Chapter Text
People might think being a cupid is easy and fun. You fly around, shoot people with your arrows, they fall in love and that's it. Happy ending!
But no. It's much more complicated than that.
Being a cupid is exhausting. You spend hours flying from one place to another with barely any time to rest. Some humans move around too much, making them nearly impossible to hit.
Crowded places are even worse. One tiny mistake and you could accidentally shoot the wrong person, creating a relationship that was never meant to happen. Fixing those mistakes means mountains of paperwork, endless lectures from the higher ups and sometimes even getting suspended from missions until everything is sorted out. Sakura had learned that lesson early on.
He didn't have many friends in the Cupid Realm. The closest thing he had to one was his senior, Tsubaki.
And speaking of Tsubaki...
“Sakura-chan!!”
There he was, barging through the open window like he owned the place.
Sakura didn't even look up, too focused on polishing his golden arrows while floating lazily on his bed. He carefully inspected each one, making sure they were in perfect condition. A poorly maintained arrow might still make two people fall in love but the bond wouldn't last nearly as long. Most cupids didn't really care. As long as they could shoot their targets and finish the job, they were satisfied.
Sakura wasn't most cupids.
“I am here to bring your new task!” Tsubaki announced with a bright smile, pointing at the younger cupid.
“Isn't that Hiiragi's job?” Sakura asked with a small frown. Usually, Hiiragi was the one who delivered his assignments.
“Well, Hiiragi's on duty right now. Some newbie accidentally shot a squirrel, and now he's chasing it around trying to undo the spell.” Tsubaki laughed. “You should've seen him! The squirrel fell in love with a random newspaper boy and the poor kid completely freaked out. He kept pedaling his bicycle as fast as he could while the squirrel chased after him. Hiiragi's been flying all over the city trying to catch both of them.”
Sakura could picture the chaos perfectly.
“...Sounds about right,” he muttered. “So, what's the task?”
“Oh, right!” Tsubaki snapped his fingers and a scroll appeared out of thin air. It floated gently toward Sakura.
“Suo Hayato...” Sakura read aloud, his hands never stopping their work on the arrows. “His destined partner is Nirei Akihiko.”
Tsubaki drifted closer to peek over his shoulder.
“Their current relationship status...” Sakura paused before reading the last line. “...Best friends.”
“Aww, best friends~” Tsubaki squealed. “An easy task for our little Sakura, right?”
“Don't ever call me that again,” Sakura huffed before grabbing his bow and arrows. He flew toward the open window.
“Good luck, Sakura!! And remember, don't turn into a human just to knock some sense into them, Tsubaki called after him as Sakura flew away.
“Tch. They deserve it,” Sakura muttered, remembering the few times he'd transformed into a human just to smack some sense into particularly dense people. Humans couldn't see cupids, so the only way to directly interact with them was to temporarily become one.
But turning into a human consumed a ridiculous amount of energy.
The only way for a cupid to replenish that energy was by absorbing the romantic affection humans created.
Unfortunately for Sakura...
He was probably the only cupid who couldn't stand watching romance unfold.
Whenever the humans he matched finally kissed, he would immediately turn away, his ears burning from embarrassment. He'd quietly absorb the affection filling the air before flying off without looking back.
The other cupids always laughed at him. Being a cupid meant spending every day around love and affection. You were supposed to get used to it.
Sakura never did.
Even something as simple as two people holding hands was enough to make him feel like he was about to explode.
It didn't take Sakura long to find his target.
He glanced down at the scroll once more, making sure the portrait matched the person below.
Brown hair.
An eyepatch.
Tassel earrings.
Everything matched perfectly.
Suo Hayato.
The man himself was currently walking through town with several other people. His hands rested behind his back as he smiled while listening to the bright boy beside him chatter nonstop.
They weren't alone. A pink haired boy, a loud orange haired boy and a tall, grumpy looking boy walked with them. Judging by their uniforms, they had probably just gotten out of school.
Perfect.
His target and his target's destined partner were already together. This should be an easy mission.
Sakura held his bow in one hand and summoned a golden arrow with the other. The glowing arrow shimmered softly as he placed it against the string. Closing one eye, he raised the bow and carefully aimed at the man below.
