Day 25

“You look like you’re getting used to it, Senpai,” Hitomi said, waving to Sakura as the younger girl ran up to her.

Sakura paused in her stretching to wave back. “Yeah, I’m doing better. I was pretty sore after the first day on Monday. Even after a day of rest, I was a little sore on Wednesday morning. Today, I feel pretty good.”

“Well, you’re still exercising and going to gym class, so like I said you’re not really in too bad a shape. I don’t really think you need to try and lose weight.” Hitomi jogged in place as she waited patiently for Sakura to finish her stretching routine.

“I admit, I might have been a little over dramatic when I decided to start running in the mornings again, but I’m happy I decided to do it. I’m really enjoying myself.” Sakura motioned to Hitomi to start them off when she finished her routine. The streets were fairly narrow, so it was difficult for the two of them to run side by side in many places especially when there were cars or pedestrians.

“Well, I’m glad that you’re having fun.” Hitomi led Sakura at a nice pace as they started.

“Yeah. I just hope I’m not holding you back or inconveniencing you too much.”

“Of course, you’re not, Senpai. I was running early in the morning anyway and I used this time to warm up before club practice. I’m happy to have you to join me.” Hitomi turned her head to give Sakura a quick smile of assurance.

“You’re always so diligent. You take the time every morning to be at least presentable. I look like a slob beside you.” Sakura looked down at her own attire which consisted of sweats and a ratty old t-shirt that was baggy and ill-fitting. Her face as also completely bare of any product. Hitomi looked like she had at least put on minimal makeup. Her running ensemble was nice too; cute form-fitting shorts and t-shirt which showed off the girl’s lithe figure.

“Senpai, you could wear a paper bag and people wouldn’t believe that you were a slob,” Hitomi laughed.

“Yeah? Thanks, for saying that. Also, besides getting in better shape, it’s giving me another reason to get up earlier,” Sakura said as she pulled up beside Hitomi as the street here was largely empty.

“Oh? Another reason?” Hitomi asked, while giving a Sakura quick glance. The younger girl was really good at making sure that Sakura could handle the pace.

“I’ve been getting up early recently to meet a former classmate. She’s been helping me learn how to put makeup on better,” Sakura answered. Just as she was getting used to the pace, she noticed Hitomi start to speed up and pull ahead again. It looked like the younger girl was going to try and challenge her limitations today.

“Oh? Is she pretty? I mean, if she’s helping you learn how to put makeup on, she must be, right?” Hitomi asked from in front of Sakura.

“She is pretty. She might be the most beautiful girl in the school. I’m lucky to be learning from her,” Sakura gushed, answering honestly. She found herself gasping a little as the speed started to increase even more.

“Hmm. I’ve never heard Senpai compliment someone so much before. She must be really pretty as you say.”

Sakura found Hitomi’s voice surprisingly calm and neutral despite them both running at such a brisk speed. Meanwhile, she was having trouble even looking straight ahead as her form started to falter as the two of them moved faster and faster. “Really, you haven’t? Didn’t I always say how Hii-chan is the cutest when she’s running?”

Sakura was almost out of breath when the pace suddenly slowed down again. She staggered clumsily as her legs gave out and she fell on her . She looked up to see a red-faced Hitomi looking down at her. Sakura wondered what her own face looked like after that intense spurt of running.

“Senpai, it’s because you say things like that that make people misunderstand things,” Hitomi said as she held out a hand to help Sakura up.

“Misunderstand?” Did people think I was being facetious? Sakura wondered. “Hii-chan was the cutest then and is still the cutest now when she’s running.” As she got back onto her feet, she watched as Hitomi once again led the way but this time at a speed that was barely faster than walking.

“I don’t mean it like that. Never mind.” Hitomi’s voice was muffled slightly as she spoke as the distance between the two of them increased. “Anyway, let’s head back.”

Sakura looked at herself in the mirror as she finished applying her makeup. She turned her head back and forth so that she could see how she looked. Although, she didn’t have many cosmetics, she had learned quite a bit from Minju on how to better apply the ones she did have.

