"...She really left me behind, that cold-hearted woman." I massage my temple in irritation as I stare into the sky. Sakura, who was standing next to me just a few minutes ago, is now nowhere to be seen. The only thing she left behind was a text message sent to my phone that said:
'Good luck, bestie~! I'll be at the cafeteria, so come look for me when you're done with curious George~!' God, damn it, she's so annoying. We are here doing a tour of the university precisely because we don't know how to traverse it, and yet she's telling me she's going to the cafeteria? Is she stupid? She's only going to get lost on the way there, and then I'll have to look for her.
…No, you know what? This is probably for the best. It's a good thing that she left, giving herself a chance to clear her mind and relax.
…But even so, what a pain.
"Rei?" While mentally cursing Sakura's recklessness, a girly voice calls out to me. Turning my head around, I see a girl my age quickly approaching me. Wide and round dark purple eyes with long eyelashes; silky short blonde hair that fades into a light purple at its ends; the girl in front of me is someone who I recognize—my sister, Angela.
"Ange?" She moved away when we were eight, and came back only just recently, having graduated from high school. We were very close when we were kids, but now all that remains from that bond is its ghost. The physical distance that was created between us when she moved away was a huge wall that we couldn't overcome, and as time passed by, we only continued drifting further and further apart, to the extent in which we both reached the conclusion that by that point, the other was just a stranger with the same last name.
"It is you, Rei. What are you doing here? Didn't you say you'd be hanging out with a friend today? Oh, are you maybe exploring the university with them?" After confirming I'm her brother, Ange walks up to me with a cheery atmosphere and a smile.
"It's just as you say. I'm here touring the university with her. How about you? Why are you here?" Ange hums slightly at my words, as if I had said something that picked her interest. She turns to look at the front, places her hand on her chin, and hesitates for a second.
"...It was supposed to be a surprise, but I also enrolled here. Dad suggested it, and I really liked the idea, especially because this university seems to have a very good arts program, and it's pretty close home. Anyway, the point is that I applied and got accepted." She nods in apparent satisfaction at her own answer. I see…that certainly makes sense.
"That aside…Rei…where is this friend you said you're with? Is she the one who gets along well with Dad?"
"...Yes, that's her." I hesitate for a second, but eventually nod. Just as Ange said, Sakura gets along very well with my old man. She has told me before that he often invites her over to play chess, and that her matches with him are seriously entertaining, despite how she has never won a single time. My old man has also said he really likes Sakura, jokingly encouraging me to 'make my move' to make her his daughter-in-law as soon as possible. And my Mother also seems to hold her in high esteem, for some reason.
"Then when do you plan to introduce her to meeeee???? I'm the only one of the family that hasn't met her yetttt!!!!" Ange clings to my arm and pouts as she gives me puppy eyes. Well, it's true that she's the only one who hasn't met her, though. I wasn't intentionally keeping Sakura away from her or vice-versa, it's just that the chance for both of them to meet had never come up. Maybe I should use this opportunity to present them to each other; it'd be nice if Sakura were to get a friend other than myself.
"...You know what? Rejoice, Ange. I'll introduce her to you right now."
"What?! Really?! Really?! Really?!"
"Really, so don't be so noisy. We got separated a bit ago, so let's go search for her first." Ange nods excitedly at my words, and thus our search for Sakura begins.
∆ ∆ ∆
"...There she is." Unexpectedly, Sakura is exactly where she said she'd be. She is sitting on one of the tables in the outer area of the cafeteria.
"...That's…her…" The way in which Ange's words escape her mouth make it seem as though she is completely enthralled—mesmerized. Sakura isn't doing anything noteworthy, she is simply sitting relaxedly on her chair as she stares into empty space. Other than her occasional sighs, there is nothing else that could be said to make her stand out among the crowd. I don't know what it is that caught Ange's attention. Maybe an artist like herself is able to see things that I can not, or maybe she's simply astonished at how Sakura, the figure praised even by that usually apathetic Father of hers, doesn't seem to be anything out of this world. Regardless of the reason, Ange doesn't seem to be able to take her eyes off her.
