“A week from now…?”
Akiba Sakura heard Momoka Aoi’s words and fell into thought.
Just moments ago, Momoka Aoi had found Akiba Sakura, saying she had something to whisper about.
So Sakura ended her harassment of Yuuma Tsugumu early and followed her to the vending machine by the school playground for a chat.
“Sakura-chan, the date for the School Sports Meet is set! It’s next Thursday and Friday!”
“A week from now…?”
“Right, there’s still plenty of time. You can make some extra preparations, Sakura-chan, like training a bit. After all, you signed up for the 400-meter, didn’t you?”
Momoka Aoi crossed her arms, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
“By the way, Sakura-chan, I want to ask you something.”
“Huh? What is it?”
Akiba Sakura tilted her head slightly, curious about what Momoka Aoi wanted to ask.
“Why did you sign up for the 400-meter instead of the 100-meter? Wouldn’t it be better to join the same event as Tsuguo-kun? You wouldn’t have to work so hard…”
“Ahh, that question~”
Akiba Sakura shook her head with a smile.
“Even though the 100-meter isn’t as long a distance, the distance itself means contestants have to go all out from the start. Running it is still exhausting. But more importantly—I don’t want to miss the chance to hand Tsuguo-kun water and a towel!”
With that, a glint of mischief flashed in Akiba Sakura’s eyes.
She lowered her voice and leaned close to Momoka Aoi’s ear.
“When he runs the 100-meter, I’ll be waiting at the finish line, hehe…”
Momoka Aoi was taken aback at first, then suddenly understood and nodded repeatedly.
“So Sakura-chan already had it all planned out! You really thought it through! That means we should prepare well before the event, right? The key is that you two can train together and spend more time together!”
“Mm-hmm, exactly!”
Akiba Sakura’s smile deepened. She swayed slightly with her hands behind her back, her decision made.
“Anyway, there’s nothing to do after school. Instead of letting him go home and be alone, I might as well drag him onto the track for training. Better than moping around, right?”
As she spoke, Sakura remembered her part-time job. But Niijima Yukina was easy to deal with, so it shouldn’t be hard to ask for time off.
“Mm-hmm, I think so too!”
Momoka Aoi nodded in agreement. “Then when we go back, I’ll talk to Tsuguo-kun. Since he’s already signed up, it’s only right to practice beforehand and find his rhythm. Let’s say we’ll train together, keep each other company. It won’t feel like we’re forcing him.”
“Just saying ‘training’ might not be enough. We need a reason he can’t refuse—tell him I signed up for the 400-meter and rarely run, so I want him to give me some pointers. He won’t be able to turn that down, right? Plus, with more people around, he won’t feel awkward and won’t resist like before.”
“Exactly!”
Momoka Aoi thought it was a good idea and nodded firmly. “Let’s do that! When class is over, I’ll go tell him Sakura-chan isn’t very good at running and wants him to help you practice. And he can find his own rhythm for the 100-meter. He’ll definitely agree!”
A triumphant smile curled at the corner of Akiba Sakura’s mouth.
‘As long as I can get Yuuma Tsugumu onto the track, I can use training as an excuse to get closer to him, step by step, and seriously boost my好感度! My plan will be within reach! Hehehehehe…’
“Then I’ll leave it to you, Aoi. I’ll wait at the playground then. I really do need to find my groove too—I haven’t run in a long time…”
Of course, that was a lie. Over the years, Akiba Sakura had run plenty to keep her figure.
“Don’t worry, leave it to me!”
Momoka Aoi patted her chest, full of confidence.
“I’ll bring him to you safe and sound!”
“Mm-hmm, I’m counting on you, Aoi~ By the way, would you like something to drink?”
Akiba Sakura turned sideways toward the vending machine beside her, gently tapping her finger on the glass panel. Now that her little training scheme was settled, she felt completely at ease.
Momoka Aoi stepped forward, blinking as she scanned the rows of drinks. She glanced over the usual juices and milk she drank and tilted her head.
“Today, I want to try something new. I’ll go with rock sugar pear juice~”
“Coming right up, miss! Rock sugar pear juice, on its way!”
Akiba Sakura responded with a smile, reached into her pocket for some change, deftly fed it into the slot, and pressed the button for the corresponding drink.
A clunk sounded as two cans dropped down.
“Speaking of which, miss… lately, Sakura-chan always leaves school by herself after class. Are you secretly working part-time somewhere and hiding it from me?”
“What are you talking about? You’re overthinking it!”
“Really?”
“Mm-hmm. If I really had a part-time job after school, I wouldn’t have time to train afterward.”
“That’s true…”
Akiba Sakura bent down, picked up both cans, handed the rock sugar pear juice to Momoka Aoi, and popped open her own can of lychee juice for a sip.
“It’s perfect now that the weather’s warming up. Just the right thing to drink~”
Momoka Aoi took the drink and happily squinted her eyes.
“Sakura-chan always knows what I want!”
…
…
— Author’s Divider —
…
…
“I’ll head over first?”
