All the way, the two of them seemed to have fallen into an eerie silence. Neither of them said a word as they walked along beneath the streetlights.
Before long, they reached the elevator in the dormitory.
After Onizuka pressed the button for his floor, he was about to press the button for the twelfth floor for Sakura Airi when he suddenly seemed to hear her mutter something softly.
"Tsukasa, can I come sit in your room?"
Her voice was so faint that he surely wouldn't have heard it if they hadn't been in an enclosed space like the elevator.
Without even considering the possibility that he'd imagined it, Onizuka immediately canceled her floor selection.
Only the button for the fourth floor remained lit on the elevator panel, glowing a lonely warm yellow. The two of them stared at it in silence.
Onizuka could only feel Sakura Airi's hand growing hotter in his palm.
If I look at her face now, it must be bright red, right? Though there's an even greater chance I'll get kicked out of the elevator. That was what Onizuka thought.
Onizuka had ridden the elevator in the student dormitory countless times, but he had never felt that the journey up to the fourth floor took so long.
"Ding!!"
The elevator doors slowly opened with a chime.
Yet neither of them moved for a long while.
"Shall we go?" Onizuka was the first to break the silence.
Seeing that Sakura didn't seem opposed, Onizuka simply took her by the hand and led her out of the elevator toward his room.
Onizuka noticed that after stepping out of the elevator, Sakura Airi acted like a thief, sneaking around. He couldn't help laughing.
"There's no need to be so nervous. Just act natural. You know, Horikita and Kushida from our class often visit Ayanokoji's room~"
"Eh? Really?"
Hearing Onizuka say that, Sakura was clearly shocked. Her curiosity instantly overpowered her embarrassment.
Seeing that it had worked, Onizuka added fuel to the fire.
"That's right. The two of them even have key cards to Ayanokoji's room."
As he spoke, Onizuka shoved the key card to Ayanokoji's room in his pocket deeper inside.
"Eh, what??? "
Sakura Airi, unable to handle the wild thoughts running through her head, turned red all over as Onizuka led her up and down the hallway, her head practically smoking.
Looking at Sakura like this, Onizuka felt truly wicked. He couldn't help clasping his hands together in his heart and bowing toward Ayanokoji's room.
Ayanokoji probably wouldn't mind this little thing, right?
But Horikita and Kushida might not be so forgiving. If they found out, the two of them might even team up and tear him apart first.
Of course, there was absolutely no chance they'd ever find out about this. Absolutely none!
Soon, the two of them made it back to Onizuka's room without incident.
Onizuka set Sakura Airi down to one side. Apparently in temporary autopilot mode, Sakura didn't react at all to having arrived in Onizuka's room.
Then Onizuka took a slightly chilled drink from the refrigerator and mischievously pressed it against Sakura Airi's neck.
"Eh, what?????"
o(＞﹏＜)o
Realizing she'd been teased, Sakura Airi blushed, pouted, and glared at Onizuka standing beside her.
This is how you test a cadre? What cadre could withstand a test like this?
At least Onizuka couldn't...
He very readily apologized and handed Sakura the drink.
"Sorry, sorry. Have a drink and cool down."
Sakura took the drink from him and sat down on the chair Onizuka had brought over for her.
"Airi, is there something you wanted to tell me? You even chose the dorm room for it."
Seeing Onizuka sitting opposite her with a serious expression, Sakura took a few deep breaths and gradually calmed down.
"Tsukasa, um... actually, I used to do freelance modeling online. My username was 'Shizuku.'"
As she spoke, Sakura took off her glasses and brushed her hair back.
The person now standing before him was exactly the same Sakura he had seen earlier in the Special Building.
Looking into Onizuka's eyes, Sakura smiled gently.
"Tsukasa, your eyes have always been so pure."
What? Pure? Me?
Onizuka was at a loss. No matter how he looked at it, "pure" wasn't a word that described his eyes, was it?
Ignoring the bewildered Onizuka, Sakura Airi continued telling her story.
"Back in Junior High School, I had the same personality I do now: I was introverted and afraid to interact with my classmates."
"But I knew that wasn't right, and I tried to change. So I registered online to do freelance modeling."
Her voice gradually grew firmer, as though she were recalling all the effort she had put in.
"At first, I only hoped I could change my personality through that identity. I wanted to show a more confident version of myself in front of the camera, try talking to people, and fit in."
"However, as 'Shizuku' became more and more popular, the divide between 'Shizuku' and 'Airi' grew more and more pronounced."
She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously playing with the hem of her clothes.
"Whenever I smiled in front of the camera and enjoyed people's praise, I felt more and more lonely in private."
"'Shizuku' seemed to keep absorbing my light, while the real 'Airi' was forgotten in a corner."
Her voice gradually grew quieter, tinged with helplessness.
"Sometimes I wonder which one is really me. Whenever I see those enthusiastic comments and support, I feel happy, but more than anything, deep down, I feel afraid."
"And now, that fear is growing stronger. Especially when I'm facing you, I don't know how to show you who I am."
"Maybe I've been running away all along, running away from my true thoughts and feelings."
"Tsukasa, you've saved me twice already. Can you save me one more time?"
As she spoke, two streams of tears ran down Sakura's face.
Onizuka didn't know what to do for a moment, so he pulled Sakura into his arms.
"It's all right. We can take it slowly. We still have plenty of time, don't we? If a year isn't enough, we have three more years. If three years aren't enough, we have the future."
"Don't be afraid. I'll always be by your side."