chapter 3
897 Words
**Chapter 3】
I was in the teachers’ lounge, placing the documents about the exam on the famous island back in their original spot before anyone noticed they were missing.
As usual, I stole quickly and skillfully, but that strange sensation still wouldn’t go away.
Just as I was about to put the documents down, a voice rose in the silence.
— ??: You’re pretty good, for someone who wants to stay invisible.
I stiffened immediately—there was no mistaking that voice. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
I turned around, hiding my stolen files behind my back. I hadn’t heard anyone enter.
How did he get in without me noticing?
A shiver crawled down my spine. Meanwhile, he simply leaned against the wall, indifferent and unreadable.
Damn it, I’m screwed!
I panicked internally, but forced myself to stay calm. Since when had he been here? What had he seen? Why was he even here?
How do I get myself out of this? It was over. Well… I could try bluffing.
— Sakura: What are you doing here?
His eyes analyzed me with that unreadable, cold look before he calmly replied:
— Ayanokoji: For a while now, I’ve been watching what you do. The way you move, steal, handle terminals… That’s no coincidence. It’s a habit. You do this often, don’t you?
A realization hit me like a brick. This wasn’t a coincidence. He had been observing me for a long time. He wasn’t the type to approach someone without knowing exactly who he was dealing with.
Three choices flashed in my mind:
• Deny everything
• Threaten him (not happening)
• Ask directly what he wants
The answer was obvious. Go all in—what did I have to lose? My secret, my identity, my fake identity?
Everything. I had everything to lose.
— Sakura: What do you want?
I already knew I would regret this. Deeply.
— Ayanokoji: Nothing. For now.
He straightened up casually, as if he had lost interest.
— Ayanokoji: I just wanted to see you in action up close. Now I know what you’re capable of.
And he walked away.
I gritted my teeth. A silent threat. A warning. He could destroy me whenever he wanted. I was doomed.
He just left me there.
I knew nothing about psychology—only what I learned from anime. And to think I actually believed watching Naruto and AOT would give me mental strength…
【The Next Day】
Classes were finally over. I received new client requests, but I was terrified.
I constantly felt his eyes on me. It was suffocating. He didn’t say anything—he just watched me from afar.
At every move he made, I felt like he was about to drop a bomb.
I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
What if he told Horikita?
What if?
What if?
What if?
So many questions I was going insane.
I eventually decided to keep working as a thief. But I knew he was still watching me.
【A Few Days Later】
I was probably the richest student in ANHS. And yet something—someone—kept me from living freely.
His name: Ayanokoji.
His goal: unknown.
But one thing was sure: he was going to be a problem.
【Later】
Just as Kiyotaka expected, Sakura Airi eventually gave in.
After classes, she led him to a quiet, isolated corner. Her voice was cold—nothing like the timid Sakura everyone knew.
— Sakura: If you plan to expose me, do it now. Otherwise, tell me what you want.
Ayanokoji looked at her with his emotionless expression. He knew she wasn’t cooperating out of loyalty, but out of survival.
— Ayanokoji: I don’t need to threaten anyone. But if you’re as smart as I think, you’ll understand that working with me is more beneficial than seeing me as a threat.
Sakura knew all too well what he was capable of. She had watched the anime.
She knew she couldn’t afford to be on his bad side.
Her quest for a peaceful life had just been shattered.
And she had tried so hard to avoid him—because staying near a protagonist meant standing in the middle of a storm of problems.
Exactly what she wanted to avoid.
But now, she was trapped.
【A Few Days Later】
Sakura stood at the railing of the boat that was taking them to their unknown destination.
But she knew where they were headed. And she knew the chaos that awaited them on that island.
She stared at the sea, alone in her corner, sorting through her thoughts.
One question haunted her:
Now that Ayanokoji knows what I can do… what will he do next?
She walked around the deck and stumbled upon the scene where Kanji asked Kikyo to be his friend.
Disgusting.
Especially when Kanji started jumping for joy and the others began fussing around.
A chilling shiver ran down her spine—she felt watched again.
When she looked around, she found Kiyotaka staring at her with that cold, implacable expression.
She shivered and immediately averted her gaze.
— What does he want now?
She quickly returned to her room—isolated, quiet, peaceful.
She lay on her bed, mind tortured and restless, thinking about her forgotten life, school, Ayanokoji, and her freedom.
In time, things would settle down.
Or so she hoped.
- Writer
