The night deepened, and the dormitory building was quiet. Most students had finished the day's clamor and were enjoying rare personal time or preparing for tomorrow's classes.
Natsukawa, wearing headphones, was staring intently at the computer screen, his fingers flying across the keyboard. Just as he was about to land the killing blow on the enemy, he suddenly felt a vibration from beside him, temporarily pulling him back from the world of the game.
Fortunately, the distraction didn't change the outcome of Natsukawa's victory. He first had his character guard the clearance reward before picking up his personal device from the desk. The screen displayed the name "Sakura Airi."
Sakura?
Natsukawa's eyebrow involuntarily twitched. Given Sakura's personality, calling him late at night was highly unusual. Something abnormal must be happening.
"Hello, Sakura? What's—"
"Na-Natsukawa-kun!!"
The words were cut short by a suppressed, terrified sob. The voice was trembling and completely unlike her usual soft, almost inaudible tone.
"...Natsukawa-kun... are you... free right now? C-Can I... come to your room? Please!!"
Her speech was extremely fast and disorganized, but it clearly conveyed that the person on the other end of the line was in a state of immense panic.
"I'm here, don't rush." Natsukawa tried to soothe her. "I'm in the dorm. Just come down directly. Room 403."
"Wuu... O-Okay! I'll be right there... right there!"
The call was abruptly ended, leaving only a dial tone.
Putting down the device, Natsukawa realized that in the short half-hour he had been engrossed in the game with his device set to 'Do Not Disturb,' she had already sent over a dozen messages.
"Natsukawa-kun... are you there?" "Please... reply when you see this..." "What should I do..." "He knows... he knows it's me..." "I'm so scared... Natsukawa-kun... help me..."
The last message was sent only thirty seconds before she called.
Those lines of text filled with words like "scared" and "help," combined with the near-breakdown voice on the phone, instantly made him realize that the seriousness of the situation far exceeded his expectations.
"He"? Was it that stalker?
"Ding-dong—!"
This speed... She must have taken the elevator and rushed here almost the moment she hung up.
Natsukawa walked over and opened the door.
Outside the door, Sakura Airi stood alone, her small figure appearing even more frail and pitiful under the cold corridor light.
She was only wearing a large white nightgown that almost reached her knees, the collar slightly open, revealing her delicate collarbone and a small patch of pale skin. Her smooth red hair was not styled as usual but simply draped over her shoulders. A few wet strands clung messily to her pale, bloodless cheeks—she might have just stepped out of the bathroom, seen the message, and rushed straight over.
Her large, azure eyes, usually hidden behind lenses, were now exposed without obstruction, but they were filled with terror. Her breathing was rapid, her whole body trembling violently, and her lips were quivering, her teeth chattering with faint "clacking" sounds.
The moment she saw Natsukawa open the door, her scattered gaze seemed to finally find its focus.
"Na-Natsukawa-kun..."
As if she had seen her only savior, she let out a broken sob and instinctively lunged forward, her cold hands gripping Natsukawa's shirt tightly, her fingernails digging into the fabric from the excessive force.
"Please... let me in... I beg you... I'm so scared... He... he..."
She was incoherent, clinging desperately to Natsukawa like a drowning person grasping the last piece of driftwood, trying frantically to hide behind him, as if some man-eating monster lurked in the empty, quiet corridor outside the door.
"Come inside first."
Natsukawa took her wrist, led her into the room, and quickly closed the door with his other hand.
"It's okay now, you're safe."
Guided by Natsukawa, Sakura trembling entered the room. She didn't choose the central sofa but instinctively walked further inside and sat on the edge of Natsukawa's bed. The warm, soft texture of the bedding and the strong scent belonging to Natsukawa seemed to become the most reliable fortress in her subconscious.
Natsukawa grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to her, sitting down a short distance away beside her.
"Now, tell me slowly. What happened?"
Sakura hugged the water bottle tightly; the coldness of the bottle seemed to bring back a shred of her sanity. She took a deep breath and recounted the events haltingly.
"That... that obsessive fan who was stalking me before." Her body trembled again when she mentioned the words "obsessive fan."
