Chapter Text
October 19th.
Suo clearly remembers when he first met Sakura—they were neighbors, just around ten years old. Suo’s mom had become friends with Sakura’s mom, marking the beginning of their journey as friends.
To Suo, Sakura was like a cat—cautious yet affectionate, easy to understand, and incredibly lovable.
Suo, on the other hand, was more like a wall—hard to read. This frustrated Sakura to no end.
"I can't read you out at all."
"That's because I'm not a book, Sakura-kun."
"T-That's... not what I meant, idiot!"
Suo remembers their conversations vividly. To him, Sakura was adorable, just like a cat. That was why he liked him, right?
Apparently, no.
Suo wasn’t naive. He knew himself—his feelings, his personality, everything—very well.
He wasn’t clueless.
So why did it take him six years to realize how he truly felt about Sakura?
It was during high school that it hit him—he was completely in love with Sakura, his childhood friend. He was sure of his feelings, but he couldn’t bring himself to confess. While his heart urged him to take the leap, his mind held him back. Suo was a rational person, and though he knew confessing was the best choice, he feared it would ruin their friendship.
Making assumptions was dangerous, yes, but Suo was convinced Sakura would reject him. After all, Sakura didn’t like boys, right? There was no way.
Yet, with every moment spent together, Suo fell deeper. He couldn’t help himself.
"His smile is so damn cute..." Suo would often whisper this to himself, watching the very expression that made his heart race. He couldn’t suppress his feelings anymore. He wanted to confess.
But life doesn’t always go as planned.
Just as Suo resolved to confess, Sakura suddenly had to move abroad with his mom. He hadn’t even told Suo about it. Suo only found out through his own mother. If he hadn’t asked, he might never have known.
That day left Suo heartbroken.
It felt as though Sakura had treated him like.. he meant nothing.
Negative thoughts clouded his mind, to the point his feelings were trapped under it. To the point that he even started to hate sakura, to the point that he's confused, to the point that drove him insane, to the point that he started to ask himself-
"Do I really love him?"