Chapter 81 The Scary and Not-Scary People

At Advanced Nurturing High School, in the first-year student dorms.

In a room numbered 1106, Sakura Airi lay on her bed, lost in thought in the dimly lit space.

It was already night-time.

The holiday was over, and tomorrow was Monday, which meant it was time to go back to school.

If it were any other day, at this time, Sakura Airi would have been either fast asleep or taking selfies in her room to indulge in her personal hobbies.

But today, Sakura Airi not only couldn't fall asleep, but she also didn't even feel like taking selfies.

The scenes that kept appearing in her mind were preventing her from sleeping.

Sakura Airi kept recalling those scenes.

It should be said that it was two scenes.

One was of Fang Li holding Sakura Airi's hand at the Keyaki Mall.

The other was of Fang Li holding Sakura Airi in his arms in front of the Keyaki Mall.

As soon as she thought of these two images, Sakura Airi's face grew warm.

"Why did it have to turn out like this!"

Sakura Airi covered her face and buried her head in the blankets.

"Nanaya-san..."

Sakura Airi couldn't help but say that name.

Although they had only spent less than a day together, it had to be said that Fang Li left a very deep impression on Sakura Airi's heart.

The intimate contact they had twice was only one reason for this.

More importantly, everything they did together today made Sakura Airi have to care about this boy.

Because Fang Li didn't make fun of Sakura Airi's hobbies.

Because Fang Li didn't look at Sakura Airi with a strange gaze.

In Sakura Airi's eyes, boys were actually terrifying beings.

Some were gentle, some were considerate, some were domineering, some were overbearing, and some were extremely rude, but they all boiled down to being very frightening.

The reason is...

"Even though I has never spoken to them, people keep staring at me."

— This is a problem that Sakura Airi has always had.

Due to her highly pronounced feminine features, Sakura Airi has attracted a lot of attention since she was young. Especially during middle school, when her peers were still in the early stages of puberty and her development was significantly more advanced than others her age.

This caused her a great deal of distress.

One of the reasons Sakura Airi has become so shy is because she has always been stared at by both men and women.

This has made her increasingly reluctant to interact with others and has caused her to feel a strong sense of aversion towards this kind of attention.

As a result, Sakura Airi rarely interacts with others, dresses very simply and inconspicuously, and tries to minimize her presence as much as possible, always staying in the background.

But how can Sakura Airi communicate smoothly with others in this way?

Even though she feels lonely and isolated, there seems to be no solution.

However...

"Nanaya-san doesn't seem so scary after all..."

Even though everyone in class thinks that Fang Li is a loner, Sakura Airi has a different opinion.

Though Fang Li has almost no friends like her, she finds him easy to get along with.

At least, that's what Sakura Airi thinks.

Thinking back to his face, which was so close to hers during the day, and the warmth that remained on her hand, Sakura Airi's face turned red again.

"Ugh... I can't take this anymore..."

Unable to sleep, Sakura Airi got out of bed.

Without turning on the light, she went to the laptop she had set up in her dorm room and turned it on.

As soon as she turned on the computer, a webpage appeared on the screen.

It was a blog.

It was a very professional-looking one, so much so that it seemed like a business venture rather than a personal project.

The blog was dedicated to a flat-photo idol, whose real name was never mentioned.

But the idol seem to be called — "Shizuku".

It featured a plethora of photos, all of which depicted a young girl with a cute and lively demeanor, her long hair styled in twin tails that fell down to her waist.

If Fang Li were here, he would have noticed that the girl in the photos was the same girl he had seen on the digital camera.

This blog started about two years ago.

The owner of the blog wrote about their future plans and aspirations, but there was nothing particularly noteworthy.

However, the blog has been updated almost every day for the past two years, not only writing about what happened that day or their feelings but also responding thoroughly to fan messages.

But in recent months, the updates had stopped, leaving fans to wonder and worry.

Shizuku's fan base seem to be very large, and the message board is full of opinions such as hoping she will return to the magazine pages or directly asking if there is any television schedule.

Sakura Airi browsed through the comments, filled with warm messages from fans who missed the idol and wished for her return, seeing those massages she also revealed a warm smile that is rarely seen on her face.

But then she saw a comment that froze her smile and made her blood run cold.

"Do you believe in fate?"

And then another one, and another, and another, each one more disturbing than the last, making it clear that the commenter was watching her every move.

"We are together again!"

"You are even more adorable today!"

"Did you noticed that we were making eye contact? I noticed it!"

"Can you feel the connection between us? I can."

Sakura Airi's heart raced as she read the comments, feeling a sense of dread and terror take over her body.

These words seem to be saying, "I'm right next to you, Shizuku"

And more kept coming.

"You ignore me, right? That's too much! "

"Or did you not find me?"

"What are you doing right now? I really want to see you!"

Terrifying messages like devil's palms approached Sakura Airi's mind.

And then came the final blow, the comment that made her break down in tears.

"Wait for me. I'll find you."

Sakura Airi collapsed here.

"Ah... Ah..."

She didn't even dare to turn off the computer. Sakura Airi squatted on the ground, holding her head, and let out a scream.

That scream was full of fear and despair.

"Someone... save me..."

Sakura Airi cried out, feeling lost and alone.

Then, Sakura Airi remembered.

She recalled the boy who had protected her from the aggressive store clerk at the Keyaki Mall's electronics store during the day.

"Nanaya-san..."

Sakura Airi's voice choked with tears.

"Save me..."

But no one could hear her plea.

Even with all his powers, Fang Li would not have been able to hear her faint cry for help.

That night, Sakura Airi couldn't fall asleep.

But unlike before, when her naive emotions kept her awake, now she was unable to sleep because of fear.