Chapter 134: Is There A Photography Club?

As his hand reached out and touched it, the smooth, silky sensation told Haruto this wasn't his imagination. When he looked closer, right next to the pair of pristine white stockings was a small pink card. He picked it up casually and read the words written on it.

"A gift for Miyamizu-kun."

Haruto had to admit—he did have a little thing for stockings. But it wasn't like he ever planned on letting anyone else know about that.

If anyone from class were to see this… well, that'd basically be the end of his school life.

Quietly, he slipped the card back under the desk, clutching the pair of stockings tightly in his hand. Moving as naturally yet quickly as possible, he stuffed them into his bag and placed it back in its original spot. Then, he sat in silence, lost in thought.

First the photos. Now the stockings.

He'd originally intended to just ignore whoever was behind this. But if this kept up… it felt like he was walking straight into another social death trap.

There aren't many people who know about my particular tastes. Maybe only Setsuna and Sayuri have an inkling. Other than them… it could only be that person—the one who's been secretly following me around.

That stalker had clearly been watching him for a while, snapping photos, observing his routines… It wouldn't be too surprising if they figured out his preferences along the way.

But right now, there was only one question on his mind—who exactly was that person?

Sitting at his desk, Haruto sifted through the list of possible suspects in his head. He kept pondering until the classroom gradually filled with students and the first period began, forcing him to temporarily set aside his thoughts and focus on class…

Later, during lunch break, Haruto was in the lab with Rio Futaba. Clad in her signature pristine white lab coat, the girl exuded her usual calm and logical air. Haruto, staring absently at her, suddenly asked the question that had been weighing on his mind.

"What kind of person… do you think would follow someone around?"

He didn't really think much of it before, but now… seeing Rio's white lab coat somehow reminded him of white stockings. Realizing how messed up that thought was, Haruto sighed quietly to himself.

The sigh was soft, but in the silence of the lab, it sounded surprisingly clear. Futaba, who was brewing coffee, glanced up at him.

"Probably someone looking for a thrill," she answered evenly. "But if they get caught, there's no way they're getting off easy. I wouldn't recommend doing that, just saying."

Rio gave him a sideways glance, gauging his reaction, half-joking but also a little serious—just in case Haruto was actually the culprit here.

"It's not me," Haruto said, shaking his head. "But… I can't exactly say it has nothing to do with me either. Recently, I've been getting these weird photos. Someone's been secretly following me, taking pictures, and slipping them into my shoe locker or under my desk."

Rio paused, lifting her beaker of coffee to her lips while peering at him over her glasses, studying every subtle change in his expression.

Seeing that he wasn't joking, her surprise was genuine. She hadn't expected Haruto to be caught up in something like this without her even knowing.

"Do you have any suspects?" she asked.

"Nope. If I did, I wouldn't be this troubled."

"Just to be clear," Rio added dryly, "my daily life is strictly a two-point commute—from the lab to my home. I don't have the time or the interest to follow you around."

Her gaze was sharp, her long lashes blinking slowly.

"Yeah, I figured," Haruto replied. "Besides… judging by today's 'gift,' you don't exactly fit the profile."

"Gift?"

He pulled the crumpled white fabric from his pocket and set it on the lab table. Rio's eyes darted between the silky white stockings and Haruto's face, lingering for a moment on his hands that had been holding them.

"…Don't look at me like that," Haruto muttered. "If I didn't carry them with me, leaving them in the classroom would've been way riskier."

"I get it, but still… carrying them around like this is… kinda…"

Rio managed to hold back the word gross, worried it might genuinely hurt him—even if he didn't seem like the type to be bothered easily.

She studied the stockings carefully.

"They look kinda small. Definitely on the delicate side… compared to standard sizes, these are a little… petite."

"…"

Rio fell silent, simply watching Haruto as he calmly made his observation.

"…The look you're giving me right now is kinda painful."

"I'm just… surprised, honestly. I didn't expect you to be this knowledgeable about… stockings."

"I have a little sister."

"…I see."

She nodded quietly, saying nothing more. Haruto thought about explaining further, but swallowed his words. No matter what he said, she'd probably stay suspicious anyway.

"Well, back to the stalker situation."

"Yeah."

Rio preferred knee-high socks—classic and understated. Haruto had never seen her wear stockings before, so she wasn't really on his list of suspects. If she ever did start wearing them, then maybe he'd have reason to wonder.

The two of them discussed the photos in detail—the angles, the timing—but since the actual photos were still back at his apartment, it was hard for Rio to offer any concrete insight.

"Tomorrow," Rio said as the lunch bell neared, "bring the photos here. We'll analyze them together. It's almost time for class."

As their discussion came to an end, Haruto agreed to continue tomorrow. He left the stockings in Rio's lab for safekeeping—it wasn't exactly something he could comfortably carry around all day—and headed back to the classroom.

Once Haruto was gone, Rio stood alone in the lab. She stared at the stockings sitting quietly on the table, her gaze complicated. After a moment, she picked them up and slipped them into the pocket of her lab coat.

Leaving them out in the open could cause all sorts of trouble if anyone else saw them. And since Haruto had left without thinking to take them, Rio would just have to hold onto them for now.

