When was the last time she saw Sasuke?
Sakura had forgotten.
It must have been almost ten years!
Anyway, when she was pregnant with Sarada, Sasuke was already not around.
When Sarada was born, Sasuke didn't come back either.
When the Konoha 12 married, he didn't return.
This time, with Naruto's wedding, she thought Sasuke would return, as they were the best of brothers.
She also thought Sasuke wouldn't return, after all, he didn't even come back when Sarada was born.
Whether Sasuke returned or not, she would still feel surprised and delighted.
She had also prepared herself mentally.
However, when she received Sasuke's clear reply today that he couldn't make it, an indescribable sense of disappointment and melancholy still welled up in her heart.
She felt very sad. She looked at her friends around her, intimate with their families, and her heart was filled with envy.
She could only sit alone at home, watching TV or staring blankly... If it weren't for Sarada's existence, she probably wouldn't even believe she was married, had a husband, a man, a lover.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp~~~" The feelings of disappointment and melancholy made Sakura gulp down one drink after another.
"Sakura-nee, stop drinking, you're already drunk," Alan folker said, stopping Sakura and trying to persuade her.
"Drunk? I want to be drunk!" Sakura pushed away Alan folker's hand reaching for the bottle, tilted her head back, and drank the last drop of wine in the bottle.
She really wanted to get drunk, to see the man she deeply loved but could never meet in her dreams... If she couldn't see him in reality, couldn't she at least see him in her dreams?
"Sakura-nee, what's wrong? Tell me what's bothering you, it'll make you feel much better," Alan folker looked at Sakura with concern.
Sakura raised her head, her hazy beautiful eyes fixed on Alan folker. Seeing his serious gaze, Sakura suddenly gave a bitter smile: "folker, you don't understand."
"Is it because of Sasuke-nii?" Alan folker suddenly asked.
Besides Sasuke, no one else could make Sakura so distressed.
Sakura paused, then nodded gently.
"Sasuke-nii, after he left that time, he never came home again?" Alan folker continued.
"Home? Is this his home? Does he consider this place home?" Sakura murmured bitterly, her eyes lowered, hiding the sadness within them.
She picked up her glass and drained the wine, the spicy liquid flowing down her throat to her stomach, stimulating her digestive system, and even more so, her soul and heart.
"Sakura-nee, don't drink anymore," Alan folker said anxiously, trying to stop Sakura, but she pushed him away.
She poured another glass of wine, and just as she was about to chug it, she found the glass had been snatched away by Alan folker.
"Give it to me," Sakura reached out to grab the glass, her delicate body leaning against Alan folker.
Sakura's soft touch and fragrant scent instantly enveloped Alan folker, causing him to momentarily freeze.
"Gulp!" Alan folker swallowed, his other hand hovering in mid-air, hesitating whether to take this opportunity to touch that 'mantou'.
However, while he was hesitating, Sakura had already snatched the glass from his hand and moved away from him.
"Gulp, gulp~" Sakura, having snatched the glass, once again drank it all in one gulp, then placed the glass on the table, raised her head, and her hazy beautiful eyes stared intently at Alan folker.
"Sakura-nee, you..."
"Why do you care so much about me?" Sakura tilted her head, looking at Alan folker, her red lips slightly curled.
"Cough, cough..." Alan folker awkwardly coughed twice, then said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Because you're my Sakura-nee!"
"Heh... Is it really that simple?" Sakura looked at Alan folker with a half-smile, her gaze scrutinizing.
"Of course!" Alan folker quickly explained, "If it weren't for you, Sakura-nee, I might still be outside the village, wondering how to get back!"
"Then why do you know I like red bean tangyuan? Why did you accompany me to the mall?" Sakura looked at Alan folker aggressively, as if trying to see right through him.
Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, Alan folker decided to go all out and directly admitted, "Because I've liked you for a long time, Sakura-nee!"
Sakura's beautiful eyes were fixed on Alan folker's, and seeing the intense sincerity in his gaze, her little heart trembled violently. She frantically averted her eyes, "You... stop messing around!"
"I'm not messing around!" Alan folker grabbed Sakura's delicate hand, saying firmly.
"You..." Sakura's beautiful eyes widened, looking at Alan folker in disbelief.
"I like you. From the first time I saw you, I had a crush on you, but unfortunately, your heart was only for Sasuke-nii at the time, and you were already married to Sasuke-nii!" Alan folker looked at Sakura, his eyes sparkling with fervent emotion.
"Sakura-nee, I like you!" Alan folker said solemnly to Sakura once again, "I truly like you."
Hearing Alan folker's words, Sakura fell silent, her drunken mind finally clearing up a bit.
Inside, she felt a little flustered.
She didn't know why, but in this moment, her heart rate inexplicably quickened.
"So what?" After a long while, Sakura shook her head and sighed, saying, "folker, I know your feelings, and I'm happy that you're willing to like me, but..."
"I'm already married..."
A sudden regret bloomed in Sakura's heart, making her feel as if her choice had been wrong.
Sasuke, whom she had pursued since childhood, couldn't bring her happiness, only endless loneliness and solitude.
She suddenly wondered what it would be like if she hadn't married, if she hadn't married Sasuke.
"I know, Sakura-nee." Alan folker gently held Sakura's shoulders, looking at her earnestly, "I won't interfere with your relationship with Sasuke-nii."
That's what he said, but it wasn't what he thought internally.
As someone who inherited the Prime Minister's legacy, he wouldn't give up just because the other person was married.
In fact, prying them apart might feel even better.
"You..." Sakura still wanted to say something, but she gently shook her head, then said, "It's getting late, I should go back."
With that, Sakura shakily stood up.
But because she had drunk too much, she stumbled a few steps and fell onto Alan folker.
[Ding! Mission 'Touch Sakura's Mantou' completed. Reward: 300 points of Passion.]
Coincidentally, Alan folker's hand landed right on her 'mantou'.
[Ding! Mission 'Icha Icha Paradise': Kiss Sakura. Remaining time: two hours. Reward: 500 points of Passion upon completion.]
Just as he was about to enjoy the wonderful sensation of the 'mantou', the system's notification sound rang out once again.