TPCF 37

CHAPTER 37………

The person Anita suspected as the culprit was none other than that strange man. The one who followed her around as if he were her owner. No matter how much she thought about it, there was no one else as suspicious as him.

She wasn’t particularly curious about his identity, and she figured that asking would only invite more trouble, so she left him alone. She shouldn’t have. Anita didn’t know his name, his grade—nothing at all—yet somehow, he knew exactly where she lived.

The world really was unfair.

Without a shred of evidence, starting anything would make her look like a thoughtless fool accusing an innocent person. She had to be cautious. So Anita decided to find the proof herself.

But she hit a wall right from the beginning. Searching for him by chance on such a wide campus felt utterly hopeless.

The man who could always find her without fail—today of all days—was nowhere to be seen.

Was this too reckless a plan after all? As she was debating whether to give up and head back, Anita spotted a group of men walking from afar. Her face brightened.

He was among them, walking alongside people who seemed to be his companions. Anita sprang up from the bench to call out to him—only to sit back down again moments later.

Calling out would be easy. But then what?

Was he going to stupidly admit, “Yeah, I’ve been breaking into your room and tailing you for days”? Of course not.

Besides, Anita hadn’t lost anything. Her body was perfectly fine, too.

She fiddled with her fingertips, a subconscious habit whenever she sank deep into thought.

Should she pressure him and force an answer? That sounded like she’d be the one accused of intimidation.

Should she tail him and dig into his background? But then, wouldn’t she be no different from a stalker herself?

While Anita agonized, the man and his companions were drifting farther away. Biting her lip and fidgeting nervously, she finally stood up.

If they came face-to-face, she’d figure something out. She wasn’t eloquent, but she could still talk.

“Wait a second!”

The group, chuckling as if they’d been joking around, stopped in their tracks. After a brief pause, the three turned around.

“Who…?”

A man she’d never seen before narrowed his eyes at her. Anita was still deciding how to introduce herself, but it turned out to be a pointless worry. The man in question shoved his companion aside with his arm and stepped forward.

“Long time no see, Anita.”

Though she’d been losing sleep lately, Anita still looked relatively human. But her face drained of color in an instant.

She tried to hold on to her scattered thoughts and continue speaking, but the man leaned his face in far too close, forcing her to turn away in discomfort.

“Please… step back.”

Anita already knew, even with their few encounters, that he wouldn’t simply comply. And she was right.

His eyes gleamed with an oily glint, and he twisted his lips into a sickening smile.

“Why would I?”

For some reason, a shooting range target flashed in Anita’s mind. She quickly brushed it away, realizing how rude a thought it was to have about a person.

“I just want to have a little talk.”

She kept her tone as businesslike as possible. But his companions seemed to interpret it differently. They nodded knowingly and gave Anita a slow once-over. Their gaze left her with the same revulsion one might feel upon seeing a sewer rat.

So Anita did the same to them. From head to toe, she looked them over before locking eyes with each. Their faces twisted sourly, and muttering under their breath, they walked off.

Sometimes, she felt that openly rude people were easier to deal with. At least it was clear they didn’t like her—something even Anita, not the most perceptive, could easily catch on to.

“Shall we sit—”

“No. Let’s just talk here.”

They were in the middle of a walkway, where students carrying books occasionally passed by. Of course, Anita had no desire to stand there holding a conversation. But if she suggested sitting down, he’d likely get the wrong idea. And she certainly didn’t want to move somewhere quiet and secluded just because she was embarrassed by the attention.

She could feel the curious stares of people passing by, but she deliberately ignored them. Acknowledging it would only give him an excuse to suggest moving elsewhere.

“My legs have gotten stronger lately.”

“…What?”

Startled by her odd opening, his eyebrows shot up.

“My dorm room is on the fourth floor. At first, it was tough climbing the stairs, but now I’m used to it. I guess a bit of exercise really does help.”

“Hm.”

The man stroked his chin.

Unconsciously, Anita clutched the hem of her skirt. Would he take the bait?

“It’s not the fourth floor—it’s the second.”

The moment he fell for it, Anita rejoiced inside. But there were two problems. First, she wasn’t bold enough to deliberately deceive someone just to extract evidence. And second—

“Cute. You trying to test me?”

—he wasn’t as easy to fool as she’d hoped. Anita’s momentum collapsed instantly. None of her imagined scenarios had prepared her for this.

“Sorry. But I couldn’t help it. You seemed like you were being threatened by that guy. I was trying to protect you.”

“Protect me…? From who, exactly?”

Tragically, Anita had let slip her chance to press him further. She cursed her own mouth for never saying what she truly meant. Left with no choice, she filled the gap with a question she didn’t really care about.

“You two didn’t look like you were getting along that day. In the rain.”

Now he was openly admitting to tailing her.

“……”

“How could I just stand by and watch? That guy’s trouble waiting to happen. Be careful.”

If only he knew who she really needed to be careful of.

“…You were following me?”

Forcing the words out, Anita finally confronted him. She hadn’t expected an apology. But seeing him laugh shamelessly, without the slightest hint of guilt, made her blood boil.

“Are you aware that what you did is a crime?”

A crack finally appeared in his smug expression. Anita seized the moment, regaining some of her earlier composure. If she emphasized that it was criminal behavior, then warned him she’d report him if he ever did it again… she might just manage this.

“A crime?”

“Wait a minute…”