5 PM.
Her dorm.
Just the two of us.
I pressed the bell, my heart doing a weird little rhythm against my ribs.
"Coming!"
The door swung open, and there she was. "Hi, Kudo!"
"O-oh, hey… I mean, hey." I tried to drop my voice an octave on the second try, desperately hoping I sounded more like a cool protagonist and less like a guy who forgot how to breathe.
"Come on in!"
I stepped inside and blinked. The place wasn't just decorated, it was organic. Or… Oragenstic… yeah, that's not a word, but it fits.. That was the only word for it. It was a fantastic explosion of every shade of orange imaginable. Amber rugs, apricot pillows.
I sat down near her desk, feeling like I'd just stepped inside a giant fruit. "Why is everything… orange?"
Sakura grinned, spinning a bright carrot-colored pen. "I really like orange. It's such a beautiful color, don't you think?"
"I mean, yeah, but why this much?"
She leaned in closer, a playful glint in her eyes. "That's a secret!"
"Oh. Okay… ish," I muttered, feeling my face heat up. We cleared a spot on the desk and sat down to finally tackle the paperwork.
"So," Sakura asked, her pen hovering over a blank line on the form. "What's your favorite color, Kudo?"
"I don't know… maybe orange?" I shrugged, still a bit distracted by the sheer amount of orange in the room. "You too?? Wow that's amazing" Her eyes sparkled. "Are you sure you ain't lying to me?" She raised an eye brow.
"No." A little orange lie won't hurt. It's for a good first impression.
She scribbled it down with her tangerine-colored pen, her handwriting elegant and loopy compared to my rushed scrawl.
We finished the first page, names, ages, the easy stuff, and flipped to the second. The mood in the room shifted instantly. The questions here weren't about colors or hobbies. They were digging into the deep stuff.
A long silence stretched between us. I looked at the form, then at Sakura.
The teacher knew she'll be my girlfriend and she help me get to know her easier! Arigato, Ms. Takahashi. (Arigato = Thank you in japanese)
"Do you want to start?" her voice was tentative, losing some of its playful edge.
I took a breath, trying to steady my nerves. "Sure. Ughm… 'What's your greatest fear?'"
"Oh, I forgot… you're probably thirsty," she said.
She wasn't wrong. My throat felt dry, but I wasn't sure if it was from the heat or just… being here with her.
"Oh, yeah. Thanks, Sakura…"
She nodded like it was the most normal thing ever and walked off to get something to drink. I watched her go, already having a bad feeling about what she'd come back with.
And yeah… I should've known.
A girl whose entire room is basically orange-themed? Of course she'd come back with orange juice.
"I hope you don't mind this," she said, handing it to me.
"N-no, it's fine…" I took it carefully, like it might explode or something. "Orange juice gives me power… I-Is it your favorite drink?"
Her eyes lit up instantly. "Yes! How did you know?"
"…"
I took a small sip instead of answering.
"What?" she tilted her head, giving me that dumb, curious look like she already knew I was hiding something.
"Anyways…" I said trying to get into the main point.
"You didn't answer me. This is not kawaii at all." (Kawaii = cute in japanese)
"Oh. Right…" She looked down
I looked at the glass for a second, then back at her.
Sakura tapped her chin with her tangerine-colored pen, her eyes scanning the intrusive questions on the second page of the form. "Listen, Kudo," she said, her voice dropping the playful lilt. "When we answer these, don't you dare put down something plain like 'spiders' or 'sharks' just to get it over with. No scary animals. This form is supposed to be 'important,' right? So give me something real."
She looked down, her hair falling forward, framing a face that was suddenly, terrifyingly serious.
"Sigh… since I'm the one who insisted on honesty… I'll start. But, this is between us, okie?"
"O-okie..."
Her eyes locked onto mine, eyes that were honestly too cute for my own good.
"I just… don't want to… not be heard."
I squinted, the gears in my brain grinding. "You don't want to be heard? Like, you want everyone to be quiet?"
"The opposite, idiot! I want to be heard."
"Well, lucky for you, you're heard loud and clear. Usually from two blocks away," I joked, trying to break the tension.
She didn't laugh. "Not my voice, Kudo. Work your brain for once. I don't want to be forgotten. I don't want to be just another face in a yearbook that someone looks at in ten years and thinks, 'Who was that girl again?' I want to leave a mark. I want to be known."
