A Day with Sakura

Defeating the Tokyo Manji Gang seemed to cause no ripple effect in Mizumachi. Kyosuke Hojo peacefully spent Friday, and soon Saturday, the day he had promised to meet Sakura Yamauchi, arrived.

At noon, Kyosuke rode his motorcycle to the gates of Shirayuri Academy and spotted Sakura from afar.

"Yo~!"

Sakura greeted him with her usual boundless energy, breaking into a light jog toward him before he could even steady the bike.

"You look gorgeous today!" Kyosuke gave her a thumbs-up, admiring Sakura's youthful radiance.

Today, Sakura was wearing a dark red T-shirt printed with ambiguous artistic lettering. Her naturally fair skin glowed even brighter against the fabric, appearing almost translucent in the midday sun.

Her hair was styled into an intricate updo secured with a hairpin, clearly the result of careful preparation. A silver necklace adorned her slender, elegant neck, its pendant slipping down into the collar of her shirt, obscuring its shape.

On her lower half, she wore skinny jeans that perfectly outlined the slender yet curvaceous lines of her long legs.

"Pretty, right? I bought this when I was out shopping with some classmates."

Noticing Kyosuke's gaze, Sakura fished the pendant out from the cleavage of her chest to show it off.

It was a pink cherry blossom flower edged in gold.

"It suits you well."

"Right? Right?! That's why I decided to buy it the moment I saw it!" Sakura said happily.

Indeed, Sakura. A life as brilliant and fleeting as cherry blossoms.

At this thought, Kyosuke's previously relaxed mood suddenly turned somewhat heavy.

"Tada!"

Unaware of Kyosuke's sudden change in mood, Sakura brought the hand she had been hiding behind her back right in front of him.

Her slender, snow-white fingers opened to reveal a matching cherry blossom pendant, except its golden edge was replaced with a vibrant emerald blue.

"This pendant is a pair! Hurry up and lower your head so I can put it on you to see how it looks," Sakura urged impatiently.

"Oh, oh." Kyosuke obediently lowered his head, having already taken off his helmet.

"I wove the cord for the pendant myself, you know. Speaking of which, where did you get that cord on your wrist, Kyosuke? You've seemed to wear it ever since the semester started. Did Shoko give it to you?"

"Oh, this thing? It's..."

At that moment, Kyosuke's voice suddenly trailed off.

Right, where did it come from? It felt like someone had given it to him, but who?

"If you can't remember, don't think about it. Let's get going!"

Seeing Kyosuke fall silent mid-sentence and start staring blankly at the cord on his wrist, Sakura figured that if Shoko or the others had given it to him, Kyosuke certainly wouldn't have kept it a secret from her. Since he didn't mention it, he must have genuinely forgotten.

Picking up the helmet secured to the back seat and putting it on, Sakura raised a hand and shouted excitedly, "Go go!"

Shaking his head, Kyosuke pushed the confusion aside, put on his helmet, started the motorcycle, and drove Sakura toward Ikebukuro.

Ikebukuro is located in Toshima Ward. Although it is a relatively new commercial district, the influx of numerous large department stores and the continuous expansion of shopping streets have made it a prominent commercial hub on par with Shinjuku and Shibuya. Moreover, because it frequently serves as a filming location for movies and television shows, Ikebukuro carries a distinct fashionable atmosphere, with its streets brimming with youthful vitality.

After finding a parking lot for the motorcycle, Kyosuke Hojo and Sakura Yamauchi began exploring Ikebukuro.

"Huh? Is this the famous Ikebukuro West Gate Park?"

Standing beside the fountain, Sakura looked around in disbelief.

"That's what the sign says over there," Kyosuke said, pointing to a dark stone monument.

"Toshima Ward Municipal Ikebukuro West Gate Park," read the inscription carved into the black stone.

"I can't accept this. It's so small? Isn't there anything here at all?"

Sakura clutched her head, looking utterly devastated.

"Haven't you watched those TV dramas? Didn't they show this place?" Kyosuke asked.

Right after parking the motorcycle, Sakura had grabbed him by the hand and dragged him straight here to find the Ikebukuro West Gate Park featured in countless novels and TV shows. He had assumed she wanted to go on a pilgrimage to an anime or drama landmark, but that was clearly not the case at all.

