Chapter 158: Practical Teaching
With Saya on his left and Hinata on his right, the three walked intimately side-by-side, eliciting waves of heartbreak from many male students.
"He was with Shinomiya just yesterday, and today it's the Sakuramiya sisters...?"
"Damn it! Why have even the Sakuramiya sisters from the archery club fallen!"
"I don't believe it—this must be fake! Right, they're probably just ordinary friends. Look, they're not even holding hands."
Well, Haruto indeed wasn't holding hands with the Sakuramiya sisters. Holding both would not only be awkward but also highly inconvenient.
Though they weren't holding hands or linking arms, both sisters pressed closely against Haruto.
This level of intimate proximity left only a few self-deceiving male students stubbornly refusing to think of it in romantic terms.
...
Not long after leaving the school gates, Haruto chatted with the Sakuramiya sisters to deepen their bond while heading toward the bus stop.
As they neared the bus station, Haruto frowned and gradually slowed his pace.
"Saya, Hinata, let's walk a bit longer. It seems someone has been following us."
He whispered to the Sakuramiya sisters, "Follow me, don't act suspicious."
The Sakuramiya sisters froze for a moment before instinctively clutching Haruto's sleeves. However, they quickly regained their composure upon hearing Haruto's instruction.
Years of practicing kyudo had not only made their delicate figures more agile and toned but also cultivated a mindset capable of calming down rapidly.
To shoot arrows accurately, besides keen eyesight, a tranquil state of mind was equally crucial.
"Is it a stalker?"
Saya whispered back, using their intimate gesture as cover, "Lately, I've occasionally felt like someone was following us. I thought it was just my imagination..."
"Really? I never noticed..."
Hinata furrowed her delicate brows and muttered under her breath, "But we always go home together every day. Could it be the stalker only targets Saya?"
Saya shot her a glare, "If you could behave properly on the road instead of constantly trying to take advantage of me, you'd notice it too."
Between the two sisters, Saya was the dominant one in bed, but in daily life, it was usually the lively Hinata who stirred up trouble and often provoked her.
While the sisters were bickering, Haruto had quietly cast a detection spell and identified the person who had been tailing them.
"Found them. Let's go catch the stalker."
Haruto stopped walking and decisively turned around to head back. The stalker, realizing the situation had turned against them, tried to flee but it was too late.
The stalker's concealment skills were indeed impressive, but their physical fitness left much to be desired.
Haruto only needed to slightly increase his speed to easily catch up with the stalker.
Grabbing the stalker by the collar, he pinned them against the wall.
The stalker was a short-statured boy wearing a pitch-black uniform, with bangs completely covering his eyes, giving off an extremely gloomy vibe.
A camera hung from his neck. Even after being subdued by Haruto, he didn't cry for help but kept kicking, trying to break free.
Looking at the stalker's appearance, Haruto recalled a psychopath from his memories. Though not entirely certain, their similarity exceeded ninety percent.
Even though Kuoh Academy had just transitioned from an all-girls school to a coeducational institution with very few male students, were bullies and troublemakers still destined to seek out their original 'prey' through the convergence of worldlines...
Haruto's eyes turned solemn as he pondered silently.
The Sakuramiya sisters caught up and looked at the boy still struggling in Haruto's grip with disgust. "Haruto, is this the one?"
"Yes, no mistake about it. Check his camera - it should be full of photos of you two."
"Wow, not just stalking but also secretly taking pictures? How disgusting..."
Hinata crossed her arms, goosebumps nearly rising on her skin. "Saya, you check it. I don't want to get close to this gloomy-looking creep."
Saya glared at her exasperatedly. You don't want to get close, but I do?!
But as the older sister, she had no choice but to endure her disgust and step forward to take the camera that Haruto had forcibly removed.
While Saya was going through the photos, Hinata also leaned in to look. Both sisters' faces gradually darkened.
Haruto glimpsed the camera's contents from the corner of his eye and felt relieved he had acted early. Given more time, the stalker might have actually managed to secretly photograph the sisters' intimate moments.
