Chapter 30: Shiina Hiyori, You Are a Terrible Influence!
Katsuragi Keima soon saw Sakura Airi's latest update.
Cute, sunny, and full of youthful vitality.
The slightly blurred dormitory background in the photo allowed Keima to further confirm her identity. Sakura Airi was indeed Shizuku. Keima had previously made this judgment based on the card's character art, and this latest update confirmed it.
His gaze swept across the comments section, catching that same discordant comment from earlier.
[Anonymous User] "Two days later, I saw you up close again today, Shizuku. Do you know? Being by your side makes me so happy~"
Keima knew that on an idol's account, such comments were common. Any idol, even a minor one, would have fanatical followers. But the issue lay in this person's specific wording.
"Again?"
Was it just a joke? No, it didn't seem like one—the phrase "Two days later" preceded it. The timing was so precise, as if the person had truly seen Sakura Airi two days ago.
Two days ago was the day school started, when Keima had first met Sakura Airi in the supermarket while she was struggling to speak to the clerk. And today, the two of them had gone to the supermarket once more.
Keima couldn't help but recall the shop clerk from earlier.
'No, no, I shouldn't have a stereotype about him just because he has a very stereotypical face... even if he really does look like a perverted creep.'
Keima clicked on the user's homepage. The person had hidden their updates, but Keima was still able to find their previous records in Sakura Airi's history through the avatar and speech patterns.
It was... a bit too fanatical. Every time she updated, he would post a feverish comment almost instantly. Was he monitoring her blog at high intensity 24/7?
Though the probability was low, it was worth keeping an eye on.
"Eh, Kami-nii-sama! This person looks so familiar!"
Elsie leaned in to look, and after several seconds, she suddenly reacted. "Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Is this person Sakura-san?!"
"Yeah."
"Wh-wh-wh-what?! How can this be?!" Elsie's face was the picture of shock.
"It's normal. Many characters have dual natures, and Sakura-san is a classic example. The trope of 'classmate by day, idol by night' isn't rare; she's even just a gravure idol..."
"I'm not talking about that! I mean the likes and comments! She only posted a few minutes ago! It's already several times your walkthrough's likes!"
"..."
At this moment, a young man's heart shattered.
The traffic on Keima's walkthroughs wasn't bad; in fact, it was very good. However, in front of Shizuku, a popular gravure idol, it paled in comparison. A photo someone took casually could outperform Keima's painstaking creations.
No matter what it is, everything is defenseless before a beautiful girl.
"This is why I hate the real world!" Keima erupted with a roar.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, Sakura Airi was also scrolling through her blog. Her visitor records were numerous, flashing across the screen in an instant. But she still managed to catch one familiar ID.
God.
Usually, Airi would just skim past them; with so many daily visitors, she couldn't possibly remember every ID. But today, she happened to remember this ID and saw it in the logs. Or rather, she was subconsciously drawn to the name.
This also made Airi realize one thing... she had forgotten that visitor records existed!
What to do, what to do!
Airi fell into a panic, unsure of how to proceed. She couldn't delete the record, and he had clearly seen her profile!
"Phew... phew..." Airi adjusted her breathing. "Katsuragi-kun... shouldn't recognize me. He definitely won't!"
Then, another notification lit up.
[User God] followed you.
"!!!!"
Sakura Airi's face instantly turned bright red, and she buried her head directly into her pillow.
'He followed me? Did he recognize me?! Katsuragi-kun shouldn't be able to tell!'
But soon, a flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes. Keima following her probably wasn't because she was "Sakura Airi," but because of the idol "Shizuku." On the internet, Shizuku was a sunny, youthful beauty; it was perfectly normal for people to like her.
Her real self wasn't like that at all.
'If only I had more courage...'
Airi buried her head even deeper.
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"I say, Kami-nii-sama, is it okay to follow Sakura-san directly? She seems like the type who doesn't want others to know her identity. Won't this lower her affection?" Elsie asked, confused by Keima's move.
"An ordinary person would never realize that Shizuku and Sakura-san are the same person."
"Well, obviously! The contrast is huge!"
"If I didn't know either, how would I be different from an ordinary person? To capture a girl, you have to appear 'special' in her heart."
"I see! As expected of Kami-nii-sama!" Elsie nodded in realization, even though she didn't actually understand anything.
Keima then scanned his follower list. Most were unremarkable, except for one.
[User Miss Marple] followed you.
Keima's brow twitched. The ID "Miss Marple" was familiar to him. One of the games he cleared recently involved mystery elements, so he had crammed relevant knowledge.
Sufficient knowledge is the key to clearing a game! And Miss Marple was the fictional detective created by British author Agatha Christie.
'More mystery novels...?'
Keima glanced at Elsie beside him, then at the mystery novels in his hand, and bit his lip.
'Shiina Hiyori, you are a terrible influence!'
Though she wasn't very bright, Elsie was still a devil with special powers. She might actually be capable of wiping out the school's teaching staff.
Wait... could this person be Shiina Hiyori?
Keima clicked the user's homepage. There was nothing there except the creation date... which was also the day school started.
'No way. Absolutely impossible!'
A literary girl type like Shiina Hiyori wouldn't browse this kind of website; she cared more about physical books than electronics.
But the premonition grew stronger. He pulled out the card for Shiina Hiyori.
[Name: Shiina Hiyori] [Affection: 20%]
"???"
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