She groaned as she got up off the chair. Today’s running session had been extremely taxing. Sakura figured it was because that it was a day off today which meant Hitomi didn’t have club practice and wanted to run harder. With one final look in the mirror, she made her way to the door of her house. Eunbi-senpai had texted her earlier to say that would be there soon.

Sure enough, as soon as she reached the door of her house, she heard the bell ring. She opened the door to see Eunbi holding a bag of oranges. “Senpai, you shouldn’t have,” Sakura said as she took the bag from Eunbi.

“Excuse me,” Eunbi said politely as she entered the house. She took her shoes off and looked around expectantly.

“Ah, it’s just us here today. My parents took my brother to some event somewhere when I told them I had plans today,” Sakura said, while directing Eunbi upstairs to her room.

“Oh, that’s too bad. I was hoping to see Aunty again. She’s always so nice to me,” Eunbi said as she followed Sakura.

“She really likes you too,” Sakura said with a smirk. “I think she likes you better than her own daughter. She firmly believes that you saved me from leading the life of a shut-in.”

“Some people just take a little longer to break out of their shells.” Eunbi shrugged, never one to take credit for her part in turning Sakura’s high school life around.

“So, how much time do we have to study?” Sakura asked as she brought Eunbi to the low table that she had set up in to middle of her bedroom.

“I have a couple of hours before I have to meet up with my family for lunch. They want to go up to the mountains during this break, so we’ll be leaving pretty soon after that. How about you? What do you have planned for the rest of the day?”

“Not much,” Sakura started to say as she brought up a hand to list off the things she had scheduled. “I have to meet my friend Nako at the mall. There’s some fan signing event going on there and she wants me to see it. After that, I promised a junior that I would treat her to some eclairs. Then, a former classmate of mine said that she would teach me some things about buying cosmetics. Finally, I’m going to Chaeyeon’s house for dinner and a sleepover.”

“Not much, she says. I’m so proud of you. Last year, if we had a break, you would beg me to host art club activities,” Eunbi said and affectionately placed her hand on the younger girl’s head.

“It was just a couple of times,” Sakura whined, but allowed Eunbi to pat her on the head anyway. “Hmm, I wonder if I should have opened the club during the break? Neither Yuri-chan or Yujin-chan seemed like they wanted to come to school though on their break.”

“Maybe, we can do something this summer. I think we have enough people that we can budget for an art camp or something. I feel bad that I haven’t been around much, so I want to make up for it somehow.”

“That sounds like fun. Last year’s barbeque was fun even if we didn’t have many people or a big budget. You have really good friends,” Sakura said. The club’s ghost members consisted mainly of Eunbi’s friends who sometimes came and helped out when Eunbi asked them. As thanks, Eunbi had managed to get them included in last year’s summer club activities.

“They’re good girls,” Eunbi agreed. “I’m afraid they’re busy just like me this year, so they won’t really be able to help out on anything. It’s mostly up to you.”

“I can handle it. Don’t worry about it,” Sakura said confidently.

“Yeah, I can’t imagine how you’re able to do everything. You’re managing the club, helping me study, and keeping up with your own school work at the same time,” Eunbi marveled, shaking her head at Sakura. “I miss how you relied on me back in your first year.”

Sakura shyly reached out and held Eunbi’s hand. “I still do, actually. If I didn’t know that you were there to help me fix any mess I might get myself into, I wouldn’t be able to function at all. It’s because I know that you’re still around that I’m can be the senpai for Yuri and Yujin like you were for me. I don’t know what will happen after you graduate.”

A squared plus B squared equals C squared, Sakura recited in her head as she tried to avoid thinking about the beautiful girl inches in front her. “Sorry,” she said as the people in the crowded train pushed against the girl in question even closer to her.

“You’re doing it again,” Chaewon said crossly as she struggled to keep her balance. She ended up having to put her hands against the train’s side to hold herself steady. Unfortunately, that gave Sakura very little room to move with her being pinned in place by the other girl’s body and arms. “I should be the one that’s saying sorry.”

“It can’t be helped,” Sakura said, shaking her head to indicate that the girl also had nothing to be sorry for. With nowhere to look but at Chaewon, Sakura felt extremely shy as the two girls stared at each other for a moment before Sakura darted her eyes off in a different direction.

