, the credibility of the matter was extremely high.

He nodded and said in a calm tone, "I see. Thank you."

Karuizawa Kei watched Wu Qiao's thoughtful expression and asked curiously, "Wu-kun, did something happen? Do you need me to help you find out more details?"

"Not for now." Wu Qiao shook his head, his gaze shifting toward the classroom. "Some things are better confirmed by myself."

With that, Wu Qiao turned and walked toward the classroom. Karuizawa Kei stood where she was, watching his back, her brow slightly furrowed. She could feel that Wu Qiao was getting involved in some troublesome matter, and this matter was likely related to Sakura Airi, who always hid in the corners.

Wu Qiao already had a rough guess about Sakura Airi's trouble.

After all, for a wallflower like Sakura Airi who usually tried her best to minimize her presence, the only thing that could make her show such a terrified expression was that—she was being harassed by a stalker fan.

However, now was not the time to confront it directly. If he acted rashly, he would not only alert the enemy but might also cause the pervert hiding in the shadows to take more extreme actions.

Therefore, he needed to investigate a little; he had to figure out the situation without alerting the other party.

Thinking of this, Wu Qiao realized he couldn't be in two places at once and urgently needed someone to help keep an eye on Sakura Airi.

Returning to the classroom, Wu Qiao walked straight to his seat. He glanced at Wang Meiyu, who was idly spinning her pen next to him, naturally pulled out his chair to sit down, and then lowered his voice to begin an encrypted conversation in fluent Chinese: "Wang-san, I need your help with something."

Hearing her native language, Wang Meiyu perked up, turning her head to look at him curiously. "What is it? You're suddenly so serious."

Wu Qiao spoke in a volume only the two of them could hear: "Sakura might be in a bit of trouble; it looks like she's being targeted by a pervert. I need you to help me keep an eye on her movements and see if there's anyone suspicious hanging around."

Upon hearing this, the expression on Wang Meiyu's face became serious. Although she usually seemed to have nothing to do, she never slacked off when it came to important matters. She nodded and responded in Chinese, "Understood, leave it to me. I'll keep an eye out."

Wu Qiao thought for a moment and felt that relying on Wang Meiyu alone might be difficult, as Sakura Airi always liked to duck into secluded corners. He added, "If you can't handle it alone, you can ask Hasebe for help. She's Sakura's friend and should be willing to help keep watch."

"OK, leave it to us." Wang Meiyu made an "okay" gesture.

After arranging everything, Wu Qiao leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping casually across the corner of the classroom. Sakura Airi was huddled there, seemingly still shaken by the morning's events.

Wu Qiao sighed silently in his heart. Since he had stumbled upon this, he wouldn't let such a disgusting matter continue to fester.