Airi's reaction startled Kaoru.
He'd never seen her make such an expression before.
With tears shimmering in her eyes like this, it might easily be mistaken that he had bullied the girl to tears.
"Ahem, I almost forgot."
Kaoru quickly changed the subject. "Airi, are you okay with taking photos now?"
The reason Airi secretly played with her camera wasn't just because she had no friends—it was largely due to her personality, which prevented her from handling such things in front of others.
She'd once told Kaoru that when she shot her photobook, the photographer, manager, and all staff present were women, yet it still didn't cure her social anxiety.
"I… I don't know. It should be fine, right?"
Airi wiped her tears, sniffled, her tone utterly uncertain.
Before, she had no friends. Now, she had a few.
Maybe things would be different.
Besides, it was rare to take photos together.
No matter what, Airi felt she couldn't mess up at a crucial moment.
"If it's too much, it's fine. I've already explained your situation to Haruka-chan. She understands."
Kaoru knew that taking photos wasn't a small matter for girls—unlike guys who could just snap a quick selfie and be done with it.
Being that careless would never result in a good photo. Who wanted to take pictures without makeup?
Moreover, Hasebe Haruka wanted to take photos with commemorative meaning, so of course they'd have to go out.
Once they stepped outside, it was no small matter—makeup was essential, and nice clothes were a must.
In short, they could spend hours, even an entire day, just to get one good photo.
Airi felt a bit downcast.
She didn't dare deny it, nor could she guarantee anything. Was she really going to keep hiding her true self?
She wanted to play with friends, take photos together, and show her real side.
"During Spring Break, the school building should be empty."
Kaoru suddenly said, "I'm a Student Council member, so even if a teacher finds us, I have an excuse."
Airi's eyes instantly lit up, though a trace of unease soon followed.
She murmured softly, "Will… Haruka-chan and the others agree?"
"She never planned to go to crowded places anyway. We usually spend most of our time in the school building, right?"
Kaoru said without batting an eye, though in truth, the experience of taking photos while having fun was even better—it created more beautiful memories.
But given Airi's situation, they had to give up on that idea.
Sure enough, just hearing that there would be no one around, the girl broke into a happy smile.
It must have been a relief for her.
"I… I'm not a good photographer… How about you be the photographer, Kaoru?"
"I can do that, but are you sure you can face the lens normally?"
"Eh?" Kaoru sighed softly.
Had this girl forgotten her embarrassing past?
"When you shot your photobook before, wasn't it because you couldn't handle the pressure of being watched?"
In an instant, Airi became utterly dejected.
No matter where they took photos or how they did it, the core of the problem was always her.
Kaoru had come to see her tonight partly out of concern that Class C might affect her, and partly because he remembered the photo-taking matter.
Hasebe Haruka had called him privately, suggesting they should take this chance to help Airi step out of her comfort zone.
Taking photos was a good excuse.
Getting Airi to change out of her usual outfit, reveal her true self, and simultaneously face others' gazes—Haruka believed this could gradually help Airi overcome her timidity.
Her exact words were: "She's so pretty—she should be more confident."
"Airi, why do you hate being watched?"
Kaoru placed his hands on her shoulders, his gesture slightly forceful, making her instinctively avert her gaze.
"Are you afraid of embarrassing yourself? Or worried people will criticize you? Or even look at you with lewd eyes?"
Airi's shoulders trembled slightly.
Kaoru forced her to look at him, only to find her eyes weren't as shadowed as he'd imagined.
"B-because… someone disliked me before."
"They were just jealous of how cute you are."
"Th-that's not it… I'm… different from everyone else…"
"Of course you're different—you're cute."
"D-don't interrupt me… Waaah… you're so sly…"
"Airi, it's normal for someone to dislike you, just like it's natural for me to like you."
"Guh… I… I know I shouldn't keep dwelling on it… but I… I'm so scared… Am I just useless? Waaah…"
"An Airi who feels uneasy because someone dislikes her is just as cute. Even if you keep dwelling on it, I'll always be by your side."
"Guh…"
Airi was trembling all over now, looking at Kaoru as if on the verge of tears.
The next moment, she threw herself into his arms, holding him tightly.
"Waaah… I wasn't finished… You're too sly…"
Kaoru patted her head.
Honestly, the moment she said it, he already knew what was going on. After all, teenagers were so sensitive during puberty.
"Because I'm Airi's fan. To me, Airi just needs to be cute."
Of course, being a fan of her looks counted too.
Kaoru didn't see any problem with that—he genuinely admired Airi's face and figure. Otherwise, she wouldn't have debuted as a gravure idol.
However, Airi seemed to interpret his words differently.
Kaoru felt the girl in his arms stir, then saw her lift her tear-streaked face, looking at him pitifully.
"I… I'll do my best!"
For some reason, she suddenly shouted this.
Kaoru was baffled.
The girl stopped crying, her face flushed red as she quickly got up from his embrace and scurried to the corner to fiddle with the boxes.
A moment later, she pulled out a digital camera.
So she'd hidden the camera in the box?
But why hide it there?
Before Kaoru could ponder further, the idol eagerly shoved the camera into his hands, then looked at him with anticipation.
"L-last time… let's do it again…"
Airi said shyly, "You… be the photographer… you can shoot however you want."
No matter the pose, she would cooperate.
Kaoru fell silent for a moment, then said, "Airi, are you afraid of my gaze?"
"O-of course not."
Airi tilted her head.
"If you're not afraid of me, then me pointing the lens at you is meaningless."
Kaoru shook his head, then added, "If you want to build your courage, I have a better method."
"What method?"
Airi looked at him eagerly.
Kaoru countered, "Do you like me?"
The question short-circuited Airi's brain.
By the time she processed it, her entire face was burning red, like an overinflated balloon ready to pop at any moment.
"Y-ye… yes…"
Her murmur was even softer than a mosquito's buzz, yet it resonated louder than anything before.
"Mm, I see."
Kaoru smiled slightly. "I like Airi too, so please trust me."
Airi felt her heartbeat was unbearably loud.
She could no longer hear what Kaoru was saying, and even her own voice seemed stuck, unable to make a sound.
She just stared foolishly at him.
"Airi, could you go out with me… without anything underneath?"
In that moment, this room was no longer the most shameless place.
The person who claimed to be her fan bared his fangs just like before, instantly snapping her back to reality.
She was only pretending to be shameless—this guy was the real deal!