The midday sun filtered through the lush foliage of the roadside trees, casting dappled light and shadow on the pavement.
Sakamoto left the bustling cafeteria and walked alone on his way back to the school building.
His steps were light, yet precise, as if meticulously calculated, his toes accurately treading on the white border of the sidewalk, as if anything beyond that thin line was an invisible forbidden zone.
He was immersed in a self-disciplined rhythm, with the surrounding students and scenery seemingly becoming a flowing backdrop.
As he rounded a corner of a densely shaded thicket, a figure unexpectedly emerged from the other side.
It was a tall girl with smooth brown long hair, a striking sunflower-shaped hairpin nestled in her hair, gleaming in the sunlight.
She also seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, walking in a hurry, and the two were about to collide head-on.
"Secret Technique — 'UNLEASH THE AVATAR'."
Sakamoto murmured, his voice low but clear.
Just as they were about to make contact, in the nick of time, his figure seemed to defy the law of inertia, executing an incredibly fluid side-slip, like a gentle breeze brushing willow branches, perfectly dodging the girl's charging path.
He even had the leisure to elegantly brush his temple with his right hand, his posture graceful and composed, the entire process occurring without any physical contact.
However, although Sakamoto successfully avoided the collision, the brown-haired girl instantly lost her balance due to her own excessive momentum.
She let out a gasp, her body uncontrollably stumbling forward...
Sakamoto seemed to have anticipated this subsequent development.
He swiftly reached his left hand into his student satchel, not to take anything out, but to deftly pinch the connecting ring between the satchel's main body and its handle.
With a flick of his wrist, the part of the satchel with the handle swung like a pendulum into the path of the girl's forward fall.
The girl's fingers, flailing in panic, unconsciously hooked onto the timely appearing satchel strap.
A perfectly calibrated pulling force instantly came into play.
The girl's forward momentum was instantly halted by this unexpected pivot point.
Her body, using the strap as an axis, was sharply pulled back, regaining her balance in a dance-like posture.
She instinctively looked up, following the force, her gaze perfectly meeting Sakamoto's, who had made this timely move and was calmly watching her.
At that moment, Sakamoto stood still, his left hand lightly holding his satchel; the girl leaned slightly back, her right index finger hooked on the strap; their gazes met in the air. The afternoon sun pierced through the tree shade, and their posture was like the composition of God and Adam's fingertips touching in Michelangelo's 'The Creation of Adam', full of tension.
The brown-haired girl's brief astonishment instantly turned into a blush.
She quickly withdrew her hooked finger as if she had received an electric shock, standing up somewhat flustered, tidying her slightly disheveled collar and long hair, but then broke into a slightly grateful smile.
"Tha... thank you! I almost fell."
Her voice carried a hint of lingering fear and sincere gratitude.
"Hello! I'm Asahina Natsume from second year! You must be that famous Sakamoto-kun from Class A, right? It's truly better to see once than to hear a hundred times!"
Her gaze intently scrutinized the elegantly picturesque young man before her.
Sakamoto bowed slightly:
"I am Sakamoto. It was merely a small favor, Senior Asahina, there's no need to be so polite."
His gaze fell on the girl's slightly flushed face, and after a polite response, he prepared to turn and leave.
"Wait!"
Asahina Natsume hurriedly called out to him, the blush on her face not yet completely faded.
"Sakamoto-kun, please wait! I still have something to say!"
Sakamoto paused, turned around, and looked at her again.
"Please speak, Senior."
Asahina Natsume took a deep breath, seemingly organizing her thoughts, and tentatively asked, "Sakamoto-kun... do you know 'Miyabi' from our second year? Ah, I mean..."
Before she could finish the name, Sakamoto calmly interjected, "You mean Vice President Nan Yun Miyabi from the second year Student Council, right?"
Asahina Natsume paused slightly, then smiled, "Ah, yes, yes! That's him! You knew immediately?"
She was surprised by Sakamoto's perceptiveness,
but thinking of their magical encounter and resolution just now, she felt it was somewhat understandable.
