“Yo~ Look who’s here? What small fry is this?”
The moment she saw Yuuma Tsugumu, Akiba Sakura immediately flashed that signature bratty, smug grin that made you want to punch her.
“Missed Sakura-chan so bad after all these days that you just couldn’t take it anymore? You had to sneak in a few rounds before coming over, huh?”
Akiba Sakura, her face full of mischief, walked over and sat down right next to Yuuma Tsugumu, leaning her pretty face close to his.
Then, out of nowhere, she reached out and grabbed his wrist.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Just smelling if the small fry master’s hands reek of fish~”
“Who would jerk off before coming here?!”
Yuuma Tsugumu’s mouth twitched as he quickly pulled his wrist from her grasp.
“And why are you sitting right next to me?!”
“Huh—there’s an empty seat right beside you and you won’t let me sit? You really are a petty man, aren’t you~”
Akiba Sakura sneered again, then gently placed her finger under his chin, starting to flirt with him openly.
“So, you see, even though I know you, a small fry, love to jerk it, doing it right here in front of everyone is a no-no, okay? That’s a crime!”
“Goddammit…”
Before she could spit out another annoying tease, he reached out and grabbed the small hand still under his chin.
The moment he caught it, the sarcasm in her eyes froze for a split second.
“What are you doing? Trying to make a move on me?”
Without any extra movement, Yuuma Tsugumu gently pressed her hand down until it was flat on the table, then spoke seriously.
“Cut it out. I actually have something I want to talk to you about.”
“Something to talk about?”
Hearing the earnest tone in his voice, Akiba Sakura raised an eyebrow, looking a bit reluctant to stop.
She pulled her hand back, but her mouth wasn’t done yet—
“Oh? The small fry master actually has something serious to tell me? Don’t tell me you’re gonna ask me to deliver a love letter to some girl for you?”
She tilted her head on purpose, still wearing that annoying bratty grin, but her body unconsciously sat up a little straighter.
Yuuma Tsugumu completely ignored her taunts and just said what was on his mind.
“There’s something I want to get your opinion on. It’s about me and a friend.”
He paused, like he was sorting out the mess of emotions in his heart.
He looked at the ‘bratty girl’ maid in front of him.
He hadn’t planned on talking about this, but thinking about it, aside from Momoka Aoi and Akiba Sakura, he didn’t really have any other close girl friends he could talk to about this.
The girl in front of him was a bit annoying, but she seemed simple enough.
She might be able to give him some perspective.
“It’s about a friend of mine. I mean… I originally thought we should just completely cut ties, but lately, I can’t stop thinking about her. Sometimes she feels so distant, like a stranger. But other times, because of some small, trivial thing, I can’t help but care about her every move.”
“So, I feel really conflicted…”
He lowered his eyes, his gaze full of confusion.
“I don’t know what my feelings for her really are. Before, I was just secretly watching her from afar, but my heart would race just from one of her smiles. And other times, I feel like I don’t even dare to get close to her. I’m afraid I’d be bothering her. Sometimes I think, if I could just have a proper talk with her, even if she hated it… even if she teased me… that wouldn’t be so bad either…”
He spoke honestly, completely oblivious to the drastic change in the girl next to him.
The sarcastic grin on her face had vanished without a trace.
Her brows were furrowed tightly, and the disdain in her eyes was slowly being replaced by anger and panic.
‘Wait… secretly watching… not daring to get close… Is he fucking talking about Zaolai Qianxiao?! Oh, you son of a bitch, Yuuma Tsugumu. You get all serious just to talk to me about another girl?’
Before he could finish, Akiba Sakura couldn’t help but interrupt him, her tone already aggressive.
“And here I thought it was something important. To put it bluntly, aren’t you just crushing on someone?! Why do you have to drag me into this bullshit?!”
She was getting angrier and angrier, the displeasure in her eyes practically overflowing.
“I was wondering why you suddenly got so serious. Turns out you just wanted to talk about some boring crap with me? A small fry is a small fry, all your brain cells go to useless stuff like this!”
Yuuma Tsugumu was stunned, clearly not expecting this kind of reaction.
“What? Hit a nerve, did I?”
A mocking smile curled at the corner of Akiba Sakura’s mouth, the coldness in her voice impossible to hide.
“Don’t you dare tell me you’re not crushing on her now. I’ll call bullshit.”
Her words poked at his heart like a needle.
He was silent for a few seconds before finally nodding slightly.
“I don’t know… Maybe. Maybe I haven’t gotten over her. I did have a crush on her once.”
That sentence hit Akiba Sakura like a thunderbolt, shocking her into silence.
‘Once…? You mean…’
The smile on her face instantly froze. Her eyes went wide.
The color drained from her cheeks.
Her earlier arrogance and venom completely vanished, replaced only by an incredulous daze.
‘You mean… Tsumugu and Zaolai Qianxiao knew each other way back then?!’
She was frozen for a good few seconds before she snapped back to reality.
Her voice trembled slightly, but she forced it higher, putting on a look of disdain.
“You’re… you’re really something!”
She reached out and shoved him hard, a faint, almost unnoticeable redness appearing in her eyes.
Her sharp tongue became even more caustic.
“I never thought a useless, ordinary small fry like you would even be worthy of having a secret crush on someone. Any girl you set your sights on is just plain unlucky. What a fucking jinx she’s got on her hands…”
“Hey, why are you cursing her out so harshly…”
“Am I wrong? Think about it. The girl you like probably isn’t even a good person. Only a stupid small fry like you would be dumb enough to be fooled by her!”
“Hey, that’s going too far! She…”
The moment he heard Akiba Sakura say that, Yuuma Tsugumu’s mood instantly hit rock bottom.
A hint of anger crept into the way he looked at her.
‘Already starting to defend her?!’
“What else? Are you gonna say she’s different?”
Akiba Sakura didn’t wait for him to finish.
She cut him off, getting more and more agitated, her whole body trembling slightly.
‘Yuuma Tsugumu… how could you hide this so deep? All this time, I thought my plan was on track. But… was I doomed from the very start?!’
“I told you, a small fry like you could never have anything serious to talk to me about. You just wanted to show off your crush in front of me, didn’t you? It’s disgusting! I can’t stand seeing you look so pathetic!”
Akiba Sakura suddenly stood up, then quickly walked away without looking back.
“Hey!”
Watching her leave, Yuuma Tsugumu also felt his anger flare up.
He sighed inwardly, regretting ever bringing this up with her.
He thought maybe the whole ‘bratty girl’ thing was just an act.
Turns out, she’s really that petty in real life.
‘…Maybe I shouldn’t have come to this café.’
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