Sakura Airi's judgment was rated D.
Which meant that, more often than not, the decisions she reached after careful thought were wrong.
Just like now.
The moment she realized she couldn't easily hypnotize herself back into "Shizuku," her already chaotic mind began to spiral.
"D-delete it…" she whispered, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
It was soft. Almost inaudible.
Asakusa Tōru heard it clearly.
But he pretended not to, raising an eyebrow.
"Hm?"
"P-please delete the photo!" she shouted, squeezing out every ounce of courage, her voice trembling with the hint of tears.
"Oh~"
Only then did he act like he understood.
"What photo?"
"…Th-the one you just took."
Tōru blinked. "What did I take?"
"You… you took a picture of me…"
Sakura Airi calmed down just a little.
And then it hit her.
…He's not planning to delete it, is he? Is he just messing with me?
Even so, she had no other choice.
All she could do was continue asking him to delete it.
Tōru nodded as if he had just figured it out.
"Oh, so I took a picture of you, and you want me to delete it?"
She nodded, her voice small.
"Mm."
Th-thank goodness…
He just didn't understand at first.
As long as I explain it clearly, he'll delete it.
Then… then the only thing left to explain is why I was changing clothes here…
But that's fine.
No one at school knows I'm "Shizuku."
As long as I explain it properly, at worst it'll just be… that I got seen changing on the rooftop…
Uu…
It's embarrassing, but…
At least he's not from Class D.
As long as I change back into "Sakura Airi" later and keep my head down, no one will recognize me!
Yes… that's it!
After organizing her thoughts, a tiny spark of hope lit up inside her.
And then—
Tōru's voice crushed it instantly.
"Eh, but deleting a 'Shizuku' photo like this feels like a waste."
He said the name.
"—!!!"
He knows!!!
He knows I'm "Shizuku"!!!
A silent scream exploded inside her mind, shattering her thoughts completely.
Biting her lip, she nervously walked back toward him.
And then—
In an utterly pathetic manner—
She bowed.
"Please… delete it…"
Tōru: "…"
…So pathetic.
Unlike Kushida, who would grab his hand and threaten him directly—
Sakura Airi had stayed consistent from start to finish.
Even the one time she mustered the courage to grab the phone had been completely non-aggressive.
And now, after he revealed her identity—
Her solution was to bow and beg.
Looking down at her—
Wearing a cute outfit.
Without those plain glasses.
Finally dressed like the cheerful girl she was online.
And yet still so timid—
Tōru couldn't help but feel an overwhelming urge to comment.
This is way too pathetic…
Her body trembled slightly from nervousness.
As she bent over, the soft curves pressed against her clothes became even more pronounced, clearly outlined before his eyes.
Kushida was already impressive, but—
Sakura Airi was on another level.
No wonder the school classified her as an "F-cup."
To put it bluntly—
He wanted her.
Normally, Sakura Airi always kept her head down, her posture hunched.
Her twin tails—meant to look lively—were tied in a dull, awkward way.
Combined with those plain decorative glasses, she was almost invisible.
But now—
Without the glasses, her bangs swept aside, her twin tails tied higher—
Her entire presence had changed completely.
…Though that pathetic aura hadn't gone anywhere.
Still, with her hair like that—
She kind of resembled Amasawa.
Not that they felt the same at all, but the hair color and twin tails made the resemblance unavoidable.
And when it came to Amasawa…
Tōru's impression of her was… a bit extreme.
In his mind, she barely had a "normal" version.
Honestly, if she wore proper clothes, he might not even recognize her at first.
So once that comparison popped into his head—
His thoughts started drifting.
But no…
This one's too pathetic.
Tōru even suspected that even without the photo—
Just threatening her with the name "Shizuku" would be enough to make her submit.
And afterward, she'd only blame herself for not resisting.
…Which is exactly why he couldn't take that route.
From the beginning, he had never intended to threaten Kushida either.
It was just that she couldn't get over her own mental hurdle, so he offered a compromise.
Everything that followed had been her own choice.
He had never forced anyone.
…Should I use the app?
The thought suddenly crossed his mind.
If he used it to trigger Sakura's maternal instincts—
He could passively do whatever he wanted.
He could make her willingly dote on him.
"—Smack!"
A sharp sound echoed.
Tōru slapped himself clean across the face.
What the hell am I thinking?
Using the app here?
Sure, "mommy Sakura" sounded appealing—
But altering someone's perception like that…
Wasn't it basically the same as forcing them?
He admitted he liked the idea of perception manipulation.
But when it came down to it—
He wouldn't actually do it.
Unless he ended up in some absurd scenario like falling for a teacher.
…Ahem.
Besides, using the app here would be a complete waste.
If he wanted to deal with Sakura, he didn't need something like that.
Anyway—
Proceed normally.
Tease when needed.
Mess with her when needed.
Flirt when needed.
Touch when needed.
Get close when needed.
Keep the photo.
And figure out what to do next.
Tōru suddenly wondered if he'd been overindulging lately—why else would his first instinct go there?
But thinking about it, it wasn't even that frequent.
Shaking off the thought, he gave himself another light slap and regained control.
Meanwhile—
Sakura Airi was completely dumbfounded.
Sakura Airi: "???"
Eh…? Eh???
I just asked you to delete the photo—
Why are you slapping yourself?!
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