The bespectacled man immediately lost his cool.
Momentarily stunned, he shouted aggressively—though actually quite weakly inside, "What are you talking about? Where did I secretly photograph anything?"
"Watch out, or I'll sue you for framing me!"
He tried to threaten Rei Ao, hoping Rei Ao wouldn't interfere.
Unfortunately, he had chosen the wrong person to threaten.
Rei Ao said coldly, "Open your phone's photo album."
The bespectacled man wanted to refuse.
But suddenly, he couldn't make a sound. Something compelled him to take out his phone, open the photo album, and obediently hand it over to Rei Ao.
Taking the phone, Rei Ao glanced through it.
Although there weren't any photos secretly taken of Asumi Kominami, it turned out he was a repeat offender.
There were quite a few candid shots of people taken on the street.
Rei Ao handed the phone to the still-shaken Asumi Kominami.
"Kominami-san, you can look for yourself."
Realizing what had happened, she began checking the phone carefully. Fujimiya Sumika also moved closer to look. As they flipped through the images, both of them became increasingly angry.
"This guy is a perverted paparazzo!"
Although there weren't any photos of Asumi Kominami, she was still furious at seeing other unsuspecting victims.
Gabriel and the café manager, an older man with a mustache, walked over.
He showed no intention of sweeping the matter under the rug, saying gravely, "He tried to secretly photograph my employee? I won't stand by and let that go. I'm calling the police!"
Before long, the evidence was confirmed and the bespectacled man was taken away.
Fujimiya Sumika looked at Rei Ao, her eyes full of admiration.
"Rei Ao-kun, how did you know he was taking secret photos? That's amazing!"
"Instinct," Rei Ao answered calmly.
It really was that simple.
Fujimiya Sumika could only guess that Rei Ao had noticed how unnatural the man's movements were. Angrily, she said, "It's awful that a paparazzo like that can't be locked up forever!"
Rei Ao gave a short, mirthless laugh but did not elaborate.
To prevent him from harming anyone else, Rei Ao had left a little "something" in the man's body. The man likely wouldn't survive by the time he was released.
Soon after, the manager came over with Gabriel and a casually dressed Asumi Kominami.
"Rei Ao-san, thank you for your courageous act in protecting my employee."
The manager gave him a deep bow, showing sincere gratitude.
"Thank you, Rei Ao!" added Asumi Kominami.
"I'll accept your thanks, but since we're classmates in the same year, it's just what I should do."
"Sigh, people your age who are willing to step up and help are getting fewer these days," the manager said wistfully. Then he waved a hand. "Today, both of your coffees are in the house."
"And I'll also give each of you a special membership card for our shop. From now on, whenever you come by, you'll get a ten-percent discount."
After the two of them accepted the membership cards, the manager smiled with satisfaction.
"Asumi Kominami, take the rest of the day off. I'll still pay you for your shift."
"Thank you, Manager."
When the manager walked away, Fujimiya Sumika turned to Asumi Kominami in concern. "Are you alright, Kominami-san?"
"I'm fine," she said with a smile and a shake of her head. "Even if he did get a photo of me, it wouldn't really matter."
Fujimiya Sumika was confused by that statement.
Gabriel explained on her behalf, "Even if that guy tried to secretly snap a photo, he wouldn't have caught anything. We wear regulation safety shorts."
Fujimiya Sumika let out a sigh of relief; she'd thought Asumi Kominami truly didn't mind being photographed.
"But it's so unfair for everyone else he snapped pictures of," Asumi Kominami said angrily. She herself was safe, but others had already been photographed without consent.
"Let's hope he changes," Gabriel sighed. The mortal world really had its share of filth; clearly, her own 'fall from grace' was not without cause. She even blamed her own corruption on the world's ugliness—yes, that must be it. No one could have guessed the fallen angel in front of them was using this incident to push the cause of her downfall onto other people.
"Mm, sorry to trouble you, Gabriel. This means you'll have to do my part of the job."
Gabriel scratched at her hair, yawning. She didn't look the least bit motivated to work.
Then, Asumi Kominami took out her phone.
"Rei Ao, can I add you as a contact?"
Worried he might misunderstand, she explained, "I want to thank you properly for today, so..."
"Sure," Rei Ao agreed without hesitation, seeing no reason to refuse.
After exchanging contact info, Asumi Kominami gave him a playful smile.
"Then be sure to pay attention to my messages, Rei Ao. I hope you two have a lovely couple's date. See you next time!"
With that, she departed.
A light breeze rustled Fujimiya Sumika's hair, leaving her standing there in a daze.
She glanced at Rei Ao's profile. A fierce wave of embarrassment welled up in her, and her face began to burn. She only came to return his coat—so how had the two of them ended up being mistaken for boyfriend and girlfriend?
Yet Rei Ao looked completely unfazed. He even teased her about it:
"Looks like we really do give off the vibe of a couple, to be mistaken like that."
Fujimiya Sumika's mind went blank at his remark. But Rei Ao simply chuckled, "Haha, just kidding," and then invited her:
"Fujimiya, how about we take a walk around?"
They hadn't really had anything resembling a date earlier, but now he guessed they could at least count it as one.
Strolling down the street, Fujimiya Sumika was so nervous she hardly knew where to look. Her face was still bright red, and she barely managed to get words out. She'd ended up stuck in a back-and-forth of nothing but yes/no answers.
She didn't want to be so uptight, but once she started thinking about "dating" and "acting like a couple," she couldn't stop her nerves from overwhelming her. Her brain was full of the so-called "18 Ways to Flirt With a Guy" that Sawae had taught her—but there was no way she could actually use any of those!
Fujimiya Sumika was nearly in tears from the awkwardness, and even Rei Ao was having trouble salvaging the situation. If only someone could come to her rescue...
Rei Ao stopped walking. Noticing how confused Fujimiya Sumika looked, he pointed at her purse. "Fujimiya, I think your phone just chimed."
She'd been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed. Hastily, she took out her phone, looking embarrassed. The moment she saw the message, her eyes lit up like she'd found a lifeline.
"Ahem! Rei Ao, let's walk over that way!"
Only moments ago she'd been stiff and flustered, yet now she was suddenly brimming with energy, pointing confidently in a new direction.
Intrigued, Rei Ao wondered what sort of message had boosted her spirit so much.
"Alright," he agreed. "Let's head that way."
900 Powerstone Bonus Chapter (Almost!!! I know you guys can do this!!)
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