However, she had no one to share with now; even if she saw something good on TV, she had no one to share it with.
Kirito noticed the dimness on Sakura's face and, seeing a vendor selling red bean tangyuan nearby, quickly walked over.
He didn't understand current TV shows, but he knew some of Sakura's past hobbies, so he decided to start there.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Sakura called out in confusion when Kirito suddenly walked away.
Soon, Kirito returned with a small bowl of red bean tangyuan, handed it to Sakura, and said with a grin, "Sakura-nee, try this."
Sakura took the bowl, and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the red bean tangyuan inside.
"I remember you loved eating this, Sakura-nee," Kirito said with a smile.
Hearing Kirito's words, Sakura's heart gave a sudden flutter.
Even Sasuke didn't remember she liked red bean tangyuan, yet Kirito remembered it clearly, and more importantly, she had never told Kirito that she liked red bean tangyuan.
Sakura paused for a moment, then opened her small mouth and took the first bite of the red bean tangyuan. The soft, sweet, and tender sensation made her close her eyes and savor it.
"It's really good!" After a moment, Sakura opened her eyes and praised with a smile.
"Of course it is," Kirito said, nodding with a smile.
"Let's go, let's continue to stroll around," Sakura said, putting down the bowl and wiping her mouth with a tissue.
"Sakura-nee, let's go to the mall and buy some clothes or something," Kirito suggested.
"Alright," Sakura nodded, and the two walked towards the mall.
"Sakura-nee, try on this outfit. It's beautiful and will definitely suit you." Kirito picked out a white shirt paired with a black skirt, which perfectly matched Sakura's current style.
"Hmm, it's good, very pretty." Sakura looked at the clothes, then at Kirito, and nodded.
"Hehe, Sakura-nee, what do you think of these shoes?"
"Sakura-nee, this one, this one is also good."
"Sakura-nee!"
"..."
In the mall, Kirito accompanied Sakura, browsing and picking out many different kinds of clothes for her.
Every time Sakura changed into an outfit, Kirito would praise her, complimenting her so much that Sakura felt almost giddy, her face beaming with a radiant smile.
She had never imagined that the first man to praise her while shopping would be Kirito.
Sakura completely immersed herself in this atmosphere, no longer thinking about other troubles.
Unconsciously, when Kirito and Sakura left the mall, the sky outside had already darkened.
"Kirito, thank you," Sakura said sincerely, carrying her shopping bags, turning around with a smile on her face as she looked at Kirito.
"Sakura-nee, what are you thanking me for?" Kirito scratched the back of his head, a little bewildered and somewhat strangely.
"Nothing," Sakura smiled faintly, shook her head, and said, "It's getting late, I should head back."
"Then, Sakura-nee..." Kirito hesitated, his mission hadn't made any progress!
In just a few hours, the mission would expire.
"Screech!!!" Just then, an eagle's cry echoed.
Sakura looked up and saw a giant eagle flying across the sky.
Sakura frowned, raised her arm, and the eagle landed on it. She took a note from its leg.
Sakura's expression changed as she read the contents of the note.
"Sakura-nee, what's wrong?" Kirito asked with concern.
"No, nothing," Sakura put away the note and said with a forced smile.
"Sakura-nee..."
"Kirito, I'm feeling a bit down. Can you come have a drink with me?" Sakura looked at Kirito, interrupting what he was about to say, and then spoke.
"Uh..." Kirito paused, then quickly nodded and responded, "Of course! Absolutely!"
He was still wondering how to keep Sakura to complete the mission, and now that Sakura herself suggested it, he was naturally delighted.
More importantly, this was about going for a drink! Drinking when Sakura was feeling down.
Once Sakura got drunk, wouldn't he be free to touch that 'mantou'?
"There's a place over there, let's go to that one," Sakura smoothed her hair, trying to regain a normal expression, then walked over.
"Okay, Sakura-nee, wait for me." Seeing this, Kirito quickly followed.
Chapter 6: Confessing to Sakura
When was the last time she saw Sasuke?
Sakura had forgotten.
It must have been almost ten years!
Anyway, when she was pregnant with Sarada, Sasuke was already not around.
When Sarada was born, Sasuke didn't come back either.
When the Konoha 12 married, he didn't return.
This time, with Naruto's wedding, she thought Sasuke would return, as they were the best of brothers.
She also thought Sasuke wouldn't return, after all, he didn't even come back when Sarada was born.
Whether Sasuke returned or not, she would still feel surprised and delighted.
She had also prepared herself mentally.
However, when she received Sasuke's clear reply today that he couldn't make it, an indescribable sense of disappointment and melancholy still welled up in her heart.
She felt very sad. She looked at her friends around her, intimate with their families, and her heart was filled with envy.
She could only sit alone at home, watching TV or staring blankly... If it weren't for Sarada's existence, she probably wouldn't even believe she was married, had a husband, a man, a lover.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp~~~" The feelings of disappointment and melancholy made Sakura gulp down one drink after another.
"Sakura-nee, stop drinking, you're already drunk," Kirito said, stopping Sakura and trying to persuade her.
"Drunk? I want to be drunk!" Sakura pushed away Kirito's hand reaching for the bottle, tilted her head back, and drank the last drop of wine in the bottle.
She really wanted to get drunk, to see the man she deeply loved but could never meet in her dreams... If she couldn't see him in reality, couldn't she at least see him in her dreams?
"Sakura-nee, what's wrong? Tell me what's bothering you, it'll make you feel much better," Kirito looked at Sakura with concern.
