Sakura lay unconscious on the floor of the girls' changing room. A few girls stood over her, their faces a mix of confusion and concern.
"Do you think she's dead?" one girl asked, her voice a hushed whisper.
"No, she's still breathing," another replied.
"Maybe she just came here to take a nap?" a third girl suggested.
Suddenly, Sakura's eyes strained open. Her vision was blurry at first, and she blinked rapidly, trying to focus.
"She's waking up!" a girl exclaimed.
Sakura's vision cleared, and she saw the group of faces staring down at her. Her mind raced. The last thing she remembered was… Hikari. "Hikari?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
She shot to her feet, grabbing the nearest girl and pulling her close. "Hikari, where is Hikari?" she demanded, her grip tight.
The girl she held was confused and scared. "I don't know who Hikari is! Please, just—"
Before the girl could finish, Sakura had already tossed her aside and bolted out the door. Shit, how could I have let my guard down like that? I need to find her as soon as possible, she thought, her feet pounding down the hallway.
Meanwhile, Sato and Daiki walked together toward the dining hall. "No offense, but how the hell did someone like you get to date someone like Sakura?" Sato asked.
Daiki adjusted his glasses. "None taken. I'm still confused about it myself. I was at school and accidentally walked into the girls' bathroom…"
Yeah, accident, Sato thought, rolling his eyes. So he says. This guy is a total pervert.
Daiki continued his story. "Before I could leave, I realized I'd messed up. It was too late, though. Someone grabbed my hand—and not just anyone, it was Sakura! She was the most feared girl at my school, so I knew I was dead. But to my surprise, when I looked at her, she was blushing and asked me out. I was confused, but I couldn't turn her down. And she still likes me, even now."
"Yeah, almost the same thing happened to me," Sato said, "but at least I didn't 'knowingly' walk into a girls' bathroom."
"I told you, it was an accident!" Daiki frowned.
Sato just kept walking, clearly not believing him. "Yeah, sure."
Daiki ignored him and narrowed his eyes, noticing steam on his glasses. He took them off to wipe them clean. As he did, he glanced out a nearby window and saw two men in black. One was carrying what he believed to be Hikari, but with his glasses off, he couldn't be sure.
He quickly put his glasses back on, but it was too late. A car had pulled up, blocking his view. He stared at the vehicle in confusion.
"Hey, don't zone out! We gotta head back," Sato said, snapping him out of his daze.
They quickened their pace toward the dining hall, where they saw Kaito sitting alone.
"Kaito!" Sato called out.
Kaito turned and smiled. "Sato! I was waiting for you." He then looked past him at Daiki. "And… oh, you too," he added in a low, unhappy tone.
Daiki frowned. "I know you're lying."
Sato looked around. "I thought Sakura and Hikari were supposed to be here."
"Well, yeah, they were," Kaito said. "But something happened. Sakura and Hikari are gone now with a beautiful lady and two men in black. They're going somewhere to prove that the beautiful lady knows Sora, or something like that. I don't know the details, but Sakura said you two should wait for her here with me."
Sato looked confused but just shrugged it off. He leaned in close to Kaito. "And one more thing, Daiki is Sakura's boyfriend."
Kaito's eyes widened. He turned to Daiki, who was picking his nose and staring back at them in confusion. "What? Why are you staring at me?"
Kaito turned back to Sato. "You must be lying."
Sato waved a hand dismissively. "But I'm not! Sakura said it herself."
Daiki sighed in frustration. "Can you guys stop talking about me like I'm not here?"
Suddenly, the dining hall doors burst open, and Sakura ran in, breathing heavily. Everyone's eyes were on her. The waiter behind the counter facepalmed, muttering to himself, "Not again."
Kaito, Sato, and Daiki stared at the distraught Sakura in confusion.
"What happened, Sakura?" Kaito asked.
"Yeah, where's Hikari?" Sato added.
Sakura's face crumpled with fear. "Hikari is gone," she admitted.
Sato froze in shock. "What do you mean, she's gone?"
Sakura slumped to the floor, falling to her knees. Tears began to stream down her face—the first time any of them had ever seen her cry. "They took her. I couldn't protect her."
Just then, the entrance doors opened again, and Sora stepped in, visible from the dining hall.
"Oh no, are we dead?" Kaito whispered.
Daiki looked at him blankly. "Who is 'we'?"