Miyawaki Sakura. Short, wavy black hair. 160 cm, 49 Kg on a bad day, 47 when on a diet. Crazy good looking to some, plain cold to others. She loves fashion more than most that of around her.

                 Does Sakura cares for her academics? She does. Does Sakura enjoys learning in class? Yes. Does Sakura like to socialize with her peers? She would love to. However, the same cannot be said about these so-called peers. You see, Sakura is not exactly the type of person that anyone would like at first impression. She would strike you as someone who is arrogant, entitled rich kid, the kind of over-achievers that keeps on bragging, overall unpleasant.  

                 The way she walks, some would call it unnecessary strutting. The way she talks, some would call it rude. The way she listens, some would say inattentive. Miyawaki Sakura has earned herself the medal of honour as the most hated students in the engineering disciplines faculty. She is one of the popular sources of lunch gossips among students and staffs alike.

                 You’re probably thinking, ‘Eh, how bad could it be… no big deal’. Well, no. It is a big deal. The disciplines itself are divided into 5 different faculty with 5 different Deans. Each one of these faculties is divided into several sub-sections. For instance, the Mechanical engineering one is comprises of Mechanical, Automotive, Mechatronics, Robotics and so forth. All of them hate her. A small portion, maybe, gives zero damn.

                 So, it is safe to say that, Miyawaki Sakura is hated by at least 5000 people. She is presumably known by some people outside the faculties mentioned above. Therefore, it is logical to assume that the number of people who dislike this Japanese girl is probably 5000 and above.

                She is on her first term of her final year as a student in a University. Which university, you ask? Doesn’t matter, it’s a university just like any other universities out there. 4 years of studying, and she only manages to make one friend. Just one. Despite that, Sakura consider it as her most priceless achievement. She manages to push through years in this god forsaken place with the help of her one friend.

                An ancient scholar once said, quality over quantity. Which scholar? Not sure, probably Sun Tzu or something. That’s what matters to Sakura, the quality of her friend. To her, she is the most amazing, supportive, kind-hearted person she ever met.

               “Don’t forget we have a meeting tonight!”, her friend says to her as they walk together on a pavement, going to one of these ‘lectures’.

               “Yeah, yeah. 8 or 9?”, Sakura answered without looking. Her sight fixed on her phone, on the University’s Red Velvet’s fanclub forum to be exact. The one fanclub where she desperately wanted to enter but can’t because apparently everyone has a bad feeling about her.

               “8 in the evening, no excuses this time!”

               Sakura exhales, “Are you sure I’m needed in this meeting? I don’t think I’m serving any purpose over there. I can just serve the council inside my booth…”

               “No Saku-chan! You have roles, everyone does!”, her friend protests.

               “Oh yeah? What roles am I playing again?”

               “Well… uh… minor roles…? I mean, you’re our tertiary secretary. You can give us any suggestion regarding our current problems…”

               “I’m doing my part just fine without attending meetings, Chaeyeon…”, she finally diverts her gaze from her phone. “My booth is where I belong. The council hates me, your friends at the council won’t talk to me. I’m all alone over there. The booth is the only place where people actually have the nerve to speak to me…”

               “Hey… don’t say that… I’m there too. Saku-chan, you have to try to mingle sometimes… give people a chance…”

               “Oh no, I’m not ready to be disappointed again. You are one of the rare cases which humans did not fail my expectations…”, Sakura opens her front camera and start checking on her lips. She smacks it a few times, correcting the one uneven spot.

               Chaeyeon looks at her, “Well, maybe that’s the problem… you expect too much from people…”

               “It’s not a problem, Chaeyeon… expectations are normal… everyone has it!”

               “Okay, okay, fine… just promise me you’re coming tonight? Please?”, Chaeyeon begged.

               “Dammit, fine Vee! I’ll do it, because I like you so much!”, Sakura rolled her eyes. She does this thing with her eyes that people often misunderstood, but that’s her being playful. She’s thankful that Chaeyeon did not constantly take it too seriously every time she does something like this.  

               Lee Chaeyeon. First term, third year student. She is also the vice president for the Student Council of the Chemical Engineering Faculty. It was why Sakura sometimes called her Vee, short for Vice President. She was considering VeePee, but that name just plain ugly. Vee on the other hand, is glorious.

               So, how the hell did Sakura made it into the student council if she was so hated? All is possible with the help of Lee Chaeyeon. It was Chaeyeon who insisted that she should be participating in the election. After being asked by her only friend, how could she say no? The rest is a tale for another time.

               “Alright then, I’m going!”, Chaeyeon waves her hand towards Sakura while smiling. Yeah, she always smiles.

               “Bye,” Sakura answered almost nonchalantly.

               Every university have that sort of a cult thing that every student knows. This university is no exception. A few years ago, an anonymous helpline email circulates the engineering faculties. The email wrote that any student with a problem, in need of help and doesn’t know where they can take their problem to can confess about it to someone named Miss K via the email address ([email protected]). In return, Miss K would reply on how to counter it. Sometimes, she also has some unorthodox method of helping people.

