My university decision was made. I was heading to a city a few hours away from Todai, to pursue a program that genuinely excited me. It wasn't the same path as Sakura's, not the prestigious, predetermined route of Todai, but it was my path. And the biggest challenge now was figuring out how to weave our two different paths into a shared future.
The days leading up to graduation were a blur of lasts – last classes, last club meetings, last moments of high school normalcy. The excitement of the future was mixed with the bittersweet sadness of leaving behind the familiar, the place where our unexpected love story began.
Sakura and I spent as much time together as we could. We talked about everything – our plans for the summer, how we'd decorate our dorm rooms, what classes we were excited about. And woven into all of it was the quiet, persistent conversation about the distance.
"Train tickets are expensive, Hiroshi," Sakura noted one afternoon, looking at schedules. "And university schedules can be tough. Finding time to visit... it won't be easy."
"I know, Sakura," I said, taking her hand. "But we'll plan. We'll figure out weekends, holidays."
"Video calls will be important," she said, her gaze serious. "And texting. Keeping in touch. Even when we're busy."
"Definitely," I agreed. Communication, conscious and consistent, would be key.
We talked about our expectations for a long-distance relationship. It wasn't a fairy tale. We knew there would be difficulties, loneliness, perhaps moments of doubt. We acknowledged the reality of the challenge, choosing not to romanticize it, but to face it head-on.
"Sometimes I'm scared, Hiroshi," Sakura admitted softly one evening, as we were sitting on the rooftop where we had shared so many important moments. "Scared that the distance will... will change things. That it will be harder than we think."
"I get scared too, Sakura," I confessed honestly. "It's a big unknown. A big challenge."
She turned to me, her eyes searching in the dim light. "But... we'll try, won't we? We'll really, really try?"
"More than anything, Sakura," I said, taking her face in my hands. "We've faced crazy things, remember? Fake dating, angry senpais, terrifying parents, application monsters... We faced them together. We figured it out."
I met her gaze, pouring all my sincerity and determination into my words. "Distance is just another thing we have to face. Another challenge to figure out. And we'll do it together."
A small, hopeful smile touched her lips. "Together," she repeated softly.
"Together," I confirmed. "No matter the miles. No matter how different our universities are. No matter how demanding Todai is, or how much my literature program makes me bury my head in books."
I took a deep breath. "Sakura Yamato, the girl who conquered Todai... and also somehow fell for average Tanaka Hiroshi... Promise me something?"
She smiled, a beautiful, genuine smile that reached her eyes. "What is it, Hiroshi-kun?"
"Promise me," I said, my voice firm, "that no matter how busy you are, no matter how incredible Todai is, no matter how many brilliant people you meet... that you won't forget us. That you won't forget the clubroom. That you won't forget... me."
Her smile softened further, her eyes shining. She reached up and gently covered my hands on her face. "Hiroshi," she whispered, her voice full of emotion. "How could I ever forget?"
She leaned in and kissed me softly, a kiss that held all the promises we couldn't put into words. A promise of trying, of remembering, of holding on.
When the kiss ended, she looked at me, her gaze steady and full of love. "I promise, Hiroshi-kun," she said, her voice firm. "I promise I won't forget. And I promise... we'll make this work. We'll figure it out. Together."
"I promise too, Sakura," I replied. "To you. To us."
It wasn't a magical solution to the distance, but it was a shared promise, a commitment made under the vast sky, in the place where our story found its roots. Graduation was coming. University life was coming. Distance was coming. But we were walking into it hand in hand, bound by a love that started as a lie and had grown into a truth strong enough, hopefully, to span any number of miles.
The first 60 chapters brought us from a fake promise to a real one, from awkward beginnings to facing a daunting but shared future. The challenge of keeping that promise alive across the miles was the next chapter of our unexpected love story. And as we sat there, together, on the rooftop, I felt ready to face it, as long as she was by my side, even if it was only in spirit sometimes.