[Kushida... Why is Kushida-san suddenly talking to me... I... I can't look people in the eye when I talk... I don't know how to communicate... Could it be... Could it be... They know I'm the witness?]
Saiki Kusuo could not only hear Sakura Airi's thoughts, but with his X-ray vision, he could clearly see her breathing quicken and her heart rate increase.
'Sakura's communication issues are even worse than Shiina's.'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself.
Although Shiina Hiyori also had communication issues, there was a significant difference between her and Sakura Airi.
Shiina Hiyori wasn't good at communicating, but deep down, she longed to meet someone who shared her interests.
Sakura Airi, on the other hand, seemed to have a certain level of resistance to interacting with others.
One was simply not good at it, while the other didn't want to.
[Edward Hall, a cultural anthropologist, divided personal space into four categories. One of these is called intimate distance. When someone enters the closest range of intimate distance, where they could hug you, people naturally feel a strong sense of rejection. However, if it's a lover or close friend, this distance doesn't feel uncomfortable. In Kushida's case, even if she enters the intimate distance of someone she's not close to, it generally doesn't cause rejection. It's more like people don't even notice the existence of intimate distance...]
As he watched the two from a distance, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka thought to himself.
'Who is this guy? And now you're analyzing this? Quoting famous people in your thoughts? You're the first person I've seen do that.'
Saiki Kusuo internally complained.
Originally, he thought today's events would have nothing to do with him, but Horikita Suzune had "invited" him along, saying it was to prevent any unexpected situations.
Saiki Kusuo looked at Sakura Airi, who was holding a small camera. Using his telepathy, he learned that Sakura Airi had accidentally captured some relevant footage earlier.
"Um, I wanted to ask you about Sudo-kun," Kushida Kiyoka asked politely, with a friendly smile.
"I... I don't know anything! I don't know anything at all!"
Faced with Kushida Kikyo's questioning, Sakura Airi reacted as if she were being threatened, stepping back repeatedly and avoiding eye contact.
"It won't take long. This is really important!" Kushida Kikyo continued, surprised by Sakura Airi's reaction.
"I really don't know anything!"
Sakura Airi turned to run but lost her balance and fell to the ground. Her camera hit the floor with a sharp crack.
Ignoring the pain, Sakura Airi immediately checked her camera for damage.
"I-I'm sorry! Are you okay?" Kushida Kikyo, who hadn't expected things to escalate like this, asked.
[She fell on her own, right? It's not my fault. Ugh, if others misunderstand, it'll be trouble!]
Sakura Airi anxiously tried to turn on her camera, but it wouldn't start.
"I-I'm sorry."
"No, it was my fault..."
With that, Sakura Airi picked up her camera and quickly ran off.
[I... I don't want others to know my true self...]
"Sakura-san..."
Kushida Kikyo hesitated, unsure whether to chase after her, but by the time she decided, Sakura Airi was already gone.
"Well, it looks like things have gotten complicated."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said slowly, and Horikita Suzune nodded in agreement. However, she didn't intervene and soon left the scene.
...
Meanwhile, in a special classroom building, Sakura Airi sat alone on an empty staircase, repeatedly pressing the power button on her camera, but it still wouldn't turn on.
This was the place where Sudo Ken and a few others from Class D had gotten into a conflict. Unlike the regular classroom building, this area was only used for lab classes, so it was usually deserted.
Sakura Airi worked part-time as a web idol and a model, often needing to take selfies, but she didn't want others to know about this side of her, so she chose this secluded spot.
She never expected to witness the conflict between Sudo Ken and the others from Class D.
"It won't turn on..."
Sakura Airi looked at her camera, her eyes filled with disappointment.
[The camera's broken... It won't turn on... What about the photos inside...]
[If... If I had just admitted I was the witness from the start... Would things have turned out differently...]
[But... But... I really can't communicate with others normally... The camera's broken... If I want to buy a new one with my current points... It's too expensive... I have no choice... I'll have to get it repaired... But that store clerk... I... I don't want to go there...]
Tears welled up in Sakura Airi's eyes as she struggled to hold back her sobs.
'Yare yare, this is getting troublesome.'
Standing at the corner of the hallway not far from Sakura Airi, Saiki Kusuo heard her thoughts.
'Sakura's communication issues seem more severe than I thought.'
Just then, Saiki Kusuo's phone vibrated silently—he had set all his devices to silent ever since that night when he saw Kushida Kikyo's true nature.
He looked down at the screen. It was a message from Kushida Kikyo.
Kushida Kikyo: Sakura-san's camera seems to be broken because of me... I was thinking of going with her to the school's electronics store tomorrow to get it fixed. Do you want to come along?
Saiki Kusuo: Sure.
This time, Saiki Kusuo quickly replied with a positive answer.