Airi Sakura Feels Like She's Dreaming (End)

Sakura Airi felt as if she had spun around in place dozens of times before stepping into a pile of cotton.

The whole world began to spin and distort, shrouded in an unreal, psychedelic atmosphere.

Especially when she caught a glimpse of Tanaka Yukiko standing next to Karuizawa Kei out of the corner of her Tanaka Yukishin, that figure she secretly gazed at many times every day.

The dizziness reached its peak instantly.

It felt like an invisible hand was clenching my chest, then suddenly releasing it.

Her blood was surging with alternating hot and cold sensations, making it almost impossible for her to stand.

"It's not... it's not ancient times anymore..."

Sakura Airi lowered her head, her soft hair falling across her cheeks, trying to hide the flushed face that made her feel uneasy.

A whole day and night passed, Karuizawa Kei casually uttered the word "harem" with such a matter-of-fact expression, and Tanaka Yukishin's calm and unwavering reaction remained.

It kept replaying in her mind, challenging her innocent yet conservative beliefs.

"How can you... just openly discuss this kind of thing with your friends?"

Although Karuizawa Kei had previously half-jokingly, half-seriously encouraged her to confess to Tanaka-kun.

That moment already made her heart race and her steps falter, as if she were walking on clouds.

But at that time, she could still comfort herself.

"Megumi has always enjoyed playing pranks; teasing others is one of her little pleasures, especially for someone as easily embarrassed as herself. Those words, perhaps, maybe, possibly... were just another joke that Megumi made on a whim?"

But this time it's different.

Karuizawa Kei's expression was so calm, and Tanaka Yukishin's very existence was proof of that.

Sakura Airi squeezed her eyes shut, then suddenly opened them again.

"Tanaka-kun is... a harem man?"

This absurd yet incredibly impactful thought popped up uncontrollably, like a thorny vine wrapping around her heart, the stinging pain mixed with an indescribable ache.

"I, Sakura Airi... why would I have such a strange dream? It must be because I've been under too much stress lately, and I'm hallucinating..."

Like a rusty puppet, she turned her head stiffly and cautiously once again.

My gaze fell on that familiar spot at the back of the classroom— Karuizawa Kei was smiling and whispering something to Tanaka Yukishin beside her, their posture intimate and natural.

As if sensing her gaze, Karuizawa Kei also happened to look up.

He looked in her direction, caught her gaze, and nodded at her affirmatively.

This clear and unambiguous response was like a needle puncturing Sakura Airi's last bubble of illusion.

"Bang!"

Like a startled rabbit, she buried her burning cheeks heavily in her crossed arms and lay face down on the desk, trying to hide herself completely.

A muffled whisper of self-deception drifted out.

"As expected... I guess I'm still not fully awake... I just need to sleep a little longer..."

Sakura Airi's unusual behavior did not escape another pair of eyes.

Hasebe Haruka, sitting not far away, is usually a bit aloof and doesn't actively integrate into groups. She's used to expressing her reserved friendship by giving nicknames to close friends (such as "Megumin" and "Sakura Airi"). But at this moment, her concern for her friend overshadows everything else.

Hasebe Haruka rushed over like a gentle breeze and lay down on Sakura Airi's table.

Tilting his head, his big eyes were filled with curiosity and a little worry.

"What's wrong, Sakura Airi? Did you and Megumin have a fight?"

She asked in a low voice, afraid of startling the little animal curled up in a ball.

Sakura Airi head, buried in her arms, stirred, revealing a pair of large, wet, bewildered eyes. Her voice was soft and groggy, as if she had just woken up.

"It's Haruka... It's nothing, it's just... I might not be fully awake yet."

"Didn't you sleep well last night?" Hasebe Haruka, her intuition telling her that things weren't so simple.

"No..."

Sakura Airi head subconsciously, her long eyelashes drooping down, concealing the panic in her eyes.

Karuizawa Kei's words from yesterday echoed in my mind once again.

The words "sharing," "acceptance," and "harem" made her tongue go numb, and her throat felt blocked, making it impossible for her to speak them fluently.

Seeing his friend's hesitant and shy expression, he felt a surge of emotion.

Hasebe Haruka and gently patted Sakura Airi's thin shoulder, encouraging her in a tender tone.

"Sakura Airi, it's okay. You can tell me anything that's on your mind. We're good friends, right?"

Good friend...

These three words were like a small key, gently turning the closed door of Sakura Airi's heart.

A surge of longing to confide welled up within me, mixed with a sense of bewilderment at the dreamlike reality.

Yes, since it's in a dream...

Is it okay to confide a little bit of a secret to a close friend?

Anyway... I don't remember anything when I wake up...

She tried to convince herself with this flimsy excuse.

"Actually..." Her voice was barely audible, her cheek almost pressed against the cold desk, "It's like this... I... I have a friend..."

When she said the word "friend," her voice wavered slightly, and her ears turned bright red instantly.

"Puff..."

Hasebe Haruka looked at Sakura Airi's adorable, yet blatantly obvious, expression.

Her ears and neck were bright red, her eyes darted away, and she uttered that classic opening line, "I have a friend"—a strong urge to laugh instantly welled up in my throat.

She suddenly lowered her head, tightly covered her mouth, and her shoulders trembled slightly uncontrollably.

Oh my god, Sakura Airi so cute!

This is a textbook example of self-destruction!

However, completely immersed in her own "dream" and her desire to confide, Sakura Airi was completely unaware of her friend's unusual behavior of desperately trying to suppress her laughter.

