Hello, Sakura

Sakura Airi, the girl sitting alone in the corner of the second floor.

If asked what impression the classmates had of a girl named Sakura Airi, most of them would probably answer, "I'm not really sure."

Despite being in the same class, she had left absolutely no impression on anyone. That probably couldn't be explained away by saying, "It's only been half a month since school started, so we haven't spent much time together." Even after a month or longer, things likely would not have changed.

The prerequisite for leaving an impression was having a certain sense of presence. After all, most people did not deliberately observe everyone around them; they simply passively received information.

As one of the few exceptions, Hoshino's first impression of the girl Sakura was that she was always alone.

Some might have used words like "withdrawn" or "gloomy" to describe someone like her. Hoshino did not particularly like such words laden with subjective malice. Being alone was merely an outward appearance; the reasons behind it were unknown. And regardless of those reasons, outsiders had no right to make careless remarks.

In appearance, Sakura seemed ordinary. She wore no makeup, with barely any sign that she had put effort into dressing up. A pair of unfashionable framed glasses sat on her nose, while her long red hair was tied into two ponytails. Whether sitting or standing, she always kept her head lowered and her back hunched. Her already petite, slender body curled into a tiny ball, as though she wished to vanish from people's sight like a ninja.

When called, she jolted as if startled, then shrank in on herself even further. She kept her head lowered and did not respond.

"Hey, Sakura. Hello."

Hoshino said it again. Without waiting for her response, he sat in the seat beside her.

Since Sakura had already been sitting at the very edge, she had nowhere else to move to put more distance between them.

"H-H-Hoshino..."

Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz. If Hoshino had not been sitting right beside her, he might not have heard it.

"Sakura, you chose the trainee program. Are you feeling unwell?"

"I-I'm not..."

She shook her head with an almost exaggerated motion, and her twin braids whipped around, brushing across Hoshino's face. She froze for a moment, her cheeks turning bright red at a visible pace, then began bowing repeatedly in apology.

"It's fine, Sakura. You don't need to apologize for something so small."

First side to side, then up and down—even the toughest semicircular canals could not withstand that.

Under Hoshino's gentle reassurance, Sakura finally calmed down.

"I'm sorry... I looked so embarrassing just now..."

"Not at all. You looked very cute just now, Sakura."

"Whaaa? No way! Someone like me, cute..."

She desperately denied it. Hoshino decisively took another step forward. Turning toward Sakura, he reached out and placed both hands on her shoulders, forcing her to face him.

Sakura nervously looked up. The moment her eyes met Hoshino's, she immediately lowered her head again to avoid his gaze. She barely even dared to struggle.

"H-Hoshino..."

"If Sakura keeps getting flustered because I showed up, it would seem like it was my fault. So, for the sake of not making me feel guilty, please calm down."

Sakura's eyes widened. After staring blankly for a while, she took several deep breaths and relaxed her body.

"Feeling better?"

"I'm... okay now. Thank you, Hoshino. But..."

"But?"

"Your hands... could you let go?"

Hoshino withdrew his hands at her words. Sakura curled up as though she wanted to fold herself in half.

"Would you classify what I just did as sexual harassment, Sakura?"

"Th-That..."

"Because Matsushita just scolded me for liking sexual harassment and all that."

"N-No. Hoshino did that out of kindness, to give me courage. It absolutely wasn't s-sexual harassment."

Though her voice was soft, Sakura firmly stated what she thought.

"Thank you for trusting me so much, Sakura. Still, hearing you say that makes me kind of want to play a little 'prank' on you."

"H-How could you..."

"I'm teasing. Sakura's reactions are interesting. They make people want to see you blush."

"Um... that would... trouble me a little..."

After talking more, Sakura was no longer quite so restrained, and her speech gradually became smoother.

"Has that person come looking for you again since then?"

"No..."

One day not long after school began, Hoshino happened to run into Sakura at Keyaki Mall.

Since it was a day off, Sakura was naturally wearing casual clothes. She wore a white blouse beneath a beige knit sweater, paired with a light-blue long skirt that fell below her knees. A baseball cap sat low over her head, its brim pulled down. With her head lowered, she clutched a handbag to her chest with both hands and hurried past a short distance in front of Hoshino.

Hoshino had not even seen her face at first and nearly failed to recognize her.

"Was that... Sakura?"

Unlike her usual slow, somewhat clumsy impression, Sakura's steps were remarkably hurried now.

"Walking quickly with your head down... that feels like quite a classic scene. It would be a shame not to reenact it."

On a whim, Hoshino jogged a few steps from some distance away and circled around in front of Sakura. Then, timing it carefully, he suddenly stepped out from a corner as she passed by.

"Ah!"

Before Sakura could react, she crashed headfirst into Hoshino's chest with a scream.

Hoshino reacted quickly. His right hand supported Sakura's back to keep her from falling, while his left caught the handbag she had dropped in her panic.

"H-Hoshino?"

After seeing Hoshino's face clearly, Sakura called his name. To be honest, Hoshino felt relieved. If she did not recognize him at all, explaining himself would probably have taken quite some effort.

"Sorry for bumping into you, Sakura. Are you all right?"

Sakura shook her head. Once Hoshino made sure she had regained her balance, he released her and returned the handbag.

As Sakura opened it to check the contents, Hoshino caught sight of a digital camera inside.

"It didn't break, did it? If it was damaged, I'm willing to pay for the repairs."

"I-It's fine..."

"That's good. It's pretty heavy, and it looks expensive. I was a little worried I might not be able to afford the compensation."

Sakura understood that he was joking. Although she did not smile, she seemed less tense.

"I-It was me who wasn't watching where I was going... I can't blame Hoshino..."

She apologized to Hoshino in a tiny voice.

So this was what they called a classic romance scene. It had been remarkably easy to recreate.

"We both share responsibility. No one got hurt, and nothing was damaged, so let's leave it at that. Sakura, you seem to be in a hurry. Is something urgent going on?"

"N-Nothing..."

As expected? Even if they were classmates, a shy, introverted girl like Sakura could not possibly open up and talk freely with a boy she was speaking to for the first time.

"Sorry for asking something personal. But there's one more thing bothering me. It might be a little rude, though..."

Hoshino lowered his voice.

"There's someone over there watching us. His gaze feels a little strange to me. I'm certain I've never seen him before. Sakura, do you have any idea who he might be?"

Sakura's body trembled at his words. She did not even dare turn around to take a look.

That made it obvious enough.

"I don't know the details, but I'm going to decide on my own that this person isn't your friend."

With her head lowered, Hoshino could not see Sakura's expression. She merely shook her head silently.

"My other guess is that Sakura wants to return to the dormitory right now. As it happens, I was planning to do the same. Would you like to walk with me?"

"...Okay."

Hoshino stepped aside and raised a hand, inviting Sakura to go first. Before following her, he deliberately turned around and took a look.

Sorry, but your prey is under my protection now.

Even if we were both "gentlemen," stalking was especially contemptible.

At least be professional enough not to get caught.

With a victor's smile, Hoshino turned back and caught up with Sakura. The two returned to the dormitory with him talking and her listening, then parted ways in the elevator.