Houtarou was a perceptive person.
From the moment he teleported and left the dormitory in the morning , he noticed someone following him. If it had happened just once, he might have dismissed it. But now, being tailed to the cafeteria after school, he knew this wasn't a coincidence.
Deciding to confront the person directly, he looked towards a pillar at the side of the cafeteria where he could vaguely make out a silhouette.
"Sakura-san." He called out, identifying the person.
Sakura-san. Full name: Airi Sakura. A first-year student in Class D.
She was the unfashionable girl that Haruki (Yamauchi) from Class D had been discussing yesterday when Houtarou went to sell information.
To describe her specifically: extremely well-endowed, introverted and shy, without close friends, standing out alone — not for any wrongdoing, yet still mocked by boys like Haruki. She seemed as innocent as a small pet.
However…
"Um, uh... Oreki-kun—" Airi's voice came from behind the pillar, and then Houtarou saw her figure start to run in his direction.
Oh. They're bouncing. It must be tough for her. If he were a pervert, he'd probably be thinking about wanting to support them.
He quickly shook his head. Houtarou wasn't good at interacting with girls, so he quietly waited for her to approach.
"Um— Oreki-kun—" However, Airi seemed even worse at interacting with the opposite sex than he was.
She appeared to want to say something, but her cheeks flushed red first. It reminded him of a cute little pet. Girls truly were fascinating creatures.
"Sakura-san." Houtarou felt he should speak up first.
Upon hearing her name, Airi's body nearly went rigid. She was visibly nervous.
"What do you think about stalkers?" He asked.
"Stalkers?" Airi took a moment to process his question, "You mean people who follow others against their will? I don't like them at all. I might even hate such people."
This response seemed to stem from personal experience, though likely not her own, as she showed no signs of panic.
Upon closer inspection, Houtarou noticed that despite her unfashionable attire, Airi's red glasses frames appeared to be decorative with flat lenses. In other words, she might actually be quite attractive.
This made sense. After all, she was from Class D, known for its beautiful girls — a fact he was already familiar with.
However, he wasn't trying to elicit any particular sentiment from her. Rather, he wondered if she realized that her behavior this morning and at noon closely resembled that of a stalker.
"..."
"Um — Actually, yesterday morning... thank you very much." Airi said, seemingly aware of the awkward silence, "This morning, Yamauchi and the others found out about the school rules, and they apologized to me."
Houtarou understood. She was referring to the Class D boys' ranking of cup sizes. She had been cornered at the door, feeling uncomfortable and angry, yet helpless.
His timely knock on the door had stopped Haruki from spreading more rumors. Although Houtarou had been selling information, it was undeniable that after Yōsuke and Kikyō learned about the school rules, they shared it with their classmates. Even the "Perv boy" had learned about the rules.
Moreover, they discovered that because of the boys' cup size ranking, the class might have lost over 50 Points in Class Scores. That morning, the girls were likely glaring angrily at the boys, as the deducted Class Points affected everyone's Points and living expenses.
Their fury was palpable. Consequently, even Haruki knew he couldn't hide anymore, and with Yōsuke's reminder, he had apologized to Airi.
This made she feel that Houtarou had helped her, prompting her to come and thank him personally. If that's the case, Airi seems to be a harmless, polite, and rather cute girl.
Yet Haruki had deliberately hurt such a girl. The boys in Class D… are indeed terrible.
Houtarou considered that if there were a chance to get these unpleasant types expelled, it might be a simple solution. After all, everyone's at school, and it's troublesome to have annoying people around constantly. However, he didn't believe these Class D students would stay quiet — they might cause even more trouble.
He pondered the situation.
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After learning why Airi had been following him, Houtarou parted ways with her. He knew if he stayed longer in the cafeteria, she might offer to treat him to a meal out of kindness.
He didn't need financial support, and their conversation had already drawn attention. Houtarou noticed his tall, long-legged classmate Masumi, with her purple hair and two hairpins on her bangs, staring at them.
Earlier, Masumi had helped Arisu get food. Arisu seemed unwell and had trouble moving, while Masumi excelled in physical activities — a complementary pair.
Houtarou had delegated the task of tutoring the purple-haired girl to Arisu, who proved adept at guiding her.
"..."
Despite this, Houtarou still had his own reasons for wanting to speak with Arisu.
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