Sakura's Todai orientation trip was fast approaching. It was just a few days, a quick visit to the campus and surrounding area, but it felt like a significant step towards her future, a future that still felt dauntingly separate from my own.
She was busy with preparations – figuring out travel arrangements, packing, coordinating with her father or Akane-san (I wasn't sure who was accompanying her). I tried to be supportive without being intrusive.
"Excited for the orientation?" I asked her one afternoon, during a quiet moment in the clubroom.
Sakura smiled, a mix of excitement and nervousness on her face. "Yeah, I am. It feels like... like the future is suddenly very real. Seeing the campus, meeting the professors... it's a big step."
"It is," I agreed. "A really big step."
She looked at me, her expression softening. "I wish you could come with me, Hiroshi-kun."
My heart leaped slightly at her words, even though I knew it wasn't a real possibility for this specific trip. "I wish I could too, Sakura."
"It would be easier," she said softly. "Facing it together. Like we did with the club."
Her wish highlighted the challenge. We had faced high school challenges together. But this was a challenge about the future, one that inherently involved potential separation.
We talked about the logistics of her trip – train schedules, the hotel she'd be staying at, the itinerary for the orientation. It was practical conversation, but every detail was a reminder of the miles that would soon be between us.
"Make sure you text me when you get there, okay?" I said, feeling a pang of anxiety at the thought of her being far away.
"Of course, Hiroshi!" she said, smiling reassuringly. "And I'll tell you all about it! Every detail!"
During this time, I noticed a slight change in Mr. Yamato's demeanor towards me. Since the night of the acceptance letter, his gaze felt less like outright assessment and more... observant. He didn't engage me in conversation, but if I was around when he picked up Sakura from school, he'd give a small, almost imperceptible nod, a flicker of acknowledgement that wasn't there before.
It wasn't warmth or full acceptance, but it felt like a shift. Perhaps seeing the genuine connection between Sakura and me, especially in the emotional moment of her acceptance, had caused him to reconsider his initial assessment. Or perhaps, now that Todai was secured, his immediate concern about me being a "distraction" had lessened slightly, replaced by a more measured observation of my role in Sakura's life.
Either way, the slight change was noticeable. It didn't erase the pressure or the difference in our worlds, but it felt like a tiny step forward, a recognition that I wasn't just a temporary phase, but someone present in Sakura's life during important moments.
As Sakura's departure day for the orientation approached, a mix of excitement for her and anxiety for myself grew. It was her future, her big step. And I was supporting her from the sidelines, feeling the first real taste of the distance that might soon become a constant in our lives.
We spent the evening before she left together, just talking, holding hands. We didn't need grand gestures. Just being in each other's presence, a quiet anchor before the potential separation, felt important.
"I'll miss you, Hiroshi-kun," Sakura said softly, her head resting on my shoulder.
"Miss you too, Sakura," I replied, holding her close.
Saying goodbye felt heavier than just a weekend apart. It felt like saying goodbye to a piece of our current reality, knowing that when she came back, the future she was stepping into would feel even more real, and the path ahead for us would need even more conscious effort to navigate across the miles. Her orientation was just a few days, a practice run for distance, but it carried the weight of the future within it.