Maybe time heals all wounds, or maybe the fact that Sakura promised herself that she'd log-in and send Meister an email after exams helped her settle down so she could focus. After all, a broken heart was one thing, losing her scholarships was another one entirely.
Not a broken heart, at least not yet, Sakura reminded herself. Shannaro! Stay positive! I don't know yet. And anyways, even if I don't hear anything back, at least I won't have any regrets.
Still, fate threw a wrench in her meticulous plan one Thursday evening, right before her exam the next day, when the phone in the dorm rang, startling all four of them from their revision.
Since Sakura had lost her phone, she'd practically monopolized their dorm phone to call her parents. At this point, it was instinct for her to stand up and go answer it, "Hello?"
"May I please speak to Haruno Sakura-san?" The voice on the other end was polite but unfamiliar. Is this a spam call?
Cautiously, she answered, "Yes, speaking."
"My name is Komatsu Karui, and I'm calling you from the operations department of BLOOM Corp—."
"Bloom?" Sakura's exclamation of surprise made Tenten, Hinata, and Temari all look up. "As in Way of the Ninja 2, Bloom?"
"Yes, that's right. We own and produce Way of the Ninja 2, a game you seem to have been enjoying, and I'm calling you on behalf of the team here. Your gaming handle is SakuraBlossom, yes?"
"Yes, that's me." If they know my in-game name, this is a very elaborate scam.
"We wanted to congratulate you on winning the Finding Love in Way Video contest. We very much enjoyed your creativity and storytelling capabilities. I, personally, found the bench scene particularly heart breaking." The cool, professional tone on the other side seemed to relax with this personal anecdote.
"Ah, oh, hmm, thank you," Sakura stumbled a bit as she realized this actually wasn't a scam call. The real Bloom Corp was actually calling her. Was this part of the prize package I missed? But the winner was announced over a month ago. Why are they calling me now?
"Our marketing team and development team also saw the video, and it inspired them to add an alias system to the game. We wanted to use your video to do the promotion work. We would, of course, offer you an honorarium."
Don't most contests make you automatically give permission for the company to use your videos to promote their software to enter? Maybe their lawyers missed some standard wording or something and they just wanted to cover their asses. Still, it can't be that much, maybe $400 or the equivalent in game currency.
"Haruno-san?" The female voice on the other end of the line prompted her, snapping Sakura out of her daze, "We'd be willing to offer you a honorarium of $2,000."
$2000?! Sakura's mouth dropped open, "In cash?"
"Well, by direct deposit," The voice on the other end of the line sounded amused.
Sakura blushed even though she was just facing the blank wall. Still, she didn't automatically accept the offer. "I'm sorry, I have to discuss this with a few other people involved. Can I let you know in a couple of days?"
"I understand. Since today is Thursday, why don't you take the weekend to think about it and call me back on Monday next week? You can find my contact information on the BLOOM website, my name is Komatsu Karui."
Just a weekend? "Can I get back to you a bit later?"
"I'm afraid not, Haruno-san. We only have a very short window to work on this idea."
"All right, I understand. I will let you know by Monday."
"We look forward to hearing from you. Have a great weekend."
"You, too."
"What in the world was that?" Temari demanded.
"Bloom is offering me an honorarium so they can develop a game mechanic around our video," Sakura replied a bit absentmindedly as her brain furiously tried to work through the timing of everything. If they need an answer by Monday, it's going to be tight. I don't think I can wait until after our exam.
"You sure it's not a scam?" Temari frowned.
Sakura shook her head, "I don't think so - Bloom's fairly good about data security, and they mentioned specific details about the video. The lady also told me to look her up on Bloom's site and call her back. Besides, what's their angle?"
"I guess," Temari agreed, "But be careful anyways, okay?"
"You're going to call her, right?" Tenten bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.
"I have to talk to Meister and the others first." Sakura made up her mind, then she grinned, "we've got a day until the exam, I've done all the practice problems, and my flashcards are all made. You know what that means?"
"Th-that you're going to play some Way?" Hinata smiled back at her.
"I'm going to log on to Way!" Sakura cheered.
"Oh thank goodness," Hinata sighed quietly as the three of them watched Sakura go to her desk and excitedly pull out her laptop.
"You're telling me," Tenten agreed.
Temari just laughed and hauled them back to the centre table, "come on, unlike Sakura-chan, I know you both have practice problems to finish. Let's leave her alone for now."
Sakura didn't pay them any attention as she tried to calm the butterflies rising in her stomach. If Meister is not online, I'll just send him a quick message through the email system. Would it be too forward if I asked him to give me a call? Or would it be weird if I give him the school dorm number? No, no, no, Sakura, you're overthinking this. Just see if he's online first and go from there. Play it cool.
Chances are he won't be online anyways.
As she respawned in the centre of the plaza where she'd logged out after that disastrous night three weeks ago, Sakura noticed just how deserted the tournament grounds were without a big event going on. She stared at the GUI, ignoring the many in-game messages and hovering her cursor over her friend's menu, afraid to open it up. She wasn't sure, however, whether she was afraid to find that Meister had been online since that day, or had been online and hadn't bothered to contact her.
