"So... it's really okay?"
On the way to school, Sakura walked in tiny, cautious steps behind Yukio and Hiyori, like a little hamster venturing out on an adventure. Every time she noticed the looks from the students around them, she'd shyly duck her head again.
"It's okay, Airi," Hiyori said gently, holding her hand and easing the tension in her heart.
Knowing exactly how Sakura was feeling, Yukio had suggested the three of them come to school together.
That way, it would help calm her down.
For someone like Sakura, suddenly transferring into a brand-new class in the second semester of second year, facing a new environment and unfamiliar classmates...
Of course she would be nervous.
That was exactly when Yukio and Hiyori needed to steady her.
Sakura understood that too, and kept telling herself over and over that she had to try her best. She couldn't let down Yukio's kindness, and she couldn't waste Hiyori's concern.
So she forced herself to walk with them, even though it still felt a little embarrassing.
The biggest reason was Hiyori herself. She was being so genuinely warm to her, as if she truly didn't mind Sakura's relationship with Yukio at all.
But Sakura felt guilty.
Yesterday, she and Yukio had done something that felt like a betrayal of Hiyori. Even though Yukio had explained that Hiyori would accept it, Sakura was just too earnest by nature. So now, every time she looked at Hiyori, she felt a little guilty.
"Sakura, aren't we best friends?" Hiyori smiled, quiet and lovely, like flowers blooming in summer. "Do you remember that time we went out and took pictures together? If we get the chance, let's go take photos again, just the two of us."
"Huh? Then what about me?" Yukio chimed in from beside them, praising Hiyori's smooth save in his heart while casually tossing her a setup.
Hiyori caught it perfectly.
"Well, naturally, Yukio-kun can be the photographer. Airi and I will be the ones in front of the camera."
"W-wouldn't that be bad?" Sakura asked.
Maybe it was because the atmosphere was so light and easy. Or maybe because the three of them had already spent time together before.
Either way, Sakura gradually relaxed and started joining the conversation again.
Seeing that, Yukio and Hiyori continued taking things one step at a time, until Sakura finally loosened up instead of staying so tense.
The road to school was full of students. Even though the news had already spread last night that Sakura had transferred into Class A, into Yukio's class, actually seeing the three of them walking to school together still felt unreal to everyone around them.
Soon, after changing into their indoor shoes at the lockers, the three of them reached the classroom.
At that point, no matter how much Sakura tried to encourage herself inside, she could only manage to barely keep her head up. There was no way she could look anyone directly in the eye.
The students in Yukio's class were all openly staring at her with curiosity.
This was the girl their boss had personally spent twenty million points to bring over.
She had to have some hidden, incredible talent none of them knew about.
Best not to offend her.
The boys were a tiny bit disappointed, though.
With that hairstyle and those thick glasses, she looked... kind of plain.
Still, if their boss had gone out of his way to bring her over, then she definitely had something special going for her. So they ought to treat her properly.
The girls, meanwhile, were full of envy, jealousy, and amazement.
Good lord, what exactly had Sakura been eating growing up?
Maybe they should ask her during break?
That figure was absolute violence. She could crush every other girl in the class flat without even trying.
A quick glance around the room made one thing stand out immediately.
A new desk had been added beside Hiyori's. The student who used to sit there had simply been shifted back a seat.
That made Ishizaki throw up a proud thumbs-up.
"Boss! I moved Sakura's desk and chair first thing this morning."
"Good work." Yukio nodded, then turned to face the whole class as he introduced her. "Airi's been one of my biggest assets for gathering information from D-Class."
"She's given us a lot of intel over time. The lineup from the first deserted island exam, the event sheet for the sports festival, and plenty more besides that. She's helped our class more times than you know, so make sure you all get along."
Yukio had already understood that Sakura still had a thorn in her heart.
She still felt like she was useless.
What he needed to do now was pull that thorn out.
And the simplest, most direct, and most necessary way to do that was to make both Sakura and the class understand just how important her contributions had been.
He wasn't exaggerating or making up achievements for her.
This was all true.
That intel really had come from Sakura, every bit of it.
The only difference was that some of those same pieces of information had also been passed along by Kei Karuizawa and Kikyo Kushida.
When the class heard that, they were all stunned.
So Sakura had really been their mole in D-Class?
That was huge.
Whether it was the first deserted island exam or the sports festival, the class points and private points they'd gained from those victories weren't small at all.
If a big chunk of that had only been possible because of Sakura's help, then at least one-fifth of their current class points had come from her contributions.
And once they realized that, the class got even louder.
"Welcome, Sakura-san! No, wait, welcome back to the class!"
"D-Class really had no eye for talent. Sakura-san's this capable and they still tried to vote her out? Sakura-san, don't worry. If D-Class gives you any trouble from now on, we'll all handle it together!"
"Sakura-san, if there's anything you're not used to now that you're here, make sure you tell us, okay? We'll help fix it or sort it out."
Faced with the sudden flood of warmth from Yukio's classmates, Sakura jumped a little in surprise.
Then she quickly nodded twice, still nervous as she spoke.
"P-please... take care of me from now on."
Even through the nerves, Sakura felt a little dazed.
A lot of happiness was bubbling up inside her, one wave after another.
So she'd really helped Yukio that many times without even realizing it?
So she wasn't the totally useless person Horikita had made her sound like?
Just thinking that made her heart feel so warm.
She didn't care whether she'd been useful to Horikita.
What mattered more than anything to her was whether she'd been useful to Yukio.
And now, hearing Yukio acknowledge her with his own mouth, it felt like someone had placed a piece of honey in her heart, and it was slowly melting.
The sweetness spread through her chest, flowing through her whole being, making her feel warm and sweet from the inside out.
That thorn in her heart quietly shrank.
Maybe a tiny bit of it was still there.
But compared to yesterday, she was already much, much better.
...
For every 50 Power Stones → +1 extra chapter.