Sakura Airi stared at the private message that had appeared out of nowhere, actively revealing its location, and her brain briefly froze.
Is this... what Natsukawa-kun was talking about?
"No matter what you see, don't reply, and don't call me."
Natsukawa's instructions echoed in her ears, forcing her to suppress the surprise and doubt in her heart. She knew this had to be part of Natsukawa's plan. That bullet seemed to have precisely reached its destination.
She took a deep breath and, following Natsukawa's next instruction, forwarded the chat screenshot, which contained the latest threat and location, directly to Ichinose Honami.
「Honami, this is the latest situation... Natsukawa-kun asked me to send it to you, saying it can serve as the most direct evidence for you to formally appeal to the school through the Student Council.」
Not long after the message was sent, Ichinose's call came through directly, her tone filled with barely suppressed anger and determination.
"This is too much! This person is absolutely lawless!" Ichinose's voice rose slightly in anger. "Not only threats, but now they even dare to specify a meeting place! Sakura-san, don't worry, I understand! With such clear evidence, the Student Council President will definitely not stand by! I will report this immediately and make sure the school intervenes!"
After hanging up, Sakura Airi hugged her personal terminal and curled up on the bed. Although a lingering fear of the unknown remained in her heart, her absolute trust in Natsukawa had become a solid barrier, blocking out the most turbulent panic.
She just had to wait... The next day, at the electronics store in Keyaki Shopping Center.
The leering store clerk was leaning behind the counter, idly wiping a digital camera with a cloth.
He was in a good mood, even joyful.
In the past few days, Sakura Airi, that "country bumpkin," had behaved to his great satisfaction. Ever since he sent that threatening letter, the annoying flies around her had indeed disappeared. She had reverted to being his "Shizuku-chan," who only dared to walk with her head down, allowing him to admire her, belonging only to him.
This feeling of complete control over someone captivated him. He had even begun to imagine what expression and words he would use to convey his pure, fervent love when Sakura Airi obediently arrived at the rooftop that afternoon.
He habitually pulled out his phone, a greasy smile on his face, and skillfully opened the blog app. He first scrolled through Shizuku-chan's updates as usual, then entered the private message interface with Shizuku-chan. He wanted to savor his "date invitation" from yesterday again, to feel the undeniable love subtly conveyed in his words.
However, when he scrolled the screen and saw the content at the very bottom of the chat history, the smile on his face instantly froze.
「Dear Shizuku-chan, listen to Uncle, remember to be on time tomorrow at 4 PM. The meeting place has been changed to the electronics store where I work. If you don't come, I'll spread Shizuku-chan's true identity and the photos I took before.」
「Your high school life will surely be very exciting then, and the expression on your face at that time will certainly be very pleasing!」
"...?"
For a moment, he thought he had misread it.
He blinked hard, then leaned closer to the screen and read it carefully again.
That's right.
Those two messages lay there clearly, mockingly. The sender was himself, and the tone was perfectly mimicked.
But... he could swear he had never sent these two messages!
A chill, like an electric current, shot from his tailbone straight to the top of his head, making all the hairs on his body stand on end. Cold sweat instantly drenched his back.
What's going on?
What exactly is happening?!
There's no way he would be so foolish as to expose his own lair! Arranging a meeting at the electronics store where he worked? Isn't that digging his own grave?!
Was his account hacked? But who would bother hacking his account?
His mind was in chaos, countless conjectures and possibilities warring in his head, but each one sent shivers down his spine. The mere existence of this message revealed an unacceptable truth—his self-proclaimed control, his sense of superiority hidden in the shadows, had been easily exposed by someone, somewhere he didn't know, like a clown.
No! I must delete it!
His heart pounded violently from panic, almost leaping out of his throat. His fingers, trembling, fumbled clumsily on the screen. He had to delete all these damned records immediately! As long as they were deleted, there would be no evidence! Yes, as long as they were deleted... Just as he frantically long-pressed the message, preparing to click delete—
"Creak—"
The door of the electronics store was suddenly pushed open.
He jumped in fright, almost dropping his phone. He hastily looked up, only to see several serious-looking middle-aged men in school uniforms walk in. They wore the emblem of the school's Security Department on their chests.
The leading man's gaze, sharp as a torch, locked onto him directly, his voice steady and authoritative: "You're the clerk of this store, Yamamoto, right? We are the school's Safety Committee. We've received a student report suspecting you of long-term stalking, secretly photographing, and intimidating our students. We now need to investigate you. Please cooperate with us and hand over your personal terminal and work computer."
Boom—!
The man's words struck the clerk's head like a heavy hammer.
How... could... it be so fast?
His brain completely stopped thinking, leaving only the most primal panic. He instinctively hid his phone behind him, his eyes darting around, stammering his excuses: "Y-you... what are you talking about? I-I don't know... I didn't do anything! You're slandering me!"
His guilty, flustered demeanor practically screamed "I'm suspicious," perfectly playing into the hands of the Security Department personnel.
"Whether we're slandering you or not, we'll know after an inspection." The leading man was expressionless, and with a glance, two colleagues immediately stepped forward and restrained him, one on each side.
"Let go of me! What right do you have to search my things! This is an invasion of privacy!" The clerk continued his futile struggle.
One of the Security Department personnel easily took the phone from behind him, which hadn't even been locked yet. On the screen was clearly the chat interface filled with threatening words and an exposed address.
"It seems we haven't found the wrong person."
A hint of confusion also flashed across the faces of the Security Department personnel. They couldn't understand how someone could be so foolish as to expose their address in such a clear way, and then make no preparations afterwards, not even deleting the chat records in advance. But this didn't prevent them from carrying out their duties.
Soon, from the clerk's phone and the private computer in his locker, they discovered a large number of shocking candid photos. Sakura Airi was not the only victim; there were several other female students from different classes.
Caught red-handed.
Faced with irrefutable evidence, the clerk's psychological defenses completely collapsed. He slumped to the ground, still babbling incoherently, "It wasn't me... I didn't send that message..."
But no one paid any attention to his excuses anymore...
...
...
Read more at patreon.com/zeaser
Please donate power stones