On a day off, if there are no unexpected circumstances.
Miyajima Sakura would take a nap.
In reality, such 'unexpected circumstances' were rare; she wasn't an outgoing girl, and the only friend who could persuade her to go out was Kobayashi Ayaka—and Ayaka had been attending match-making events during her previous holidays.
She knew Miyajima Sakura didn't like such things, so she wouldn't force her to accompany her.
The only two recent times were both related to one person.
Hayato.
The first time was to buy a sword.
The second time was to watch a movie.
Miyajima Sakura thought, if Hayato were to invite her, she would agree to go out without a second thought, wouldn't she?
Miyajima Sakura had always been a girl who adhered to rules; although she didn't know much about 'love affairs,' she understood the principle of men and women keeping their distance. If an ordinary boy came to her, she would politely refuse him.
If it happened multiple times, she would even show her displeasure.
—Such things had happened. In fact, in junior high, Miyajima Sakura often encountered persistent boys.
Some with ill intentions would even follow her home.
But when they met her grandfather, they wouldn't dare to utter a single peep.
Her grandfather's temper was notoriously short (only when it concerned Sakura, though Sakura didn't seem to realize this). If her grandfather met Hayato, would he also make things difficult for him? Her grandfather was a renowned kendo master.
If her grandfather and Hayato confronted each other, it would probably turn into a duel between two masters.
When she thought of this, Miyajima Sakura was actually a little excited. But she quickly dismissed this excitement.
No, she absolutely couldn't let her grandfather hurt Hayato.
By the time she reached high school, as Miyajima Sakura's height increased, even surpassing some ordinary boys, the number of opposite-sex individuals who dared to challenge her also decreased significantly, especially after entering her third year of high school, those younger students would at most dare to glance at her from afar.
This was also good, providing peace and quiet.
Miyajima Sakura had studied kendo since childhood and had been self-disciplined since childhood. Whether waking up or going to bed, she strictly followed a good routine.
Only during weekend naps did she indulge a little.
She didn't set any alarm clocks, letting herself sleep in; even if she overslept, her mother would wake her up for dinner...
But this time, she was woken up in the middle of her sleep.
Her father had passed away early, and besides Miyajima Sakura, only her mother Miyajima Tsubaki and grandfather Miyajima Kiichiro lived in the house. Her mother always spoke in a soft voice, and her grandfather never lost his temper with her mother.
But this time, what woke Miyajima Sakura was a furious roar,
"Get out!"
It came from her grandfather.
Even through a floor, Miyajima Sakura could feel the anger in her grandfather's tone.
She looked at the window.
The curtains were fluttering in the early summer breeze, it should have been a very pleasant afternoon, but she heard this discordant sound.
Miyajima Sakura's eyes were a little hazy, but as she gradually woke up, the first thing she felt was not surprise. Instead, it was,
"Again?"
She muttered to herself, then crawled on her knees towards the window.
Her house was a standard Japanese style; she heard that her grandfather used to use it as a dojo to teach disciples when he was young... so the windows were set very low. Even in this kneeling position, Miyajima Sakura could see two men standing at the main gate outside the wall.
One old and one... the other wasn't very young, about thirty or forty years old, with sunken cheeks and swollen eye bags; although he had a good appearance, he looked utterly spiritless. His face was pale as if he had just recovered from a serious illness.
Miyajima Sakura thought of Hayato again; similarly pale-skinned, Hayato looked much more comfortable.
Actually... it was shameful to say.
During her nap, she had dreamed of Hayato.
She used to dream of Hayato, but not as frequently as recently. Now, whenever she dreamed, only one scene would reappear.
She was hiding behind the door, the seemingly closed door actually had a tiny crack.
She looked out through the crack.
She could just see Hayato and Nanuo Student embracing and kissing.
The air was filled with a fishy, greasy smell, like sweat, but much thicker than sweat.
In her dream, she extended her tongue like Nanuo Student and tasted the bitter and somewhat salty taste in the air.
Time seemed to stop at that moment.
She watched the passionate performance of the two with wide eyes, and then a hot sensation seemed to transfer to her body. Her lower abdomen, throat, tongue, and brain all felt scalding hot.
Every time she woke up, Miyajima Sakura would be completely soaked.
Her back.
There would also be a dizzy feeling, unable to distinguish directions, both hot and uncomfortable.
Before this, she had never felt this way.
—However, now was not the time to think about these things.
She continued to look downstairs.
Her grandfather, Miyajima Kiichiro, was yelling at the man who looked somewhat frail.
"Get out! This house, there's no place for you anymore!" her grandfather roared.
And the man also shrank his neck, seemingly somewhat afraid of Miyajima Kiichiro. But he didn't retreat, instead saying hesitantly: "Dad, aren't you being a bit too heartless? I just came to ask for some money, not much, just 100,000 yen..."
"No money!" Miyajima Kiichiro's eyes were wide like light bulbs. Although old, the sharpness in his eyes had never disappeared.
It was this sharpness that made the man in front of him always somewhat afraid to meet his gaze directly.
He could only say timidly and somewhat stammering:
"Don't lie... you used to earn a lot of money running the dojo, right? Besides, you probably haven't spent all of my brother-in-law's accident insurance, and I also heard... Sakura earned a lot of prize money from kendo competitions, right? So cute, Sakura, pretty and capable, it would be great if she could find a rich man in the future..."
"Shut up!"
Veins bulged on Miyajima Kiichiro's forehead, "How dare you mention Tsubaki and Sakura—cough, cough, cough—"
The old man was extremely angered, coughing repeatedly.
"Oh, Dad," the man said again, "I'm the only male in our family, how can you let two women manage the money..."
As he spoke, the man seemed to notice something and suddenly looked up.
He looked towards the second floor.
And met Miyajima Sakura's eyes.
His greasy lips moved, then the corners of his mouth curved upwards, his gaze like a hand trying to pull Miyajima Sakura down from the second floor.
"Sakura, we—meet again."
Miyajima Sakura's eyes became incredibly sharp. She paused, then spoke: "You are not welcome here, Uncle."
Yes, the person downstairs was Miyajima Sakura's uncle.
Miyajima Tsubaki's brother.
And Miyajima Kiichiro's own son.
Miyajima Sosaku.
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