Under the fading twilight, the remnants of dusk slowly receded as the streetlights suddenly flickered on.

Airi Sakura, who had been on her way back to the dormitory, paused in her steps.

The drifting dusk spilled from the clouds above, while the rooftop of a nearby building faintly shimmered with the last traces of the sunset.

At the same time, the streetlights stretched across the road, casting long shadows that fell right in front of her.

Airi Sakura looked at the students ahead.

Even though there were people around, even though she knew nothing unexpected would happen on the road, an overwhelming unease gripped her heart, making it beat uncomfortably fast.

From her perspective, she could see several figures following her, and she could occasionally hear their voices.

"Seriously, the girls in our class have such huge oppai! Even someone like Horikita is a hidden gem!"

"Hasebe is definitely number one—I really wanna squeeze them!"

"Kushida-chan is the best, but damn, it's so unfair that she ended up with those guy from Class A!"

"Look at you guys, so pathetic. Me? I've actually touched oppai before!"

"Whoa, seriously!?"

"Don't lie, Haruki. You can fool your bros, but don't fool yourself!"

Faced with the boys' pressing questions, Haruki Yamauchi pretended to clear his throat before gesturing towards Airi Sakura ahead and whispering.

"See Sakura? Remember when she confessed to me? She even tried to keep me with her oppai! I played around a bit before turning her down."

"R-really!?" Ike Kanji stared at his friend in shock, never expecting him to have nearly ascended to the ranks of adulthood.

However, none of them noticed Airi bowing her head lower and lower, her steps quickening.

"Of course it's true! Sakura's oppai are big and white—absolutely amazing. But you guys gotta keep it a secret. I don't want people knowing some country girl confessed to me."

As he spoke, Yamauchi raised his voice a few notches, basking in the envious gazes around him.

Airi wanted to stop, walk up to him and slap him hard across the face.

When had she ever confessed to him?

Even if she were to confess, how could she ever do something so vulgar?

But this thought remained trapped in her mind.

In reality, she couldn't muster the courage to actually slap him.Not only did she not dare to confront them, but she also had to pretend not to hear, because these boys weren't the type to shy away from openly discussing girls' bodies.

For instance, they had once openly bet on the sizes of girls' breasts right in the classroom, even going so far as to create a mock odds table as if it were some grand event.

In short, Airi found it utterly disgusting and genuinely despised these people.

Especially this Haruki Yamauchi—his appearance was far from handsome, and his mouth was always full of talk about breasts and butts.

How could anyone ever confess to someone like him?

Airi didn't want to listen anymore.

Her footsteps quickened, and she could feel their gazes prickling her back like needles, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine.

"But, now that I think about it, Sakura is actually kinda cute," Haruki Yamauchi continued from behind, making no effort to hide his words, as if deliberately ensuring she heard them.

"I'm so jealous, Haruki! You're about to escape single life, huh?"

"Ah, I used to really like Kikyo-chan, but now I think Sakura's pretty nice. Sure, she's a bit plain, but she's cute, and her chest is huge."

"She's right there, Haruki. Why don't you go tell her?"

"There's too many of you guys—you'll just scare her…"

Before Haruki could finish, a voice suddenly cut in from behind.

"Hey, Sakura-san!"

A figure swiftly walked past them, effortlessly catching up to Airi Sakura ahead.

Startled, Airi instinctively turned her head and was met with Kaoru's warm smile.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she immediately froze, flustered and unsure of what to do.

"Perfect timing running into you like this. Come with me—there's something I need your help with."

With that, Kaoru suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her along as he broke into a run.

"W-Wait—?!" Airi was completely bewildered, letting herself be dragged along by Kaoru.

Kaoru glanced back at Haruki Yamauchi, whose face had turned pale with anger, yet he didn't dare raise his voice.

But he made no move to follow them.

After a while, Kaoru gradually slowed to a stop and turned to the girl beside him and began advising her.

"Next time something like that happens, either slap them or run faster."

Having been abruptly pulled into a sprint, Airi—who was never good at sports—felt dizzy, her face flushed red as she gasped for breath, her schoolbag nearly slipping from her grip.

She had already changed into her uniform, so her gym clothes must have been stuffed inside her bag.

"I-I understand… I'm sorry…" Airi panted, pressing a hand to her chest as if trying to calm her racing heart.

"I'm the one who should apologize. I still haven't found the person harassing you," Kaoru said, not looking away.

There were too many desires clinging to her.

"N-No, Mitoma-kun isn't at fault at all! I was the one who accidentally provoked him, and you've helped me before, always comforting me… and now you've helped me again…" Airi fumbled over her words, her face growing redder with each sentence until her voice trailed off into a whisper.

The girl's blush made the atmosphere awkward, and Kaoru seemed to deliberately shift the topic as he asked.

"Do you usually spend time alone?"

"Yes, but I'm used to it," Airi replied timidly, lifting her gaze to meet his.

"Is that… weird?"

"I'm just worried about your safety. There might be stalking incidents in the future—some people can get terrifying when they're obsessed." Kaoru said impassively.

Perhaps unused to being cared for, Airi Sakura blushed slightly and murmured,.

"I'll be careful. Besides, I rarely go out, and when I do, it's usually just for photography."

Kaoru recalled her camera—aside from selfies, she also took pictures of the school scenery.

"Aren't photos of the school supposed to be kept confidential?"

"Eh, is that so?"

"According to regulations, no information about this school is allowed to be leaked. Didn't the staff mention that when you bought the camera?"

"O-oh, I think they did. But they said it was fine as long as I didn't post them on social media."

Airi Sakura glanced at him nervously.

After all, this man was a student council vice president—he might just report her for disciplinary action.

"Don't worry, I'm just letting you know." Kaoru smiled. "I've seen your tweets—they're mostly selfies with no school details, so it's fine in principle."

Airi let out a relieved sigh, then flushed again.

She knew her selfies were completely different from her usual appearance, and the thought of someone discovering this secret made her feel exposed.

How embarrassing.

Even though she knew she wasn't showing anything inappropriate, it still felt unbearably embarrassing.

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