Sakura wasn’t used to being able to look at the other girl from such a close distance. Their last close encounter was on the roof a week ago. Since then, Sakura had only been able to watch her crush from afar like before. Except, there was a small change. Previously, Sakura would find excuses to look across the room at where Chaewon sat and was content to admire the girl without ever being acknowledged. Lately, however, sometimes when she looked, she would find the other girl already looking back at her

Sakura tried not to think too much about it. She didn’t want to get her hopes up and made up excuses as to why their eyes met more and more often. Perhaps, Chaewon just wanted to see what was outside the window. That was the most likely story. Or maybe she was just stretching her neck. Another plausible reason. When their eyes did meet, just like now, she would immediately look away and be grinning like a fool. It was a small joy, but one that she looked forward to every day at school.

Her cheek muscles cramped up as she held in the grin, trying to remain stoic. It was difficult though as was she was extremely happy, and it was threatening to show on her face. She tried to think up another math theorem to fight off thinking about how she could almost feel the warmth of the other girl’s body.

“Oof,” Chaewon grunted as more people got on the train. Her arms gave out slightly as her body was pushed up again Sakura’s.

Suddenly all knowledge of math disappeared from Sakura’s mind as she felt the other girl’s body pressed up against her. “Ah… b plus c…,” Sakura accidently babbled.

“What? Sorry, I didn’t mean to, but there’s a lot of people on here,” Chaewon grimaced as she whispered in Sakura’s ear.

The other girls’ breath against her ear nearly drove Sakura over the top, but somehow, she managed to keep her composure. “Uh, Kim-san… So, where you are you off to?” she asked, trying to keep her mind off of the other girl’s body.

“I’m going back home for the holidays,” Chaewon said, her breath again tickling against Sakura’s ear.

It was odd being in such an intimate situation and exchanging small talk, but Sakura found it helpful in keeping her thoughts out of the gutter. “Oh, do you rent a place near the school?”

“Yeah, I have a studio near the school that my parents are helping me rent.”

“Wow, you’re so impressive, Kim-san. I don’t know if I could leave my family and go somewhere else for school.”

The crowd on the train loosened somewhat as the train stopped at the next station. Chaewon was able to pull away slightly and look at Sakura again. This time, something about Chaewon’s gaze held Sakura in place. “I don’t know you that well yet, Miyawaki-san. But, from what I do know, I think you’re giving yourself too little credit.”

The two of them had really only spoken to each other a handful of times, so Sakura was confused as to how Chaewon would know anything about her. “You flatter me too much, Kim-san. I think I know myself pretty well.”

Chaewon shrugged, still holding Sakura’s gaze. “I’ve seen you running around the school promoting your club. Even when people throw away your flyers, you still smile and try again and again. Choi-san used to sleep every free period, but now she’s always studying with you. Lee-san is busy with her own club and being the class representative. You help out Lee-san with class representative work without being asked. You’re someone who tries her best be it for yourself or others. I think something as small as living by yourself wouldn’t hold you back. I think it’s you who doesn’t know yourself very well.”

Sakura was unable to say anything as she simply stared at the other girl. It appeared that she was not the only one that was watching. She must have made a funny face as Chaewon gave a sudden girlish laugh.

“Looks like this is my stop. Like I said don’t know much about you yet, Miyawaki-san, but I’d like to learn more. I’ll be seeing you.” With that said, Chaewon abruptly pushed off of the wall and turned around to get off of the train. She turned her head once to give Sakura an indescribable look before she was gone and out of Sakura’s sight.

“Oh, shoot. I was this close!”

Sakura sighed as saw a familiar figure hunched over a crane game. “What are you doing?”

“Kkura?” Yena yelped. “Ah, nothing much. A new Juri photo card came out and I was trying to get the box for it.”

“These games are like the hardest ones. How much have you spent already?” Sakura as she looked at the roll of hundred yen coins in Yena’s hands. “Weren’t you working and saving that for stuff you need?”

Yena scratched her head while averting Sakura’s gaze. “Hmm… how much have I spent? I wonder. Juri’s photocard is more important than clothes or cosmetics though.”

