"Shizuku... is that... Energetic Girl Shizuku?!" Ichinose-san's voice held a hint of disbelief. "I, I think I've seen her online! Oh my god, Sakura-san, you're amazing!"
There were no strange looks, no curious probing, only the purest, most heartfelt astonishment and praise.
Sakura Airi was dazed by the sudden praise, her cheeks instantly flushing red, burning from her earlobes all the way down to her neck. She waved her hands frantically, "N-no... not... that amazing..."
"This is already a remarkable achievement!" Ichinose exclaimed sincerely.
"But because of this," Natsukawa brought the conversation back to the cold reality, "she's been targeted by obsessive fans within the school."
He unlocked his terminal, pulled up the private message interface, and handed it to Ichinose.
"'Shizuku-chan'... 'I've been watching you'..." Ichinose-san softly read the words, her expression growing darker with each word.
"Then," Natsukawa pushed the stack of photos on the table, "this afternoon, these things appeared in her personal mailbox on the first floor of her dorm."
Ichinose's breath hitched. She carefully picked up the stack of photos, and after only looking at a few, her hands trembled slightly with anger.
"This is too much..." Ichinose's voice held a rare anger. "This is no longer harassment; this is clear intimidation and invasion!"
"Have you reported it to the Class teacher?"
"We reported it to Teacher Chashira when we saw the message, but she refused direct intervention from the school due to insufficient evidence."
"Sakura-san," she looked up, her gaze full of determination, "I'm sorry you had to go through something so terrible. Please, let me help with this. I will never allow such a person to be near us, threatening my... friend."
"Ichinose-san..." Sakura's eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up.
"I have a favor to ask," Natsukawa interjected at the right moment. "Until we find this person, Sakura-san's safety is paramount. As a guy, it's ultimately inconvenient for me to be with her all the time, and it also avoids provoking the stalker."
He looked at Ichinose, "For the next few days, could I ask you and Sakura-san to act together? For example, during lunch break and after school, you're both girls, so it's more convenient to return to the dorm together."
"Of course, no problem!" Ichinose agreed without hesitation. "That's exactly what I was planning to do!"
She turned to Sakura, confirming in the gentlest voice, "Sakura-san, would you be willing? Starting tomorrow, during lunch break and after school, I'll come to the Class D classroom to pick you up, and we'll walk together, okay?"
Sakura Airi looked at the dazzling girl before her, radiant as sunlight, then at the composed Natsukawa beside her. She knew this was the defense they were building for her. She nodded vigorously, tears finally falling, "...Thank you for your trouble."
"So," Natsukawa concluded, "Sakura-san's safety is temporarily in your hands. On my end, I will try to find more clues by tracing the network footprint of this blog account."
With the matter settled, the atmosphere in the cafe relaxed.
Ichinose seemed to remember something and tried to lighten the mood, "Speaking of which... I just snuck out of Class B's karaoke event. Now that things are resolved, Natsukawa-kun, Sakura-san, how about... we go together to relax? Just to clear our heads?"
This was a kind invitation, hoping to use Class B's enthusiasm to alleviate Sakura's fear.
However, the word "karaoke" instantly made Sakura's recently relaxed body tense up again! Her face, which had just regained some color, turned pale again, and she instinctively clutched Natsukawa's sleeve.
Natsukawa immediately felt her rigidity. He subtly raised his hand, gently placed it on Sakura's hand clutching his clothes, patted it soothingly, and then looked up at Ichinose, a hint of apology on his face:
"Thank you very much for your invitation, Ichinose-san. However, I still have some matters to attend to, so we won't go and disturb your class's activity."
Ichinose saw Sakura's panicked expression and immediately realized—
"Ah! I-I'm sorry!" She clasped her hands together, her face full of apologies to Sakura, "I, I completely didn't consider your feelings! I'm sorry, Sakura-san, I was so thoughtless!"
"N-no... it's me..." Sakura hurriedly shook her head.
"Then, we'll head back to the dorm now." Natsukawa stood up, naturally picking up Sakura's bag for her.
"Okay! See you tomorrow, Sakura-san, Natsukawa-kun!"
Natsukawa left the cafe with Sakura. Ichinose Honami sat alone at the table, watching them leave, her smile slowly fading, replaced by deep thought and worry.
She didn't notice that outside the cafe window, behind the dense ornamental bushes, a figure had been standing silently for a long time.
That gaze, after staring at the direction Natsukawa and Sakura left for a while, turned back, penetrating the glass, like a stubborn, somewhat morbid beam of light, unmoving... focusing on Ichinose Honami's pensive, beautiful profile... The next morning, Sakura Airi, as agreed, completed her morning run under Natsukawa's guidance. Although fear still clung to her, with Natsukawa's steady pace and Ichinose's promise, a thin layer of armor formed in her heart.
As soon as lunch break arrived, Sakura Airi nervously sat in the Class D classroom, waiting. Soon, a light knock sounded at the door.
"Sakura-san, I've come to pick you up!"
Ichinose Honami stood at the door, a smile as bright as sunlight on her face. Her appearance immediately drew the attention of many Class D students. Many recognized her as Class B's leader, but she walked into Class D without any hesitation.
Sakura Airi immediately stood up, her body still somewhat stiff, but she knew that following Ichinose was her only choice at this moment.
"Th-thank you for your trouble, Ichinose-san."
"Don't be silly!" Ichinose affectionately took Sakura's wrist, and the warm touch slightly calmed Sakura's heartbeat.
The two walked together towards the student cafeteria. As they passed the corridor connecting the teaching building and the gymnasium, Ichinose's gaze suddenly sharpened.
"Sakura-san," Ichinose's voice lowered slightly, yet remained gentle, "we're going to do a little bit of 'counterattack' preparation now."
Sakura Airi looked at her nervously, not understanding what she meant.
"Last night, I already told a few reliable classmates in Class B about your situation," Ichinose explained. "They are spread out in several key locations on campus—like this path we're taking now, or Keyaki Shopping Center, the Library, etc. They'll help us keep an eye out for suspicious individuals."
"The first step we need to take now is to find where he took the photos from." Ichinose led Sakura towards a densely vegetated open space.
"Almost all the photos you received have a top-down perspective, a stable angle, and the exterior walls and windows of the teaching building often appear in the background. This means he's likely taking photos from a fixed high point near the teaching building."
Sakura Airi followed Ichinose's guidance, looking up at several windows of the nearby teaching building. Ichinose pointed to a window on the second floor, "Yesterday, my classmate went to inquire, and that's a vacant club activity room. He very likely hid there, taking photos through the gaps in the window."
Ichinose didn't approach rashly; she just led Sakura around the outside, trying to gather more information from Sakura's body reactions.
"Sakura-san, do you think... he was there?"
Sakura Airi's sensitive blue eyes were filled with terror. Her subconscious seemed to be screaming; her fear of being watched peaked when approaching that vacant activity room. She subtly took a step back, instinctively wanting to hide behind Ichinose.
"I, I don't know... but, but this place makes me feel really bad..."
Ichinose immediately stopped, understanding her feelings. She didn't press further, simply leading Sakura away from there.
However, their "counterattack" actions—unavoidably alerted the "predator" lurking in the shadows.
Although their actions were covert, they ultimately had a purpose. For a highly vigilant stalker who viewed Sakura as his "property," any force attempting to intervene would be seen as an infringement upon his territory.
...
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