Chapter 31 Are You Insulting Me Sakura?

Keyaki Mall

The two left the camera shop and found a spot to rest under a parasol. "Here," Hikigaya said, placing the pink camera on the table in front of the girl.

"Eh?" she responded, startled, her hesitation clear. Hadn't he agreed to repair the camera? "Uhm I thought you were gonna repair my camera?"

"I won't," Hikigaya declared, puffing out his chest as though his refusal was the most logical conclusion. "Let's be real—unless you're a professional or a hobbyist, no one in can fix your camera."

"Oh..." The girl's delicate hands held the camera as if it were a treasure. Her expression dimmed as the realization set in: she would have to return it to that unsettling clerk. Her gaze dropped, and the light in her beautiful eyes darkened. While she recognized the danger posed by the clerk, there was nothing she could do.

"Just now..." she murmured in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible, "Thank you." She wasn't oblivious to what was happening earlier. But shes not sure why this guy had stepped in to shield her. She wont voice her opinion, Sakura doesn't want to assume anything.

"It seems you're aware of your situation," Hikigaya noted. "So, what are you going to do? That guy's obviously a pervert. Why not report to a teacher?"

"I..." Her eyes darted away, betraying her reluctance to explain further.

Hikigaya sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You're really troublesome, aren't you? I'll help you deal with the stalker. Simple."

"Eh Really?" The girl looked up at him in confusion, unsure if she'd misheard what he`d said

"For 20,000 points, Ill help with your problem" Hikigaya clarified, After all, he wouldn't help this girl without payment. Between a pervert and Twenty thousand points, the latter is the obvious choice, He doesn't even know her name nor is interested in knowing it. If she doesn't pay then he won't help her at all. I don`t want her to assume I`m a nice person who would help her without gaining something in return. To work is to lose! But working without pay is idiotic.

The girl hesitated, her expression shifting to disappointment. "But I don't... I don't have that much points."

"Are you serious? Just how many private points do you currently have?" Hikigaya thought and he blinked, dumbfounded. You've already blown through your 100,000 starting points in one month? What kind of reckless spender... Even from someone like him hes not recklessly spending his money. What kind of househusband he is if he cant budget money

"Which class are you in?" he asked, his suspicion growing.

"First-year Class D," she admitted softly. "Sakura Airi." She looked up at him shyly. "I spent my 100,000 points on this camera at the start of the year. But in May, our class points dropped to zero..."

"First-year Class B Hikigaya Hachiman," He introduced himself, his thoughts confirming what he'd already suspected. The points distribution in each class is different. Although its a bit narcissistic he can say he is better than most of the people in class D. Just how terrible they are if their class point reach zero in just a month?

"So... the camera broke within a month just after you bought it," He asked just to continue their conversation.

"Yes," Sakura said, tears welling in her eyes. "It's broken four times now. Almost once a week."

"Four times?" Hikigaya's brows furrowed. "That clerk's definitely tampered with it. No doubt about it. And charging you for repairs every time..." He clicked his tongue. Realizing the Store Clerk been doing from the start "Fine. You can borrow the points for now."

"Really?" Sakura's face lit up with a relieved smile. "Thank you."

"It's a job so I can gain points," Hikigaya replied nonchalantly. "Don't read too much into it. Let's go." He stood and walked briskly, Sakura hurrying to follow.

"Um, Hikigaya-san," she whispered, clutching his sleeve nervously. "How are you going to handle it?"

"Report him," Hikigaya said simply, hands in his pockets.

"Wait!" Sakura's panic was evident as she tugged his sleeve. "If we do that..."

"Relax." Hikigaya raised a hand to calm her. "This won't come back to you. Trust me Sakura."

Since Sakura cant report it directly to the teachers she must have her own reason and he don`t need know it As long as he can report that pervert without affecting her. Being a loner he became cautious. So hell solve this himself in his own way.

"Eh?" Sakura was surprised and curious about what he did. Her face is warm and her heart is thumping a bit fast to her own liking.

"What are you going to do Hikigaya-san?" her hands unconsciously hold his sleeve

"Well, youll know when we get there," Hikagaya said tugging his sleeve and signaling her to let go. So he can walk towards the school.

Sakura hesitated but nodded. She followed him quietly, stealing glances at him as they walked.

Close to the school,

Sakura suddenly spoke, her cheeks flushed. "Actually..."

"Yeah?" Hikigaya prompted, wary of her hesitance.

"I... I've been doing idol work since entering school," she admitted, her voice trembling. "My stage name is 'Shizuku.'" Sakura didn't understand why she told him her secret.

"Okay," Hikigaya said, unimpressed. "And?" Looking at her with his dead-eyed fish without much interest.

Sakura smiled and lowered her head, She was flustered. Many men gaze at her with lustful eyes but Hikigaya is different. She didnt expect to meet someone who doesnt look at her that way.

"As an idol, I've released photo albums before. That clerk might've been a fan," Sakura explained, clutching the camera tightly.

"Ah, that explains it," Hikigaya muttered. "A fan who turned into a stalker. That doesn't excuse his behavior, though."

"Right," Sakura said, her voice tinged with determination. "If it helps, you can mention me when you report him. He's probably hoarding my photos."

"You didn't want to bring this up earlier. Why now?" Hikigaya asked, tilting his head. Hes confused and cant figure out how Sakura changed in such a time. First, she was timid and now she`s being talkative. Weird..

Sakura smiled faintly, her cheeks still flushed. "Because... Hikigaya-san doesn't look at me like that. You're... different."

He felt someone was watching them. Even though it was just a brief moment he felt it. As a veteran loner, he knows how to avoid people and he knows when people staring at her.

Hikigaya stared at her for a moment before muttering, "Sakura are you just insulting me in a roundabout way?"

"No, no! That's not it!" Sakura waved her hands frantically. Her face is so flustered right now.

"Whatever. Let's go Sakura," Hikigaya said, brushing off the conversation. "This is just business—20,000 points, remember." He turned and walked away, leaving Sakura to scramble after him once more.