As soon as the dismissal bell rang, Akiba Sakura packed up her things and hurried to the playground. Before leaving, she shot Momoka Aoi a look, and after getting a response, she sneaked a glance at Yuuma Tsugumu. She needed to change into her sports uniform, so she left early.
‘Hehe… I’ll change first and wait for them at the playground!’
Akiba Sakura entered the gymnasium locker room, quickly slipped into a light sports uniform, and tied her hair up in a high ponytail. The whole look gave her an extra touch of freshness and energy.
‘Mm-hmm, as expected of me. I look great no matter what I wear~ Just you wait, I’ll have you in the palm of my hand.’
Akiba Sakura stood in front of the full-length mirror in the locker room, looking at the beautiful girl in the reflection—everything perfect except for the “iron board” of a chest. A small smile crept onto her lips.
‘Ahh~ If I keep looking, I might fall for myself. I’m such a sinful woman~’
After a bit of self-admiration, Sakura left the gymnasium and headed to the playground.
Standing on the red plastic track, she took a deep breath and jogged a slow lap to warm up.
The evening breeze brushed against her cheeks. She kept glancing toward the school building, her eyes full of anticipation, her steps light.
As she ran, she calculated in her mind.
‘Hehe, I’ll pretend I’m out of breath soon and have that guy Tsugu come over to give me pointers. That way, I can close the distance between us and rack up some好感!’
After finishing one lap, Akiba Sakura stopped, wiped the light sweat from her forehead, and stood by the track, waiting for Momoka Aoi to bring him over.
But she waited and waited. She watched as the students on the playground gradually dispersed, yet she still didn’t see Yuuma Tsugumu’s figure. Even Momoka Aoi hadn’t shown up. The anticipation in her heart slowly sank, replaced by a growing unease.
‘Could it be… something went wrong?’
A few more minutes passed before Momoka Aoi finally walked over slowly, her head hanging low, her face full of frustration.
Her steps were dragging, and Akiba Sakura could tell at a glance that things hadn’t gone as planned.
Sakura’s heart tightened. She quickly rushed over, her tone laced with urgency.
“What happened, Aoi? Where’s Tsugu-kun? Why didn’t he come with you?”
Momoka Aoi drooped her head, her voice muffled with guilt.
“I’m sorry, Sakura-chan. I couldn’t bring him… When I went to find him just now, he’d already packed up and was about to leave. I called him over, saying we should go train together, but before I could finish, he said he was going for coffee. Then he said he didn’t have time today, and we could do it another time.”
“Coffee…”
Akiba Sakura repeated the word, clenching her fists slightly.
It hit her instantly—when Yuuma Tsugumu said “going for coffee,” he wasn’t talking about just any shop. He meant the “Soft Cat Cafe,” where she worked part-time, to see the “bratty girl” maid he didn’t recognize.
‘This… is this shooting myself in the foot?’
It was all her plan. She was that coffee shop maid. Yet at this moment, a surge of nameless anger welled up inside Akiba Sakura—sour and stifling, pressing against her chest.
She wasn’t angry that the training had fallen through. She was angry that Yuuma Tsugumu would rather go to a café to see a strange maid he’d just met than stay and train with her, his “childhood friend.”
‘Fine, fine! Go look for “her”! She’s not even there today anyway, go ahead!’
For some reason, a feeling of being overlooked and ignored rushed over her. She was the one truly by his side, yet now it seemed he was more fixated on that fake identity.
‘We’re the same person, so why…’
Akiba Sakura bit her lower lip, feeling both angry and hurt. The anticipation on her face vanished completely.
“I get it. It’s fine. If he doesn’t want to train, then he doesn’t. I’ll train…”
She forced down the fire in her heart, trying to sound nonchalant. Without waiting for Momoka Aoi to say anything more, she turned and sprinted onto the track.
Running purely out of spite, she poured all her frustration into her pace. Her strides grew faster and faster, completely oblivious to the fact that her sneaker laces had long come undone, flapping loosely with each step.
“Slow… slow down, Sakura-chan! What’s wrong with you?”
Momoka Aoi called out from behind, telling her to slow down, but Sakura didn’t hear a thing.
Watching Sakura in this state, Momoka Aoi felt a strange fear. She couldn’t put it into words, but she clearly sensed that Sakura’s entire mood had gone wrong.
Just as she sped up around the curve, her foot suddenly caught. The shoelace completely tangled under her sole.
“Ah—”
Akiba Sakura let out a sharp cry. Her body instantly lost balance, crashing heavily forward. Her knee slammed hard against the rigid plastic track.
“Hiss—”
A sharp, searing pain shot through her. Sakura winced, sucking in a breath through her teeth.
She pushed herself up from the ground, looking down at her thigh under her sports shorts. Her knee had been scraped raw over a large area. The skin was reddened, with beads of blood seeping out, burning with pain.
“Sakura-chan!”
Momoka Aoi paled in fright. She rushed over and crouched down, her voice filled with panic.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
Akiba Sakura clenched her teeth, staring at her skinned knee. The bitterness inside her only grew stronger—both in pain and in anger.
‘I didn’t do anything wrong… Why does bad luck always happen to me…’