Operation Begins

Morning exercise concluded, and the morning sun filtered through the gaps in the leaves, dappling the playground. Ichinose Honami skillfully pulled a plastic bag containing chocolate pies from her school bag and unscrewed a bottle of mineral water. The stash, originally intended to last her the whole day, now naturally served as breakfast for herself, Wu Qiao, and Ayanokoji Kiyoha.

"Should I consider this a treat from you today, Wu Qiao?" Ichinose Honami asked with a smile as she tore open the packaging and handed over a chocolate pie.

"I suppose so." Wu Qiao took the pie and took a bite, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings with feigned casualness. "But I have some business to attend to later, so I'll be heading off first."

"Alright, take care on your way, Wu Qiao!" Ichinose Honami waved obediently. She wasn't particularly curious about what he had to do; after all, Wu Qiao always had his own plans and rhythm.

Watching Wu Qiao's back as he turned toward the school building, Ichinose Honami withdrew her gaze. She nibbled on the sweet chocolate pie, feeling perfectly content.

Meanwhile, in the entryway where students changed into indoor shoes, Wu Qiao took advantage of the lack of people and walked quickly to Sakura Airi's private locker.

He fumbled for a moment, reaching into a hidden gap above the locker to retrieve a miniature recording device he had planted earlier. Once he took this back to analyze, he would be able to fully grasp the stalker's movements and secure concrete evidence.

However, just as Wu Qiao tucked the device into his pocket and prepared to leave as if nothing had happened, a petite figure suddenly darted out from the corner.

The next second, a small, cool hand grabbed his sleeve.

The person's movement wasn't fast—it was even a bit clumsy—but in the quiet of the morning, it was entirely unexpected.

Wu Qiao stopped and turned his head, meeting a pair of bloodshot eyes filled with terror and pleading.

It was Sakura Airi.

She had clearly been waiting here for a long time; even her breathing was ragged.

"Wu... Wu-kun..." Sakura Airi's voice trembled violently, her eyes brimming with tears that seemed ready to spill over at any moment. She gripped the corner of Wu Qiao's jacket so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "Please... don't make a big deal out of this, okay? I... I'm really so scared..."

Wu Qiao looked at her pitiful appearance, his brow furrowing slightly. He knew exactly what Sakura Airi was afraid of.

Sakura Airi also knew that Wu Qiao was helping her deal with the disgusting person sending her harassment letters and stealing photos. But for a girl who had lived in the shadows for so long and suffered from extreme social anxiety, even the slightest involvement in the public eye or drawing the school's attention felt like an impending catastrophe.

"I don't want others to know about those photos... and I don't want my classmates to think I'm a burden..." Sakura Airi lowered her head, her voice fading to a whisper. "I know you're doing this to help me, but... if this blows up, I'm afraid I won't be able to handle the pressure..."

Wu Qiao stood still, letting her hold onto his sleeve. He looked down at the girl, who seemed as fragile as a glass doll that might shatter at a touch, and after a moment of silence, he sighed softly.

"I understand." Wu Qiao's voice was calm and low, carrying a reassuring strength. "I won't report this to the school through the standard channels, and I won't let anyone know your identity. I will resolve this in my own way."

Hearing this, Sakura Airi's tense body finally relaxed slightly. She looked up at Wu Qiao through tear-blurred eyes, nodding heavily as if she had just grabbed onto a lifeline.

In class, Wu Qiao's brain raced, quickly filtering through a viable plan.

However, the conditions for executing this plan were somewhat demanding; it required Ichinose Honami to help pull some strings through the student council.

The procedures were a bit troublesome, and to grease the wheels, he would have to spend some "private points." After all that effort, it still came down to money in the end.

Wu Qiao sighed helplessly to himself, but there was nothing he could do. Sakura Airi's personality was plagued by severe psychological issues; she was extremely socially anxious and far too timid.

If he forced her to face those tedious investigation procedures directly, this frightened little rabbit would likely collapse on the spot.

To protect her fragile nerves, he had no choice but to play the mastermind behind the scenes.

As the final bell of the last period rang, the classroom erupted into the noisy sound of students packing their bags.

Wu Qiao didn't organize his books at his usual leisurely pace. Instead, he quickly tore off a sticky note, scribbled a line on it, and took advantage of the blind spot created by the moving crowd to slip it into Wang Meiyu's hand before hurrying out of the classroom without looking back.

Wang Meiyu paused, looking at the crumpled note in her hand with a raised eyebrow. She walked to the corner by the window and opened it to find a line written in Chinese:

[Please stop Sakura; make sure she doesn't go to the student council for the next hour.]

Wang Meiyu stared at the note, a flicker of confusion crossing her clear eyes. She had no idea what Wu Qiao was up to or why he would specifically ask for something that sounded so illogical.

But she stood up immediately, called out to Hasebe Haruka, who was just about to leave, and the two of them quickly followed Sakura Airi, who had just stepped out of the classroom.

Sure enough, Sakura Airi's path was very clear—she was heading straight toward the student council office. Her steps were short and hurried, but they carried a sense of desperation and panic; she was clearly intending to go to the student council.

"Hasebe!" Seeing this, Wang Meiyu immediately lowered her voice to call her companion. "Quick, go ahead and stop her."

Hasebe was completely bewildered, her face full of question marks. "Huh? Why? Meiyu, why are you acting so weird all of a sudden?"

"Don't ask, just do it!" Wang Meiyu pushed Hasebe forward without further explanation.

Though full of doubt, Hasebe obeyed, quickening her pace to round the corner of the hallway and grabbing Sakura Airi just as she was about to turn.

"Eh? Ha, Hasebe-san..." Sakura Airi was startled, shrinking back like a frightened bird.

"U-um, Sakura-san! I have a question I wanted to ask you, about photography..." Hasebe made up a random excuse, holding onto her wrist tightly and forcibly dragging her in the opposite direction.

Only after settling Sakura Airi down in the nearby lounge area did Hasebe let out a long sigh of relief. She turned to look at Wang Meiyu, who had run over panting, and put her hands on her hips, emphasizing with a serious expression: "You have to explain this to me later! What on earth is going on?"

Wang Meiyu patted her shoulder, a mysterious smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Don't worry, you'll probably find out in a little while."