"Let's go, we shouldn't just stay here and—...huh?" As I am starting to urge Ange to approach her, I notice a random guy approaching Sakura's table. A guy maybe a year or two older than ourselves, wearing your stereotypical university jacket with his hair combed backwards. The guy starts talking to Sakura before I even have a chance to analyze the situation.
Bloody hell, this is bad. From the distance, I see her waving at him with her hand in a disdainful manner, maybe telling him to leave her alone.
"R-R-R-Rei?! Shouldn't we go help her?!" Ange panicky pulls me by the arm, not waiting for my response as she drags me forward. But I stand my ground, which causes her to stumble forward before turning at me with a confused expression.
"She doesn't need help. She can deal with this just fine." In fact, it's better if she does it on her own. I might not be making any sense, but anyone in my position would understand my intentions.
Ever since we were dealing with the club guy at the entrance, I've had the vague idea that Sakura has been in a very bad mood today. No, that's not right. I have realized that today she's being easily irritated by anything. I have no idea if she noticed it herself, but every time that the club guy back then said anything, Sakura would click his tongue and glare at him. It's not strange that she was annoyed, no, even I was annoyed to a certain extent at his persistence. What is strange, however, is that she was openly showing her annoyance, because Sakura never really shows that kind of feeling even when she's at her boiling point. That she's so easily glaring at the guy and clicking her tongue is nothing short of evidence that something is wrong with her.
That's why I tried to take the lead in the conversation, aiming to end it as soon as possible despite being aware I was being extremely rude to the guy. In the end, she left ahead of me, which made me think she might have had a chance to relieve her annoyance, but… I was naive.
The only thing—no, the only person—that can make her peacefully replace her irritation with happiness is probably playing and laughing with kids her age right about now. That's right, if she's overly irritable right now, it's probably because she doesn't have the kiddo by her side, and she isn't used to it. It probably started off as loneliness, and then evolved into the annoyance that is holding her over the edge right now. And the most problematic thing about all of this is that the kiddo, the only person who keeps Sakura in check, isn't here at the moment. For Sakura, being next to Sora is something akin to being in front of your parents. In other words, in front of the kiddo, Sakura can only show her best behavior, because she doesn't want to set a bad example for her. But invert that statement, and it means that when she isn't with the kid, Sakura...doesn't have to worry about being a bad example.
Thinking of it as a metaphor, at the moment, Sakura is a car running at max speed without her breaks. And what is the only way to stop her? That is, of course, by having her crash onto something, like a tree. Is it easy to guess where I am going? Sakura has to leave out some steam, and for that, a target is needed. That's why I'm not approaching to help her, because...I have decided that the sacrifice to calm her down will be that guy who is hitting on her. Yes, I am sending him to the slaughterhouse, because in the end, he was the only who pushed her over her boiling point. It's only common sense that stupid people pay for their stupid mistakes, isn't that so?
"Wh-What are you saying?! Look, she's—...huh?" Ange's voice who was arguing back at me comes to a complete halt as she stares at the scene. There, the image of Sakura standing up, and then promptly delivering a kick to the guy's crotch can be seen. It's such a merciless kick that even I grimace a little as I watch the sacrificial lamb fall to the ground, powerless. The poor guy doesn't even seem to have the strength to roll around in pain, as he simply stays still holding his crotch in a fetal position. Truly a shame. His noble sacrifice shall never be forgotten...nor his stupidity ever forgiven.
Sakura, who seemed to have calmed down after the kick, starts looking around in panic, searching for any witness...and meets my eyes. Then, she turns to look beside me, at Ange, who has been staring at her in awe all this time. In the span of a few seconds, Sakura's face turns into a beet red color I have never seen before. In her face isn't an expression of anger, of course, but rather one of embarrassment, as if wanting to say, in her words, 'I fucked up.'
Tch. If you are going to regret it after the fact, then don't do it, stupid. This is why you're such a pain.
Obviously not listening to my internal complaints, Sakura hurriedly walks toward us...no, toward Ange, who she has been locking eyes with ever since she noticed our existence.
"I-It was an accident! An accident!"
"........."
As the two of them stare at each other from nearly point blank range, the only thought that fills my mind is...
"How is that an accident, stupid?! You kicked him on the balls, Sakura! The balls!"
Aw fuck...It seems I wasn't only thinking it.
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