“…”
Staring at the familiar tone of voice and the face she could glimpse from the bottom up, Akiba Sakura’s mind went completely blank.
For an instant, time felt like it had slowed down, losing all sense of flow.
“Wh-What business is it of yours?!”
Snapping back to reality, Sakura didn’t want Yuuma Tsugumu to see her looking so pathetic.
Stubbornly pursing her lips, she whipped her head away to look elsewhere.
Sakura slowly sat up and moved back to the bench.
She slipped off her shoe from her injured foot, propped it up on the edge of the bench, and gently rubbed her swollen ankle.
“S-Sss—”
She bit back the pain, refusing to make a sound.
But the ache in her ankle and the scrape on her knee made her want to, for a split second, just cut her whole leg off.
‘In all my life, I’ve never gotten hurt this badly… It’s not a huge deal, but it still hurts like hell. Later… how am I supposed to walk home?’
“…”
“You mad again?”
Just then, Yuuma came over and sat down beside her.
He placed the coffee on the edge of the bench.
“Hmph…”
Sakura didn’t turn to look at him.
She just stayed where she was, fuming in silence.
“So… how’d you fall?”
“…”
“Hey…”
“…”
“Won’t you talk to me~ Sis Sakura~”
Out of nowhere, Yuuma blurted out that line in a flat, official tone.
“?”
“Sorry, Sis Sakura~ Haven’t you always wanted to be the older sister? An older sister is magnanimous, so she’d forgive the kid, right?”
Seeing Sakura’s shoulders stiffen slightly, but still refusing to turn around, Yuuma spoke again, slow and deliberate, a hint of mischief in his voice.
“Or did you get hurt so badly you can’t even speak from how upset you are? If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve stayed and trained with you. Then you wouldn’t have gone and gotten yourself hurt.”
Although Yuuma didn’t know the exact reason, he was sure Sakura had gotten hurt because of her running practice.
And since he was right, every word he said hit the nail on the head of her little thoughts.
But there wasn’t a trace of mockery in his tone—just undisguised concern.
Sakura kept her back to him.
Hearing how different his voice sounded from usual, the pent-up frustration in her heart slowly eased.
The hurt lodged in her chest gradually faded as well.
A very faint laugh slipped past her lips.
But she quickly bit her lip hard, desperately holding back the laughter, still stubbornly refusing to turn around.
Yuuma was useless at everything except his sharp ears, so he clearly caught that faint, broken laugh.
His mood lightened as well.
He was about to keep teasing Sakura, but his eyes caught sight of her ankle and knee.
His tone instantly turned serious.
“Sit still and don’t move. Your ankle is really swollen, and your knee is scraped. I’ll go to the pharmacy to buy something for the swelling and a disinfectant, and I’ll get a bottle of ice water for you to ice it.”
With that, he stood up and was about to take a step.
But the silent Sakura suddenly looked up, her eyes looking slightly red.
She quickly spoke, her voice holding a stubborn grit that endured the pain—
“Don’t go!”
Yuuma stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her.
Sakura bit her lip, softened her tone, and said quietly:
“The infirmary already took care of it. I have the medicine at home, too. There’s no need to go out and buy it…”
This was the first time she had spoken to him properly since her little tantrum.
Her voice softened, the sharpness gone, replaced by a trace of grievance.
Yuuma looked at her, a mischievous smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
He slowly walked back and sat down beside the bench.
“I know.”
“?”
Sakura was stunned, looking at him with puzzled eyes.
“I can see the iodine disinfectant on your knee. It’s obvious it’s already been treated.”
Yuuma sat down with a smile, his gaze falling on her wound.
His tone had softened considerably—
“I was just testing you. Seeing when you’d finally be willing to talk to me.”
Sakura finally realized she’d been played.
Her cheeks flushed bright red.
‘Wait. I, the great Akiba Sakura-sama, just got played?’
She reached out and lightly punched him, but couldn’t put any strength into it because of her injury, so it came off as nothing more than a spoiled gesture.
“Pig-headed Yuuma! You tricked me!”
There was no resentment in this playful rebuke.
“So—heading home?”
Yuuma lifted his head.
The evening breeze, carrying the faint scent of coffee, swept through the thin bangs on the boy’s forehead, revealing his complete features.
The forehead usually hidden, the clear brow bone, and the eyes hiding a smile—all were dazzling under the dim glow of the streetlight.
That bright, easy smile was even more blinding than the glow of the dusk.
Sakura stared at him, frozen solid.
Her heart inexplicably skipped a beat, her mind going blank.
All her earlier anger and hurt vanished into thin air, leaving only the boy’s clear image before her.
A strange, warm feeling stirred in her heart—tingling and numb, indescribable.
She blinked in a fluster, trying to grasp that feeling, but she couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
She could only silently attribute it to being muddled from the injury and letting her thoughts run wild.
Coming back to her senses, her cheeks felt a little warm.
She nodded obediently, her voice stripped of its earlier stubbornness—
“Mhm… I want to go home.”
With that, she pushed herself up on the armrest of the bench, trying to stand.
As soon as her injured ankle took any weight, a sharp stab of pain shot through her.
She couldn’t help but frown, her body swaying.
Seeing Sakura force herself up, Yuuma quickly reached out and pressed a hand on her shoulder, his voice urgent.
