Tsurugi Sakura was a focused young woman. She knew exactly what she wanted and worked hard to get it. She knew when to accept help and even when to quit—though that rarely happened if she could help it. What she didn’t know how to do was...relationship. It was weird because that sounded more like an issue her twin brother would have. And did have. Though he had very different issues and reasons than she did. 

Now, why was she even focusing on this when she had a very important midterm to worry about instead? 

Well, that was an interesting story. 

And it had started earlier that week, as she made her way to the library for the morning, an incident occurred. 

Admittedly, Sakura had been distracted, looking down at flashcards she had made the night before when there was a sudden force against her legs. Startled, the flashcards—aka the life saviors she needed to be completely ready for her midterm—went flying up into the air. 

“Fuck!”

She looked around, ready to tear whoever dared to do that to her a new one, when rather than a person, she found something far more adorable.

A small Shiba Inu with soft, golden fur and two little white spots above its eyes pawed at her leg, its curly tail wagging happily as it looked up at her. Sakura’s anger immediately dissipated at the precious baby that had opted to bless her for the day.

“Well look at you,” she cooed, bending down to give it a head pat.

“Honey!” the cry came from her left and she assumed it was the owner.

But she paid them no mind, giving all her attention to the sweet creature that was very much enjoying it. It licked her hand, making her laugh. 

“Oh, Honey! I am so, so sorry! Let me pick all these up for you and oh gosh I hope she didn’t hurt you!”

The slightly accented voice made Sakura finally look over to see a young man with glasses, frantically grabbing at the cards on the ground. 

Something Sakura should have done immediately. What if they were ruined? How was she going to get a perfect score if she didn’t study properly?!

“Oh it’s um, fine,” Sakura finally responded, going to pick up the few near her.

“No! These look important and I hope we haven’t made you late. She’s still training and I made the mistake of loosening my grip and poof! She was suddenly gone and chasing after dear maidens and disrupting their mornings.” 

Sakura paused, looking up at him with her eyebrow cocked up, “Dear maidens? Dude, what the fuck?”

His head shot up and they locked eyes, his a soft golden brown, partially blocked by the messy, golden blonde hair that had wound up behind his glasses. Sakura supposed he was probably handsome, not that it was something she ever really cared to take note of. 

“S-Sorry. I’m um, working on a gam—book and still kind of in that zone! I swear I believe all women are far stronger and more capable than any man and I know you could easily pick up all of these cards yourself but I feel obligated to help because it’s my fault they fell and I have the responsibility to pick them up!”

She blinked, staring at him before laughing. 

What a freaking weirdo.

His cheeks burned pink and he bent his head down, focusing on the cards again. Sakura kept chuckling as she picked up the rest near her. 

Honey, the adorable chaotic ball of energy that had caused this awkward situation, helped by barking at any that tried to fly away in the breeze. Sakura encouraged her with more head scratches. 

“She’s very sweet,” Sakura remarked as she finished getting her stack and stood up, dusting the dirt off of her dress. 

“Sweet but bad, yes,” the young man responded, walking closer to her with a stack of dirty cards. 

She took them and sighed, a bit dismayed at the state they were in. Still legible though. 

“Again, I am so sorry. I would be happy to buy you a fresh pack of notecards, though I cannot replace the information upon them, of course.” 

She could hear the voice of her brother telling her to take the offer, his yen pinching ways forever ingrained in her brain. They were broke though, so…

Looking him up and down she determined that there was a very, very likely chance he was quite well off. Though he wasn’t dressed flashy, she could still recognize designer labels almost immediately. 

She may be broke, but she knew her designers!

“Well, having a fresh set of notecards would be acceptable.”

He smiled, but she wasn’t finished.

“As well as coffee and a chocolate croissant. This incident has completely destroyed any focus I had built up to study and prepare for my midterm.” 

His smile faltered a bit as he stared at her as if trying to process what she said and the fact she’d actually said it. 

Saku would have been so proud.