"How could I possibly watch those shows? I just heard about it from classmates," Sakura answered matter-of-factly.

"Do you still want to take a picture?" Kyosuke asked, shaking the digital camera in his hand—a device he had borrowed from some nameless subordinate.

Being a boss was simply fantastic! These subordinates were practically like Doraemon; they seemed capable of anything, Kyosuke sighed inwardly.

"Of course I do!"

And so, Sakura dragged Kyosuke around to take photos with the fountain in the center of Ikebukuro West Gate Park, the landmark stone, and the subway station respectively.

Oh, and just to mention, the person who helped them take the photos happened to be a member of the Violent Angels hanging out in Ikebukuro for the weekend.

After thanking that subordinate, the two headed over to the nearby Tobu Department Store. The Ikebukuro branch is the flagship store of the Tobu chain, boasting a massive scale with the largest retail sales floor area in Japan.

The moment the two stepped into the mall, they were greeted by a dazzling array of women's clothing boutiques.

Looking at Sakura's sparkling eyes, Kyosuke silently cursed these unscrupulous merchants for how expertly they had shoppers wrapped around their fingers, knowing precisely who would visit and who the primary spenders were.

"Ah, Kyosuke, that store has my favorite brand!"

Sakura pointed excitedly at a shop, letting out a soft squeal of joy before pulling Kyosuke straight inside with her.

"Kyosuke, does this outfit look good?" Sakura had changed into a black princess dress with bubble sleeves, spinning around in front of Kyosuke.

"It looks great."

"I actually own a matching dress at home. I originally planned to wear it for you today, but since we were riding the motorcycle, I decided against it. I'm so glad I found it here, though."

Kyosuke suddenly understood. No wonder Sakura had been so excited when she saw the shop, and he began to examine her even more carefully.

The black dress paired with Sakura's pinned-up hair made her look truly like a princess, exuding a sense of quiet elegance. Thinking this, Kyosuke voiced his thoughts aloud.

"Hahaha, you noticed! This is the kind of refinement I learned at school."

As soon as Sakura spoke, her energetic voice completely shattered the dignified illusion. While she still looked like a princess, she now resembled the runaway princess in Roman Holiday.

Sakura curtsied slightly, holding the edges of her skirt between her fingertips as she offered Kyosuke a graceful bow.

"Aunt Maki really should come and see this," Kyosuke remarked, quick as lightning as he pulled out his phone to record the scene, instantly forwarding it to both his own mother and Sakura's mother.

"Hey! What are you doing? So embarrassing!"

When Sakura straightened up and noticed Kyosuke's actions, she immediately walked over and lightly pounded his chest with her small fists. Considering they were inside a department store, they only played around briefly before Sakura went to change out of the dress, and the two moved on to another women's clothing boutique.

Watching Sakura looking stunning in absolutely everything she tried on, Kyosuke squeezed his wallet in his pocket. Before coming out today, he had decided to bring all the funds he could currently spare—precisely 200,000 yen. Excluding his family's living allowance, once he paid next month's rent, he would have to pinch pennies just to afford meals.

Feeling the thinness of his wallet, Kyosuke's desire to make money burned even brighter.

"Let's go, Kyosuke."

Having changed back into her own clothes, Sakura walked over, linked her arm through Kyosuke's, and pulled him toward the exit.

"You tried on so many things, wasn't there anything you wanted?"

Kyosuke asked. Leaving aside Sakura's feelings, seeing how wonderfully those clothes complemented her made even him want to buy every single one of them for her. In fact, he had genuinely intended to let Sakura pick out her absolute favorite and buy it for her.

"I just purely enjoy the fun of shopping. If I had to watch my wallet shrink while browsing, shopping would turn into a miserable chore."

Sakura giggled as she pulled Kyosuke out of the store, looking genuinely free of any lingering attachment.

Even so, Kyosuke knew how could any girl truly dislike pretty clothes? At that moment, the previously drifting and complacent young man made up his mind to start doing some serious work—at least enough to give himself the ability to buy those pretty clothes for her.

As for what to do? There was no way someone who had crossed worlds and possessed a cheat system couldn't even make a little pocket money, right? Surely not...