"Ohh… you mean it like that." I looked at her, really looked at her. "You're pretty much the center of gravity in every room you walk into, Sakura. That's pretty kawaii of you to worry about."
Just like that, Sakura regained her composure.
"Alright! Enough about my deep, dark soul!" she chirped, pointing her pen at me like a bayonet. "Kudo. What. Is. Your. Greatest. Fearrr?"
I didn't even have to think. "3D females."
The room went silent. A gust of wind rattled the windowpane.
"What?" Sakura asked, her voice flat.
"Yes."
"3D females?"
"Yes."
The silence that followed was absolute.
"I went on telling you my greatest fear, something deep, something real, and yours is… women…?"
"3D females are low-key scary as hell, Sakura! Think about the stats!" I sat up, gaining momentum. "They take ALL your money, ALL your children, and 50% of the house like it's some mandatory divorce DLC bundle. It's a total scam!"
"THAT DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT!!"
"WELL!" I wasn't backing down. I couldn't lose this argument against a 3D human female with enough social standing to ruin my life with a single tweet. "Us men have it way harder than your species, Sakura. We're out here playing on Hard Mode while you guys get the 'Pretty Privilege' buff!"
For exactly two seconds, I felt like I was winning. I felt like a king. But in the world of relationships, the woman is always the Final Boss, and she is always right.
Before I could retreat, her hand clamped onto my arm. I felt my skin being colonized by ten little knives, a synonym to her fingernails. I couldn't practically escape. The burning pain was too much for me to hold onto my argument. Sometimes, losing a game on purpose is the only way to keep your noob friend from rage-quitting.
"Okay okay I'm sorry!"
"Great." She finally let go, looking as smug as a cat in a sunbeam.
I immediately clutched my forearm. Red dots had formed in a perfect arc where her nails had sunk in. "It's like I've been stung by a swarm of bees!"
"You should learn not to mess with girl power!" she huffed.
I looked at her, then back at my arm. This mere 3D female… ha. She doesn't know my true form. If I decided to use even 5% of my hidden aura, she would be demolished. I'm not scared. I'm just… a gentleman.
"What are you thinking about with that creepy smirk?"
"Haa!?" I jumped, nearly knocking over her lamp. She had leaned in so close I could see the gold flecks in her eyes.
"Moving on, I guess..?" She said as if she hadn't just committed a war crime on my forearm.
"What's your most cherished childhood memory that still makes you happy?"
Sakura read it out loud, then looked up at me like she was already expecting something interesting.
"…Wow. That's actually a good question," I said. "Ms. Takahashi knows what she's doing."
"Right?" Sakura smiled. "She's way better than my middle school teachers. They kept saying high school would be hell."
I let out a quiet laugh. "Yeah, same. They made it sound like we'd suffer every day."
"Yes! Exactly!" she leaned forward, way too excited about this. "I'm telling you, they say that every year just to scare people."
I nodded, but my mind was already drifting.
"Hey… I wanted to ask you something."
"Yeah, Kudo?" She turned to me right away, like she'd been waiting.
"D-Do you… know Ms. Takahashi from before?"
She blinked. "From before?"
"Yeah, like," I scratched my cheek. "It kinda looked like you two already knew each other."
"Ohhh." She smiled like it finally clicked. "Yeah, I do. She's friends with my mom. She comes to our coffee shop a lot."
"…Oh." I nodded slowly. "That makes sense."
Sakura tapped the paper lightly. "Don't change the subject."
"Huh?"
"Your answer," she said. "You still didn't say it."
Right.
My childhood…
I stared down at the desk, trying to think of something normal. Something that didn't sound weird.
Nothing came up.
Think. Just say anything.
"…I guess when I met my online friend for the first time."
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "You have online friends?"
"Well… yeah." I avoided her eyes. "I mean, not a lot."
She didn't laugh. Just looked curious.
"So what made it your favorite memory?"
I hesitated.
"It's just…" I paused, trying to put it into words. "We talked everyday. And it felt like I actually had… Y'know… Normal friends."
I kinda wanted to say real friends.
Sakura watched me quietly.
I let out a small breath.
There was a short silence.
"…That's coolish," Sakura said.
