To be honest, she didn't think she looked particularly beautiful.
She was just a bit fairer than others. And Sasaki had mentioned that she fit his aesthetic.
Maybe he only found her pretty because she happened to match his personal taste…
It was like… that phrase from the literature book… "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"…
Teenage girls are easily infatuated.
Not just in their class, but throughout the entire school, Sasaki's face was undeniably the most attractive.
Being told by someone like him, "You're very pretty, just my type," was bound to stir different thoughts in a self-conscious girl like her.
But it was just a thought…
Not letting herself get lost in her thoughts for too long, Yoshida Saki pressed her lips together and softly acknowledged his compliment before handing the phone back to him.
But Sasaki didn't take it.
Instead, he turned around and went to the vending machine behind them, buying two bottles of his usual iced tea.
Turning back, he handed one bottle to her, "Take this as a token of my thanks.
Now that we're friends, it's not too much to exchange LINE contacts, is it?"
Being asked for her contact information by a boy for the first time, especially by one she already had feelings for, naturally made Yoshida Saki very happy.
She accepted the bottle of tea from Sasaki and added him as a friend on LINE.
But before she could fully enjoy the moment, he said:
"Yoshida, you're very pretty, but remember not to change too much all at once because of what I said."
Upon hearing Sasaki's compliment, she had indeed thought about going home and asking her mom for a glamorous makeover.
She wanted to surprise Sasaki, to make him take notice of her.
Maybe… just maybe, he would like her…
But now, hearing his words advising her not to change too much, she was a bit puzzled.
"Huh? W-why?"
Even a duckling must undergo a process of shedding its feathers before it can transform into a swan.
This process is crucial.
Having a beautiful appearance without the confidence and self-awareness to match it can easily lead to getting lost in others' praise.
The idea of forcing something to grow faster than it should—whether it's in a relationship or anything else—does more harm than good.
Of course, Sasaki needed to remind her of this.
But he couldn't say it so bluntly, so, he had to find a different way to convey his thoughts.
Putting away his phone, he unscrewed the cap of his tea bottle, took a sip, and with a playful wink, said to her: "If Yoshida-san suddenly becomes so pretty, there'll definitely be a lot of people around you," Sasaki said, his voice taking on a slightly wistful tone as he continued,
"Then, it's possible you might stop paying attention to me as a friend... I really wouldn't want Yoshida-san to change so much."
"That won't happen, it won't!" Yoshida Saki suddenly realized that Sasaki, having just recently started at the school, was just as isolated as she was.
Although his situation was slightly better as Tsukimi-san and Yasui-san talked to him, and Haruno-kun often hung out with him, it wasn't by much.
Tsukimi-san and Yasui-san only engaged in light conversation with him; they didn't seem very close.
It was only Haruno-kun who seemed to have a good relationship with him.
So, it made sense that Sasaki, having made a rare friend in her, would fear losing that connection.
Fear of losing... such an unfamiliar concept.
Someone was actually worried about losing her...
Her affection for him grew even stronger.
Yoshida Saki wanted to reach out and take his hand, to reassure him that he would be her most important and cherished friend.
But her inner timidity and low self-esteem held her back.
Although she couldn't offer him physical reassurance, she made a rare and firm promise to Sasaki with an unusually resolute voice:
"I'll do as Sasaki-kun says."
The latter scratched his head, looking a bit awkward and embarrassed by his request:
"Sorry... I hope I'm not being too selfish…"
This was his way of showing he didn't want to lose her.
How could that be selfish?
If anything, she wished Sasaki would be even more selfish with her.
With that thought in mind, Yoshida Saki gently shook her head, indicating that she didn't mind at all.
But it was that small shake of her head that made Sasaki notice a faint red mark on the side of her neck.
Pointing lightly at his own neck, he tilted his head and asked:
"Yoshida-san, did something happen to your neck here?"
Hearing this, Yoshida Saki quickly raised her hand to cover her neck, lowering her head slightly as she forced a small smile:
"Uh, um... I accidentally bumped into something during club activities."
Bumped into something... It didn't really look like that. It seemed more like... a scratch from fingernails...
With the red mark now hidden by her hand, Sasaki couldn't see it anymore.
Even though he knew she would likely choose to hide the truth to avoid causing trouble for him, he still had to ask:
"Are you sure? It wasn't from someone bullying you, was it?"
The directness of his question caught Yoshida Saki off guard.
She suddenly clutched the side of her skirt, her voice trembling so slightly it was almost imperceptible as she replied, "No, no, I'm just a nobody in class, who would even bother bullying me?"
"Don't worry about it, Sasaki-kun. I'm fine."
"Is that so…"
Sasaki glanced at her small hand clutching her skirt tightly, nodding thoughtfully.
.
.
.
After nodding, Sasaki fell silent, and Yoshida Saki didn't speak either as the sudden silence settled between them.
Just when she thought Sasaki might press the issue further—and she had resolved to keep quiet, not wanting to trouble him—the boy unexpectedly pulled out his phone, checked the time, and, as if he truly believed her, said, "If you ever run into trouble, you have to tell me, okay? We'll figure it out together."