Sakura raised her head, her hazy beautiful eyes fixed on Kirito. Seeing his serious gaze, Sakura suddenly gave a bitter smile: "Kirito, you don't understand."
"Is it because of Sasuke-nii?" Kirito suddenly asked.
Besides Sasuke, no one else could make Sakura so distressed.
Sakura paused, then nodded gently.
"Sasuke-nii, after he left that time, he never came home again?" Kirito continued.
"Home? Is this his home? Does he consider this place home?" Sakura murmured bitterly, her eyes lowered, hiding the sadness within them.
She picked up her glass and drained the wine, the spicy liquid flowing down her throat to her stomach, stimulating her digestive system, and even more so, her soul and heart.
"Sakura-nee, don't drink anymore," Kirito said anxiously, trying to stop Sakura, but she pushed him away.
She poured another glass of wine, and just as she was about to chug it, she found the glass had been snatched away by Kirito.
"Give it to me," Sakura reached out to grab the glass, her delicate body leaning against Kirito.
Sakura's soft touch and fragrant scent instantly enveloped Kirito, causing him to momentarily freeze.
"Gulp!" Kirito swallowed, his other hand hovering in mid-air, hesitating whether to take this opportunity to touch that 'mantou'.
However, while he was hesitating, Sakura had already snatched the glass from his hand and moved away from him.
"Gulp, gulp~" Sakura, having snatched the glass, once again drank it all in one gulp, then placed the glass on the table, raised her head, and her hazy beautiful eyes stared intently at Kirito.
"Sakura-nee, you..."
"Why do you care so much about me?" Sakura tilted her head, looking at Kirito, her red lips slightly curled.
"Cough, cough..." Kirito awkwardly coughed twice, then said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Because you're my Sakura-nee!"
"Heh... Is it really that simple?" Sakura looked at Kirito with a half-smile, her gaze scrutinizing.
"Of course!" Kirito quickly explained, "If it weren't for you, Sakura-nee, I might still be outside the village, wondering how to get back!"
"Then why do you know I like red bean tangyuan? Why did you accompany me to the mall?" Sakura looked at Kirito aggressively, as if trying to see right through him.
Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, Kirito decided to go all out and directly admitted, "Because I've liked you for a long time, Sakura-nee!"
Sakura's beautiful eyes were fixed on Kirito's, and seeing the intense sincerity in his gaze, her little heart trembled violently. She frantically averted her eyes, "You... stop messing around!"
"I'm not messing around!" Kirito grabbed Sakura's delicate hand, saying firmly.
"You..." Sakura's beautiful eyes widened, looking at Kirito in disbelief.
"I like you. From the first time I saw you, I had a crush on you, but unfortunately, your heart was only for Sasuke-nii at the time, and you were already married to Sasuke-nii!" Kirito looked at Sakura, his eyes sparkling with fervent emotion.
"Sakura-nee, I like you!" Kirito said solemnly to Sakura once again, "I truly like you."
Hearing Kirito's words, Sakura fell silent, her drunken mind finally clearing up a bit.
Inside, she felt a little flustered.
She didn't know why, but in this moment, her heart rate inexplicably quickened.
"So what?" After a long while, Sakura shook her head and sighed, saying, "Kirito, I know your feelings, and I'm happy that you're willing to like me, but..."
"I'm already married..."
A sudden regret bloomed in Sakura's heart, making her feel as if her choice had been wrong.
Sasuke, whom she had pursued since childhood, couldn't bring her happiness, only endless loneliness and solitude.
She suddenly wondered what it would be like if she hadn't married, if she hadn't married Sasuke.
"I know, Sakura-nee." Kirito gently held Sakura's shoulders, looking at her earnestly, "I won't interfere with your relationship with Sasuke-nii."
That's what he said, but it wasn't what he thought internally.
As someone who inherited the Prime Minister's legacy, he wouldn't give up just because the other person was married.
In fact, prying them apart might feel even better.
"You..." Sakura still wanted to say something, but she gently shook her head, then said, "It's getting late, I should go back."
With that, Sakura shakily stood up.
But because she had drunk too much, she stumbled a few steps and fell onto Kirito.
[Ding! Mission 'Touch Sakura's Mantou' completed. Reward: 300 points of Passion.]
Coincidentally, Kirito's hand landed right on her 'mantou'.
[Ding! Mission 'Icha Icha Paradise': Kiss Sakura. Remaining time: two hours. Reward: 500 points of Passion upon completion.]
Just as he was about to enjoy the wonderful sensation of the 'mantou', the system's notification sound rang out once again.
Chapter 7: Sakura, You're Drunk
"You, quickly help me up!" Sakura realized Kirito's actions, her face instantly flushed crimson, and she quickly pushed him away, embarrassed and annoyed.
"Oh, okay!" Kirito immediately let go, supporting Sakura, and carefully helped her to stand up.
Although he really wanted to take the opportunity to kiss Sakura and complete the mission, it was clear that Sakura was currently on guard against him. Even if he forced a kiss now, it would definitely cause Sakura to react negatively, and it wouldn't be worth it in the end.
"Sakura-nee, I'll take you home." Kirito paid the bill, led Sakura out of the bar, and said to her.
"Mmm!" Sakura softly acknowledged, knowing that she couldn't go home alone in her current state.
Two hours, kiss Sakura within two hours. How is two hours enough time?
The walk to Sakura's house would take at most twenty to thirty minutes. How could he possibly kiss her within that time?
Touching could be attributed to an accident, so kissing would definitely have to be an accident too