Keyaki Mall.
The two moved away from the camera shop and sat down to rest under a parasol.
"Here."
Hikigaya placed the pink camera on the table.
"Eh?"
The girl was slightly stunned, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Didn't he say he would help fix the camera?
"I don't know how," Hikigaya said righteously, standing tall.
In modern society, unless it's a hobbyist or a professional, what young person knows how to fix things?
"Oh..."
The girl held the camera in her fair hands; it was clearly very important to her. In that case, she would still have to take it back to that clerk.
Thinking of this, her beautiful eyes dimmed. Although she could feel that the clerk was dangerous, she had no other choice.
"Earlier..."
The girl's voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum: "Thank you."
The girl wasn't an idiot; she clearly understood he was stepping in to save her and keep her out of danger. However, she felt she had no other way.
"It seems you're very aware of your situation," Hikigaya said flatly. "So, what do you plan to do? That guy is obviously a stalker. Why don't you tell a teacher?"
"I..."
The girl's eyes darted away; she clearly had something she found difficult to talk about.
This girl's personality is truly troublesome.
She's almost on par with me. If that's the case, is she actually quite powerful in her own way?
"Forget it."
Hikigaya hesitated for a moment and said softly: "Twenty thousand."
"Eh?"
The girl looked up at him, seemingly doubting she had heard correctly, or perhaps not understanding what he meant.
"I'm saying, give me 20,000 Private Points," Hikigaya said quietly. "I'll help you deal with that stalker."
After all, he didn't even know her name and had no interest in knowing it. Without payment, he had no reason to help.
"I see..."
The girl slumped her shoulders, her face looking even more disappointed.
"Are you serious?" Hikigaya was speechless. "You won't even part with 20,000?"
Between the danger of a stalker and 20,000 points, it should be an easy choice. If she couldn't accept that, she would just have to endure it. If something bad happened... well, to put it bluntly, she would have only herself to blame.
"N-n-no, that's not it."
The girl waved her hands repeatedly, looking embarrassed: "I don't have that much money..."
"Ha?" Hikigaya was stunned.
Hey, it's only been a month. Did she blow through 100,000 points already? What kind of person is she, having no planning skills at all? Even someone like me has dreams and plans of becoming a house husband.
"Speaking of which... which class are you in?" Hikigaya had a rough guess.
"Class 1-D, Airi Sakura."
The girl peeked at him, clutching her camera in shame: "I spent the 100,000 points from the start of school on this camera. In May, our class points became zero."
"Class 1-B, Hachiman Hikigaya."
Hikigaya gave his habitual self-introduction, thinking to himself that it was just as he suspected. It seemed the school's placements had a reason behind them.
Though it was a bit much, he truly was stronger than these people in Class D. Aside from having no friends or a girlfriend, he was around average in almost everything.
"It broke in less than a month?" Hikigaya confirmed.
"Yes, it has broken four times already," Airi Sakura said with tears in her eyes. "It breaks almost every single week."
"Looking at it this way, that guy is becoming more and more suspicious. No, it's basically confirmed now..." Hikigaya nodded.
A new camera breaking four times in a month? He didn't need evidence; that fat clerk was definitely up to something. Most importantly, he was scamming people for repair fees. It was too much!
"Forget it," Hikigaya said helplessly. "Just owe me the points for now, okay?"
"Really?" Airi Sakura immediately smiled. "Thank you."
"No need, I'm just doing a job for pay. Let's go."
Saying this, Hikigaya stood up and left; his efficiency was high. Airi Sakura hurriedly followed him.
She whispered: "Um... Hikigaya-kun, how are you going to solve it?"
"By reporting him."
Hikigaya walked with his hands in his pockets, not feeling embarrassed at all. She couldn't seriously think he could take the guy on physically. Regardless of physique or fighting ability, he was no match for that fat clerk.
"Wait, wait, wait..."
Airi Sakura panicked instantly, grabbing his left sleeve: "If you do that..."
"Don't worry."
Before she could finish, Hikigaya raised his right hand to stop her: "This won't affect you."
Since Airi Sakura couldn't explain things to a teacher, she must have her reasons. He didn't need to know them. He just needed to successfully report the fat clerk without affecting Airi Sakura.
A loner always makes sure not to affect others. Solving everything by oneself—that is the strongest path of the loner. He was the king of loners!
"Eh?"
Airi Sakura was stunned, feeling curious: "Then how will you do it?"
"Well, you'll know when we get there."
Hikigaya tugged his sleeve, signaling her to let go, and walked toward the school.
After a long silence.
Hikigaya could feel that she was secretly observing him. It made sense; they had just met, and being the type of person he was, it was only natural for her to doubt his abilities.
Near the school.
"Um..."
Airi Sakura's face turned slightly red, and she grabbed his left sleeve again, her other hand over her chest as if hesitating.
"Yeah, what is it?" Hikigaya spoke softly. This girl really was troublesome.
"Actually..." Airi Sakura's eyes darted around. "Actually... before I enrolled, I was active as an idol. My stage name is 'Shizuku'."
Why is she suddenly telling me something so random?
"Oh. Don't know her." Hikigaya waited for her to continue.
"As expected, Hikigaya-kun won't look at me with strange eyes." Airi Sakura smiled faintly, appearing relieved.
"Hmm? So?" Hikigaya said, a bit speechless. "Are you indirectly insulting me for having dead fish eyes and no motivation?"
Well, it wasn't like he cared anyway.
"No, no, no." Airi Sakura waved her hands frantically and explained: "Actually, I used to take some gravure photobooks. That clerk might be a former fan of mine, so..."
"I see."
Hikigaya finally understood. That was the reason the fat man became a stalker, though it was no excuse for a fan to evolve into a stalker.
"So..." Airi Sakura's chest heaved as if she had made a decision. "If necessary, Hikigaya-kun, you can tell them about me. That clerk probably has a secret collection of many photos."
"Is that the reason you didn't want to speak up before?"
"Yes."
"Then why tell me now?" Hikigaya was confused, unable to understand how her psychological state had shifted. It was truly mysterious.
"Because..." Airi Sakura's face flushed red, and she said bashfully, "Hikigaya-kun doesn't look at me with weird eyes."
Hikigaya scrutinized the girl for a long time before judging: "You really are indirectly insulting me, aren't you?"
He was looking. He really was looking—though only for that brief moment when her chest heaved. He was a master at avoiding people's gaze! When it came to being unnoticed, he could surely set a Guinness World Record!
"No, no, no."
"Forget it, let's go. I don't care about that anyway."
Hikigaya turned and left. It didn't matter if she was there or not; helping her was just for the 20,000 points.