Chapter 59: Sakura Airi, Taking a Stand
"I have some things to handle tonight, so how about we schedule it for tomorrow at noon?" Katsuragi Keima said to Shiina Hiyori with a smile.
"Mm, okay." Hiyori nodded back with a smile of her own. Although it wasn't happening tonight, she was very happy in her heart after receiving Keima's promise.
"I'm heading out first!" Keima waved to the others and then left the library with a brisk pace.
"Eh? Why is 'God' in such a hurry?" Hasabe Haruka had already decided to use this as her nickname for Keima. It was the most unique nickname she had ever encountered. As she spoke, she even made a prayer gesture toward Keima's retreating back.
"Nii-sama is definitely going to play games later! Honestly! Forget it, it's getting late, let's go eat too!" Elsie said, looking at Shiina Hiyori and Sakura Airi.
"I'm sorry, I want to read for a little while longer. You guys go ahead," Hiyori said. Since the start of school, she had never once been to the cafeteria. On one hand, Hiyori wasn't good at communicating with others; she never participated in occasions where everyone gathered to eat because she didn't know how to get along with her classmates. On the other hand, she felt the cafeteria was too noisy and unsuitable for 'reading, so she usually chose to buy bread or cake at the convenience store to take back and eat.
"Um, that... I, I... I'm not very hungry... You guys, you don't have to wait for me..." Sakura Airi clutched her school bag tightly and spoke in a small voice.
"Alright then." After Elsie and Haruka said their goodbyes, they left the library first.
A while later, as the sky grew dim, Sakura Airi finally walked out of the library.
"I... still... can't do it..." Airi lowered her head, no smile on her face, her heart filled with disappointment in herself. She couldn't even manage to give Keima a gift. Shiina Hiyori also seemed to be the type who wasn't good at communicating, yet she could proactively invite Keima... By comparison, she felt truly useless.
'This gift... I probably won't be able to give it away for the rest of my life...' She leaned against a wall, her face full of dejection.
"Airi."
Just then, that familiar voice rang in her ears. Airi froze for a moment, then widened her eyes and looked toward the source of the sound. Katsuragi Keima was standing right beside her.
"Katsuragi, Katsuragi-kun?!" Airi completely hadn't expected Keima to be standing there at this moment. She quickly realized her form of address was a bit off. Hasabe Haruka had said earlier that friends should at least address each other by their given names.
'He just called me... Airi...
Does that mean I should call him by his name now too.'
"..."
The words reached Airi's lips but dissipated like the wind.
"It's okay. Since Haruka isn't here anyway, you can call me whatever you want, Airi," Keima said slowly.
Keima's words sounded incredibly gentle to Airi. Her cheeks were already bright red, but she kept her head down and whispered, "B-but Ha-Haruka-san, Haruka-san is right. Between friends, we s-should use given names..."
As she spoke, she looked up slightly, tentatively meeting Keima's eyes. This was the first time Sakura Airi had proactively referred to someone as her friend. The words gathered at her lips again; her jaw trembled, her heart rate suddenly spiked, and her hands gripped her skirt in a flurry of nerves. She looked up at Keima's face, but in the next second, she shyly averted her gaze.
'At least... at least I have to say his name.'
"If you don't like it, I can go back to calling you Sakura—"
"N-no! Ke-Ke-Ke-Keima-kun!"
Airi summoned every ounce of courage in her body and finally shouted out Keima's name. After saying it, she let out a long sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
'I did it! I actually did it!' Airi felt as if she had grown just a little bit more.
"Keima-kun... come to think of it, didn't you say you had something to do and had to go back first?"
"I just wanted Hiyori to head back first. I felt like you were a bit distracted today, so I thought I'd wait until the others left to ask you about it privately." Keima looked at Airi and inquired, "If you have any troubles or anything like that, you can tell me if it's convenient."
Keima possessed incredibly sharp observation skills. He had sensed something off about Airi since this morning. As the study session neared its end, her behavior became even more obvious. Thus, he decided to come find her alone tonight.
"I... Keima-kun..." A flash of surprise crossed Airi's eyes. She hadn't expected him to notice her odd behavior. Only Keima was sensitive enough to detect her shifting moods.
'Keima-kun... did he turn down Hiyori-san because he was worried about me? Keima-kun... has been waiting for me this whole time...'
For some reason, even though the situation was somewhat awkward for her, a small spark of happiness bloomed in Airi's heart. This was the first time she had experienced the feeling of
being cared for. Growing up, Airi had always been the "invisible person" in class; no one ever noticed her. She hadn't wanted to be noticed, either. But Katsuragi Keima was different.
"It's okay if it's not convenient to say it out loud. You can message me on your terminal. If you ever need help, please don't hesitate to find me," Keima said to her very seriously.
"..."
Airi realized she absolutely could not let this chance slip away. If she didn't give him the gift today, she might never have the chance again!
"Keima-kun!" Airi suddenly called his name again, several decibels louder than before.
"Hmm?"