"While working at the cafe, I had the good fortune to see you and Vice President Nan Yun dining together there."
Sakamoto explained.
"I see, Sakamoto-kun is truly observant."
Asahina Natsume sighed, a complex emotion stirring within her.
This Sakamoto, not only were his movements elegant, but his observation and memory were also astonishing.
That Genesis-like moment of eye contact just now had made her heart flutter a little... What a pity, sigh. This "chance encounter" was actually a play she had orchestrated herself, hoping to use it as an opportunity to strike up a conversation.
She hadn't expected his reaction and actions to completely deviate from her script, even knowing the topic she wanted to introduce.
This left her both a little frustrated and irresistibly drawn to his control.
He's really cool... However, she quickly suppressed those rosy thoughts, her expression becoming more serious.
After all, she was here for something important this time.
"Since you know him, I'll keep it short."
Asahina Natsume's smile faded,
"I need to warn you, be careful of Nagumo Miyabi. He... he's trying to find a way to deal with you."
She stared intently at Sakamoto's face, trying to catch a hint of change.
But Sakamoto's expression remained calm,
as if the news that "the student council vice president wants to deal with him"
was merely a breeze rippling the water's surface.
Seeing no reaction from Sakamoto, Asahina Natsume became a little anxious and continued, "This isn't really snitching... well, although Nagumo and I are indeed very, very close, and have been since childhood..."
"But, some of the things he's been doing recently have made me very unhappy! And, I've heard a little rumor about the methods he plans to use against you, they might be very ruthless! Seriously!"
Her tone became a little agitated:
"So, I actually hope Sakamoto-kun, you can teach him a lesson! Make him rein it in a bit!"
This was the core reason she was voluntarily leaking information.
She and Nagumo Miyabi indeed had a deep, fated connection, attending the same schools from elementary to high school, inseparable and closer than ordinary couples.
However, Nagumo's biggest problem was his flirtatiousness and his unrestrained desire for control.
He had even started to take an interest in Ichinose Honami from Class 1-B, who was bright, cheerful, and loved by everyone, and had used his position as student council vice president to uncover her unknown secrets!
This filled Asahina with jealousy.
But this wasn't the most important thing, Nagumo's philandering wasn't new.
What bothered her even more was that Nagumo viewed Sakamoto as his "greatest future rival,"
and had diverted all the time and energy he could have used to "conquer" Ichinose into figuring out how to deal with Sakamoto!
This made her feel slighted.
She wanted Sakamoto to humble Nagumo a bit.
Sakamoto quietly listened to Asahina Natsume's emotional confession and request, tinged with personal feelings,
and after a few seconds of silence, seemingly processing the information in her words,
he nodded slightly:
"I see. Thank you for informing me, Senpai. I understand."
Hearing this, Asahina Natsume knew he had understood and taken it to heart.
Although she didn't know what he would do, her goal had been achieved.
She let out a sigh of relief, a bright smile returning to her face:
"That's good, then I'll be going now."
With that, she prepared to turn and leave.
Just as she turned, Sakamoto suddenly spoke:
"Senpai, please wait."
"Hmm?"
Asahina Natsume turned back, puzzled.
Sakamoto slowly raised his previously empty right hand.
In his palm, a sunflower-shaped hair clip lay quietly, glinting in the sunlight—
It was identical to the one in her hair!
"Just now, when we almost collided,"
Sakamoto's voice was gentle,
"your hair clip accidentally fell. Here, it is returned to its rightful owner."
Asahina Natsume then touched her hair in surprise,
and indeed found that the hair clip on her right temple was gone.
She hadn't noticed at all.
"Oh, it really fell. I didn't even notice, thank you, thank you so much, Sakamoto-kun."
Asahina Natsume, blushing, hastily took the hair clip, which still carried a trace of warmth from Sakamoto's palm.
She clutched the sunflower hair clip tightly,
watched Sakamoto nod slightly to her again, then turn,
and disappear with graceful steps at the other end of the tree-lined path.
The afternoon sun gilded his tall silhouette.