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Sakura's "Romance Sensor", as Tsubakino dubbed it, as much as it irked him, did have its benefits. Namely, being able to recognize what the subtle glances his two friends throw at each other behind unaware eyes meant.
Sitting at the restaurant table surrounded by his friends, he couldn't help but let his eyes wander over the two huddled against the window sitting face-to-face.
Nirei and Tsugeura were chatting away about some topic that intrigued them but didn't really appeal to Sakura. Yet he tried to focus on the conversation anyway. He didn't know what to do about the silent conversation that was playing out between Kiryu and Suo.
The other occupants of the table wouldn't notice it but Sakura did. How Kiryu's eyes sparkled a little when Suo took his joke well or how Suo's gaze stayed fixated on Kiryu a beat longer when he expressed excitement over his food. How they engaged with their friends but retreated to their own bubble just as quickly. He felt like he was intruding on a very private moment yet couldn't do anything since no one else would notice the things he did.
"Sakura-san, are you okay? You're getting kind of red."
They would, of course, notice his behavior.
Curse his romance sensor.
Suo and Kiryu are stupid. That's the conclusion he reached when he saw his two smartest classmates flit around each other as if performing a complicated mating ritual yet remaining unaware of the other's feelings. How hard could it be for them to notice when Sakura, supposedly their least socially aware classmate, could notice it?
Under normal circumstances—at least whatever "normal" constituted in this case—he would leave them at their own devices to figure out what it was they had between them. But it was getting more and more difficult for him to hold himself back from combusting every time those two shared the same space with him.
He needed to take matters into his own hands. And fast. Not alone, though. He needed an accomplice.
"Oi…" Sakura glared at the floor, hoping to get swallowed by it. "I'm here to talk." Hands balled into fists by his side, he awaited a response. Or, well, any sort of acknowledgement for his words.
…
Nothing.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!"
"..."
Cursing under his breath, he resisted the urge to throw one of the deflated tires sitting around the rooftop at his classmate. He needed his help, and starting a fight won't do anything for his mission. If anything, it'll be more troublesome to explain what he was doing on the roof.
"Listen…" Sakura took a deep breath to contain himself. "I need your help getting Suo and Kiryu together."
That got him a response. If the slight twitching of his head was anything to go by.
He needed to push more.
"Don't you want to help your classmates?"
"..."
Sakura cursed the entire universe and that one brain cell that compelled him to come here for help. More importantly, he cursed himself for the next words he was about to utter because he never wanted to stoop so low, but he was desperate. He needed someone to support him in his misery, and of course, he would choose the only person just as emotionally constipated as himself, if not more.
"Umemiya would help his classmates, y'know." The moment those words left him, he immediately assumed a defensive stance, but the blow never came.
A low grunt followed by light grumbling and– "It's Umemiya-san to you."
And somehow that sealed the deal.
The plan was a simple one. To create situations where Kiryu and Suo would end up spending more time together and hoping one thing or the other would lead to a confession. Although it sounded easy, its execution was grueling. Sugishita was cooperative to an extent but never took initiative, which naturally led to quarrels between them. In the end, it was Sakura who did all the heavy lifting.
The tragedy was such that they always hung out in groups, so getting Kiryu and Suo alone was a laborious task for them. Not to mention how Sugishita often sought out opportunities to avoid going out with them, leaving him alone to carry out the plans.
He won't allow him to escape again. If getting Nirei involved was what it took, he would do it.
"Oh, Sugishita-kun, are you also coming with us to the arcade?" Suo asked in a teasing tone.
"Aww Sugi-chan doesn't always hang out with us. We have to make sure he has a great time! Right, Sakura-chan?"
This was supposed to be a trap for Sugishita. Why the hell was he getting dragged into it?!
Everyone cheered for the mad dog, making him more embarrassed than he initially was. A short walk to the arcade full of teasing remarks for their class vanguards later, they finally reached their destination.
He let Kiryu and Nirei drag him around while he searched for openings to slip out and gather his other friends, leaving his two targets by themselves.
He found an opening in the form of a claw machine.