"He knows who I am."
She handed her personal device to Natsukawa. The screen showed the private messaging interface of a personal blog.
The latest message had a sickening, sticky feeling that stung Natsukawa's eyes.
"My cute Shizuku-chan, your update frequency has been so low recently, Uncle can barely wait. Is it because you're too busy studying for the midterms? Or are you worried about the points? After all, Class D usually has very few points, which must be troubling you, hehe."
"But don't worry, Shizuku-chan. Uncle here has a way to absolutely ensure you won't be expelled during the midterms. If you just ask and act a little spoiled for Uncle, Uncle will tell you the method. How about it? Can you feel this love that only I can give you? Don't forget, Uncle has always been quietly protecting you."
This message was not only disgusting but also carried clear threats and malicious intent to display power.
Natsukawa's gaze sharpened. He had long suspected this, and now he was certain.
This must be the work of that Electronics Store Clerk. The person in the abandoned school building was probably him too. Did his suppressed obsession explode because Sakura was busy with exams and hadn't updated recently?
"When was this sent?" Natsukawa asked.
"It was... the night before the exam." Sakura's voice was full of self-reproach and lingering fear. "I've been taking supplementary lessons from you and Ichinose every afternoon lately, so I updated the blog less. I only opened it tonight to take a look. And then... I saw this message."
She suddenly looked up, her red-rimmed eyes filled with guilt: "I'm sorry, Natsukawa-kun... I panicked right away. I messaged you immediately, but when I saw they were all unread, I couldn't help but call you... Did I disturb your rest?"
As a victim in extreme fear, she still viewed "disturbing others" as a more serious issue than her "personal safety." This was the deep-seated timidity within her.
Natsukawa looked at her, his gaze as calm as a deep pool, yet carrying an irresistible force.
"Sakura, first, you do not need to apologize for this." He said in a commanding tone. "Second, listen carefully. If this ever happens again, no matter how late, no matter what I'm doing, you don't need to send a message. Call me directly, or even come straight to knock on my door."
"You didn't disturb me. This was the correct way to ask for help, and the only correct reaction you could have. Do you understand?"
Natsukawa's calmness acted like a powerful sedative, instantly calming some of Sakura's emotions. She nodded vigorously, saying nothing more, but her tightly gripped water bottle showed her deep dependence.
"This matter is no longer something you can handle alone." Natsukawa made his final decision. "You don't need to do anything. Tomorrow morning, I will go with you to see Chabashira-sensei. We will show her the device information directly and let the school intervene. They have an obligation to protect you."
Sakura's body trembled again, instinctively fearing "going to the teacher" and "drawing attention," but sensing the aura Natsukawa exuded, her resistance ultimately turned into obedient trust. She weakly replied, "Mhm... I'll listen to Natsukawa-kun..."
After that, under Natsukawa's reassurance, Sakura's emotions finally stabilized.
Seeing how late it was, Natsukawa stood up and escorted her to the elevator. As Sakura stepped inside, he instructed in a deep voice:
"Go to sleep peacefully. Put your device aside and don't look at it."
"If you're really worried, come wait outside my room at 7:30 tomorrow morning, and we'll go to school together."
Sakura's head was bowed low, but she gently raised her face, looking at Natsukawa with those moist blue eyes full of dependence, and nodded weakly yet firmly.
The elevator slowly descended, and Sakura's figure disappeared down the fourth-floor corridor.
Natsukawa Sosuke stood rooted to the spot, his expression returning to his usual indifference. He lowered his eyelids, his finger lightly tapping the edge of the device.
"That clerk, couldn't he hold back so soon?"
Perverted stalkers are far more dangerous than ordinary people imagine. He couldn't drop his guard just because nothing major happened in the original story, especially since Natsukawa wasn't the protagonist and couldn't necessarily arrive just in time to save the day. But danger... also meant opportunity—a chance for Sakura to overcome her own limitations.
Natsukawa turned and walked back into his room, the outline of his plan already forming in his mind. He knew that tomorrow's meeting with Chabashira Sae would be the start of this plan.