Navigating a real relationship after pretending was a learning curve. We were figuring things out slowly – when to hold hands (if we felt like it), when to text, when to give each other space. The awkwardness was still there, but it was the sweet, shy awkwardness of genuinely liking someone, not the tense awkwardness of maintaining a facade.
Sakura-san's sharing about her family and the pressures she faced had brought a new level of intimacy to our relationship. I felt closer to her, understanding a bit more of the world she carried on her shoulders. It made me want to be there for her, to be that 'refuge' Akane-san mentioned.
But real relationships, even sweet, shy ones, have their misunderstandings. And ours hit when we least expected it.
There was a school event coming up, a volunteer clean-up day in the nearby park. It wasn't mandatory, but many students were participating. Sakura-san, being on the Student Council, was heavily involved in organizing it. I planned to go, partly to help, and partly just to spend a casual weekend morning with Sakura-san.
We had loosely made plans to meet at the park entrance. I was looking forward to it. It felt like a normal couple thing to do – volunteer together.
However, Friday afternoon, just before classes ended, Kenji approached me looking a bit worried.
"Hey, Hiroshi," he said, his usual grin absent. "About the park clean-up tomorrow... Aiko's going too. And she asked if... if we could maybe meet up beforehand? Just the two of us? She wants to talk about something."
Aiko needing to talk about something privately wasn wasn't unusual. She sometimes asked for my advice or just wanted to vent about cram school or family stuff. But asking specifically before meeting Sakura-san felt... odd.
"Uh, sure," I said. "What does she want to talk about?"
Kenji shrugged. "Didn't say. Just seemed a bit... important to her. Said to meet her by the old bookstore near the station, maybe half an hour before the clean-up starts?"
"Okay," I agreed. "Tell her I'll be there."
It seemed simple enough. Meet Aiko, talk, then head to the park to meet Sakura-san.
Later that evening, I texted Sakura-san.
Me: Hey, looking forward to tomorrow! 😊 Sakura: Me too, Hiroshi! 😊 Park entrance, right? Me: Yeah! Just a quick heads-up, Aiko wanted to talk about something beforehand, so I'm meeting her near the station first. I'll be at the park entrance right on time though! Sakura: Oh? Aiko-san? Talking about something? (Her reply came back quickly, maybe a little too quickly). Me: Yeah, Kenji said she wanted to chat. Not sure what about. Sakura: Okay. 😊 See you there then!
Her reply was cheerful, with the usual emoji. But something about it felt... off. Maybe it was just my own overthinking, but it seemed a little too casual, too quick to end the conversation about Aiko.
The next morning, I met Aiko by the old bookstore. She seemed fine, just wanted to talk about her stress over upcoming cram school exams and get my opinion on some study methods. It was a completely normal Aiko conversation. We finished talking with about ten minutes to spare before the park clean-up started.
"Okay, I should head to the park now," I said. "See you there, Aiko?"
"Yeah, see you," she replied, giving me a small smile.
I walked towards the park entrance, feeling good. I'd helped Aiko, and now I'd meet Sakura-san for our casual volunteer date.
As I approached the park entrance, I saw Sakura-san standing there, looking beautiful and ready to volunteer. She smiled when she saw me.
"Hi, Tanaka-kun!" she said, waving slightly.
"Hey, Yamato-san!" I replied, walking up to her. "Sorry, wasn't sure if I was going to be exactly on time after meeting Aiko."
Her smile faltered slightly. The cheerful light in her eyes seemed to dim.
"Oh," she said, her voice suddenly a little quieter. "You... you met Aiko-san?"
"Yeah," I said, confused by the sudden shift in her demeanor. "Just now. She wanted to talk about cram school stuff. Kenji mentioned it yesterday."
Sakura-san looked away, towards the park entrance, her expression becoming distant. "Cram school stuff," she repeated, her voice flat.
"Is something wrong, Yamato-san?" I asked, genuinely confused.
She shook her head, but didn't look at me. "No. It's fine." Her tone, however, clearly indicated it was not fine. It was the same kind of polite, distant tone she'd used after the rumor incident, before we cleared the air.
A cold knot formed in my stomach. What was happening?
"Did... did I do something wrong?" I asked, my voice low.
She still didn't look at me. "You said you were meeting her 'near the station first'," Sakura-san said, her voice tight. "You didn't say you were meeting her just before coming here. Or that it was Kenji who arranged it, not her asking you directly."
My mind raced. The text messages. My casual mention of meeting Aiko beforehand near the station. I hadn't given her the full context. I hadn't mentioned Kenji. I hadn't clarified it was just before the clean-up.
In the context of our still-new, still-fragile real relationship, and her past insecurities (perhaps fueled by the public perception or her own world's complexities), my vague text combined with meeting my childhood friend right before meeting her must have looked... suspicious. Like I was trying to hide something, or prioritize someone else, or wasn't being fully open.
"Sakura-san," I said, reaching out slightly, wanting to explain. "I'm sorry, I didn't explain properly. It was just a quick chat about her exams. Kenji told me yesterday, and I just met her now for like ten minutes..."
"It's fine, Tanaka-kun," she interrupted, finally looking at me. But her eyes were cool, distant again. The warmth and openness from the clubroom confession and our date were gone. "You don't need to explain."
But I did need to explain! This was a misunderstanding, fueled by poor communication on my part. This wasn't about fake dating; this was a real miscommunication in a real relationship.
Just then, other students started arriving for the clean-up, wearing gloves and carrying trash bags. The moment for a private explanation vanished.
Sakura-san's public smile clicked back into place, seemingly effortless. "Ah, people are arriving," she said, her voice brighter, back to her Student Council persona. "We should join them, Tanaka-kun. We have work to do."
She turned and walked towards the gathering group, leaving me standing there, reeling from the sudden coldness.
I had messed up. My casual text, her possible insecurity, my lack of detailed explanation – it had all combined to create a real, painful misunderstanding in our still-new relationship.
The ease of the first date, the comfort in the clubroom – it had all made me forget how fragile this was. We were still learning how to be real. And my first lesson was a hard one: real relationships require clear communication, especially when trust is still building and external pressures (like her world, her past, my averageness) are still present.
Standing there, watching her greet other volunteers with her perfect public smile, I felt the cold distance settle between us again. A real misunderstanding. In our real relationship. What a mess.