"I-I-I prepared a gift for you!" Although she stuttered, Airi expressed herself completely and pulled the game cartridge box from her bag. After seeing Keima take the cartridge, she added in a small voice, "B-because last time Ke-Keima-kun accompanied me to buy a camera, so I, I..."
"This is 'Saying Goodbye to You: Youth Romantic Comedy Story 2', isn't it?" Keima stared intently at the cover on the box. "This is a very popular game. I've already finished the walkthrough for the first part, and I actually just cleared this part today."
"Today... cleared it today?" Airi's eyes widened blankly. Only then did she realize something. She hadn't known which game was best to buy, so she had asked the shop assistant for a well-reviewed recommendation. But she had overlooked one thing: she didn't know if Keima already owned it.
Now, she was in the most awkward of scenarios. The gift she bought was essentially meaningless to him.
"I... I'm s-sorry..." Airi lowered her head, her heart already screaming for her to flee the scene.
"Apologize? Why are you apologizing, Airi?" Keima looked up at her face. With her fair skin and delicate features, even with glasses, her beauty wasn't diminished in the least.
"I... I bought a game that Keima-kun has already played..."
"It's great, actually." A smile appeared on Keima's face. "This series is quite good. For a great game, it's only right to own multiple copies."
Airi looked up, her gaze meeting Keima's. She could feel that he wasn't just saying this to comfort her; he was being sincere. He seemed to truly like the gift.
'I... finally took another step forward in life!'
"Thank you, Airi."
"N-no, the one who should say thank you is me!" As she spoke, Airi realized she had been staring at Keima's face for quite a while without realizing it, and she hurriedly looked away.
"Want to head back together?"
"Together... back together!" Airi felt her heart about to race again. She desperately wanted to agree, but then she remembered something and ultimately shook her head. "S-sorry, Keima-kun, I still have some things to handle... I must handle them."
For the first time, Airi's timid gaze became incredibly determined.
"Alright, I'll head out first then. If you need help with anything, please contact me."
"Mm!" Airi nodded very forcefully.
Keima left first, and Airi didn't even notice that a smile remained on her face the whole time. However, the smile soon vanished. She walked to a deserted spot in the school and picked up her terminal with a heavy expression. Some things had to be settled today.
Airi opened her blog's private messages; the unread count was already 999+. One anonymous user alone had sent over 100 messages.
[User Anonymous]: Shizuku-chan is so cute today too!
[User Anonymous]: Shizuku-chan came to see me yesterday. Do you want to go on a date with me today?
[User Anonymous]: Shizuku-chan Shizuku-chan Shizuku-chan Shizuku-chan, hurry up and reply to my message!
Airi took a deep breath and sent a message to the anonymous user: "Hello, I have something I want to say to you in person. Is it convenient for you?"
In her heart, Airi already knew exactly who the person messaging her was. But just after she sent the message, a sudden "ping" sounded from the bushes not far away.
"Shizuku-chan Shizuku-chan Shizuku-chan! You... you want to meet me alone?!!!"
A fanatical voice rang out from the side, and an incredibly lewd-looking middle-aged man appeared before Airi. It was the clerk from the supermarket's electronics section.
The moment she saw him, Airi's body couldn't help but tremble. Although she had been telling herself the probability was low, his words confirmed it completely. And the private messages she received today were even worse—surreptitious photos of her. They weren't from today, but had been taken earlier. This made her realize he had been stalking her for days.
Airi's worry today wasn't just about Keima; it was also because of this. But now, her mindset had changed. She knew that running away wouldn't work. Today, she had to take that step.
"I'm sorry, please don't contact me anymore..." Airi gave him a deep bow, her tone very polite. "Your behavior has caused distress in my life—"
"Why do you say that? To me, you are truly important... I've loved you since the first time I saw you in a magazine! I feel that meeting you here again is destiny. I love you so much... I can't
stop my feelings for you!" The clerk cut her off, pulling a pile of envelopes from his pocket. "These, these are all love letters expressing my affection! I originally planned to deliver them to your room today! I was looking forward to seeing the surprised look on Shizuku-chan's face!"
"How do you know where my room is?! Why would you send me things like that?"
"...Does that even need to be said? It's because our hearts are connected!" The clerk spoke incredibly perverted words without any shame.
"Please don't do this anymore... it's very distressing!"
"Why! Why are you rejecting me! This is a symbol of my love!! Wait, it's not because of that guy just now, is it? I remember him! He's the one who was with Shizuku-chan last time! How can a guy like that be worthy of standing by your side? He looks like trash! A loser!"
"He's not! Keima-kun isn't like what you say! He's the gentlest, best person I've ever met! I'm comfortable when I'm with him! He... he's nothing like you!!"
At this moment, Airi used all her strength to let out the loudest, most agitated voice of her life, her tone incredibly firm. These words completely enraged the clerk; his features twisted into a hideous, distorted mask.
"No, no, no, Shizuku-chan, you're still speaking up for him. I'll show you my true love right now! Then you'll understand!"
As he spoke, the clerk lunged toward Airi like a wild beast.
"That's enough."
At that moment, the voice belonging to Katsuragi Keima rang out from behind them.
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