‘Sweet Sakura’

The campus greeted her as she walked through the familiar halls. "Hi, 'Sweet Sakura!'" one student called out. "Good morning, 'Sweet Sakura!'" Another smiled brightly. Sakura smiled back, though the exhaustion of always being in the public eye was starting to weigh on her.

As always, she was admired for her beauty, but it wasn't just that. Her intellect earned her respect too. Sakura had always been one of the top students, though that had shifted when Haru arrived. Still, she had built a reputation—a persona as the kind-hearted, helpful student who was always willing to lend a hand. "'Sweet Sakura,'" they called her. It was what everyone expected from her, and that made it hard to break free.

By the time she reached her first lecture, her smile felt a little more forced than usual. She couldn't help it—greeting dozens of students, all with their eager faces and hollow pleasantries, had drained her. She sank into her seat and let out a sigh, trying to shake the fatigue.

Haru sat at the back of the class, watching Sakura from afar as she forced a smile and exhaled tiredly. Even though he had only met her yesterday, he couldn't forget that lovely smile she had given him.

But the smile she wore now wasn't natural at all. It seemed almost knitted onto her face. Haru noticed that when she exhaled, her eyelids fluttered closed for a few seconds—an almost imperceptible sign of how exhausted she was from greeting several students this morning. She really was popular.

Still, Haru couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The way she had acted yesterday when Jules Fujiwara begged her for help.

It was like the words coming out of Sakura's mouth didn't match her expression, or at least, the mask she was wearing. It was nothing like how she had spoken to him yesterday. And now, he was more curious than ever.

"Kei?" Haru asked, turning to his friend sitting beside him.

"Yeah?" Kei replied, facing Haru.

Kei Kimura had a naturally striking look—pale skin, soft brown hair that fell casually across his forehead, and sharp features that gave him an effortlessly cool demeanor. His alert, knowing eyes were matched by a playful smirk that rarely left his face. Kei had a reputation for being a bit of a flirt, and it wasn't hard to see why he was popular with the ladies. There was an easy confidence in the way he carried himself, paired with a charm that seemed almost too deliberate at times.

"Why does everyone call Sakura 'Sweet Sakura'?" Haru asked, his gaze still on her.

Kei smirked, amused. "That's because she's an angel. I mean, just look at her. She's super hot, gets the best grades in class, is kind, modest, and helps people out all the time. I mean, the girl never says no."

"Never says no, huh?" Haru murmured, still staring at her.

Haru couldn't help but recall their conversation from yesterday. "Trust me, I'm not that confident. I just like helping others."

He also remembered the way she had replied to Jules when she asked for help. "Sure, I'll help you later."

She sounded a little robotic when she spoke to Jules, Haru thought, his mind dwelling on the comparison. Her smile wasn't the same one she gave me—the one I couldn't stop thinking about yesterday.

A small smile tugged at Haru's lips as he sank back into his seat. The contrast was fascinating, and for reasons he couldn't quite explain, he found himself wanting to figure out what was really going on behind that perfect mask.

As the lecture began, something gnawed at the back of Sakura's mind. She realised, too late, that Mia wasn't there. Again.

"Shit," Sakura muttered under her breath, a sense of dread creeping over her. She checked her phone once more—no messages. No calls. Nothing. Just the same empty screen.

Her chest tightened. "God, I completely forgot about her." Anxiety clawed at her as she thought back to the last two days. Mia hadn't been at college, and it didn't make sense. This never happened before. But then again Sakura didn't miss the first day of college either in this lifetime.

The lecture ended, and the crowd of students filed out of the room. But Sakura couldn't focus on the chatter, her mind locked on Mia. Something was wrong. She had been distracted by the routine of adjusting to her "new" life—changing her appearance, falling back into her role as 'Sweet Sakura.' In the process, Mia had slipped to the back of her mind. But now that she was acutely aware of it, the feeling of unease was almost unbearable.

As it neared lunchtime, Sakura opted for a quiet moment outside, away from the hustle of the campus. She didn't buy food. Instead, she sat on a bench, lost in thought. Her gaze wandered, as thoughts of Mia appeared,

Where could she be? Why hadn't she replied? Sakura thought, whilst her fingers tapped anxiously on the bench beside her, the uncertainty growing with every passing minute. This isn't supposed to happen.