I shrugged. "It's nothing special."
"Sorry… can I ask you something kind of personal?" Sakura said.
My shoulders tensed a little.
That never leads anywhere good.
"Y-yeah…?" I said, trying to sound normal.
She hesitated for a second, like she was deciding if she should actually say it.
"Did you… have friends in middle school?"
…
Of course she'd ask that.
My mind went blank for a second.
"Um. W-well… like…" I stalled, looking anywhere but at her. The desk, the window, my hands… anything.
I could feel it coming. That awkward silence. That moment where she'd realize.
Sakura didn't push. She just looked at me…
Understanding.
"Hey, it's fine," she said softly. "Not everyone had friends in middle school. You don't have to-"
No.
I can't just admit that.
Not here. Not in front of her.
Not in front of my girlfriend.
"I was too good for anyone to be my friend."
The words came out before I could even think about them.
Sakura blinked.
"…Huh?"
"Y-yes," I nodded, doubling down "They just… couldn't keep up with me."
"…Right," Sakura said slowly, clearly not buying it.
I clapped my hands once, cutting it off before it got worse.
"Anyway," I forced a smile. "You didn't answer the question either."
"Hm?" she tilted her head.
"Your favorite childhood memory," I said. "You asked me first, remember?"
"Ohhh." Her face lit up instantly, like she completely forgot about what just happened.
"Okay, okay, drumroll please…"
She lightly tapped the desk with her fingers, doing her own little drumroll.
Then she grinned.
"When my mom bought me my first camera!"
"…A camera?" I repeated.
"Yeah!" she nodded excitedly. "I didn't even ask for it. She just came home one day and handed it to me."
She looked down at her camera for a second, smiling to herself.
This girl has a camera on her 24/7.
"I was so confused at first… but then I started taking pictures of everything."
"Everything?"
"Everything," she laughed. "My room, the street, random people walking by… even my food before eating it."
"…That sounds creepy" I muttered.
"Hey," she nudged the desk lightly. "It was important."
She looked back at me, her expression a bit softer now.
"It felt like… I finally had something that was mine, you know?"
I didn't answer right away.
I just nodded.
"…Yeah. I get that."
"That's why it's my favorite."
There was a short pause.
Then she looked at me again, eyes narrowing slightly.
"…Also, I still don't believe what you said earlier."
"…About what?"
"You being 'too good' for friends."
"…It's true."
"Mm-hm," she nodded, clearly unconvinced.
After some more unimportant questions...
We finished the form.
It was… actually kind of fun.
I guess.
Opening up like that wasn't really my thing. Especially not in front of a 3D female. A real one. Sitting right there, looking at me like everything I said actually mattered.
"I guess that's it, right?" I said, glancing at the paper.
"Yeah, it's overrr..." Sakura stretched the word out, leaning back like she just finished something exhausting.
She grabbed both sheets before I could even react. "I'll file them for us. You can just leave it here."
"…Thanks."
I stood up, brushing my hands against my pants for no reason.
She got up too.
For a second, neither of us moved.
It felt like something was supposed to happen here.
I just didn't know what.
I turned toward the door.
Then stopped.
…Wait.
Something felt off.
No hug. No anything.
Isn't this… where something is supposed to happen?
If I leave now… that's it, right?
No progress. No change.
Just another missed chance.
My chest tightened.
Say something.
Anything.
I swallowed.
My hands felt weirdly heavy.
"I will win against you, Yamamoto…" I muttered under my breath.
"S-Sakura…"
"Hm?" she looked at me.
Everything I practiced disappeared.
My brain went blank.
But my mouth moved anyway.
"P-Please… go out with me."
…
Sakura froze.
Her eyes widened, and a faint blush spread across her face.
For a second… she didn't say anything.
And that second felt way too long.
Yeah.
I messed up.
Abort. Abort.
"C-can you walk me to the dorm?" I said quickly, looking away.
Smooth.
Real smooth.
"OHH- yeah, yeah!, sure..." she nodded, still a little flustered.
She grabbed her things and followed me out.
We stepped into the hallway.
Neither of us spoke.
She walked beside me, a little quieter than before.
Did that count?
Did I just confess…?
Or did I completely mess it up?
I glanced at her.
She avoided my eyes.
Yeah.
I have no idea what just happened.