"So… he likes white stockings, huh?"

She couldn't help but wonder. If the stalker was really someone who knew about Haruto's preferences, then leaving him a pair of white stockings was certainly a calculated move.

White stockings…

Alone in the lab, Rio lowered her head, her expression unreadable—a storm of conflicting thoughts crossing her mind.

Meanwhile, oblivious to what Rio might be thinking, Haruto returned to class, briefly wondering if leaving the stockings with her was really the right call.

Sure, she was a girl, and having an extra pair of stockings on her didn't seem that strange. But for him, a guy… walking around with a pair stuffed in his pocket was just asking for disaster.

Even though stockings were originally invented for men back in the day… times had changed. He was no aristocrat. Carrying around white stockings as a modern high school guy was just asking for unnecessary trouble.

After school, as Haruto slowly walked home, he couldn't help but wonder… Was that person still following him even now?

He wanted to look back—to see who it was. But if he made the first move and spooked them, it might ruin his only chance to find out.

And so, despite the unease gnawing at his heart… Haruto kept walking, pretending as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

After returning to his apartment, Haruto couldn't help but glance back one last time — but, of course, there was nothing there. He quietly stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

He took off his school uniform, hung it neatly on the rack, then walked over to his bed and collapsed onto it.

But he didn't stay down for long.

Sitting up with a sigh, Haruto made his way to his desk. He opened a drawer and took out the stack of photos he had carefully organized and stored inside.

Staring down at them in silence for a while, he eventually stuffed them into his bag.

"I'll show these to Rio Futaba tomorrow," he thought. "Maybe she'll be able to notice something I missed."

Pulling out his chair, Haruto sat down at his desk and took out his manuscript, continuing to write...

Even though I was granted the angel's forgiveness and salvation, I'm still forbidden from standing in the sunlight. Stripped of my name, left to hide in the darkness, licking at wounds that never heal... who is left to save someone like me?

His progress was slow, steady — though he had no idea how much more he needed to write. At this point, it felt less like creating a story and more like going through the motions of a job. Staring at the draft whose ending was growing more and more distant, Haruto paused for a moment before tucking the manuscript back into his drawer.

The next day, beneath a clear blue sky, Haruto sat by the window in class, his gaze wandering outside every so often. The pure, cloudless sky drew his attention away, pulling him into brief moments of distraction before he would quietly shift his eyes back toward the teacher at the front of the classroom — though his mind was elsewhere.

Maybe it sounds like an excuse... but honestly, I'm just not in the mood to pay attention right now. What I really care about is figuring out who's behind all this.

"I'm not exactly an expert on photography," Rio Futaba said, studying the photos in her hands, "but even I can tell these were taken by someone really skilled. The composition, the clarity — this isn't something just anyone can pull off. And judging by the quality, whoever took these was using some pretty high-end equipment."

Hearing that, Haruto gave a small, knowing nod.

"Yeah... the photos are definitely well taken," he admitted. "That's why I'm honestly not too bothered by the fact that someone was tailing me and taking pictures. Now, if they'd been more invasive or taken something really private, then I might've had to consider reporting it to the police."

"..."

Rio was speechless for a moment.

Seriously?

Just because the pictures were well shot, you're willing to overlook someone stalking you?

What is wrong with this guy...

She stared at Haruto for a while, then turned her attention back to the photos in her hands. Narrowing her eyes, she examined them closely, but after several minutes, she still couldn't find anything else unusual.

"I'm not exactly good at this kind of thing," Rio said at last. "You might have better luck asking a professional photographer. They'd probably be able to pick up on details we're missing."

"Is there a photography club at Toyosaki?" Haruto asked.

"No idea," Rio replied without hesitation.

"I don't really care about anything that isn't related to physics."

"...Guess I'll have to ask around then," Haruto muttered. "From what we know so far, the biggest clue we've got is that the person behind this is really good at photography."

"And they're using some expensive equipment too."

"..."

Haruto fell silent for a second, then nodded.

"Right. I'll add that to the list. Maybe I can find out who in this school owns that kind of gear."

"Want me to help?"

"It's fine. But if you happen to see anyone carrying a camera around, let me know."

"Sure."

After wrapping up his conversation with Rio Futaba, Haruto returned to class and sought out someone who was much better at dealing with people — someone with a lot of connections: Aoi Hinami.

When Haruto approached her, Aoi looked genuinely surprised. But after hearing his question, her expression shifted to one of curiosity.

"A photography club?" she repeated.

"Yeah. Is there any kind of photography-related club at Toyosaki?"

"Hmm... when I was checking out all the clubs before, I don't think I saw one specifically for photography."

"There isn't?"

"No... although..."

Aoi trailed off, a slightly mischievous look in her eyes.

Haruto frowned.

"What's with that look?"

"Don't give me that face," she laughed. "It's not exactly a photography club, but when I was touring the clubs, I did see some pretty impressive camera equipment in the Astronomy Club."

Hinami Aoi thought about it carefully and shook her head slowly.

"I'm not sure, but it seems that the astronomy club does have relevant equipment. If you are interested, you can go and take a look."