Kiryu wanted to try his hand at the game, and Suo had nonchalantly offered to accompany him. Before Nirei and Tsugeura could make any attempts to follow them, he jerked his head towards Sugishita in alarm.
Sugishita looked at him glumly for a second before the realization settled in. For the first time since they agreed to hang out (more like got dragged away in Sugishita's case), Sugishita genuinely looked panicked. Earlier it was primarily annoyance and mild grumpiness, but now that they really had to put their plan into action, he felt out of place.
Sakura exasperatedly gestured towards Nirei and Tsugeura, as if to say, "You handle Nirei, and I'll handle Tsugeura."
Sugishita nodded dumbly, aware of his own resolve he shared with Umemiya-san. He would look after Furin in his stead. If he was incapable of even helping his own classmates, how was he going to take care of the entire town?
With newfound resolve, he tapped Nirei's shoulder.
"Sugishita-san? You need something?"
Right, he needed an excuse. He mentally cursed Sakura and his annoying urge to help his friends and his own inability to say no to him.
"S- su- Sugishita-san, do you n- not like it here?" Nirei trembled like a leaf against his glare. He must have been too deep in thought to notice it.
Sugishita quickly looked around and pointed towards the first game he saw. Regret immediately seeped in. It was a car racing game. The one that required actual effort on his part.
Nirei looked between the game and Sugishita before beaming at him with his discovery. "Would you like me to teach you how it works?"
Sugishita nodded vaguely. This could work.
Nirei's smile grew impossibly brighter and Sugishita had to resist the urge to flinch away.
"Let's go. I'll teach you!"
Without giving Sugishita a moment to protest or to prepare himself, Nirei was already pulling him away.
Sugishita looked over his shoulder to find Sakura already occupied with a hammer game, taking turns to hit the aim and claim rewards, while Tsugeura rambled something about muscles.
Looking at Sakura getting grilled by their over-eager classmate, Sugishita felt relieved for getting stuck with the car game.
Their eyes met, and they nodded subtly at each other. Handle the plan, it meant.
It's not a challenge, he told himself. Yet as he looked at Sakura's determined eyes, remaining steadfast through every possible adversity for his friends, he couldn't help but feel like he needed to do more.
"Well, look at that, Suo-chan!" Kiryu eagerly picked up the little pink plushie he won from the claw machine. "We got another one!"
Without glancing back, he held out the plushie in Suo's direction and waited for him to take it while he went for another round.
"Uh, Kiryu-kun," Suo spoke hesitantly, "as fun as it is to watch you enjoy the game, don't you think it's getting too much?"
Kiryu paused and turned his head. He swept his gaze over the pile of plushies in Suo's arms on the verge of toppling over, looked back at the nearly empty claw machine, and sighed.
"You're right, we should leave some for others."
He retracted his hand from the machine and immediately took half the plushies from Suo with a soft apology for making him carry them all.
"Let's go sit somewhere and see what to do with these." Suo politely suggested. Kiryu gladly agreed.
They found themselves a seating area at a short distance. Suo collected all the plushies in one place while Kiryu counted his haul.
"That's a great collection," Kiryu giggled to himself, pleased with his skills. "There's about enough for everyone in class, so how about we give them one each?"
Suo raised an eyebrow. "I thought you wanted to keep them?"
"Huh? No, I just got excited and got too many." Kiryu looked away sheepishly. "We can have one for everyone with all these! Let's give this one to Sakura-chan."
Kiryu held a black and white cat plushie towards Suo, who snickered at the angry pout on the cat's face.
"We can get this for Nire-kun," Suo grabbed a pomeranian plushie. "And this one for Sugishita-kun!" He passed a sleepy dog plushie to Kiryu.
Kiryu laughed softly at the plushie's expression before browsing through the other plushies until he found the one he was looking for.
"This one's for Suo-chan," he gently pushed a pirate cat plushie towards Suo, his cheeks dusted pink.
Suo carefully turned the plushie in his hands. It was a deep shade of red with a beautiful green eye almost an exact replica of Kiryu's. Warmth swelled in his stomach, and he could feel traces of it on his face as well.
"It's a beautiful plushie. Thank you, Kiryu-kun."
