The incident had finally come to an end. For the past few days, Onizuka had at last experienced the long-missed "peace" of campus life. No one had come looking for trouble.
He was getting used to the cool mornings, the occasional daydreaming in class, and the rare stretches of free time between lessons. Everything felt relaxed and pleasant.
To his surprise, he had even started to like this slower-paced life.
That morning, Onizuka was lounging against the headboard, wondering whether to try the newly opened bakery for breakfast or just grab something at the school cafeteria.
Just then, his phone chimed.
He lazily reached for it and saw a points transfer notification-six thousand points from Sudo.
"So he still remembers?"
Onizuka gave a soft chuckle and opened the message. A text from Sudo popped up right after.
"I'll do my best to pay off the rest of the points this semester. Don't worry!"
Onizuka stared at the message for a few seconds, seeming surprised that Sudo was taking it so seriously.
Then the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile.
He casually replied, "Sure. I'll be waiting."
He climbed out of bed in a good mood. Another deposit of points~
Thinking about how rare it was to have a free day, Onizuka opened his contacts and stopped at the name "Sakura Airi."
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "Since I've got nothing to do today, why not ask her out for coffee?"
His fingers quickly typed out a message: "Airi~ Are you free today? The weather's nice. Want to go out for coffee?"
His phone lit up soon after he sent it, and Sakura replied almost instantly:
"Huh? S-sure! But... I'm a little worried I might be bothering you."
Onizuka smiled when he saw that and quickly replied.
"Airi, shouldn't I be the one asking that? Would you like me to come pick you up at your dorm?"
Sakura's reply appeared almost immediately.
"No need!! Sorry for making you wait, Tsukasa. I'll be right down."
He put his phone away and stretched, suddenly feeling lighthearted.
Onizuka set his phone down and stretched comfortably. The sunlight seemed especially warm today.
He pictured Sakura looking a little flustered, her cheeks flushed, and couldn't help giving a faintly amused smile.
Ever since she'd opened up to him that night, Sakura had acted as if seeing him meant facing a secret she couldn't bear to confront.
She kept blushing and growing flustered, as if she couldn't process the feelings behind her confession.
That wouldn't do.
So Onizuka decided to use a high-intensity stimulation strategy: he'd see her ten times in one day. He refused to believe Sakura could still react like this after that.
Two hours later~
Onizuka was lying on his bed, bored out of his mind, staring up at the clock on the wall.
The second hand ticked away. Unable to help himself, he let out a long sigh and called out at the top of his voice:
"Ah!! I'm so bored-don't tell me she's been hesitating for ages before heading out again?"
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
He froze for a moment before realizing what was happening. He hurriedly sprang out of bed, a smile spreading across his face as he called back:
"Coming, coming!"
Onizuka strode toward the door, quickly tidying his slightly messy hair. His hand was already on the doorknob.
Sakura walked over rather shyly and said softly, "Sorry for the wait."
When he opened the door, he saw Sakura in a light blue dress, a dainty little bag slung over her shoulder. She seemed to have dressed up especially for their meeting.
She stood at the door, looking at Onizuka somewhat awkwardly, a faint blush rising on her cheeks.
Onizuka raised an eyebrow and smiled in surprise. "Well, Airi, you've been putting a lot of effort into your appearance lately."
Sakura's face grew even redder. She lowered her head and tugged at the hem of her dress, muttering in a flustered voice, "I-I just threw this on."
Onizuka pretended not to hear her explanation. With a faint smile, he closed the door and lightly patted her shoulder.
"Let's go, my Airi~"
Sakura pressed her lips together and followed him with her head slightly lowered, unable to hide her faint pride and shyness.
The light blue hem of her dress swayed gently beside her, lending her a fresh air that unexpectedly suited the sunshine today.
They walked side by side, chatting about casual things, but the atmosphere between them was subtly different. Sakura's gaze kept drifting toward the ground.
Decorative lights hung outside the shops along the street, their glow falling across her face and making her bashfulness all the more captivating.
As they walked, Onizuka felt her hand brush lightly against his. It seemed like an accidental touch, yet also like a hesitant test.
He said nothing, simply moving his hand closer until her palm rested against his.
Sakura paused in surprise but didn't pull away. Instead, she gently curled her fingers around his hand.
Onizuka pretended nothing was out of the ordinary and glanced at her with a smile. "This is a lot easier than carrying you around~"
Sakura gave a soft "Mm," lowering her head as a smile gradually appeared in her eyes.
Hand in hand, the two strolled into the nearby café. It felt as though time itself had slowed because of the subtle affection between them.
The two had just settled into their seats when, before Sakura could even place her order, she saw two figures walk through the door.
Onizuka raised an eyebrow slightly, the corners of his mouth lifting.
"Classmate Sakayanagi, and this... classmate's sidekick. What a coincidence, running into you here."
The sidekick's expression immediately turned cold as she glared at Onizuka, her voice full of displeasure.
"My name is Kamuro Masumi! Show some respect!"
Sakayanagi smiled faintly and approached them slowly, leaning on her cane. She wasn't at all affected by Kamuro's anger. Instead, she said with a hint of amusement,
"Sorry. My newly made 'friend' is still a little impulsive. Please forgive her if she's been rude, Classmate Onizuka."
Then she glanced at Kamuro and said evenly, "Classmate Kamuro, please go order me an Americano."
Kamuro clicked her tongue, clearly unhappy, but still obediently walked toward the counter.
Sakayanagi sat down beside Sakura. With an inscrutable smile in her eyes, she slowly looked Onizuka over, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.
"Yes, Classmate Onizuka. It seems we're always so 'fated' to meet-at the start of the school year, and now as well."
"But this time, I happened to see you two here, and there's something I've been meaning to discuss with you."