"Thanks for your hard work tonight."
Hikigaya thanked the girl in front of him, who was wearing thick glasses.
"I-It's nothing."
Sakura quickly waved her hands, speaking softly. "If I can help you, Hikigaya-kun, I... I'm really happy."
After Haruno left, Hikigaya didn't return to his dorm. Instead, he headed to the meeting place they had arranged beforehand, where a girl had already been waiting for quite some time.
"The recording went smoothly, right? I should've picked a place with better lighting."
Sakura carefully took out her camera from her bag and handed it over. Instinctively, she reassured him, "N-No problems. I recorded everything just as you asked. D-Don't worry, this camera has great night vision. Look, even in low light, the footage is super clear."
As she spoke, Sakura operated the camera, showing Hikigaya the playback. Even in the dim setting, the LCD screen displayed a sharp recording.
"As expected, the only downside of expensive stuff is the price."
Hikigaya nodded in satisfaction. This camera had cost him nearly 300,000 private points, but it was worth every bit.
He fast-forwarded to the end of the footage, stopping right at the moment Ryuen found the hidden spy camera in the bushes. Hikigaya smirked slightly—looks like Ryuen fell for it.
That tiny spy camera was actually just a decoy, left there on purpose with a few obvious flaws to catch Ryuen's attention. The real hidden camera, operated by Sakura, remained completely undetected.
Sometimes, the truth people think they see is just what someone else wants them to see.
"Sakura, I really appreciate it. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to capture such clear footage."
The quality of the camera is one thing, but the skill of the person using it also matters. In such a dimly lit environment, it's not easy to capture such clear and stable footage without a certain level of technical ability.
After all, cameras are easy to learn but hard to master. Hikigaya only knows how to switch it to Auto mode, say "cheese," and press the shutter. Learning anything beyond that takes more than just a day or two.
"I-It's just that this camera has really great specs. Anyone else could have gotten the same results."
Sakura lowered her head, her face slightly flushed.
"Sakura, you're being too modest."
From how smoothly Sakura operated the camera just now and how clear and stable the footage was, it was obvious that it wasn't as simple as she made it sound. Hikigaya assumed she was just being shy.
"I didn't expect you to be so good at photography. This really helped a lot."
"I-I'm just glad I could help."
For some reason, Sakura's voice got quieter and quieter.
Just then, Sakura's phone buzzed with a transaction notification. She stared at the screen in shock—200,000 private points had just been transferred to her account. The sender was none other than Hikigaya.
"This is your payment for tonight. It's what you deserve, so please accept it."
As if he had already expected her reaction, Hikigaya spoke first. "Also, please keep what happened tonight a secret. I'm counting on you."
He knew that Sakura had spent a lot of private points on a new camera when the school year started, leaving her struggling financially this month. This money would help her out when she needed it most.
Sakura was never good with words, and with Hikigaya's sincere attitude, she couldn't even bring herself to refuse. She could only nod slightly.
"T-This is too much… I-I really don't need it…"
Sakura instinctively tried to refuse. She hadn't expected any payment in the first place. More than the money, what made her happy was that she had been able to help.
But Hikigaya simply shook his head and firmly pushed the points onto her. Every time she tried to speak up, she found herself silenced by his gaze.
"I… I'll keep it a secret."
She looked up and accidentally met Hikigaya's eyes. The moment she realized how close they were, her face turned visibly red.
"T-That…"
"Hm? Sakura, what did you say? I couldn't hear you."
"I-I mean… aren't we… a little too close?"
It took all her courage to say that, and her face turned even redder.
"…"
Hikigaya finally realized that at some point, the distance between them had become far too small.
"Ah! I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to—I'm really, really sorry!"
He quickly stepped back and apologized. They had been so focused on reviewing the footage together that neither of them had noticed how close they had gotten.
Sakura lowered her head, her thick bangs covering her flushed face. Her body trembled slightly.
"N-No need to apologize… It's not your fault, Hikigaya-kun. I-It was my mistake…"
She carefully handed the camera back to him, but Hikigaya caught the subtle hesitation in her eyes. After whispering a soft "sorry," she quickly turned and left.
Hikigaya watched her back, lost in thought.
"Wait, Sakura."
He called out to her and took out the SD card before handing the camera back to her.
"I don't really use my camera much anyway. If I keep it, it'll just collect dust. It'd be better off with you."
Sakura froze in place, then quickly shook her head. "I-I can't accept this… It's too expensive!"
Although Hikigaya never mentioned it, the girl had already checked the price of this camera at the store when school started. Even with a monthly allowance of 100,000 yen, it was still a luxury item she couldn't afford, no matter how much she gritted her teeth.
"The value of an item isn't in its price but in the person who can make full use of it. Because I don't have that ability, I want to give it to you. That way, it can reach its full potential instead of just gathering dust in my hands."
Hikigaya stepped forward and placed the camera around the girl's neck. She lowered her head, staring at the camera on her chest, and murmured softly, "B-But..."
"How about this? Think of it as a temporary loan in exchange for your help. I'll take it back when I need it, but of course, you'll have to help me when that time comes. How does that sound?"
After thinking for a moment, Hikigaya made his proposal.
This time, Sakura's eyes clearly wavered. She was always the type to be easily swayed, but her shyness and natural habit of rejecting the outside world kept her from responding.
"If you don't say anything, I'll take it as a yes. So it's decided."
Seeing her hesitation, Hikigaya made the decision for her. After knowing Sakura for nearly half a month, he had come to understand her personality. Not only did she tend to avoid things, but she also needed a push from behind to move forward or make a change.
But a personality like that—always lacking courage, always afraid of making mistakes and being laughed at—wasn't something that could be changed overnight.
"Alright, it's getting late. You worked hard tonight, so head back to your dorm and get some rest."
With those parting words, Hikigaya disappeared from her sight.
Sakura stood frozen in place, staring blankly at the camera in her hands, still warm from his touch, her mind completely blank.
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