Back in her dorm room, Kushida Kikyo lay motionless on her bed, feeling the warmth of the chicken soup lingering in her heart.
Why do I keep thinking about him? Could it be that I… no, it can't be…
There's no way I'd feel anything for someone as nasty as him! It's just that he's got something on me, so I have to help him. Yeah, that's it.
Forget it. Sleep. Tomorrow, I still have to check on Sakura's camera.
I Hope everything goes well!
---
After cleaning up the dishes Kushida had used, Kanda Shuichi was about to shut down his computer. But then, on a whim, he opened the surveillance footage and rewound to the part where he'd been feeding Kushida Kikyo.
Damn, what a cringey memory!
Delete, delete, delete! Right-click, delete!
Suddenly, a new image appeared on his desktop, labeled "feeding.jpg."
The next day, as usual, Kanda Shuichi arrived at the classroom early. He wanted to see how Kushida would act, so he kept an eye on her the moment he entered.
But since Sakura hadn't arrived yet, Kushida wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary.
Sakura was usually a quiet presence in the class, but she was never late. With just under ten minutes before class, she entered through the back door and quietly sat down in her seat, where she started fiddling with a camera.
It almost seemed like it was her hobby.
"Come on, show me your performance, Kushida. You can do it."
Noticing Sakura's arrival, Kushida quickly wrapped up her conversation with her friends and walked over to Sakura.
"Uh, Sakura?"
Whoa, Sakura actually made Kushida, who's usually super outgoing, look a bit nervous.
"Wh-what is it?"
Sakura, caught off guard by Kushida suddenly talking to her, looked tense, and her camera slipped from her hand onto the table.
"I wanted to ask you for some tips on photography. Is that okay?"
Kushida had a troubled look on her face.
"I've been trying to take photos around school to capture memories, but I can't seem to get the kind of shots I want."
"I noticed you seem like photography too, so could I take a look at your photos?"
Without waiting, she casually picked up the camera that Sakura had dropped on the table.
"No!"
The moment Kushida touched the camera, Sakura sprang up like a startled rabbit, which made Kushida jump. She lost her grip on the camera, and it flew straight toward Kanda Shuichi.
You've got to be kidding!
Luckily, Kanda Shuichi had been paying attention and quickly moved out of the way, or it would have smacked right into him. The camera, though, wasn't so fortunate and hit the ground hard with a loud, crisp sound.
"Ah!"
Sakura rushed over, looking like a panicked rabbit, picked up her camera, and started checking it.
"No way… It's not displaying anything…"
Standing close to her, Kanda Shuichi heard her mutter clearly.
This whole scene caught the attention of everyone nearby—Miyake, Horikita, Ayanokouji, and even other students around them all looked over.
Wow! That was impressive!
Well done, Kushida. You nailed it in one shot; you're practically a natural at this!
Kushida immediately put on a worried face and moved to Sakura's side.
"I'm so sorry, Sakura. It's all my fault for picking it up without asking."
Her tone, expression, and gaze were so genuine that it was hard to believe she was acting.
Kanda Shuichi felt outmatched; thinking back to the time he set up Totsuka Yahiko, his performance seemed amateurish compared to Kushida's right now.
She must have pulled off setups like this a lot.
"No, I overreacted."
At that moment, the bell rang, and both Sakura and Kushida had no choice but to return to their seats for class. The bell brought an end to the commotion, and after class, Kushida quickly approached Sakura again to apologize.
"I'm really, really sorry, Sakura. This is all my fault. I'll get you a new camera!"
Of course, she didn't plan to pay out of her own points. She had no idea how many points Kanda Shuichi had left, but causing him some trouble seemed like a perfect bonus.
"No, no need."
Even Sakura couldn't completely ignore Kushida when she was like this.
"But that's not right! If I hadn't picked it up myself, this wouldn't have happened."
"But, but…"
"Normally, when something breaks, shouldn't you try to get it repaired first? Why just assume it's a total loss?"
Seeing that things were getting a bit out of hand, Kanda Shuichi stood up and walked over.
Of course she wants to make you spend more points, dummy!
Kanda's appearance seemed to make Sakura even more nervous, like she wanted to shrink into her seat and disappear. Though his appearance seemed sudden, he wasn't a bystander—after all, that camera had almost hit him.
"Then, please allow me to cover the repair costs, Sakura."
And so, after several minutes of Kushida's persistent coaxing, Sakura, clearly unable to refuse any longer, timidly nodded.
"I… I understand…"
"So, can we set it for Saturday morning? I checked the weather—it's supposed to be nice with no rain."
"Y-yes, that's fine."
And just like that, Kushida Kikyo had Sakura Airi's plans sorted out, ensuring the camera would be out of use until the Friday hearing ended.
"Then, Kanda, why don't you come along with us?"
With Sakura's agreement, Kushida Kikyo visibly relaxed, looking much happier. She turned to invite Kanda Shuichi along.
"Why would I do such a bothersome thing? This doesn't involve me, does it? I'm not interested."
"No, no, no—if you had caught it in time, maybe the camera wouldn't have fallen and broken."
Kushida smiled as she narrowed her eyes, her tone playful. To an outsider, this probably looked like a friendly joke between close friends.
*Wham!*
"Ow~"
Kanda Shuichi gave Kushida a gentle karate chop on the head—just enough to make a point without actually hurting her. She responded with a pitiful look.
"Why'd you hit me?"
"No, this is your fault; it's your problem if you couldn't dodge my hand."
Watching Kanda Shuichi and Kushida's exchange, Sakura couldn't help but laugh. When Kanda Shuichi agreed to accompany them to get the camera repaired, Sakura felt a wave of relief.
"Alright then, it's settled. I'll contact you when it's time, Kanda."
After returning to his seat, Kanda Shuichi pulled out the textbook for the next class, but Horikita's voice came from behind him.
"You two sure seem close."
"Yeah, jealous?"
Kanda Shuichi turned and looked at the stoic girl.
"You really know how to joke."
"Alright then, here's no joke: Horikita-senpai asked me to join the student council again a few days ago."
The air suddenly felt colder; Kanda could feel the chill in the atmosphere.
"But I turned him down again. Although, he did give me his contact info and said I could reach out if I needed any help."
Horikita Suzune's hand gripped her book tightly, and her expression shifted, no longer as indifferent and unaffected as before.
Yes, exactly! I want to see that jealous look on your face—bring it on!
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