Before she could get over her maudlin thoughts, though, a message popped on her chat bar.
[Couple] Sm1rkMeister: Can you come meet me?
[Couple] Sm1rkMeister: Use the [Love that Crosses Time and Space] skill
[Couple] Sm1rkMeister: I'm in your secret herb valley
How is he already online? How did he message me so quickly? Was he waiting for me? Isn't this a bit too fast? My heart's not ready for this yet! Before she could stop freaking out though, another message appeared on her chat bar.
[Whisper] OldRamenMan: FINALLYYYYYYYY
[Whisper] OldRamenMan: We've been waiting for you to log on for all these weeks
[Whisper] OldRamenMan: Are you really angry?
[Whisper] OldRamenMan: It was all my fault we were late that day
[Whisper to OldRamenMan] SakuraBlossom: What happened?
[Whisper] OldRamenMan: We got into a car crash
[Whisper] OldRamenMan: It was bad
[Whisper] OldRamenMan: Truck was speeding on the wrong side of the street
[Whisper] OldRamenMan: Smirk shoved me out of the way, but we rolled into the ditch
[Whisper to OldRamenMan] SakuraBlossom: You guys are okay now?
[Whisper to OldRamenMan] SakuraBlossom: since you're online and all
[Whisper] OldRamenMan: Sm1rk was in the hospital for a week
Mostly fine?! A week in the hospital doesn't usually mean mostly fine! Why the heck is he online if he just got out of the hospital after a car crash? Sakura's hesitation was swept away by her concern over Meister's condition. She immediately used her skill and found herself in her little Hidden Valley with the eternal sunset, and a figure in black that she kept seeing in her dreams.
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: Old Man told me about the car accident
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: Are you okay? Does it still hurt?
[Couple] Sm1rkMeister: It was just a concussion and a couple of fractured ribs
[Couple] Sm1rkMeister: I'm fine now, just taking it easy
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: Thank goodness!
[Couple] Sm1rkMeister: I'm sorry about the tournament
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: Never mind the tournament, you were in a car accident!
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: I'm so relieved you're okay
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: Should you even be online?
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: The screentime can't be good for your head
[Couple] Sm1rkMeister: It's only been a couple of minutes
He was waiting for... me? Sakura's fingers trembled on the keyboard. Her heart churned in a complicated mix of emotions. I haven't logged on for so long... I hope he doesn't think I'm mad at him. I just... didn't want to... anyways..
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: I had exams
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: That's why I haven't logged on in a while
[Couple] Sm1rkMeister: I know
How in the world does he know? Did I mention it? I must have... but.. Then why was he checking anyways? The thought made her remember why she logged in again, despite those exams.
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: I logged on today because I got a call from Bloom
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: wanted to talk it over with you
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: They want to use our video to develop an alias system and promo it
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: What do you think?
[Couple] Sm1rkMeister: It's a little complicated
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: ??
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: Really?
[Couple] Sm1rkMeister: Yes
[Couple] Sm1rkMeister: We should probably meet up to discuss
Ha- wha- Did he?! Just?! But before she had a chance to say yea or nay, Meister barrelled on like he was afraid of giving her a chance to refuse. A ten digit string of numbers appeared in her email notification.
[Couple] Sm1rkMeister: I sent you my number
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: I don't have a cell right now
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: ow I would send you mine
[Couple] SakuraBlossom: It was stolen at the beginning of the semester
[Couple] Sm1rkMeister: That's okay
SHANNARO! Could you be any more obvious, Haruno?! Sakura felt her cheeks burn bright red as she logged off as fast as she could and slammed her laptop shut. The loud bang made all of her roommates jump out of their seats.
"Holy CRAP, Sakura-chan, what'd you smash your laptop for?" Temari demanded.
"Meister asked me to meet up with him," Sakura said blankly.
"W-what?"
"He asked WHAT?!"
"Who?!"
"Meister asked him to meet up with him!" Sakura repeated, even louder.
"Is this some weird BDSM thing?" Temari asked Tenten out of the corner of her mouth.
"No, this is the game guy she's been mooning over," Tenten hissed back, trying to be quiet about it.
Sakura heard them anyways, and that seemed to snap her out of her daze. She scowled, "I have not been mooning over him!"
"You've only been running endless circles around the track and staring off into space and sighing at random intervals," Tenten teased her, "What's that called again?"
"Shut up," Sakura blushed, unable to deny it.
"A-Are you going?" Hinata asked the important question.
"He didn't give me a chance to say no."
Temari grabbed Sakura's hand, "But do you want to, Sakura-chan? That's the important thing here."
The three of them all watched her closely as Sakura thought about it, then theystarted grinning like maniacs as her face turned a bright red. Tenten pumped her hands in the air and crowed as Sakura buried her face in her hands and nodded, while Hinata smiled and clapped a little.