Kiryu grinned from ear to ear, pleased with his response. "Take care of Suo-nyan! That's what we're calling it now~"
"Well, of course," Suo matched his level of excitement in his own way. "Suo-nyan-san will be safe and happy."
"Perfect!" Kiryu gave him a thumbs-up and quickly dug out another plushie from the pile. "Take this as well!"
Perplexed, Suo took the plushie. "Won't there be one less if you give this to me?" He noted, gently holding the bright pink cat staring back at him.
"It's okay, I counted. There's enough for everyone!"
"You're… giving me an extra plushie…?"
"Mhm!" Kiryu leaned closer to Suo and winked, "you get special treatment."
Sakura's frustration knew no bounds. Even after overstraining himself at the arcade with all kinds of games with Tsugeura, he still failed to get Suo and Kiryu together. Not to mention how Sugishita refused to talk to him since that day, perhaps afraid of getting dragged into another group outing.
"Sakura-san, are you okay? You look tense."
He grumbled a strained "I'm fine" to Nirei's question and continued stomping towards the roof after sending a sharp glare in Suo's direction.
He'll worry about the matchmaking attempts after the leaders get together.
Sakura had grown more comfortable with his fellow leaders and seniors, so the get-together didn't seem much of a hassle these days.
He chatted comfortably with some people he had grown closer to and munched on the snacks while wracking his brain for ideas, but nothing came up.
Maybe his approach was wrong.
He needed advice.
But from whom?
He scanned the roof for all potential experts in matters of the heart until his eyes settled on Tsubakino. This would do.
He told Nirei and Suo to stay while he quickly crossed over to the other side of the roof to meet his target.
"Oh, Sakura! How have you been?" Tsubakino immediately took notice of his presence.
" 'm fine," Sakura mumbled and discreetly looked around. "I need to talk to you. Alone." He emphasized. He didn't want to expose Suo and Kiryu's secret in such a manner.
Tsubakino noted the gravity of the situation and dismissed his advisors to take him to a secluded spot.
"So what is it? I'll be a good senpai and help you out!"
Sakura hesitated. He didn't know how to explain the situation without making it worse. He tried opening his mouth but closed it just as fast. This won't do.
He let out a frustrated growl and grabbed his head. From behind Tsubakino, he could see Sugishita helping out Umemiya. He stared at him a beat longer before returning his gaze to Tsubakino. He wasn't alone. He had an accomplice now. A very difficult person to deal with, but a partner nonetheless. He had to figure it out for both their sakes.
"You know…" he started, "why don't people, y'know, just tell someone they like them?" He spoke the last part in a rush and immediately overheated.
Tsubakino blinked and then gasped. "Sakura, are you in love?!" he whispered loudly.
"N- no!" Sakura sputtered, trying to form an excuse. "It's like them– those–" he needed names. Fast. "You know! Them!" He hissed under his breath. "Kanji!" He exclaimed, mentally patting himself on the back for his ability to think on his feet. "He likes Shizuka but won't tell her!"
Tsubakino regarded him skeptically for a moment before bursting out laughing.
"Wh- what the- Hey!"
"Sorry, Sakura," Tsubakino wiped his eyes where tears were starting to form. "You're just so adorable!"
Sakura gaped, having no words to express. So his body worked for him and painted him red from head to toe in embarrassment.
Saving him from further embarrassment, Tsubakino answered his question. "Romantic relationships can be very fragile, Sakura. Especially if the person once used to be your friend. That's why people often hesitate to take the next step, afraid of losing a precious friendship." He explained.
"That is not to say it won't work out. It is simply to allow them the time to transition from friendship to something bigger. Forcing them together would only make things awkward. Kanji and Shizuka love each other deeply and they are both aware of it. Just because they don't have a label yet doesn't diminish their feelings."
Sakura listened to the whole explanation earnestly, starting to feel a bit guilty for not realizing that he might have been trying to force his friends into a relationship without considering their feelings first.
"Sakura?" Tsubakino shook him gently when he spaced out. "I can tell you're concerned about a friend." Whether he had figured out that Sakura's question wasn't directed towards Kanji and Shizuka or not, he didn't specify. "But you should have more faith in your friends. Of course, a little nudge wouldn't hurt!"