“Don’t move! Your ankle is too swollen to walk on. Be careful not to hurt your knee again.”
“Then what do we do? Call a taxi?”
“Are you stupid? Don’t you know how expensive taxis are at this hour?”
Yuuma said, slightly leaning forward.
He furrowed his brow, his tone unusually serious—
“I’ll carry you on my back.”
“Carry me on your back?!”
Sakura’s eyes flew wide open.
Her face flushed bright red, the blush spreading from her cheeks to the tips of her ears, even coloring her neck a faint pink.
Her first instinct was to shake her head and refuse.
But the words got stuck in her throat; she couldn’t bring herself to say anything too forceful.
It wasn’t that she hated Yuuma or resisted his closeness.
She was just purely embarrassed.
Just the thought of lying on Yuuma’s back—their bodies so close—made her heart race inexplicably.
She didn’t know what to do, completely forgetting that her original NTR plan was to seduce Yuuma for this very kind of close contact.
‘No, no… I can’t accept this. In my past life, I was a towering man. Even though I’m a girl now, that awkward feeling is still in my bones. Being carried on the back of a boy my age… it feels way too weird!’
“I-I’ll just walk slowly. I can hobble my way home…”
Sakura clutched the hem of her skirt, her eyes darting away, unable to look into Yuuma’s eyes.
Her voice was as quiet as a mosquito’s hum.
Yuuma watched her, the smile on his lips fading slightly.
He mistakenly thought Sakura was genuinely repulsed by physical contact with him, that she didn’t want him to touch her.
For some reason, his mood immediately became hollow.
But even with a heavy heart, he still didn’t want to see Sakura limp all the way home by herself.
Her wound would hurt, and it was getting late.
Even if he supported her, there was always a chance of an accident.
So, after a few seconds of silence, he continued—
“Your ankle is way too swollen to bear weight. If you walk home, who knows how long it will take, and your wound might get infected. It’s no trouble for me to carry you. Our houses are on the same route anyway. Don’t be stubborn about coming home together.”
Without waiting for Sakura’s reply, he came right up in front of her, turned his back to her, and dropped to one knee, presenting his back to her.
“…”
Looking at Yuuma’s back, Sakura’s hand, for some reason, slowly began to rise…
When she came to her senses, her hand was already resting on his shoulder.
‘Forget it. Go for it! Follow my heart!’
The moment her palm touched his shoulder, her heart was like a little rabbit banging around in her chest, pounding without stop.
She bit her lower lip, carefully shifted her body, and gently lay down on his back.
Yuuma’s back wasn’t particularly broad, but it felt incredibly steady and solid.
Through the thin fabric of his shirt, she could feel his warm body heat and the steady rhythm of his breathing.
He bent his knees slightly and lifted Sakura up steadily.
“Hold on tight. Don’t fall.”
Yuuma instructed softly, and slowly began to walk out of the park.
The evening breeze gently brushed past, carrying the fresh scent of the grass and trees along the street, and the faint, youthful scent of him, mixed with a trace of an elusive raw coconut latte aroma.
She lay quietly on his back, her cheek pressed against it.
She could clearly feel the slight sway of his steps and the steady beat of his heart.
Neither of them spoke the entire way.
The usual banter and teasing were gone, replaced by only their breathing and footsteps.
But it didn’t feel awkward at all.
Sakura secretly looked up, staring at the back of Yuuma’s head.
That strange, indescribable feeling surged up inside her again.
It felt warm and sweet.
She slowly tightened her arms, gently wrapping them around Yuuma’s neck, burying her face deeper into his back.
She obediently stayed there, enjoying this rare moment of tranquility.
Yuuma carried her, walking steadily along the street.
His steps were slow and stable, cautious the entire time.
He could feel the light weight of the girl on his back and the warmth of her arms around his neck.
They walked on like that in silence, and before long, they arrived at the entrance of their respective homes.
“We’re home.”
Yuuma slowly stopped, bent his knees slightly, and carefully let Sakura down.
He held her arms firmly until she was steady before letting go, still giving a reminder:
“Take it slow. Don’t hit your wound.”
“Mhm… Thanks.”
Sakura was still wondering how the time had passed so quickly, but she muttered a small ‘Thanks’ under her breath.
Just then, Yuuma picked up the paper bag he had been holding the whole time.
He took out another cup of still-warm raw coconut latte and handed it to Sakura.
“Huh?”
Sakura’s head shot up.
She stared wide-eyed at the coffee offered to her, her voice laced with surprise.
“This… is this… for me?”
“Yeah. I thought it was pretty good, so I decided to get one for you. As for Momoka’s… next time!”
Yuuma scratched his cheek, then took out his key and inserted it into the lock of his own front door.
“You should get going too. Don’t just stand here like a dummy. Go knock on the door and get Uncle and Auntie to come out and get you!”
Before Sakura could react, Yuuma slowly closed the door, as if reverting back to his usual self.
“…”
Sakura looked down at the raw coconut latte she was holding in both hands.
The corners of her mouth curled up into a sweet smile.
‘As expected… I still can’t bring myself to just give up on the plan!’
Sakura took a sip of the raw coconut latte and frowned.
‘Are all raw coconut lattes like this?’