It seemed that the defeat of Toman didn't set off a chain reaction of events, and Hojou Kyousuke had a calm Friday.
The day of his date with Yamauchi Sakura arrived on Saturday.
At noon, Kyousuke rode his motorcycle to the gates of Shirayuri Academy.
From a distance, he saw Sakura.
"Yo~!" Sakura greeted him energetically as usual, already jogging toward him before he could even park his bike.
"You look great today" Kyousuke said, giving a thumbs-up as he admired Sakura, who radiated youthful energy.
Today, Sakura wore a wine-red T-shirt with some abstract art printed on it.
Her fair skin looked even more luminous against the T-shirt, almost glowing in the midday sunlight, making her appear as though her skin had become translucent.
Her hair was styled in an elegant updo with a decorative hairpin.
The silver necklace around her slender neck had a pendant that disappeared into the collar, hiding its true form.
Below, she wore tight-fitting jeans that perfectly accentuated her long, graceful legs.
"Isn't it pretty? I bought it when I went shopping with my classmates," Sakura explained, noticing Kyousuke's admiring gaze.
She pulled out the pendant from her shirt, revealing a pink cherry blossom with golden edges.
"It suits you well," Kyousuke commented.
"I thought so too! As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to buy it!" Sakura beamed with pride.
Sakura... like a cherry blossom—vivid, beautiful, but short-lived.
As Kyousuke thought about this, his previously relaxed mood suddenly took a turn for the worse.
"Ta-da!"
Not noticing Kyousuke's shift in mood, Sakura stretched out her hand, which had been behind her back, to reveal another pendant.
This one had a blue-green border instead of gold.
"This pendant is a pair with yours! Hurry, lower your head, I'll put it on you!" Sakura said eagerly.
"Oh, alright," Kyousuke said, lowering his head obediently, having already removed his helmet.
"The knot of the string is something I made myself."
"By the way, Kyousuke, the knot on your wrist, where did it come from?"
"I've noticed you've been wearing it since the start of the semester. Did Shouko give it to you?" Sakura asked, curious.
"Oh, this... it's..." Kyousuke paused, realizing he didn't know where it came from.
'Who gave this to me?' He thought.
"If you can't remember, don't worry about it. Let's just get going!" Sakura said, noticing Kyousuke's silence and assuming he had simply forgotten.
She grabbed her helmet, put it on, and raised her hand excitedly, shouting, "Go, go!"
Shaking his head, Kyousuke decided not to dwell on it, and with that, they set off for Ikebukuro.
Ikebukuro, located in Toshima Ward, is a bustling commercial district.
With the influx of numerous department stores and ever-growing shopping streets, it now rivals Shinjuku and Shibuya as one of the most famous commercial areas in Tokyo.
It's also become known for being a popular filming location for movies and TV shows, lending the area a fashionable vibe and youthful energy.
After parking the motorcycle in a parking lot, Kyousuke and Sakura began to explore Ikebukuro.
"Ah? This is the famous Ikebukuro West Exit Park?" Sakura said, standing beside a fountain, looking around in disbelief.
"Well, that's what it says over there," Kyousuke replied, pointing to a black stone sign that read, [Toshima Ward Ikebukuro West Exit Park.]
"I can't accept this. It's so small! There's nothing here!" Sakura exclaimed, clutching her head as if she had received a major shock.
"Didn't you watch those TV dramas? Didn't they show this place?" Kyousuke asked.
Right after they parked the motorcycle, Sakura had dragged him straight to Ikebukuro West Exit Park, expecting to do a "pilgrimage" of sorts to the filming location.
Kyousuke thought she wanted to see the iconic place from those shows, but that wasn't the case at all.
"I never watched those dramas. I just heard my classmates talk about it," Sakura said, as if it was obvious.
"Well, do you still want to take a photo?" Kyousuke asked, holding up a digital camera.
He had borrowed it from one of his subordinates.
"Of course!" Sakura cheered, dragging Kyousuke to take photos in front of the fountain, the sign, and even the subway station.
Oh, and by the way, the person who took their pictures happened to be a member of a local gang who was also visiting Ikebukuro for the weekend.
After thanking the gang member, the two of them continued their adventure, heading to the nearby Tobu Department Store.
This store, located in Ikebukuro, is the flagship of the chain and is known for its vast sales floor, the largest in Japan.
The moment they entered the store, they were greeted by a dazzling array of women's clothing.
Seeing the excited look in Sakura's eyes, Kyousuke couldn't help but inwardly mock the unscrupulous shopkeepers—how well they understood their customers.
They knew exactly who would come to shop and who was most likely to spend money.
"Ah, Kyousuke! That store is my favorite brand!" Sakura exclaimed, pointing toward a store with shining eyes.
She immediately grabbed Kyousuke's arm and pulled him into the shop.
"Kyousuke, do you think this one looks good?" Sakura asked, twirling in front of him in a black princess dress with puff sleeves.
"It looks great," Kyousuke said.
"I actually have the same dress!"
"I was planning to wear it today to show you, but I didn't because I had to ride the motorcycle. Luckily, we found it here!" Sakura explained, looking pleased.
Kyousuke finally understood why Sakura was so excited when she saw the store.
He then took a closer look at her.
The black dress, paired with her hair up, made her look like a princess—graceful and elegant.
"Yeah, you really look like a princess" Kyousuke said, appreciating her beauty.
"Ha ha, you noticed! This is something I learned at school!" Sakura laughed brightly, immediately ruining the elegant princess vibe.
With a playful bend at the knees, Sakura lifted the skirt of her dress with both hands, giving Kyousuke a mock curtsy.
Kyousuke quickly pulled out his phone, capturing the moment before sending the video to both his mother and Sakura's mother.
"Ah! What are you doing? This is so embarrassing!" Sakura cried out as she saw what Kyousuke had done.
She rushed over to punch him lightly on the chest, but since they were in a store, she soon went to change back into her own clothes.
The two of them then left the store and moved to another women's clothing store.
Watching Sakura look beautiful in everything she tried on, Kyousuke couldn't help but feel a pinch in his wallet.
Before they left the house that day, he had made sure to bring exactly 200,000 yen with him—just enough for the day, but not enough to cover much else, especially after paying next month's rent.
Without the living allowance from home, he'd have to be careful about food.
Sighing as he felt the weight of his thin wallet, Kyousuke's desire to make money grew stronger.
"Let's go, Kyousuke."
After changing back into her original clothes, Sakura walked up to Kyousuke and linked arms with him as they headed toward the exit.
"You tried on so many things, didn't you want any of them?" Kyousuke asked.
Sakura laughed and shrugged. "I just enjoy the process of shopping. If I had to worry about my wallet getting thinner while I shop, it wouldn't be fun anymore."
Kyousuke couldn't help but smile.
Still, he knew there was no way a girl wouldn't want pretty clothes.
At that moment, his earlier laid-back attitude shifted, and he decided he needed to get serious about making money—at least enough to buy her the things she liked.