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In the bustling town of Makochi, where the sun always seemed to shine a little brighter, Sakura Haruka found himself caught in a predicament he never quite understood.
As a captain and student at Furin High school, Sakura was used to chaos. Fighting and saving the town is no longer new to him but nothing ever prepared him for the daily spectacle of his two friends stupid classmates and vice-captains, Suo Hayato and Nirei Akihiko, shamelessly flirting in front of him.
With his dual-colored eyes darting between the two, Sakura couldn't help but feel his cheeks ignite with embarrassment every time Suo made a bold move on Nirei. It was as if they lived in their own romantic world, leaving Sakura feeling like an awkward outsider.
As they patrolled the town together, Sakura tried to focus on the task at hand, but Suo's hand slipping not so discreetly into Nirei's sent a wave of heat rushing to his face. "O-oi, s-shouldn't we b-be p-paying attention to our surroundings?" Sakura stuttered, his voice barely audible.
Suo flashed him an overly sweet smile, his wine-colored eye twinkling with mischief, sending an unpleasant shiver down his spine. "Don't worry, Sakura-kun. We've got everything under control."
Nirei, ever the innocent one, chimes in with a reassuring smile, his honey-colored eyes crinkling at the corners. "Yeah, Sakura-san, relax! We always have your back if something happens!"
'That's not what I mean!'
"Yup!" Suo replied as he looked at Nirei. He affectionately ruffled the blond's hair and softly smiled at him, causing the blond to blush and avert his eyes from the brunette gaze.
"S-suo-san..."
Sakura's breath caught in his throat as he watched them, feeling like a third wheel. 'Why did he always have to feel so flustered around them? And why the hell are they always so affectionate to each other? A-are t-they even d-d-dat-' Sakura couldn't finish his thoughts as he combusted when he saw Suo cupping Nirei's cheek, causing the two vice-captains to look at him in panic—well, Nirei did look at him in panic while Suo watched in amusement.
'This couldn't get worse, right?'
But the worst was yet to come.
Sakura trudged angrily down the school corridor, his sneakers scuffing against the floor with each step. Ten consecutive losses to Kiryu in the game had left him seething with frustration. As if that wasn't enough, Kiryu couldn't stop teasing him mercilessly about his defeat, mocking his skills at every turn.
Sakura gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to punch the nearest wall. Instead, he focused on the task at hand: finding a quiet spot to cool off and think of way to kill that pink bastard.
His path led him to the back of the school, where the noise of the bustling hallways faded into a distant hum. Sakura leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart. But his moment of solitude was short-lived as he heard a faint weird sound like someone is in pain.
Concerned, Sakura followed the sound until he stumbled upon a sight that made his heart drop.
There, in the secluded corner, stood Suo pinning Nirei on the wall, his other hand is on Nirei's waist, pulling Nirei closer into him while Nirei's hand is on his shoulders. Sakura's eyes widened in shock as he watched them share a very passionate and very intimate kiss, oblivious to his presence.
Sakura felt like he was going to spontaneously combust from the overwhelming surge of emotions coursing through him. It was like watching a scene straight out of a romance movie, except he was the awkward bystander with no idea how to react.
"W-wh-a.."
The world seemed to grind to a halt as Suo and Nirei finally pulled away upon hearing the stutter. They whipped their heads in the direction of the voice, and their eyes widened when they saw Sakura's stunned expression.
'Is he alive?'
"S-Sakura-san! I-I-I-I... w-we...," Nirei stammered, his cheeks tinged with pink.
Suo scratched the back of his head sheepishly, trying to think of something to say, but no words came out.
Sakura felt his cheeks burning, feeling like he shouldn't be intruding on a very private moment. He took a step back, he felt like fainting from the overwhelming embarrassment that washed over him. He had always been sensitive to romance, and seeing his friends, especially Nirei and Suo being so affectionate— their subtle touches and knowing looks—with each other everyday always made his heart race and his mind whirl, but he could endure it; in fact, he sort of got the hang of it as long as he brushed it off as 'that was what friends do' but this? 'T-this??? D-does friends even allowed to k-k-kiss e-each other?'
The tension in the air was palpable as the three of them stood there, frozen in awkward silence. Sakura finally managed to collect himself enough to mumble, "I-I-I didn't... see anything."
With that, he turned on his heel and practically ran away, his heart pounding in his chest. He could feel the heat of his blush spreading to the tips of his ears, his mind replaying the scene he had just witnessed over and over.
As Sakura sprinted through the corridors, his mind was a whirlwind of confusion and embarrassment. Each footstep echoed louder than the last, mirroring the tumultuous thoughts racing through his head. How could he have stumbled in such a private moment between Suo and Nirei? Were they more than just friends? Did they feel something more for each other? Questions swirled endlessly, each one adding to his growing discomfort.
Lost in his thoughts, Sakura didn't notice the looming pillar ahead until it was too late. With a resounding thud, he collided headfirst into the solid structure, his body crumpling to the ground. A cloud of dust and smoke billowed around him as he lay there, stunned and utterly mortified.
Meanwhile, Suo and Nirei, who had chased after Sakura to explain and apologize for what he had witnessed, arrived just in time to witness the entire scene. They froze in their tracks, grimacing at the sight of Sakura sprawled on the ground.
"We broke him," Nirei muttered under his breath, guilt tugging at his heart as he looked at Sakura's unmoving body.
Suo nodded in agreement, though a hint of amusement danced in his eyes. "Yeah... we might have gone a bit overboard this time."