Chapter 15 Miyagi and Mitsui
Looking at the face before him—so similar to the idol etched in his memories—Sakuragi Hanamichi felt his heart pounding violently in his chest. It thudded so loudly he was sure the other person could hear it.
He sucked in a breath, trying to suppress the strange mix of excitement and nervousness. When he spoke, he tried to sound calm—but a faint tremor betrayed him anyway.
"Uh… it's not really safe around here at night. There are biker punks and weirdos hanging around."
He pointed in the direction the delinquent girls had disappeared.
"Where do you live? I'll… take you home."
He made sure to keep his gaze straightforward and sincere—not sharp or predatory like the street thugs he'd just scared off.
Sakazumi Sachiko studied him cautiously.
Red hair. Tall frame. A build that screamed troublemaker.
He certainly looked like a delinquent.
But he had rescued her without hesitation. And now, though his stare was direct, there was no malice in it—only clumsy sincerity.
After a moment's struggle, fear of walking alone at night outweighed distrust of this strange boy.
"…Alright. Thank you," she whispered.
But an alarm blared in her mind.
She could not let him know where she really lived.
So she gave the address of a nearby apartment building she passed every day on her way to school.
"I live in Qingshan Apartments," she said, pointing casually down the street.
"Oh. Okay."
Sakuragi nodded, unable to hide a flicker of disappointment. She was still wary. Understandable.
He walked beside her, careful to keep a respectful distance—not too close, not too far.
Night had quieted the streets. A tram rattled faintly in the distance. Occasional car headlights swept across the asphalt.
For a while, neither spoke.
Sakuragi caught a faint floral scent from beside him. It made him strangely restless.
He cleared his throat.
"Uh… what's your name? And what school do you go to?"
He tried to sound casual. Natural. Not interrogating.
Sachiko's guard snapped up instantly. Her reply came too quick, too practiced.
"My name is Uchida Yuka. I'm a first-year at Momiji High."
A school far from her real one. A safe lie.
From there, the walk became a one-sided effort by Sakuragi.
He searched desperately for conversation.
"What kind of music do you like?"
"What hobbies do you have?"
But "Uchida Yuka" only offered vague answers.
"…Nothing special."
"…Just normal things."
"…I don't really know."
Polite. Empty. Defensive.
Sakuragi understood. She was keeping distance. And frustration quietly gnawed at him.
"So my charm isn't enough to lower her guard, huh…" he thought, deflated.
Soon they reached the apartment building.
"I'm here. Thank you for walking me."
Sachiko bowed quickly and hurried inside, like a startled deer fleeing the forest.
Sakuragi remained outside, staring at the entrance where she vanished. A hollow feeling settled in his chest.
He sighed, shoved his hands in his pockets, and turned toward home, his long shadow stretching under the streetlights.
Only after several minutes—once his red-haired figure had fully disappeared—did Sachiko carefully open the apartment door again.
She exhaled in relief, pressing a hand to her chest.
"Thank goodness… I fooled him."
A small, proud smile formed. Then she left the unfamiliar building and headed toward her real home.
Next Day — Shohoku High School, Break Time
Sakuragi Hanamichi was acting strange.
He wasn't bickering with the Sakuragi Gang.
He wasn't sleeping at his desk.
Instead, he sat with his chin in his hand, staring out the window, finger absently tracing circles on the desktop.
His mind replayed last night endlessly.
Her frightened eyes.
Her delicate profile.
That uncanny resemblance to his idol.
Momiji High… First year… Uchida Yuka…
He turned the fragments over in his thoughts again and again.
"How do I 'accidentally' meet her again?"
"Should I wait outside Momiji High?"
"…Would that make me look like a stalker?"
His face twisted between determination and foolish grinning.
Nearby, the Sakuragi Gang watched with knowing smiles.
"He's doing the flower-arranging face again," Takamiya whispered, nudging Noma.
"That's the look of a man preparing his fifty-first confession," Noma chuckled, stroking his mustache.
"I wonder how fast he'll get rejected this time," Oonan snickered.
Mito Yohei grinned.
"We should find out where he plans to confess and watch the disaster."
Meanwhile — Class 1-3, Shohoku High
Sachiko sat huddled with her friends, recounting last night's ordeal.
"…Then he shouted, 'What are you doing to my girlfriend?!' and scared them off! I thought I was going to die… And then he offered to take me home. I barely escaped by giving a fake name and address!"
She patted her chest, half frightened, half proud.
"Wow, Sachiko, you're amazing. I would've cried," one friend said.
Another tilted her head.
"Red hair? Really tall? There's a first-year at our school like that. Huge guy. Former delinquent. He joined the basketball team recently."
Sachiko froze for a second.
Then she shook her head firmly.
"Impossible. He said his name was Onizuka Eikichi from Shonan Kokuto High."
She was absolutely convinced.
The bell rang.
Later — Outside the School Building
Sakuragi slung his bag over his shoulder, still lost in thoughts of creating a chance meeting at "Momiji High."
As he turned a quiet corner, a tall girl in Shohoku uniform passed him.
Smooth shoulder-length hair. Long legs. A refined posture.
Sakuragi's eyes flicked over her automatically.
"She's tall… legs are straight… not bow-legged… decent."
Then his mind returned immediately to Uchida Yuka. He didn't give the passing girl another thought.
He didn't know the girl was Sakai Sachiko.
And Sachiko didn't know the red-haired boy she brushed past was the one from last night.
Behind the School — Bicycle Parking Area
Sakuragi's thoughts were still tangled when raised voices snapped him back to reality.
He stopped.
A group of older students had cornered a short boy against the wall.
Dark skin. An earring catching the sunset.
Miyagi Ryota.
Leading the group was a tall boy with long hair and cold eyes.
Mitsui Hisashi.
And beside him stood the broad-shouldered Horita Tokuo.
The air was tense.
Trouble was about to start.