“You said you’d quit when you saved enough money. You’re going to be working there for life at this rate.” Sakura was visibly annoyed. She was worried that Yena’s part-time job would eventually be found out by the school.

“Sorry,” Yena said sheepishly. “Look, I’m getting really close. I’ve managed to get that one box really close to the edge. I just need a few more tries.”

“Here, let me help you. I know this one and there’s a trick to it.” Sakura nudged Yena away from the joystick before the girl could voice any disagreement.

Yena watched with rapt attention as Sakura took the controls of the crane. “Oh, I see. You’re using the claw to push it when it opens up.”

“Yeah, the crane is usually too weak to really grab any of these boxes. But it’s got a pretty good downward force,” Sakura said as she swung the arm of the crane downwards causing one of its claws to catch the edge of the box.

“You did it!” Yena cried out happily as she grabbed Sakura around the waist in a bear hug.

“We did it. You did get it pretty close to the edge and it was your money,” Sakura said with a bit of a squeak as she was surprised by the other girl’s display of affection.

Yena seemed to realize how odd it was for her to be hugging Sakura and immediately let go. They usually treated each other as if they were bros. However, bros definitely did not hug each other as tightly as Yena had done. “Uh, thanks.”

“No problem. You made it easy for me,” Sakura replied feeling awkward all of a sudden. “Listen, I didn’t mean to snipe at you for spending your money. It’s your money and you should be able to spend it how ever you want.”

“No, you were right. I should really be more careful with how I spend it. And I know I said it’d quit when I got enough money to buy some of the things that I wanted, but I’m kind of thinking of keeping the job anyway.”

Sakura was about to go off on her friend again when she noticed how nervous the other girl looked. Instead, she simply nodded her head and waited for Yena to explain herself.

“I like that I’m able to help my family out a little by not asking for an allowance. The manager’s nice too and said that I can change my availability any time.” Yena looked down the entire time as she confessed her feelings about her part-time job. “And… no, never mind. Can you continue keeping it a secret for me?”

“See, I told you that you wouldn’t be able to see anything,” Sakura said as she and Nako stood by the sidelines while throngs of people crowded the stage area.

“We could have gotten a little closer if you were here on time,” Nako said in an irritated voice as she stood on her tiptoes trying to see the idols from her position.

“I was only a little late. I bumped into a classmate and lost track of time a little. We wouldn’t have had to waste time finding each other if we left our houses together. Why did we have to meet here again?” Nako had been adamant that they meet at the mall separately. Initially the plan had been that they would go to the mall together, but the younger girl changed her mind after Sakura told her that she had made plans to meet two other girls afterward.

“Don’t you think it gives off a different feeling? Coming here separately as if we’re on a date?” Nako asked while looking at Sakura slyly.

Sakura snorted. She looked at her childhood friend who looked back at her with a winsome smile. She was dressed cutely as she always did when she went to meet up with her idols. She said it was important to make an impression on them so that they remember her. In Sakura’s mind, Nako could wear plain jeans and a t-shirt and would stick out. The girl was that adorable.

“Saku-chan!” Nako whined, seemingly taking offense to Sakura’s derisive snort as she turned to face Sakura with a pouting face.

“Okay, yeah, we look like we could be on a date,” Sakura said to appease the other girl and was immediately rewarded with a radiant smile. Whoever did eventually get the chance to date Nako would be one hell of a lucky person.

“You’re dressed pretty decently for once too,” Nako said, complimenting Sakura back. Her smile suddenly turned into a frown as she seemed to think of something. “Normally, when I get you to come out to the mall, you’re wearing sweats or something. But I guess, you’re dressed up for your ‘dates’ today.”

“It’s not just for them, you know. Remember how I said I wanted match up well with you too? I knew you would be cute like usual and I didn’t want you to feel embarrassed with me beside you.”

Nako’s expression changed yet again as her cheeks became bright red. “I would never feel ashamed to be with you, Saku-chan.”

“That’s what makes you a great friend,” Sakura said warmly.

“Friend. Right, I’m glad you think that way,” Nako replied before turning back to look at the stage.

“Have you calmed down,” Sakura asked as she brought a warm bottle of green tea and placed it against Yujin’s face.