               At the beginning, it was only 2 or 3 emails a month. The problems weren’t so serious either, just crushing on classmate kind of stuff. After 2 years, the news spread in the entire University and now Miss K received almost 5 emails a day. Nowadays, the emails even contain their deepest, darkest secret, much to Miss K’s annoyance. The last thing she need to know is what kind of kink someone is into.

               By now you’ve probably noticed about Sakura mentioning a booth. It is Miss K’s booth. Sakura is handling the booth because she is Miss K. Of course, this information only known by her and her friend, Lee Chaeyeon. As a matter of fact, Chaeyeon was her first client. That’s how they become friends.

               Because of the popularity of Miss K, Sakura now have to choose an email that she is interested in. Send a personal message under the name of Miss K to the person and meet them at the booth at the stated time, usually late at night.

               Miss K’s modus operandi also includes letting the client sitting in a chair inside a closed booth, while Miss K is sitting next to them in a veiled room. Kind of like a church’s confession room. They would talk in a necessary length about the problem. Sakura would use a voice changer so that people wouldn’t recognize her.  

               How Sakura would help these clients of her? Well, depends on the problem, really. 

***

               Industrial Economics class. How unnecessary, thought Sakura. Well, probably not unnecessary, but hell, it was boring. It infuriates her more that students from other faculty will be joining them for this particular class.

               Sakura take a seat in the furthest back, near the door. Alone. It is what she prefers. Silently, she observes the students who enters the hall. Her eyes twitches when she saw a group of girls arrives, it is the ‘mean girls’ from Environmental Eng. How she despises them, especially their leader.

               The name is Kang Hyewon. Second term, second year. There are multiple reasons for her dislike towards this one person, but mostly because how she is so similar to her and yet people can accept Kang Hyewon just fine.

               Kang Hyewon struts just like her, wear fashionable clothes just like her, does mani-pedi just like her, speaks confidently just like her. But she is loved by many, unlike her. It is one of the many mysteries of the world that she yet manages to crack.

               The class was only in session for an hour, but Sakura is already dying at the back. “Goddamn…”, she curses under her breath. The professor has been going on and on about isothermal flask and how it benefits the environment. The Environmental students of course, enjoy this very much.

               “YOU AT THE BACK!!! What’s her name? MIYAWAKI SAKURA!!!”

               Sakura snapped from her dream. She wipes her eyes using the back of her hand, it is straining so bad.

               “Are you asleep in my class?”, the professor asks. “If you wanted to sleep so bad, why don’t you go to your bed! This class is only for those who wants to learn! Lazy asses are not to be tolerated!”

               Sakura nodded and stand from her seat. She can feel the entire hall is eyeing her. When she walks to the front, everybody was gasping under their breath. Shocked, maybe amazed at how unbelievable Sakura is.

               Sakura was reaching for the door handle when her professor suddenly speaks in a stern voice. She is visibly upset. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

               “Leaving, as you told me to…”, she answers. Her eyes meet the professor’s, casting no remorse.  

               “You think you’re so smart, Miyawaki? You dare challenge me in my own class?”

               “I’m not challenging you, ma’am, and I definitely did not think that I’m smart. I’m simply following your orders… I might be asleep, but I was paying attention…”

               The professor laughs sarcastically, “Really? You’re paying attention? Fine then. Tell me, what did we learn for the past hour?”

               Sakura turn her body and faces her professor. “We were looking at the changes occur in manufacturing practices within this country and internationally. How current plants and factories are striving to implement green technology… also isothermal flasks…”

               “You need to stop talking…”, suddenly, in the middle of the heat between Sakura and her professor, Kang Hyewon chimed in. “Just admit your mistake, let prof win!”, she whispers.

               Sakura glared at her. She didn’t say anything. For whatever reason, hearing Kang Hyewon’s voice made her blood boils even more. Once again, she looks at her professor and continues, “You were saying on how isothermal flasks are a better product compare to plastic bottles…”

               The professor crosses her arm, waiting for whatever this crazy idiot is going to say.

               “But the production of those bottles also gives bad impact to the environment. At least, for plastics, we already have an effective processing and recycling method…”

               “Are you done?”, the professor is clearly holding in her anger.

               “Steel itself requires iron ores and other heavy metal mining, clearly bad for the environment but I don’t hear any of these environmentalists say about it! If we care so much about the environment then maybe we should cease all productions, don’t you think?”, Sakura quickly finishes.

               “Shut up, Miyawaki!”, the professor walks closer to her, breathing heavily, “Get out! Get out and never come back! You, young lady, are suspended from this class! For the entire term, Miyawaki Sakura!”

               Sakura kept silent. She just scoffs before she turns around and left the hall.

***

               Sakura sighs loudly. She is now alone in the computer laboratory. She’s tired. She just got suspended, now she has to meet the Student Affair Officer to clarify stuff. It will be harder than the first time she got suspension since she is part of the Student Council now. Such a bother.

She chose a computer at the corner of the very back of the room, for privacy sake. Slowly, she types her email address, Miss K’s email to be exact. She got 3 new emails since the last time she checked.

