บท 33: Chapter 33 – Airi Sakura
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In the first-year girls' dormitory, Airi Sakura was engulfed in fear and anxiety, forgetting even to eat dinner. Alone in the quiet dorm, she wrapped herself in a blanket, trembling with fright.
She couldn't understand how things had turned out this way. All she had wanted was to find a perfect spot for a selfie, but why did she have to stumble upon a fight?
Recalling the afternoon's events in the small woods, searching for the right spot, she inadvertently captured several photos of the fight with her digital camera. Now, she wished she could turn back time, regretting her actions deeply.
In her initial panic, not thinking clearly, she had run away, realizing only later the danger of what she had done. Returning to the dorm in a flurry, she calmed down and discovered, to her horror, that she had lost a camera battery in the chaos.
That expensive battery, bought at the start of the school year with thousands of personal points, was now gone, and she had no idea where she lost it.
If it was merely lost on the way back to the dorm, it would be a loss of a few thousand points, something she could accept. But if it was lost in the woods, where the fight happened, and if it was found by those involved in the fight...
The mere thought of such consequences made Sakura wrap herself tighter in her blanket, as if June's warmth was an illusion, and she was in the cold of February, unable to find any warmth.
Only by wrapping herself tighter in the blanket could she find a slight sense of comfort.
Sakura knew she was a timid girl, unlike her classmates Horikita, who could face everything with a cool demeanor, or Kushida, who was cheerful and friendly with everyone. She was afraid of others' gazes, of making contact with people, and especially of being in crowded places.
She couldn't remember how or why she became so fearful.
Sakura understood the terror of loneliness, feeling like a dark abyss ready to swallow her whole. She realized that loneliness was more frightening than anything else and that no one could endure being alone forever.
Having understood this, Sakura sought to change. Unable to be active in real life, she turned to the online world, where she wasn't visible in the physical sense. In fact, both the camera and the search for the perfect selfie spot were part of her efforts to maintain her status as a well-known selfie idol on the internet.
The girl, already passionate about photography, quickly became popular online due to her outstanding appearance, skilled photography, and photos that appeared virtually unedited, as confirmed by professionals.
Hiding behind the anonymity of the internet, she didn't have to face the terrifying gazes of others, making it easier to communicate with her fans through text. This became Sakura Sakura's way of alleviating her loneliness.
However, her ingrained personality meant she couldn't dare step out of her room now, too scared to look for the lost camera battery. She feared the possibility of violence from the two individuals involved in the fight she had accidentally photographed.
Sakura wondered why she had such bad luck to encounter this situation. Remembering the incident made her instinctively reach for her camera to view the photos she had taken of the fight. Only then did she realize the camera wouldn't turn on; the screen remained dark. A rumble in her stomach reminded her of the time; she hadn't eaten.
She remembered the new battery was a spare since the original battery didn't last as long as it used to. Initially, the original battery could last two days, but now it barely managed half a day. That's why she had braved her fears to buy a new one.
Having no power was expected, so Sakura crawled out of bed and resolved her hunger with instant noodles, then tried to sleep, but it was restless. She would wake up startled, fearing either the violent students from Class C or her classmate Sudo, who seemed prone to violence, might come for her. Or worse, the creepy fan who left disturbing comments on her blog might attack her in the night.
The next day, Saturday, Sakura looked at her tired reflection and the still-dark camera screen, regretting not charging the battery. She contemplated buying a new one. Thankfully, she had saved some of her initial 100,000 personal points; even after contributing 5,000 to save three classmates from expulsion, she had some left, along with the 5,000 points she received this month. Buying a new battery wouldn't ruin her financially.
After much thought, Sakura concluded that relying only on the original battery wouldn't be sufficient. She wouldn't be able to upload new photos or engage more with her fans.
In her fear of being engulfed by loneliness again, Sakura decided to muster a little courage, considering the necessity of a new battery. She donned a sun hat, masked her face, and wore thick, unfashionable glasses before daring to step out to the camera store. Her previous encounter with the creepy store clerk had left her feeling disgusted and anxious.
Sakura walked with her head down, her back hunched, carefully avoiding eye contact with any students. She finally reached the camera store without incident. To her dismay, the same sleazy clerk was on duty. His gaze intensely fixed on Sakura as she entered, almost bulging out of his sockets.
The store was quiet, typical for a morning without many customers, unlike the packed scene from the previous evening. Realizing the isolation of the environment, Sakura felt trapped as the clerk's behavior grew increasingly abnormal.
Already psychologically unstable, and aggravated by the recent events, the clerk's eyes showed a frenzied glimmer. He breathed heavily, sounding like a worn-out bull, audible even from a distance to Sakura.
Terrified and frozen in place, Sakura sensed immense danger from the clerk. The mere sight of him caused goosebumps on her arms, a deep sense of disgust overwhelming her. Barely holding back tears, she tentatively asked for a specific camera battery.
However, the clerk ignored her request, responding instead with a wild cry upon hearing her voice. He yelled, "Shizuku! You really came for me, didn't you?! You're not like the other high school girls who resist my love!! You actually came!"
***
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