“Ah, thank you,” Yujin said, accepting the tea. Her voice still waivered a bit but it sounded a lot better.

“You didn’t have to do that you know,” Sakura said as she sat down next to girl on the bench. She had come to her and Wonyoung’s meeting spot a little early and so had decided to wait for the girl. As she was waiting, she had been approached by a guy who asked her for her number suddenly. She was so stunned by the request, as it had never ever happened to her before, that she simply couldn’t respond at first. The guy took her lack of an answer as a sign to keep on asking her which caused Sakura to become even more flustered. And that had been when her knight in shining armor arrived.

“I don’t know what came over me. You looked like you were in trouble and I reacted instinctively,” Yujin said, her ragged breath from before becoming smoother as she calmed down.

Sakura had been impressed when Yujin appeared as if by magic. The younger girl gave the guy a cool look and casually asked what the guy was doing with me. It was only after the guy had left that Sakura noticed that Yujin was shaking like a leaf. “I wasn’t really in trouble. I’ve never been asked out before, so I was more shocked than anything.”

“Like I said, it kind of just happened. I’m actually not very good with confrontations, but when I thought that you might be in trouble, I just lost it,” Yujin said.

Sakura could see Yujin’s hands still quivering as she fidgeted. She reached over and held the younger girl’s hands to stop them from shaking. “Well, that was very brave of you in any case.

“I’m surprised he left so quickly though. He seemed to be pretty aggressive,” Yujin’s voice sounded normal again. There was even a hint of her usual underlying laugh in her tone. “I mean I’m just a little girl.”

Sakura looked at Yujin. The girl was dressed in sweats. Her hair seemed to have been tied up in a bun and was covered by her ball cap. She was wearing a facemask as it looked like she was getting over a cold. The girl’s normally pleasant voice sounded hoarser than normal due to the aforementioned cold. All of that was ignoring the fact that the girl towered over the other guy. There was no way in hell that the guy thought Yujin was ‘just’ a little girl. “Yeah, I wonder. Maybe, he was weak to confrontation too. I’m not happy that you put yourself in danger to help me, but I’m glad you did it anyway.”

Yujin nodded, before she abruptly tried to pull her hands away, but Sakura wouldn’t let her. “Senpai, I’m still a little sick. We shouldn’t be holding hands.”

“I heard you can get better quicker if you give a cold to someone else,” Sakura shrugged as she continued to hold on to the girl tightly. “Speaking of being sick. Why are you out here when you’re sick?”

“Ah, I lied to my parents and said I was perfectly fine. I didn’t want to stay home on a Friday when I didn’t have school,” Yujin admitted.

“Well, you better go home right now and get better. I’ll be fine now that I’m prepared for any person that wants a hook up,” Sakura said firmly.

“It’s weird how it’s so quiet in here,” Sakura said as she looked around the café. As far as she could tell, she and Wonyoung were the only two patrons in the whole place.

“Ah, sorry, I think my parents might have done something,” Wonyoung said as she also looked around. “They’re a little overprotective. They only let me come out if I agreed to follow everything our staff says.”

Sakura noticed two men in suits standing outside the little place. “Oh, right, you did say you were rich or something right?”

“Or something,” Wonyoung agreed. “Anyway, I hope you don’t mind if it’s just the two of us.”

“No, that’s fine. I just thought you might have liked it more if there was more of a lively atmosphere here. You’re always alone when I see you at school.”

“Unnie, actually, I’m rarely alone. That why I try and find time for myself during the day. Well, that was before I guess. Now, I just want to find Unnie when I’m free.”

Sakura felt a pang in her heart whenever she saw the girl’s adoration of her. How the girl ever became attached to her was a mystery to Sakura. Wonyoung seemed to not like talking about herself much and always preferred Sakura do all of the talking. The younger girl seemed to be content just to hear Sakura talk about trivial things. Sakura wanted today to be more about the younger girl and decided to be more aggressive in initiating the conversation. “That’s sweet of you. But don’t you think you should hang out more with the other students your own age?”

Wonyoung brows furrowed together cutely as she appeared to give Sakura’s question some deep consideration. “Hmm… not really anymore, I guess. Other students my age seem to always hold me at arms length. Don’t get me wrong, they’re always friendly with me, but none of them ever try and do much beyond that.”

