Sunday Morning

Once Sakura left their apartment room, Akira walked back to the living room where her brother was returning the Switch to its box. Alan still needs to walk her to the train station since it is already late evening and Akira needs to study her lessons.

When Alan felt her presence, he turned around and asked, "What did you and Hayashi-san talk about earlier?"

Akira only made a face in front of her brother. "I'm not telling you!"

"Aww, come on now. I'm your favorite big brother, right? How can you keep a secret from me?"

"Big brother…" Akira folded her arms and eyed her big brother knowingly. "You're the only brother I have, remember?"

"Oh… is that so?"

The now embarrassed Alan turned his gaze back to his little sister and carried on with his work.

While her arms are still folded over her chest, Akira looked at his brother and shook her head side to side as she clicked her tongue thrice.

***

Hayashi Sakura still woke up Sunday morning with bruise marks, but they were lighter than before she first got them two days ago. Reluctantly, she got up early in the morning to do some cleaning on her apartment and some laundry as well. She hasn't done any laundry these past three days, and the dirty clothes won't wash by themselves, will they?

When all the chores were done, Sakura started frying an egg for her breakfast and made coffee. She quickly headed to her dining table to eat what she had cooked since it had been ready. Nonchalantly, Sakura was scrolling down her phone when she spotted a notification.

It was her online friend, Sushi Roll!

Instantly, her face lit up as she tapped the notification to read Sushi Roll's message.

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SushiRoll

-> Hey, what's up? Hope you're doing fine today!

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As quickly as she could, Sakura typed in her reply.

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NekoNii

->Hi! I've just done some cleaning and laundry earlier and I just had my breakfast. Hbu?

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Sakura scooped some rice into her spoon and stuffed them in her mouth right away while she waits for Sushi Roll's reply. The three-dot icon continued swaying back and forth as the latter typed in his reply.

It was when she started taking a sip of her coffee when Sushi Roll's reply popped out of her inbox.

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SushiRoll

-> Boring, as usual. Just tried to read a new book series that I only discovered recently.

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Sakura got immediately hyped upon the mention of her favorite words: 'book series'. Hmm… what could it be?

She typed that same question that she has inside her head.

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NekoNii

-> Oh! And what book series is it? Lemme see!

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Sakura waited eagerly for Sushi Roll to type in his reply while she took a sip of her coffee. She is now done with her meal and is now midway through finishing her coffee as well.

Since the message hadn't popped out yet, Sakura left the phone first on her dining table and went to the kitchen counter to wash her used eating utensils right away. Once she finished stuffing them in her organizer, Sakura went back to her living room and grabbed her phone from the table, and plopped herself comfortably on her two-seat gray couch.

Sakura immediately turned her phone screen on and tapped Sushi Roll's unread message. Surprise filled her face the moment she saw the picture of a book along with his message under it.

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SushiRoll

-> This. :D

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Why… It's a picture of the first book to Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Sakura knows it very well, for it is one of her favorite book series of all time.

She even spent some of her money she saved from her previous part-time jobs just to get five physical copies of the book series!

{"Percy Jackson, eh?"}

While Sakura was still clearly immersed in her own thoughts, Mori Ken's words back then when they coincidentally met at the train going to Tokyo echoed back inside her head all of a sudden.

Sakura still remembers that moment all too well in her head, because it brought both shock and sadness to her.

Just a few months ago, Sakura thought she could leave behind every bad memory she acquired back in Kyoto, but obviously.....that is not what fate intended to happen.

{"Mori Ken?!"

Sakura was both surprised and dumbfounded by the time she saw Mori Ken sitting across from her seat. The book in her hand was instantly forgotten as her thoughts are now too wrapped up to even concentrate on what she's currently reading.

And here she thought she would start fresh the moment she transferred to Tokyo!

"Why are you so surprised there?"

The nerve of this guy to ask her this question in the first place! For all she knows, Mori Ken is a huge part of her so-called bad memories that she was supposed to be leaving behind Kyoto!

"I… I thought you'll be studying college in Kyoto like everyone else!"

Sakura could definitely see how Mori Ken raised an eyebrow in her direction.

Amusingly, Ken replied, "How come you assumed that I might study there?"

"Because…" Sakura doesn't even know what to respond at this point.

After sighing in defeat, Sakura picked up her book that is now sitting in her lap and used it to cover her embarrassment.

"None of your business! Good day!"

After that unexpected conversation with Ken, Sakura tried her best to tune the guy off her head for the rest of the trip going to Tokyo by pretending to be so immersed with what she was reading.

Yet, without a lie, Sakura could now feel that her heart was beating faster than usual for some reason…}

Sakura shakes her head violently from side to side in hopes of getting those thoughts out of her mind. How could that guy get into her head like that so suddenly?

She tapped her cheeks suddenly and focused on finishing her cup of coffee before dealing with her online friend for the rest of the morning before she'll get some groceries later.