Nice Pair of Shoes

Hayashi Sakura was still holding the keychain that Alan gave to her a while ago until she retired to bed. She was feeling sleepy earlier but then for some reason, her drowsiness dissipated in an instant.

Sakura thought about it for a while. Is it because it's been a while since she received something from someone else other than her family members?

The last time she received a gift from others was way back when Sakura was still dating her ex-boyfriend, Yamamoto Ryuuji.

***

Two Months Ago...

Back in the day, Hayashi Sakura and Yamamoto Ryuuji would always walk together outside the campus grounds.

It had already become natural for Sakura that wherever they went in and out of the campus, there would always be the prying eyes of the students of St. Therese High while they looked at Sakura with contempt.

After all, Yamamoto Ryuuji came from a very-well known family in Kyoto whose business is into real estate in the city.

However, since Ryuuji mostly grew up in the rural areas because his parents were always away to watch over him, he preferred to stay with his grandmother and enroll in a not-so-well-known high school like St. Therese.

One day, as they were already away from the school gates from a good distance, the sole from Sakura's black school shoes loosened since the girl had worn this pair from fifth grade, when his father managed to buy him a new one during her 11th birthday.

Immediately, Sakura stopped walking further after realizing something odd on her right shoe. It also made Yamamoto Ryuuji stop walking as well.

"Why? What's wrong?" Ryuuji said, slightly annoyed. He should take this girl home as fast as he can so that he can meet his friends already after this.

For him, walking this girl is like a chore that his mother has forced him to work on. It slightly aggravates him but he constantly tells himself to pull it together since it was still their second month of dating together.

Sakura looked at Ryuuji with such pitiful eyes that it almost moved the guy next to him and pointed at her right shoe.

"My shoe…" she trailed off, unsure of what to say because of this embarrassment.

She had already made sure to put some enough shoe glue to the sole from the first time it happened, and now it loosened once more!

What's worse is that it broke at such a bad time when she's still with her boyfriend!

Ryuuji still looked at her blankly, still unable to fully grasp the situation. "What about your shoe?"

Sakura immediately avoided making eye contact with him and continued, "It's broken."

It was at that moment when Ryuuji's facial expression changed from being nonchalant to being irritated. And for Sakura, the last thing that she wants to happen is to annoy her boyfriend like this.

"What? What did you say?"

"Ah, nothing! I can still walk home though. Don't worry about me."

Sakura puts on a reassuring smile in front of her boyfriend and continues walking with a broken sole...or more like almost dragging her feet on the sidewalk.

That's right. I'm not like those girls who like to show their weaknesses to their partners. I don't have to look like a pathetic fool in front of Ryuuji right now!

Sakura kept on walking as she continued encouraging herself that everything's gonna be alright while keeping a downcast face.

However, not long after she started walking, Sakura heard some running footsteps nearby. When she decided to lift her head up once again, her lips immediately parted when she sees Yamamoto Ryuuji squatting in front of her and while his back is facing towards her direction.

Still in a daze, Sakura asked, "W-what are you doing?"

Ryuuji only clicked his tongue and annoyingly replied, "Do you expect me to watch you walk with that kind of shoes? Hop on, I'll give you a piggyback ride home."

Then he tapped his back for Sakura to ride on.

A wide smile soon appeared across her face as she made her way towards Ryuuji's broad back. And in that manner did Ryuuji take Sakura all the way to their street where she lives.

The following day, Sakura was truly astonished when she saw Ryuuji clutching a shopping bag into his right hand and handing it over to her the moment she entered their classroom.

"What's this?" she asked, her eyebrows were drawn together as she faced the guy with the shopping bag.

"I knew you'd still wear your old broken shoes, so I bought you a new one." Ryuuji flashed that attractive smile of his that got all the girls surrounding them go crazy for him and cast daggers over to Sakura's direction.

"Eh? There's no need for that! I already fixed my shoes. See?" Sakura wiggled her right shoe for Ryuuji to see that she had it all covered.

And come to think of it, Ryuuji hasn't given her gifts ever since they started dating. Why give something now out of nowhere?

"Still, it will set my heart at ease if you're wearing comfortable shoes," Ryuuji extends his free hand, reaches for Sakura's hand, and clasp the bag into it

"After all, girls should have at least one pair of nice shoes sometimes."

***

This would be too embarrassing for Sakura to admit, but she still wears that pair of shoes during school and work that Ryuuji bought for her that day and even brought it here in Tokyo.

Sakura had already thrown away the bouquet of fake roses and stuffed toys that the bastard had given to her when he was still wooing her.

But she can't just simply throw away a 30,000 yen pair of shoes just like that!

Ah, the disadvantage of being broke sometimes!

Upon realizing that she was thinking again of that bastard, Sakura shut her eyes and shook her head violently.

Damn! Why did my mind just suddenly fly back in that particular moment?

Sakura looks at the cute keychain dangling in her hand once more and contemplates. Surely, this and Ryuuji's shoes don't look exactly the same. Why on earth would I be thinking of him right now?

That doesn't exactly make sense at all!

Shaking her head for the second time, Sakura starts to collect her apartment key from her pocket and attaches the keychain into it.

Then, with a satisfied look, Sakura walks back to her study table where she placed her school bag on the chair and slides the key inside her small pocket.

Just as she was about to return to bed, she saw her phone light up and from her screen revealed an unread text message from her mother.

Huh? How come mom is still awake at this time?

Oh, that's right! She needs to call his parents! But in this late hour, Sakura is one hundred percent sure that her father is already asleep and her mother needs to sleep as well.

Nonchalantly, Sakura picks up her phone and deliberately types in her passcode. Once done, she quickly clicks her mom's unread message and reads it silently.

"Our precious daughter, hope you are doing fine there in Tokyo. We have sent you a gift and it will be arriving tomorrow morning. Once you receive the box, please call us immediately."

Sakura's eyes grew wide by the time she was done reading the message. Once, they've already done a video call during those days when she still had no class to attend and she was able to tell her parents exactly where she currently lives.

This must be the reason why they suddenly decided to send her a box in the mail.

Even without asking what it is, Sakura already has the slightest idea of what it might be...