The golden tip settled over Suo Hayato's heart. He slowly pulled the string back.
“By fate's gentle thread, let these two hearts beat as one. May love find its destined path.”
Just as he was about to release it, Suo's expression changed. The warm smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a cold, unreadable look. At the same time, screams echoed through the streets.
Something was wrong.
Sakura frowned and lowered his bow. His eyes immediately landed on a group of filthy looking thugs tearing through the town. Shop windows shattered as baseball bats crashed through the glass. Wooden stalls were kicked over, goods scattered across the streets and terrified people scrambled into nearby shops and houses before slamming the doors shut.
Sakura's frown deepened when he noticed Suo and his friends hadn't run away. Instead, they were walking straight toward the thugs.
The cheerful atmosphere from just moments ago had completely vanished. Their expressions had turned serious with every step they took.
“...What are they doing?” Sakura muttered.
Surely his human wasn't stupid enough to get himself killed. He couldn't complete his assignment if Suo died. To guarantee a perfect shot, his target had to be alive, healthy and in good condition.
The next thing Sakura knew, they were fighting. His jaw dropped.
The pink haired boy charged in first, landing a clean punch that sent one thug crashing into another. The loud orange haired boy laughed as he barreled through the crowd without slowing down while the tall and grumpy looking one calmly knocked down anyone who came within reach with powerful, precise blows.
And then there was his human.
Sakura's eyes widened.
Even while keeping a close eye on his best friend, Suo moved with unbelievable grace. His movements were smooth as if he were dancing around instead of fighting. Every sidestep was effortless, every strike perfectly timed.
The thugs barely had a chance to touch him. Before they could even land a punch, Suo had already slipped past them, redirecting their attacks and knocking them to the ground with swift, controlled blows. One after another, they collapsed around him.
Too mesmerized by his human's fighting skills, Sakura didn't realize that he had already flown much closer to them. He could hear every conversation clearly now.
“Pass some to me, Kiryu-kun!”
“I can't just send everyone to you. Let me save some for Sugi-chan too.”
The tall man only grunted before grabbing a thug’s head and slamming him onto the ground.
“Are you okay back there, Nire-kun?” his human asked.
Flying closer to Suo, Sakura finally got a proper look at him.
Up close, Suo Hayato was even more striking than he expected. From what Sakura had seen so far, Suo seemed like the calm and collected type. He always carried a gentle smile, his voice remained steady and even in the middle of a fight, he never looked panicked.
More importantly, he was incredibly protective of Nirei. The way Suo kept himself between Nirei and the danger made it obvious that this wasn't the first time he had done something like this.
Nirei shakily nodded. “Y-yes! Don't mind me, Suo-san! Just focus on your fight!”
Sakura flew around Nirei, observing him curiously.
Nirei Akihiko was... different from Suo Hayato.
He was the cute type. The kind of person who smiled so brightly that it was impossible not to notice. Even just a few minutes ago, Sakura could feel how much warmth surrounded him. A complete sunshine.
Sakura looked back at Suo, who was still fighting effortlessly, before turning his attention back to Nirei.
He summoned the floating scroll again. “Show me the match percentage between Suo Hayato and Nirei Akihiko.”
The scroll glowed as numbers appeared across the page. Sakura hummed quietly as he read through them. Most of their compatibility percentages were average, with a few being higher than normal.
However, the love percentage between Suo Hayato and Nirei Akihiko remained at 0%. Which was expected. Sakura hadn't fired his golden arrow yet.
“They'll be a perfect match for each other,” Sakura murmured. But before he could think any further, he suddenly sensed something behind him.
Or rather...behind Nirei.
The thug Suo had knocked away earlier was slowly getting back up. His eyes were filled with anger as he quietly approached Nirei, a bat raised in his hand.
No one noticed.
Not Suo. Not his friends. Not even Nirei.
Sakura narrowed his eyes. Nirei would probably notice him in a few seconds but by then, it would already be too late to react. Especially since Nirei wasn't a fighter.
Sakura gripped his bow tighter.
He had no choice.
“...Dammit.”