“Maybe, you could be more proactive in putting yourself out there,” Sakura said to which the younger girl answered with a raised eyebrow. “Okay, okay, I know I’m a hypocrite for giving that advice. I just feel bad if I’m the only person that you want to see in school.”

“Unnie, you put yourself down too much,” Wonyoung said patiently, and must more maturely than any kid should at her age. “I like talking with you because you always see me as me. I wish it could be differently with the other girls in my class, but I don’t think that’s possible. But I don’t really feel bad about it anymore. I have you, Unnie.”

As sweet as that was to Sakura’s ears, it still left a bit of a bitter aftertaste. She knew she was projecting her own experiences onto the girl and what the girl was saying could be true, but Sakura nonetheless felt in her gut that Wonyoung truly did want friends her own age. “I think it’s too early for you to decide what is possible and what is not passible. Can you do me a favor and at least try to talk with the other students when you have free time. I’m always available in case you really can’t make friends with anyone.”

Wonyoung’s eyes widened for a moment as she looked at Sakura before softening again. “Unnie, you really care about me, don’t you?”

“Of course, I do,” Sakura answered emphatically. “If you call me unnie, then I have to act like one.”

“Okay, I’ll try again to make friends the next time I have free time. But then, you have to do me a favor. You have to let me feed you this éclair.” Wonyoung looked like she wouldn’t take no for an answer as she picked up one of the eclairs from the plate and held it near Sakura’s mouth.

“That’s fair, I guess,” Sakura said as she reluctantly opened and allowed herself to be fed like a baby. As she couldn’t control the éclair, it was a little messy as she took a bite. However, before she could wipe off the cream, Wonyoung used her other hand to wipe it off for her.

“Minju-san, are you angry?” Sakura asked as she looked at the other girl whose honest face could not hide how upset she was.

“Ah, just a little at myself. I wanted to be the one to help you pick out cosmetics and teach you about them, but that sales lady did all the work for me. I feel like I wasted your time. You could have gotten all that without me.”

Badump badump, Sakura could almost hear her loud heart beat at Minju’s sad, yet cute face. The girl was the definition of a ‘face genius’ as the Korean students defined it. “You did help me.”

“I don’t feel like I did,” Minju said, turning to face Sakura as the two of them walked.

“Well, you did. The truth is, if you weren’t here, I would never have come here on my own. Even if I did, I would have been a nervous wreck. There’s no way I would even know how to talk to the sales lady. You did all of the talking with her. You asked her all the questions.” It was in fact the first time, Sakura ever sat down at the sales counter of a cosmetics booth.

“You’re not just saying that, right?” Minju asked timidly as her frowning face started to brighten up.

“I’m not. I actually have a lot of things I’m thankful to you about,” Sakura said, turning her head to look forward, as she was too shy to look at Minju at the moment.

“What do you mean?” Minju asked.

“Well, ever since you started teaching me about makeup, I’ve begun to see the world differently. I didn’t used to think of appearances as being important before, but now I see how it can be empowering. It’s kind of like a superpower you’ve given me. When I look in the mirror and I see how much more beautiful makeup makes me, I feel like I can do more than I could before. It’s also helped me understand the people around me and what they go through to look pretty. I now know the effort they put in and I feel bad if I don’t put in some effort as well. So, I really want to thank you for teaching me all that.”

“Ah, thank you for saying that, Sakura-san,” Minju said in a muffled voice.

Sakura turned her head to see tears like diamonds stream down from Minju’s beautiful face. It really wasn’t fair. Even crying, the girl was incredible. “Why are you crying?”

“I’m sorry, but that’s just the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. I’m a little sensitive and it’s actually embarrassingly easy to make me cry. Please don’t worry about it,” Minju said as she wiped at her teary face.

“I don’t think that’s embarrassing. Some people are more sensitive than others. I think it just makes you a very empathetic person. I’ve been told I’m very dense when it comes to understanding the feelings of others, so it’s a trait I really admire.”

“That a pretty accurate description,” Minju laughed before she seemed to realize what she said sounded mean. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I didn’t mean to laugh.”