"Guys, I'm so nervous," Sakura groaned behind her hands. "What if he's a total weirdo? What if he thinks I'm a total weirdo? What if he doesn't like me?"
"Well, then at least you'll know," Tenten shrugged, ever the pragmatist.
"But what if—" Sakura started, but Temari cut her off with an emphatic movement.
"Enough with the what ifs! You know what you need?"
"What?"
"A little pick me up."
"Temari-chan! He's definitely going to think I'm a total weirdo if I turn up drunk!"
"That's not what I mean! Clothes! I mean shopping!" Temari turned to Hinata and Tenten, "Are you guys done your revision yet?"
"M-mostly, but—"
"Kinda—"
"We can't ditch studying to go shopping!" Sakura said, horrified at the very suggestion.
"Bring your flashcards, then. We'll do the shopping, and you can test us on algorithms through the change room door. C'mon folks, chop chop! We've got a whole day tomorrow anyways," Temari ordered. Sakura, Tenten, and Hinata looked at each other in resignation; they'd been friends for too long not to recognize the look in Temari's eyes - she was not taking no for an answer.
ε===(っ≧ω≦)っ(っ≧ω≦)っ(っ≧ω≦)っ(っ≧ω≦)っ
Why the heck did I let Temari-chan talk me into a pair of heels? Sakura scowled as she hurried along the road. Thank goodness she'd gotten out of the exam early - there'd be fewer witnesses to her falling on her ass when she tripped.
Self-consciously, she tugged at the hem of the blue miniskirt as she noticed a couple of people turn and stare at her as she ran by. She'd gotten more than a few odd looks when she'd turned up at her Algo exam wearing the mini skirt, the cute blouse, and the light makeup. She'd at least been able to resist the fancy hairdo, but Temari hadn't budged on the inch and a half, strappy sandals with the kitten heel.
"Your legs will look fantastic with the heels, okay?" Temari insisted, adamantly brandishing the shoes at Sakura. "If he's taller than you with heels on, great — if he's not, you'll see how he reacts to a girl in heels. If he's insecure, that's a red flag and you get out of there." Sakura hadn't been able to argue against Temari's extensive dating experience, so she'd worn the damn heels.
At least they didn't get me into that red dress. It WAS indecent, dammit!
As she neared the west gate bridge, Sakura realized she was out of breath, jumpy, and so damn nervous she was about to crawl out of her skin. She stopped for a moment and took a big breath to calm herself down. Listen, Haruno, you're just meeting someone. You're early, anyways, so chances are Meister's not even there anyways. You're just meeting up with an internet friend and talking over this video rights situation, it's not like you're about to get married or confess or anything. Play it cool, Haruno. You are cool. Shannaro!
Energized, she did a little fist pump to encourage herself, then took another deep breath so she could put on her most normal face. Since there were still 10 minutes left in the exam period, the campus was abnormally quiet. The only movement in the whole area was the slow burble of the creek that passed under the bridge and the falling petals from the cherry blossom trees that lined its banks. The quietness settled her nerves as nothing else could have. As she reached the bridge and looked down the steps to the creekside, Sakura realized that, contrary to expectations, she was, in fact, not alone. A dark figure was standing on the bank, watching her approach.
I really hope he didn't see that fist pump. That would be embarrassing.
...
I wonder when Meister is going to get here.
I'm 15 minutes early though.
Oh, he's walking towards the steps, I should probably get out of the way.
...
Wait a minute...
Is that...
Uchiha-senpai!??!?!
Omigosh he probably did see the embarrassing fist bump. He must think I'm such a dork.
Should I pretend not to see him? But maybe he remembers me from Uchiha-sensei's class. I should at least say hi, right? We're in the same faculty, anyways.
I still have 15 minutes until Meister gets here. If I make it quick, Meister won't miss me because I'm talking to someone else.
Maybe I can ask Uchiha-senpai to borrow his phone and call Meister. We're at least acquaintances, right?
No, no, that would be too presumptuous. I bet girls try to get his number all the time like this.
Better to just say hi quickly to Uchiha-senpai and then go find a payphone nearby. There has to be one in a building somewhere. I really don't want Meister to misunderstand.
"Uchiha-senpai, hello," Sakura managed, "I don't know if you remember me? We sat next to each other when you audited Uchiha-sensei's class."
You're babbling, Haruno. Say hi, say bye, and go find that payphone!
"What a coincidence to see you here! Anyways I have to—"
"It's not a coincidence."
Sakura stopped dead in her tracks. She stared at the dark figure standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at her with those deep, compelling eyes she could drown in. "Huh?" She managed. It took every last remaining brain cell to come up with that very intelligent response.
"It's not a coincidence. I was waiting for you."
He was... waiting for me? For me? But that means... he can't be... that's not possible... but only... what?!
Is Uchiha-senpai Sm1rkMeister?!?!?
Like a woman in a trance, drawn by the warmth in those deep eyes in that impassive face, Sakura slowly, slowly descended the stairs towards this man. Step by step, towards this man who she'd spent her entire university career fangirling over and who was the last person she'd expected
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