Were You Hurt?

Kiryu Yume followed behind the shop owner at an unhurried pace, keeping a distance of roughly fifty meters at all times—close enough not to lose him, but far enough not to be noticed.

The shop owner walked quickly, his steps betraying an urgency he could not suppress. Every so often, he lowered his head to glance at his phone and confirm the location. His mind was entirely fixed on the target ahead; how could he have noticed the shadow trailing behind him?

As he rounded a corner of Keyaki Shopping Center, a pale pink figure suddenly emerged from a side path and nearly collided with him head-on.

"Ah, sorry—"

Ichinose Honami apologized first, but when she saw his face clearly, she froze. Her eyes widened slightly.

"Kiryu? What are you doing here?"

She carried a bulging bag of things she had just bought from the convenience store. She had been about to greet him with a smile, but she immediately caught the strange look on his face. His brows were faintly furrowed, his gaze locked tightly on somewhere ahead, and his whole body seemed taut as though strung on an invisible wire. Even the air around him felt colder.

She followed his gaze forward and saw only the retreating back of a man in a dark gray jacket walking away quickly.

"What happened? Is something wrong?!"

Kiryu Yume did not beat around the bush. "That man ahead is the repair shop owner. He planted a tracker in Sakura Airi's camera bag. I need to follow him, and I need someone to record the evidence."

The smile vanished from Ichinose Honami's face at once. Without the slightest hesitation, she shifted the shopping bag to her left hand and swiftly pulled out her phone with her right, turning on the recording function in one clean motion.

"I understand! Go after him! I'll follow behind and record everything. I'll make sure the evidence is crystal clear!"

Kiryu Yume nodded and said nothing more before turning to chase after him. Ichinose Honami stayed over twenty paces behind, holding her phone steadily at her side as she recorded. She watched the movement ahead while walking, and from a distance, she looked like someone casually replying to messages as she walked—completely inconspicuous.

By the time he locked onto the shop owner's back again, the man had already turned into the narrow alley behind the girls' dormitory. Kiryu Yume instantly picked up his pace. When he reached the entrance, he pressed himself sideways against the wall and quickly peered inside.

The shop owner stood halfway down the alley, no more than five or six meters from Sakura Airi. Sakura had her back pressed firmly against the wall, clutching her camera bag to her chest with both hands as a shield. Her shoulders were drawn tight as a fully stretched bow, as if they might snap at any moment.

Her face was white as paper, her lips pressed into a bloodless line. She stared fixedly at the man in front of her, like a small animal cornered with barely enough strength left to run. This was a dead-end alley behind the girls' dormitory. How dare he chase her here?

The shop owner did not rush closer. He stayed where he was and raised his hands in a falsely soothing gesture, his voice low and soft, sticky as syrup that would not dissolve.

"Don't be afraid. I really don't mean you any harm... I just like you so much. Ever since I first saw you, I..."

Before he could finish, a stone flew in from the side and struck his right cheekbone dead-on with a dull thud.

"Ah—!"

The shop owner staggered back a step, clutching his face. The rest of his words were knocked straight back down his throat. He abruptly turned toward where the stone had come from and saw Kiryu Yume standing at the alley entrance, idly tossing a second stone on his fingertips. His expression was calm, as though he had just thrown away a crumpled piece of paper.

"You meddlesome bastard again!"

The shop owner's face twisted instantly. He lowered the hand covering his face, revealing a large red mark across his cheekbone. The tenderness he had feigned was completely gone, leaving only the vicious glare of someone whose plans had been interrupted.

Kiryu Yume looked at him, genuine confusion in his voice.

"Does this school really have freaks this outrageous?"

Without another word, the shop owner gritted his teeth and charged at him, looking as though he intended to ram him straight to the ground. Kiryu Yume did not retreat even half a step. The instant the man reached him, he sidestepped, and as they passed each other, he lightly hooked his toe in front of the man's ankle.

Unable to stop himself, the shop owner pitched straight forward and crashed heavily onto the ground with a thud. His knees and palms scraped across the concrete at the same time, making a harsh grinding sound.

Kiryu Yume straightened up and brushed the loose strands of hair from his forehead, his tone casual.

"Mr. Stalker Fan, you've seriously overestimated yourself."

The shop owner braced himself against the ground and struggled to rise. A large patch of fabric at his knee had been torn away, and blood streaked his scraped palms. He glared at Kiryu Yume through bloodshot eyes, having only managed to prop up half his body.

The second stone arced through the air and struck his ankle with precise accuracy. This blow was much harder than the last; the dull impact against bone was even audible.

"Ah! My foot! My foot hurts so much...!"

The shop owner collapsed back onto the ground, both hands tightly gripping his struck ankle. His entire face crumpled from the pain, cold sweat instantly covering his forehead, and even his voice came out warped.

Kiryu Yume could not even be bothered to look back at him. He turned and walked straight toward Sakura Airi.

Sakura still leaned against the wall, trembling like a fallen leaf in the wind, without a trace of color in her face. Even her glasses had slipped crookedly to one side. The moment she saw him walking toward her, her unfocused eyes finally found focus. Her lips trembled as she tried to call his name, but no sound came out. He had come. He had really made it in time.

Kiryu Yume stopped in front of her, lowering his voice until it was soft and gentle.

"You weren't hurt, were you? Did you bump into anything?"

The instant those words fell, Sakura Airi's eyes turned red. The fear and grievance she had held back for days could no longer be contained. Large tears rolled down her cheeks as she lurched forward and buried herself in his arms.

She pressed her face deeply into the hollow of his shoulder. The emotions she had suppressed for so long finally burst through the dam, and she let out soft, choked sobs. Her shoulders shook, and her whole body trembled, like a small animal that had finally found shelter and could no longer hold on.

Kiryu Yume's body stiffened for less than half a second. Then he raised a hand and gently patted her back. He offered no unnecessary words of comfort, only patting her again and again, as if soothing the fur of a frightened kitten.

At that moment, a set of steady footsteps came from the alley entrance.

Horikita Manabu strode in with several student council members. Their dark blue student council jackets stood out sharply in the dusk, and his expression was cold as ice.

His gaze swept over the shop owner on the ground, crying out in pain as he clutched his ankle, then over the two embracing figures, before finally landing on Ichinose Honami, who stood not far away recording with her phone. Ichinose Honami did not stop recording and gave him a slight nod.

Kiryu Yume gently steadied Sakura Airi, then stepped forward and looked at Horikita Manabu.

"I thought the students here were strange enough already, and I treated it as some kind of special school policy. But even employees of outside partner businesses can casually harass female students? Isn't this school's management full of far too many holes?"

Horikita Manabu did not answer immediately. He glanced at the shop owner still wailing on the ground, then at Sakura Airi, who stood behind Kiryu Yume with her shoulders still trembling faintly. After several seconds of silence, he spoke, his tone as even as if announcing a predetermined conclusion.

"The school will handle this matter seriously and will not tolerate it. The school will provide Sakura Airi with appropriate compensation, and you will receive a corresponding reward as well."

Kiryu Yume did not respond to the mention of a reward. He lowered his eyes to look at the person behind him. Her emotions had settled considerably. Tears still clung to her lashes, sparkling, but at least she was no longer shaking. He reached out and gently took hold of her wrist, his movements so light as though afraid of breaking her.

"Come on. I'll take you back to the dorm."

Sakura Airi wiped the tear tracks from her face with the back of her hand, lowered her head, and obediently followed beside him as they walked step by step out of the dim, narrow alley.