At the same time, Suo turned to check on his blonde friend when suddenly a thug behind Nirei was kicked straight in the face, sending him crashing onto the ground.
Nirei jumped at the sudden noise behind him and immediately turned around. Standing there was an unfamiliar guy.
“Hahh…It's been so long since I kicked a human...” the guy said casually, stretching his leg. “I almost forgot how good it feels.”
His mismatched black and white hair moved slightly with the soft breeze. And as if he noticed the stares behind him, he slowly turned his head.
The stranger's eyes caught Suo’s attention immediately.
Beautiful.
Was the only thought that appeared in Suo's mind. One was silver, clear and calm like moonlight reflecting on a quiet lake. The other was a warm golden shade, reminding Suo of the sunset he always admired at the end of his patrols, the brief moment of peace after a long day.
They were beautiful.
“Are you one of them too?”
Suo snapped back to reality when his friends stepped closer beside him. The fight was already over but their guards remained raised toward the unfamiliar guy.
The stranger immediately lifted his hands. “I'm not one of them. I just thought you needed some help. Don’t worry, I'll leave now.”
“T-Thank you for protecting me!!” Nirei said, bowing nearly ninety degrees.
With that, they could only watch as the stranger walked away. Confused glances were exchanged between the group, each of them trying to understand what had just happened. Eventually, the townspeople slowly came out from their hiding places and thanked them for protecting the town.
But Suo couldn't shake off the feeling that…
That wouldn't be the last time they met that strange guy.
“This is ridiculous...”
Sakura muttered as he hung upside down from a tree branch behind Suo's school.
From his position, he could see Suo sitting inside his classroom, talking with the same group of friends from yesterday. He could also see how close Suo and Nirei were.
Too close.
Sakura badly wanted to summon his bow and arrows right then and there and shoot them. If he could, they would fall in love, his mission would be complete and he could finally go home.
But there was a problem. A very big problem.
Sakura couldn't turn back into his cupid form.
After protecting Nirei yesterday, he had tried transforming back in a dark alley so he could finish his mission.
But nothing happened.
He couldn't summon his bow.
He couldn't summon his arrows.
He couldn't even call his task scroll.
Great. Just great.
Sakura should be grateful that Suo’s affection towards his friends could still feed him up. His whole energy was now completely tied to his current human. As long as Suo continued showing care and affection toward the people around him, Sakura would be fine.
It wasn’t much compared to romantic affection but it was enough to keep Sakura alive for at least a week. That was when another idea came up in Sakura’s head.
Sakura could only go home once Suo’s love percentage with Nirei reached 100%. Normally, his bow and arrows would handle that. And since he couldn’t turn back into his original form, he would have to do it in his human form instead.
Which meant...
He would have to matchmake them himself until Suo started to feel something more for his best friend.
That was going to be Sakura’s new mission. Yes!
“What are you doing up there?”
The sudden voice caught Sakura completely off guard. He lost his balance on the tree branch and immediately fell. His eyes squeezed shut as he prepared himself for the impact of hitting the hard ground.
But it never came.
“Are you two okay!?”
Two?
“I... think so?”
The vibration of a chuckle underneath him made Sakura open his eyes almost immediately. He pushed himself up and his eyes met with a single eye staring back at him.
That was when he realized, he had fallen right on top of Suo.
Sakura immediately jerked away when he noticed how close their faces were. He could see every detail of Suo’s expression, the calm look in his eye and the small amused smile on his face. His heart skipped for a second before he quickly looked away, annoyed at himself for reacting like that.
What? How was Suo here?
“Are you okay?” Suo asked as he sat up. “We noticed you were on the tree and came down to meet you.”
Sakura looked at Suo and then at Nirei, who was standing behind him with genuine concern written all over his face. And then Sakura finally processed Suo's words.
They noticed him.
They caught him spying.
His face slowly turned red.
“I’m fine!” Sakura snapped, quickly standing up before running away.
Idiot.
Idiot.
Idiot!
Of course they noticed him!
He wasn't in his cupid form anymore. He wasn't invisible. He was literally just sitting on a tree branch watching them!
Argh, whatever!
Sakura had more important things to worry about. He needed to start planning how to make Suo Hayato fall for his best friend and go home.