Chance Encounter

The incident finally came to an end, and for the past few days, Onizuka had finally experienced the long-lost "peace" of school life, with no one coming to cause him trouble.

He began to grow accustomed to the morning chill, the occasional zoning out during class, and the rare sense of relaxation during breaks; everything felt easy and comfortable.

It even made him unexpectedly fond of this slow-paced life.

This morning, Onizuka was lazily leaning against his headboard, contemplating whether to try the new bakery for breakfast or just grab something at the school cafeteria.

Just then, his phone gave a "ding."

He lazily reached out to pick it up and was surprised to find a point transfer notification—six thousand points from Sudo.

This guy actually remembered?

Onizuka chuckled softly, tapped on the message, and Sudo's text followed immediately after.

"I'll do my best to pay off the remaining points within this semester, don't worry!"

Onizuka stared at the message for a few seconds, not expecting Sudo to take it so seriously.

A smile involuntarily tugged at the corner of his mouth.

He casually replied, "Sure, I'll be waiting."

In a great mood, he rolled out of bed; another batch of points had come in.

Onizuka, calculating the rare leisure of the day, casually opened his contact list, his gaze resting on the name "Sakura Airi."

The corner of his mouth curled up slightly as he muttered to himself, "Since I've got nothing to do today, why not ask her out for a coffee?"

His fingers typed out a line quickly: 'Airi-san~ Are you free today? The weather is nice, want to go out for a coffee?'

Not long after the message was sent, the phone screen lit up, and Sakura replied almost instantly:

'Eh? Sure, sure! But... I'm a little worried, will I be bothering you?'

Seeing this, Onizuka smiled and replied quickly.

'Airi, shouldn't I be the one asking that? Do you need me to come to your dorm to pick you up?'

Almost instantly, Sakura's reply popped up.

'No need!! Please wait for me a moment, Tsukasa-kun, I'll be down right away.'

Putting down his phone, he stretched, his mood suddenly lightening.

Onizuka set his phone aside and gave a comfortable stretch, suddenly feeling that today's sunlight was exceptionally warm.

The image of Sakura looking slightly flustered with flushed cheeks appeared in his mind, and he couldn't help but reveal a playful smile.

Ever since she shared her inner thoughts with him that night, Sakura acted as if meeting him was like facing a secret she couldn't handle.

Her frequent blushing and flustered demeanor made it seem like she couldn't digest her own confession.

How could that do?

So, Onizuka decided to adopt a high-intensity stimulation strategy; if he saw her ten times a day, he didn't believe she would still react that way.

Two hours later~

Onizuka was lying on his bed, bored, looking up at the clock on the wall.

The second hand ticked away, and he couldn't help but let out a long sigh, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"Ah!! So boring—don't tell me she's still hesitating before leaving?"

Just then, a "knock-knock-knock" sound suddenly came from outside the door.

He froze for a moment before realizing what it was, then hurriedly jumped off the bed, a smile on his face as he shouted back:

"Coming, coming!"

Onizuka walked quickly toward the door while smoothing out his slightly messy hair, his hand already on the doorknob.

Sakura walked over, looking a bit shy, and whispered, "Sorry to keep you waiting."

As the door opened, what came into view was Sakura in a light blue dress, a delicate little bag slung over her shoulder, as if she had dressed up specifically for this meeting.

She stood at the door, looking at Onizuka with some restraint, a faint blush rising on her cheeks.

Onizuka raised an eyebrow and smiled unexpectedly: "Yo, Airi, you've been putting a lot of effort into your outfit lately."

Sakura's face turned even redder; she lowered her head slightly, tugged at the hem of her dress, and muttered in a flustered, quiet voice: "It's... it's just something I threw on."

Onizuka pretended not to hear her explanation, curled his lips slightly, closed the door behind him, and tapped her shoulder lightly.

"Let's go, my Airi~"

Sakura pursed her lips and followed him with her head slightly bowed, a hint of hidden pride and shyness in the corner of her eyes.

The light blue hem of her dress swayed gently beside her, carrying a fresh scent that surprisingly matched the day's sunlight.

The two walked side by side; although they were talking about casual topics, the atmosphere was subtle, and Sakura's gaze drifted toward the ground intentionally or unintentionally.

The decorative lights hanging at the shop entrances along the street shone on her face, making her shyness look even more moving.

As they walked, Onizuka felt her hand lightly brush against his; it seemed like an accidental touch, yet also like some kind of hesitant probe.

He didn't say anything, just slowly moved his hand over until her palm rested against his.

Sakura was slightly startled, but instead of pulling away, she gently curled her fingers into his palm.

Onizuka pretended to be nonchalant as he turned his head to glance at her, smiling as he said, "This is much easier than carrying you~"

Sakura let out a soft "Mm," bowing her head as a smile she couldn't hide gradually appeared in her eyes.

The two of them walked hand in hand, strolling slowly into the nearby cafe, as if time itself had slowed down because of this subtle affection.

Just as the two of them sat down in the cafe and before Sakura had a chance to order, they saw two figures walk through the entrance.

Onizuka raised an eyebrow slightly, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

"Classmate Sakayanagi, and this... sidekick classmate, what a coincidence to run into you here."

The sidekick's gaze turned cold immediately as she glared at Onizuka, her voice laced with displeasure.

"My name is Kamuro Masumi! Show some respect!"

Sakayanagi smiled faintly, leaning on her cane as she slowly approached them. Unmoved by Kamuro's anger, she instead said with a hint of a smile, "My apologies, my newly made [friend] is still a bit impulsive. If there has been any rudeness, I hope you will be forgiving, Onizuka-san."

She then cast a calm glance at Kamuro and said nonchalantly, "Kamuro-san, please go order an Americano for me."

Kamuro clicked her tongue, clearly dissatisfied, yet she still obediently headed toward the counter.

Sakayanagi sat down beside Sakura, her eyes carrying an inscrutable smile as she slowly scrutinized Onizuka, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.

"Indeed, Onizuka-san, it seems the two of us are always so 'fated'—it was like that at the start of the term, and it is the same now."

"However, since I [happened] to see you here this time, there is a matter I would like to discuss with you."