The next evening, Sakura Airi returned to her dorm. After showering, she habitually opened the private message interface of her blog's backend.
The moment her finger tapped, Sakura's body stiffened abruptly.
A new message, carrying a chillingly greasy sensation, lay coldly on the screen.
"Shizuku-chan, you haven't been very obedient these past few days, have you? There's someone around you who shouldn't be there. Do you think that by finding a few companions, you can find me? Hehe... naive."
"Uncle is very disappointed in you. I couldn't bear to break this secret between us, known only to the two of us, because what a wonderful pleasure it is to exclusively enjoy 'Shizuku-chan's' true face..."
"But if you continue to let those unclean eyes get close to you, close to my secret, I will have to make a painful decision."
"You know the consequences, Airi-chan. If your true identity,'Shizuku,' is exposed on this school's intranet and forums, what will the consequences be? Can your peaceful campus life be preserved?"
"Take care of yourself. My love is exclusive. Don't force me to destroy this secret."
Sakura Airi stared at the words on the screen, her mind instantly blank. The courage and reliance she had just built up were utterly destroyed at this moment.
He not only knew she had sought Ichinose-san's help but also knew they were investigating his 'territory.' He was more terrifying, and closer, than they had imagined.
He knew everything.
Fear surged like a tide, completely engulfing Sakura Airi. She trembled, her fingers unable to even hold her terminal. She knew this threat was not a joke. If her idol identity were exposed within the school, her life would completely collapse.
Her first reaction was to escape. She needed that voice that could give her a sense of security.
Sakura Airi didn't hesitate; she immediately dialed that number—Natsukawa Sosuke.
These last two sentences were fatal to Sakura. They directly struck Sakura's core weakness—the fear of being watched. Exposing her identity would not only affect her career but would also cause her to completely lose her protective camouflage of ordinariness in this enclosed school, making her the focus of everyone's attention.
The phone rang less than twice before it was answered.
"Hello, Sakura?" Natsukawa's voice was as steady as ever, without any panic or surprise, as if he had anticipated the call.
"Na-Natsukawa-kun!" Sakura Airi's voice was instantly torn by fear, thick with sobs. "He... he sent another message... he knows Ichinose-san is helping me... he-he said if I continue to investigate, he-he'll expose my... those photos and my... my story..."
Her breathing was erratic, every word accompanied by gasps, broken and intermittent.
"Don't rush, Sakura-san." Natsukawa's voice came clearly through the terminal, carrying a strength that could pull someone out of panic. "Take a deep breath. Where are you now?"
"In-in the dorm..."
"Good, listen to me." Natsukawa's tone softened but carried an undeniable sense of calm. "First, lock your door. Then, screenshot that private message interface and send it to me."
Sakura Airi followed his every command, mechanically locking the door, then with trembling fingers, she completed the screenshot and sent it to Natsukawa.
After about thirty seconds, Natsukawa's voice sounded again.
"I see it."
"Sakura-san, your and Ichinose-san's actions these past two days have been very effective." He first affirmed her efforts, giving her confidence.
"The purpose of him sending this letter is not to expose you, but to stop you from continuing the investigation." Natsukawa thoroughly analyzed the stalker's psychology. "His exclusive enjoyment of your fear and secrets satisfies him more than the brief uproar of exposing you. He needs you to continue to cower in the shadows, accepting his surveillance."
"This means our direction is correct. We have touched his territory. Your actions have made him feel a huge threat."
Sakura Airi sobbed on the other end of the phone, her rationality, which was on the verge of collapse from the intimidation, slowly reassembled under Natsukawa's guidance.
"But..." Sakura's voice trembled, "If I continue... he really will... post those photos... on the forum..."
The image already appeared in her mind: everyone looking at her with mocking and disgusted eyes, watching her unable to stand due to fear, watching her pathetic state trembling in a corner. That was more terrifying than any punishment.
Natsukawa didn't answer directly but instead asked a question, his tone gentle, yet full of guiding power.
"Sakura-san, we now face two choices."
"Choice one: You stop now, no longer investigate, and no longer let me or Ichinose-san intervene."
"The consequence is: He will then be convinced that as long as he threatens exposure, you will yield. Then, in the future, he will use more frequent and malicious methods to intimidate you, to gain the satisfaction he needs. He will control your life like a puppet on strings, making you live forever under his gaze."
"Choice two: We continue the investigation, risking his exposure, to drag this lurking individual out of the shadows."
"The consequence is: Your life may become very difficult for a period of time. You will experience what you fear most—being watched by many people, enduring others' strange looks. But once he is dragged out, you will completely escape the threat of being targeted, and from then on, gain true freedom."
Natsukawa's voice was very slow, every word echoing in Sakura's mind.
"I won't make the decision for you, Sakura-san." He returned the ultimate power to her, his tone full of respect. "Because this is not a price I have to pay; it's yours. So, you need to think it through yourself."
"Are you willing to let him control your future forever, or are you willing to endure temporary pain to gain your true freedom?"
On the other end of the phone, a long silence fell.
Sakura Airi tightly hugged her terminal, burying her head in her knees. Her heart was a violent storm. She longed to hide, to return to that unknown corner. But Natsukawa's words, like a thorn in her heart, made it impossible for her to escape anymore.
—To live forever under his gaze.
—Endure temporary pain for true freedom.
The humiliation of constant surveillance, the powerlessness of being controlled, finally overcame her fear of losing her daily life due to exposure. She couldn't let that person use her weakness to enslave her forever. She had already taken the first step to change herself; she couldn't go back.
Sakura Airi suddenly lifted her head, and a flicker of firm resolve shone in her swollen red eyes.
"Natsukawa-kun..." Her voice still had a nasal tone, but it no longer trembled, her words clear and slow.
"I..."
...
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