“That’s okay,” Sakura shook her head, not upset in the slightest. “I like that you’re feeling more comfortable around me that you can laugh like that.”

“I like that too,” Minju smiled in agreement. “Oh, looks like this is my station. You didn’t have to walk me all the way here, but thanks anyway.”

Sakura immediately felt a cold sweat as she looked at the other girl. She had made a conscious decision after her talk with Wonyoung that the advice she gave about being proactive would not be hypocritical. “Hey, look. I really had a good time today. Do you think maybe we could do something together again?”

Sakura was a little disappointed that Chaewon wasn’t on the train on the way back out of the city center towards Chaeyeon’s house. Of course, she wouldn’t be on the way back, the girl had said she was going back home. Still, she was hopeful and crushed when the girl was not there.

She shook her head as if shaking it would drop all thoughts of Chaewon out of her head. While it didn’t exactly do that, it did allow her to put her attention back to Kwangbae’s message.  [Kwangbae: I’m miserable at this. How does one get someone to know you better?]

Her friend had taken her advice to heart and had actively tried to get the other girl to know her better, but it appeared as if it didn’t work. [39Kura: Well, what did you try doing?]

[Kwangbae: I brought in a whole bunch of games to school and was playing them on my 3DS during lunch to show that I was interested in that stuff too. During class, I would try and answer questions because I know that she’s shy and doesn’t like being picked. I congratulated her when I saw that she did well in the last exams.]

Sakura sighed. Her friend was much too subtle. [39Kura: You need to do more than show her that you have similar interests. How would she notice if you’re purposely answering questions to help her? And nearly everyone will congratulate a girl who does well.]

[Kwangbae: What should I do!?] There were a lot of pleading emoticons that followed after her message.

Sakura sighed again as she looked at the question. She had spent the last week mulling over why this current crush of Kwangbae’s affected her so much. After giving it a lot of thought, she came to the conclusion that she really disliked how someone other than her was able to grab so much of her friend’s attention. It was petty and shallow, she knew, but she couldn’t help it. Kwangbae was her friend first. She was acting so differently because of someone she barely even knew.

Sakura had been in denial at first that she was jealous of this person. However, as she continued to imagine daggers flying at this unknown girl, she came to realize that it was true. She was jealous. With that realization, came the horror at how she was behaving. She should not be reluctantly giving her friend the best advice she could give. She should be wholeheartedly supportive of Kwangbae’s happiness.

[39Kura: When I said that you should let her get to know you, I meant by talking to her. If it’s too big a hurdle, start small. You said that you engage her in small talk most days, right? Try having a longer conversation a little at a time.]

[Kwangbae: I’ll try, but like I said, I get butterflies in my stomach just standing next to her. It’s as if she’s growing prettier each day.]

[Imagine her ], Sakura started to type, before deleting it. That would probably make it worse for the poor girl. [39Kura: I usually try and focus on something when I’m looking at someone drop dead gorgeous. And I think of math equations.]

[Kwangbae: Math? I like that actually. I’ll give it a try. Thanks, again. You’re so awesome.]

[39Kura: Just don’t forget about me when you two get together.] Sakura hesitated for a moment, before hitting enter.

Sakura realized that she was completely empty handed as she made her way towards Chaeyeon’s house. It would be incredibly rude of her to go to someone house for the first time and not bring anything at all. She looked around frantically and noticed a convenience store on the corner of the main street.

The convenience store’s robotic sounding welcome message as she entered the store was music to her ears. She looked around for a moment before heading over to the snacks area. She knew that Chaeyeon didn’t like overly sweet things, so she hoped there was something that she could find. As she rounded the corner of the aisle, she heard a familiar sounding voice.

“Senpai!” Yuri shouted with glee as she hugged Sakura from behind.

“Yuri!” Sakura exclaimed as she took in the sight of her cute kohai. The girl looked like she was in her pajamas. Her hair looked wet as if she had just gotten out of the bath. There was defenseless and then there was Yuri. “What are you wearing?”

Yuri let go of Sakura and looked down at herself. “Oh, these are my PJs. Aren’t they cute?”

“You should be more careful. It’s dangerous to go around like this,” Sakura hissed as she pulled Yuri to the front where there were seats. The girl needed a serious scolding.