The talk with Tsubakino left him in a bigger dilemma than before. On one hand, he told him to have faith in his friends and let them work it out. On the other hand, he said that he should nudge them as well. Which was it?!
He screamed out of frustration and was met by a stray watering can landing on his head.
"What the hell do you want, you jerk?!" He yelled at Sugishita, who was acting unperturbed near the rooftop garden.
Sugishita stared at him impassively and mumbled something under his breath before turning away.
"What did you say?!" Sakura jumped to his feet, prepared to block whatever attack came.
Sugishita, instead, grumbled louder and asked, "are you giving up?"
Sakura froze.
Giving up? Him?
How dare he!
He made a move towards Sugishita but stopped in his tracks.
He was right in a way.
Sakura really was considering giving up. He indeed trusts his friends to work it out, but if they could have done that, then he wouldn't have to be so frustrated. He had always hated his romance sensor, but maybe it served a purpose as well.
A nudge was it?
He needed a new strategy.
"Oi, listen here," he began, "we'll take a new approach from now…"
He grinned wider, eager to try out his matchmaking skills.
Unbeknownst to him, Sugishita mirrored his smirk.
Subtlety was not Sakura’s forte.
That’s how he found himself making the most out-of-character request for their patrol.
It was supposed to be a usual patrol, splitting up into teams and strolling through the town. Except Sakura had to ask them to split up into three groups of two members each. As if the request itself wasn’t strange enough, he sputtered out his idea of team division, which involved being alone with Sugishita of all people.
Now, don’t get him wrong, he has been on amicable terms with Sugishita—as amicable as they can be given their personalities—but it was for the sake of his, no their, matchmaking plan, which was supposed to be a secret. Blurting out that he wants to be on a patrol with Sugishita is the opposite of keeping their alliance a secret. Sugishita’s glare boring into his back confirmed his stupidity and recklessness.
“Sakura-san, you’re making an attempt to get along with Sugishita-san!”
Bless you, Nirei.
“That’s very fitting for someone aiming for the top! You’ll make a great leader if you get along with everyone!”
Nirei’s excitement at the prospect was highly exaggerated in his opinion, but it helped divert the attention from him, so he supposed it could work.
It did work. Tsugeura joined him and complimented his virtuousness and praised his efforts to befriend an old enemy. After much smothering and teasing—also a scolding from Hiragi—later they went off their own ways for the patrol.
Nirei and Tsugeura in one team, Sakura and Sugishita in one, and Suo and Kiryu together.
“Now let’s hope someone attacks them,” Sakura muttered to himself while tailing Suo and Kiryu with Sugishita.
Sugishita, despite being aware of the plan, gave him a judgmental look.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Sakura hissed at him, ducking behind a bush with Sugishita when Suo turned around. “Nothing gets people together like fighting for each other.” He briefly recalled the fight with Gravel where Kanji went beyond his limits to protect Shizuka. If he was able to create a similar situation with Suo and Kiryu, he might actually succeed.
Luck was on his side today because just as he whispered those words, Suo and Kiryu were attacked by a gang.
A bunch of pushovers, really. Calling them a gang would be an overstatement. Yet one of them did manage to land a hit on Kiryu, causing him to stumble into Suo’s arms.
It was a brief moment. Very brief. When he saw something akin to a spark flash between their eyes before they resumed their fight.
Sakura almost jumped in glee, grabbing Sugishita by his shoulder and strangling him. He harshly whispered, “did you see that?! We did it!”
Normally, Sugishita would punch him for touching him so casually, but he was so dumbstruck by the situation that he only nodded dumbly. What did Sakura see that he didn't?
Sakura returned to his earlier position and watched the fight to its conclusion, which was, of course, Suo and Kiryu’s victory.
His joy was doubled when Kiryu casually touched Suo’s elbow and invited him to go to a coffee shop he knew for a drink.
He waited until they were inside the shop to let out a squeal and startle Sugishita.
It worked. It really worked. He had never felt so elated.
"Are Sakura-chan and Sugi-chan still trying to get us together?" Kiryu asked, sipping on his milkshake.
"It seems so."
"Should we tell them?"
"No, this is more fun."