The camera was filled entirely with intimate photos of the Sakuramiya sisters—not just from their walks home after school, but also from their morning commutes, and even during competitions.
Though the sisters were exceptionally close, their actions had not yet crossed any explicit boundaries. Even if others grew suspicious, they could still brush it off as merely having a strong bond.
But if things continued and they were photographed kissing or engaging in more intimate acts, there would be no explaining it away.
After viewing the photos, the Sakuramiya sisters felt a chill of fear. Fortunately, they hadn't yet sought out thrills in public, reserving their more daring behavior for the privacy of their home…
"Haruto, what should we do?"
Saya deleted all the photos and handed the camera back to Haruto. "Should we call the police?"
With his actions exposed, the stalker stopped struggling and simply stared silently at Haruto.
His gloomy eyes were filled with hatred and jealousy, but when his gaze flickered toward the Sakuramiya sisters, a hint of envy surfaced despite himself.
"Setting aside the fact that you've already destroyed the evidence…"
Haruto tossed the stalker to the ground and casually juggled the camera in his right hand, sighing helplessly. "Judging by his appearance, he's probably a student from another school. Reporting him to the police would at most result in a verbal warning—it wouldn't achieve anything meaningful."
"So we're just going to let him go?" Hinata fumed. "What if he keeps stalking and secretly photographing us?"
Haruto smiled faintly. He had many ways to deal with the stalker—the simplest being utter annihilation.
Whether mentally or physically, a single spell from him would suffice.
But remembering the incident at Aiho Academy, Haruto decided to be more cautious. He couldn't always be there in time. The real solution lay in strengthening the sisters' own abilities and their awareness of potential threats.
"Don't rush. Before deciding how to handle this, let's ask him why he's been stalking and photographing you."
Whether or not this was the same psychopath from his memories, since the stalker had delivered himself to their doorstep, Haruto would use him as a teaching tool—a hands-on lesson for the Sakuramiya sisters.
Hinata shot a disdainful look at the short boy sitting on the ground. "What else could it be? Isn't it just because he likes us and has those disgusting, perverted thoughts?"
Given her and Saya's figures and looks, such thoughts were to be expected. Haruto didn't argue.
"Not necessarily. He might have something even more sinister in mind…"
He smiled mysteriously, narrowing his eyes as he looked down at the stalker. "Like gathering evidence to blackmail and manipulate you, isn't that right, Mr. Stalker?"
His intentions laid bare, the short boy trembled and averted his gaze, unable to meet Haruto's eyes.
"Eww… how revolting…"
Hinata hid behind Haruto, feeling nauseated just imagining such a scenario.
"I'd never give in to blackmail. So what if he has some scandalous photos? I'd rather go down fighting than submit."
"You might not, but what if he used intimate photos of you and Saya to threaten you with Saya's reputation?"
Haruto's voice was low, his expression unreadable.
Hinata opened her mouth to retort, but when she saw Saya's graceful figure standing there, the words died in her throat.
To protect her sister Saya, she probably would…
Seeing that Hinata now understood the gravity of the situation, Haruto turned to Saya. "Saya, if it ever came to that—to protect Hinata's reputation—what would you do?"
"I…"
Saya lowered her head and murmured, "I'd probably agree to their demands too."
Not only would you agree, but when Hinata becomes furious enough to consider mutual destruction, you'd stop her—and then both of you would fall completely into the abyss.
Haruto buried this thought deep in his heart and instead said, "It's precisely this kind of attitude that emboldens such people. You're the victims here—why should you be afraid of them? Even if your relationship isn't 'pure,' it doesn't affect anyone else. Homosexuality is legal in some countries, and those who discriminate against it would face online backlash."
"But..."
Saya knew everything Haruto said was right, but sometimes knowing something doesn't mean you can act on it.
Haruto also understood he couldn't change their mindset overnight. Softening his tone, he said, "I know what you want to say. Although it's unlikely, if you ever encounter such a situation, come to me immediately. Don't compromise on your own."
"Okay."
Hinata nodded vigorously, feeling as if a heavy weight had finally been lifted from her chest.