               2 of those are sent by familiar address, just some guy or girl that feel they need to vent every single day. Of course, as Miss K, Sakura would still reply to all those emails. She can’t explain it but reading these emails and then replying to them makes her feel good. A feeling of satisfaction and fulfilment, something that she can’t feel when interacting with people in real life.

               Another one however, is a new one. An address of ([email protected]), what could it be, Sakura asks herself.

               The email reads;

               Dear Miss K,

               I don’t really know where to go or who to ask about my problem. So, I guess, I’ll be telling you. I’m a second year engineering student. I am not actually interested in this field, the only reason I’m here is because my father says so.

               It’s not that I’m bad at it, I’m pretty OK. It’s just, I feel empty. I feel like, my heart is somewhere else. I feel like I don’t belong here despite already spending 2 years of my life in this course.

               I’ve told my friends about it. But they all agree that I should just continue, that the time I spent here would be gone to waste if I leave.

               I’ve never told my friends how I always wanted to be an actress or maybe a model. Sometimes, I wanted to be a newscaster.  Going to school of performance arts was my dream. But I guess it’s too late for that.

               So, yeah, that’s it, I guess. I know you wouldn’t be able to do anything about it, but it just felt good to tell it to someone.

               Sakura blinked her eyes a few times. She taps her fingers on the table, thinking. Somehow, she finds it fascinating.  A second year who still hesitates. Quickly, she composes a reply. She wants to meet this student, in her booth, tonight!

***

               “I’ve heard what happened today in your Industrial Economics class…”, says Chaeyeon as she hands over a paper for tonight’s meeting to Sakura. It is half an hour before 8, only the two of them arrived at the meeting room. “Care to elaborate?”

               “It is as what you’ve heard…”

               Chaeyeon stares at her friend, “Saku-chan, how many times do I have to remind you, nobody like smartasses!”

               Sakura sighs desperately, “The professor told me to leave, so I did!”

               “Yeah, that’s called being a smartass! You should check the dictionary for the definition of ‘laying low’, because you’ll be needing it to survive!”

               “Look who is being a smartass now?”, she retorted.

               “Apologize to the professor tomorrow, okay?”, Chaeyeon can’t help but looking worried. “You can’t afford another suspension without extending your final term…”

               “Okay, okay… ugh…”, Sakura keeps herself busy by compiling some papers.

               As per usual, Sakura mostly stays silent in the meeting. She can’t help but wondering about the email she received earlier today, from the second year student. She didn’t even pay attention to what were being discussed in the meeting. The council members noticed, but they just roll their eyes and proceeds anyway. Well, all were rolling their eyes except Chaeyeon.

               When the meeting ended, Sakura quickly goes back to her house outside the campus. She would wait for Chaeyeon, but the girl wanted to stay there doing some ‘studying-in-a-group’ with her classmates. So, she went home alone.

               Swiftly, she changes clothes into something darker, a hoodie to be exact with a brown Khaki. She would put some extra clothing on just to hide the real size of her body, so that nobody could tell it is her. A mask is a must, of course.

               When the clock strikes 12.30 in the morning, she left the house. Miss K’s booth got a secret entrance, located 100 meters from where it stands. It was an old unused plumbing tunnel that Sakura discovers on her first year. She uses it to enters and exits the booth safely. You’ll never know the amount of people trying to jump on Miss K just to find out her identity.  

***

               Sakura checks the time on her phone, it is 5 minutes past the promised time. The most she could wait is 10 minutes, after that, she would leave and send an apology email the next day.

               Suddenly, she heard a soft knock.

               “Miss… K…? Are… are you here?”, the voice sounded cautious.

               Sakura turns on her voice modulator, “You’re late… Kw4nG,”

               “Well, um, sorry. I uh, fell asleep… I didn’t think that you would actually like to meet me,”

               “It’s okay, studying is tiring… now don’t be shy, make yourself comfortable…”

               The girl takes a seat in the booth. The light smell of Hermes’ Twilly Eau Poivree filled their surroundings. Sakura finds herself inhaling a lot. She loves that smell.  

               “Tell me about your problem again, this time in detail…”, Sakura starts.

               “Well, I can’t add much… that’s all to the story…”, the girl says.

               That voice sounded so familiar to Sakura; her head keeps on thinking where the hell did she hear this voice before. The name is already at the tip of her tongue, but it wouldn’t come out. It’s lingering there.

               The girl continues, “I mean, to explain my problem, I’ll probably have to explain my entire life? I guess… that’s okay???”

               Sakura’s neurons finally decided to connect. She remembers where she heard this voice before. This goddamn voice! She can’t believe it; she can’t freaking believe her luck. What the hell is wrong with fate?

               “Oh yeah, by the way, you don’t need to know my name, right? I could, uh, stay anonymous?”, the girl asks.

               Sakura curses silently inside. She doesn’t need to tell Sakura what’s her name. Sakura already knew. ing Kang Hyewon and her excellent choice of perfume!