"Okay."
Seeing that he seemed to truly believe her words, Yoshida Saki slowly released her tight grip on her skirt and nodded.
For the first time, she felt a pang of guilt for deceiving a friend, mixed with the joy of knowing that he trusted what she had said.
Having received her response, Sasaki put away his phone and, half-turning, waved at her:
"It's about time I head out. Let's hang out sometime."
Strictly speaking, his words weren't exactly an invitation or a promise, but Yoshida Saki still happily nodded in agreement.
"Eh!? Sure, okay."
She waved back, watching as Sasaki's figure disappeared into the school building.
Once inside, Sasaki circled back quietly, taking a secret photo of Yoshida as she left.
Click—
Looking at the photo on his phone, where only half of her face was visible, he didn't feel disappointed.
Even without a full view of her face, her distinctive appearance and attire made her stand out among the other students.
He knew there was no worry that Nogami and the others wouldn't recognize her.
He then sent the photo to Nogami, instructing him to have someone follow Yoshida when she left school and to keep an eye on her house until ten at night, ensuring they stayed alert to any activity inside.
After receiving Nogami's assurance, Sasaki transferred him 100,000 yen as a reward and encouragement for their efforts.
His intention in having Nogami and his team follow Yoshida home wasn't because he suspected that someone in her family was abusing her.
After all, this girl had hinted that the person bullying her was a classmate.
Sasaki's goal was simply to observe Yoshida's parents, wondering how they could be so unaware that their daughter was being bullied at school.
As for those bullying Yoshida... they were right in Sasaki's class.
He just needed to pay a bit more attention, and there was no way the bullies would dare to mistreat Yoshida in front of him.
With Yoshida's situation taken care of, Sasaki carried his half-empty bottle of iced tea and returned to the classroom.
The conversation between Sasaki and Yoshida had taken some time, so by the time he got back, only three boys remained in the classroom.
These three were likely the ones who wanted to "befriend" him.
Since they weren't familiar with each other, Sasaki had no intention of greeting them.
He placed his drink on his desk, rested his phone against the bottle, picked up the cloth he had left by the bucket, and began wiping down the last two windows.
Noticing that Sasaki didn't seem inclined to greet them, Morishita, who was mopping the floor, exchanged glances with the other two.
They began talking, not loudly but just enough for Sasaki to hear.
"This is Shinomiya's seat, right? Hey, do you think the rumor about her having a childhood friend as a lover is true?"
"Whether it's true or not doesn't matter to you.
Even if she didn't have a lover, do you think she'd pick you? Stop dreaming."
"Who said you could control my dreams?"
"I'm just warning you, man. She practices Aikido—she could twist you into a pretzel even in your dreams."
At this, Sasaki, who was cleaning the windows, couldn't help but think they had a point.
Being around Natsuha did have a certain "pretzel-twisting" vibe to it.
However, while he was agreeing with their statement, his movements slowed unconsciously, and the three boys, who had been keeping an eye on him, noticed and felt that the method of discussing girls was indeed a special attack on all boys.
So the three of them continued talking in a slightly louder voice.
"Speaking of which, although the girls in our class are good-looking, most of them are, well…"
"Shinomiya is the captain of the Aikido club and possibly has a boyfriend, Yasui seems to have a thing for Miwa, and Chifuyu-san and Iga-chan don't really like talking to guys. Only Sunohara seems like someone you could consider, but as for the others…"
"Compared to the girls in Class A next door, our class is a bit lacking."
Morishita's assessment didn't sit well with Uchida, who was more familiar with the neighboring class, so he countered:
"Next door? There aren't many normal ones there either."
"Take Hamazaki, for example.
She's gorgeous and has a great figure, no doubt about that, but I heard she's a fashion model.
Her school uniform is specially tailored, and the casual clothes she wears are all designer brands.
With all that in mind, can you really say she's not up to something shady outside of school?"
Morishita, who had only known that there were a lot of good-looking girls in the neighboring class without knowing the specifics, nodded in agreement with Uchida's explanation:
"Well, you've got a point.
At those photography companies, there are definitely plenty of handsome guys and wealthy old men."
"But when I say this, I don't mean I want to date her or anything.
Just having fun with her once would be enough."
"Having fun with her once?"
Uchida looked Morishita up and down, his plain and somewhat ordinary appearance, and scoffed:
"Keep dreaming.
No matter how wild Hamazaki might be, she's either with someone rich or someone good-looking. Which one of those do you qualify for?"
"Me? I…"
Their conversation wasn't really about discussing the girls.
The point was to get Sasaki involved and persuade him to take over their cleaning duties as a friend.
So, when Morishita heard Uchida's comment, he turned his gaze toward Sasaki, who was about to fetch some water:
"I might not cut it, but Sasaki-kun surely could, right?"
Hearing his name mentioned, Sasaki paused, lowering the water bucket and lifting his head.
"Me?"