The sun had already dipped low in the sky by the time they left school.
Shuu and Sakura walked side by side along the narrow street lined with cherry trees, their shadows stretching long across the pavement.
It wasn't exactly intentional.
They had just happened to leave the classroom at the same time.
But neither of them slowed down or pulled away.
They simply... walked together.
Sakura clutched her bag to her chest. She wasn't used to walking with someone else, especially not a boy.
She kept sneaking glances at Shuu from the corner of her eye.
He walked casually, hands in his pockets, humming softly under his breath.
There was no awkwardness in his steps. No forced conversation. Just an easy, relaxed presence.
Sakura found herself matching his pace unconsciously.
Shuu, of course, noticed this.
He didn't say anything.
But inwardly, he smiled.
Hook secured.
They reached a fork in the road.
Sakura paused.
"My house is... this way."
She pointed toward a quiet residential street.
Shuu nodded. "Alright. See you tomorrow, Kouno-san."
Sakura hesitated. Then quietly said, "...You can call me Sakura, if you want."
Shuu blinked.
Then grinned. "Okay. See you tomorrow, Sakura."
She turned quickly, her face slightly red, and walked off.
Shuu watched her go, hands still in his pockets, posture relaxed.
But his mind was spinning.
"That went better than expected. At this rate, I might not even need a full route. Just a few well-placed scenes, and bam—flag raised."
Of course, he wasn't doing it just for conquest points.
He genuinely liked Sakura.
She was quiet, gentle, and thoughtful in a way most people overlooked.
In the anime, she never got the spotlight. Her feelings for Ishikawa were never resolved. She simply faded into the background.
But now, with him here...
He could rewrite her story.
"Everyone's chasing the main heroine," Shuu thought, looking up at the pink petals drifting from the cherry trees. "But maybe... the side story has the best ending."
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