Chapter 309: Sakura's Pressure!
"Mm..."
Latias nodded, then vanished into the sky like a shooting star, heading back toward the school.
At her speed, no matter where in Kyoto they were, it would take at most ten minutes to return.
But before Latias even touched down, Hikaru already sensed something with his Aura—
There was someone waiting outside his door.
He didn't even need to guess.
It was Sakura.
She must have come by, found he wasn't home, and decided to wait outside.
He had no idea how long she'd been standing there...
As soon as Latias landed, Hikaru opened the door.
Sure enough, Sakura was leaning against the wall beside his door, dressed in a soft pink hoodie, staring blankly at the ground.
She looked like she was deep in thought.
When the door opened, she turned her head immediately.
But her expression remained dazed, like her brain was still catching up—
Like a soldier standing at attention for too long, zoning out.
The moment she realized what was happening, a smile curled on her lips.
But then—
Her expression shifted into a pout.
Cheeks puffed, arms crossed, she grumbled:
"Where did you go!?"
"You left with Latias, right? What were you doing out so late?"
She looked exactly like a wife waiting at home for her husband to return late from work.
For a moment, Hikaru was genuinely taken aback.
"I was looking for something," he explained.
"Needed Latias's help to cover more ground."
Behind him, Latias—now in humanoid form—floated in curiously.
She added cheerfully,
"Hikaru had me fly him over all of Kyoto looking for a Pokémon."
Sakura, still pretending to be upset, perked up immediately when she heard that.
"Huh? What kind of Pokémon?"
Hikaru flicked her nose gently.
"A Gyarados. Pretty unique one, actually—a flying Gyarados. Professor Ayame asked me to track it down with Aura."
He sighed.
"I never realized just how massive Kyoto's water systems were. Without Latias, I'd be searching for the rest of my life."
Sakura smacked his hand away.
"A flying Gyarados?"
She paused, thinking, then pursed her lips.
"Didn't that girl who used to hang around you have one?"
"What girl?" Hikaru blinked.
Sakura gave him a look.
"You know. That girl who came with you to the High School League. That one."
"Oh, you mean Kasumi?"
Hikaru quickly explained,
"No, not hers. Compared to hers, this Gyarados is on another level—"
He paused mid-sentence.
He was going to say "outrageous,"
But he stopped himself.
Because honestly, if this Gyarados was outrageous, then so were his Charizard and the "future" version of Greninja.
"This one's stronger. It can even use Fairy-type moves—like Fairy Wings."
Sakura froze.
"Fairy-type?"
She gave him a skeptical look.
"You're not trying to distract me with a lie, are you?"
Her expression said it all—
She was suspicious.
Was he just bringing up this weird Gyarados to distract her from Kasumi?
Wait... before, he called her Kasumi, and now suddenly Kasumi-chan?
That nickname sounded too intimate!
Sakura poked Hikaru in the chest.
"So… who exactly is this Kasumi?"
"Didn't you already meet her?" Hikaru said, still confused.
"Just someone I bumped into on the road. A traveler, really."
The memory of that day flickered in his mind—
How he'd helped Kasumi evolve her Gyarados, which in turn helped him discover the storytelling method for earning Trait Tokens.
Then Hikaru suddenly realized—
Wait a second.
He'd been answering everything she asked without resistance lately.
What happened to standing his ground?
He was older. He should be the one with authority here!
"Just a friend?"
Sakura narrowed her eyes.
Her puffed-up lips clearly showed she didn't believe him.
At first, she hadn't been too worried.
In her mind, Hikaru was kind of dense when it came to romance.
And she had the childhood-friend advantage!
But then the appearance of that senior—Korrina—shook her confidence.
Talented people didn't need to chase love.
Korrina had been direct, and Hikaru hadn't exactly resisted.
If she didn't tighten her hold, she might actually lose him...
"What else could she be?" Hikaru flicked her on the forehead.
"I only know her name, and that she snuck out of her house."
"Oww…"
Sakura winced and covered her head with both hands.
"Stop flicking me! You'll stunt my growth!"
"And that girl—what's with calling her a 'kid'? You're only a few months older than me!"
'Actually, I'm more than ten years older...'
Hikaru said that only in his head.
Out loud, he grumbled,
"When did you start talking so much?"
He flicked her again—this time just for fun.
Watching Sakura's dramatic switch from fierce to pouty made Hikaru grin.
In truth, she wasn't short at all.
She stood around 160cm—
With shoes, she could easily hit that mark.
She was the perfect height for the "adorable height difference" trope.
Especially next to Hikaru, who was taller.
Sakura, seeing him chuckling, grew even more annoyed.
I waited all this time—and I get two flicks to the forehead?!
She raised a tiny fist and punched him in the chest.
Hikaru, unfazed, simply extended his arm and planted a hand on her forehead.
Now her punches only flailed through the air helplessly.
"Aaaaghh!"
After letting her vent for a while, Hikaru caught her hand mid-swing.
"Alright, alright. What's really going on?"
He knew.
She'd waited outside his door, probably for hours.
There had to be something important on her mind.
"Hmph!"
After a few more half-hearted swings, Sakura's eyes lit up with mischief.
"You're really asking me to stand here and talk after I've been waiting for hours?"
"My legs are numb! Aren't you at least going to invite me in?"
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