Yuri rolled her eyes as she sat down. “Like what? Nothing’s showing. And this is my neighborhood. I know the staff and the residents here and they know me.”

“Still, you’re a very cute girl. And anyone would with a pulse would feel just a little excited,” Sakura said, not letting the girl change her mind.

“You think I’m cute, Senpai? This makes you feel excited?” Yuri asked, blushing, but still looking Sakura directly in the eyes.

In fact, Sakura’s heart was beating quite quickly. “Don’t get a head of yourself,” Sakura said and flicked a finger at the younger girl’s forehead.

“Ow,” Yuri frowned cutely as she rubbed her head. “If anyone needs to be worried, it should be you, Senpai. You’re all done up today. If someone was going to get jumped on, it would be you. What are you doing coming to a neighborhood that you don’t know all alone, and all dressed up?”

Sakura felt herself reeling at Yuri’s counters and was suddenly on the defensive. “I’m just going to a friend’s house for a sleepover. I’m not that done up… well I guess I did get a lot of free makeup samples at the mall today. “

“I know if you came to my place looking like that I might have expectations,” Yuri said, relentless in her attack.

“Your sisters were sooo cute!” Sakura gushed to Chaeyeon as the other girl stood behind her helping her braid her hair. Sakura looked in the dresser mirror and was quite happy with how the mirror framed the two of them.

“Only my sisters?” Chaeyeon asked with a smile.

“All the Lee women are cute, especially Okaa-san,” Sakura said, correcting herself.

“Aren’t you also complimenting yourself then? You called your self Lee Kkura earlier,” Chaeyeon teased as she ran her hands through Sakura’s hair to braid the other side.

“It was a slip of the tongue. I was just nervous meeting your family and I tripped over my introduction,” Sakura blushed as she remembered her mistake.

“Well, you’ll have to be the one to tell my mom. She think’s she’s getting a new academically gifted daughter,” Chaeyeon laughed.

As usual, her friend’s laughter was infectious, and Sakura’s own laugh soon joined together with it. “I’d love to make her happy, but I think my mom would be upset. Okay, my turn to help with yours.”

“Thanks,” Chaeyeon said as she and Sakura exchanged places.

Sakura was shocked at how silky smooth the other girl’s hair was. The difference between their hair was like night and day. “I shouldn’t be surprised at how nice your hair feels. I’ve seen you cheer dancing and it’s like your hair has a life of its own. I’m so glad that you got the center position.”

“It’s thanks to you that I even tried out for it. But it does mean I’ll get busier so we might not to get to hangout as much. Oh, please don’t be like that,” Chaeyeon said as she looked at Sakura’s jaw drop through the mirror.

“Ah, sorry,” Sakura said closing . She hadn’t really been thinking about how Chaeyeon would become busier as center and thus they would spend less time together. “That was bad of me. I’m of course happy that you get to live out one of your dreams.”

“I was a little bummed about it too when I looked at what my schedule was going to be like. I’ve never had someone like you in my life before and it makes me sad that we won’t be able to spend as much time together as before.”

“I’ve never had someone like you in my life either,” Sakura said, sharing the same sentiment as Chaeyeon. “We’ll make it work out somehow.”

“Yeah, I’m sure we will. Actually, I already thought of something before you came here. Here,” Chaeyeon reached into the drawer of the dresser and pulled out a cute notebook. “I was thinking we could share an exchange diary.”

“That’s a great Idea. I like it,” Sakura said as accepted the notebook.

“I’m glad you like it. Um, I hate to change the subject, but what is going on with my hair?” Chaeyeon asked as she looked into the mirror where one side was braided, and one side was not due to Sakura being distracted. She then turned her head left and right causing her hair to dance.

“Chaeyeon!” Sakura shrieked as she tried to stop the girl from twirling her head and hair around. “Let me fix it!”

Chaeyeon: …

Sakura: …

Chaeyeon: …

Sakura: Aren’t Chaewon and Minju pretty?

Author’s note:

Sorry for the late update. I usually try for every couple of weeks, but there were like three birthday vlives in addition to all the other content we get. Definitely not a complaint though!

Let me know what you thought!