She mustered her courage and continued to confide her troubled feelings to "Haruka in my dreams".

"She... my friend has always kept someone in her heart, a... an extremely outstanding boy, as dazzling and warm as the sun..."

"... Then what?"

Hasebe Haruka's voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.

She tried her best to listen attentively, but her gaze unconsciously drifted towards the beautiful couple at the back of the classroom.

Karuizawa Kei was affectionately holding Tanaka Yukishin's arm, the two of them whispering something, Karuizawa Kei's eyes crinkling with laughter.

A hint of understanding and amazement flashed across Hasebe Haruka's eyes, and her gaze became even more mischievous.

Unaware of anything amiss, Sakura Airi continued her narration in that dreamlike tone.

"Then... then yesterday, another of her good friends, who is also that boy's current girlfriend, suddenly told her very seriously... that that boy is actually... a harem member... meaning... he can accept dating multiple girls..."

She managed to utter the last few words, her voice almost disappearing into the air.

"And then... my friend... got completely confused... felt like the whole world was wrong..."

Chapter 126, Section 125: Sakura Airi Feels Like She's Dreaming (The End)

"Pfft!"

This time, Hasebe Haruka finally couldn't hold back.

She let out a short, soft laugh, then immediately covered her mouth tightly, turned her head to the side, and her shoulders shook even more violently.

Wow, that's so much information!

Moreover, the way Sakura Airi said it, coupled with her innocent yet confused expression, created an absolutely stunning contrast!

She looked up again, her eyes filled with a silent teasing, "Wow, Megumin, Tanaka-kun, are you guys playing this exciting game?"

Meanwhile, at the back of the classroom.

"Xuexin..."

Karuizawa Kei leaned on Tanaka Yukishin's shoulder, enjoying the tender whispers between lovers.

Her slender fingers were being enveloped in Tanaka Yukishin's warm, large hand.

Suddenly, Tanaka Yukishin tightened her grip on her fingers slightly.

Karuizawa Kei looked in the direction Tanaka Yukishin indicated, and her gaze met that of Hasebe Haruka, a look that was a mixture of shock, inquiry, and a strong sense of gossip.

"Huh?"

Karuizawa Kei blinked, tilting her head in confusion like a bewildered kitten. "What's wrong? Why is Haruka looking at me like that? Her gaze is strange."

That curiosity quickly spread in her beautiful eyes.

"Oh..."

With her senses far exceeding those of ordinary people, Tanaka Yukishin had already heard Sakura Airi's self-deprecating confession, "I have a friend."

Watching Sakura Airi's adorable self-deception, pretending she's dreaming, and then thinking about how she's awkwardly "telling her story" to her friend right now...

A strong burst of laughter finally broke through Tanaka Yukishin's usual composure.

He couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Oh dear!"

The sudden laughter instantly piqued Karuizawa Kei's curiosity.

She turned to the side, snuggling close to Tanaka Yukishin like a playful kitten.

The left hand, which was being held, shook gently and persistently.

"What are you laughing at? Tell me! What did Haruka her eyes? Did Sakura Airi say something to her?"

She keenly sensed that the key might lie with Sakura Airi.

Seeing her lover's coquettish questioning and her cheeks flushed, Tanaka Yukishin's heart softened.

Considering that Sakura Airi's words did not involve anything private, such as her online identity (blog idol "Shizuku"), but were merely a shy expression of a young girl's innocent feelings, he decided to satisfy his lover's curiosity a little.

He lowered his head slightly and leaned close to Karuizawa Kei's ear.

A warm breath brushed against her sensitive earlobe, and in a voice only the two of them could hear, he succinctly recounted Sakura Airi's classic statement, "I have a friend..." and her adorable thought that she was dreaming.

Karuizawa Kei's expression underwent an incredibly fascinating transformation in just a few seconds.

From initial bewildered curiosity, to astonishment upon hearing "I have a friend," to a mixture of amusement and disbelief when realizing Sakura Airi thought it was a dream, and finally, an almost uncontrollable burst of laughter.

Her delicate face scrunched up as she tried to suppress a laugh, her shoulders trembling slightly.

"It's all your fault! You womanizer!"

Karuizawa Kei finally couldn't hold back, clenched her small fist, and lightly punched Tanaka Yukishin's firm chest.

It was less of a complaint and more of a coquettish and affectionate display of playfulness.

"If it weren't for you... I wouldn't have said those things to Sakura Airi... and she wouldn't have been so terrified, thinking she was living in a dream! Look at her now..."

Tanaka Yukishin watched with a smile as she looked at her embarrassed yet adorable expression, and did not stop her kitten-like "attacks."

He moved even closer, his warm lips almost touching her earlobe, his voice low and dangerously magnetic.

"Hmm? Am I a womanizer? Hui-chan, you need to be responsible for your words. I've firmly rejected others before. If you keep accusing me like this... be careful tonight, I'll teach you a lesson so you won't be able to get out of bed all day tomorrow."

In the past, such a threat would have been enough to make Karuizawa Kei blush and beg for mercy.

But at this moment, the girl, immersed in love, had already figured out her lover's temperament and knew how much he cherished her.

Moreover, the sweet implication behind this threat stirred a secret sense of anticipation and sweetness within her.

"Hmph! I'm not afraid!"

Karuizawa Kei raised her delicate chin, trying to appear nonchalant, but her rosy lips betrayed a smile.