Sakura stared at the door long after it closed.
The room felt quiet… too quiet. The kind of silence that presses on your chest and makes your breathing feel loud. Her fingers were still shaking under the blanket, her mind replaying Koharu's voice again and again.
"I did everything you told me…"
Sakura closed her eyes.
She hated herself for how fast she had judged Koharu that night.
She hated Koharu for how much power she had.
And worst of all…
She hated how her heart still didn't know what to feel.
The door opened again.
This time it was Aiko.
Aiko stepped inside with a cold expression, but her eyes were sharp—like she had been holding her anger in her throat since the ceremony, since the meeting, since everything started falling apart.
She didn't ask how Sakura was doing.
She didn't bring fake sympathy.
She just looked at Sakura like she was trying to decide whether to scream or cry.
Aiko shut the door behind her.
"You met her," Aiko said quietly.
Sakura's eyes widened slightly.
Aiko's voice was flat, but the pain behind it was loud. "Koharu."
Sakura swallowed. "Yeah…"
Aiko walked closer, her footsteps slow, controlled. She stood beside the bed, staring down at Sakura like she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"You actually went," Aiko whispered, almost laughing. "You really went to dinner with her."
Sakura sat up a little, her throat burning. "It wasn't like that."
Aiko's jaw clenched.
"Then what was it like, Sakura?" Aiko asked, her voice rising. "Because from where I'm standing… it looks like you went there, you fought, and now our whole career is in the trash."
Sakura's heart tightened. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't want her help."
Aiko scoffed. "You didn't want it? But you still took it when it came, didn't you?"
Sakura's eyes filled with tears. "No—"
Aiko cut her off instantly.
"Don't lie to me," she snapped. "Not now. I know Koharu. I know what she's capable of."
Sakura froze.
Aiko exhaled sharply, her shoulders trembling as if she was forcing herself not to break apart.
"You think I don't remember?" Aiko said bitterly. "That woman has been around longer than you think."
Sakura blinked.
Aiko looked away, eyes turning glassy. "She used to be just a name. A rumor. Someone people whispered about when things went too smoothly. Someone who could make your life easier… or destroy it with the same hand."
Sakura's lips parted slightly.
Aiko's voice lowered, softer now—but dangerous.
"And she chose you."
Sakura's chest tightened so much it hurt. "Aiko… I never wanted to be chosen."
Aiko laughed, but it sounded broken.
"That's the problem," she whispered. "You don't even realize what you have. You don't realize what people do for you."
Sakura's tears slipped out silently.
Aiko stepped closer.
"Do you know what it felt like," Aiko said, voice shaking, "standing on that stage today… performing perfectly… and still losing?"
Sakura couldn't speak.
Aiko's eyes burned with anger and humiliation.
"And then finding out it wasn't even real," Aiko continued. "That it was bought. That someone was playing chess and we were the pieces."
She stared at Sakura like she wanted to hate her…
…but couldn't.
"And still," Aiko whispered, voice cracking, "she only wanted dinner with you."
Sakura's heart clenched.
"Aiko…" Sakura whispered, reaching out.
Aiko slapped her hand away—not hard, but enough to make Sakura flinch.
"Don't," Aiko said. "Don't touch me like you understand."
Her breathing was uneven now.
"I'm not angry because she likes you," Aiko said, tears finally spilling. "I'm angry because it was my debut too. It was my moment too."
Sakura's tears fell faster.
Aiko wiped her face angrily like she hated herself for crying.
"And now we're selling tickets on the street," Aiko said, voice low. "And people laugh at us. And the company looks at us like we're nothing."
She leaned closer, her eyes sharp again.
"So tell me, Sakura," she whispered. "What are you going to do now?"
Sakura stared at her, trembling.
She had no answer.
Because no matter what she chose—
If she went back to Koharu, she'd be a puppet.
If she stayed away, OG would bleed out slowly.
Aiko straightened up, her voice cold again.
"If you ever talk to her again…" Aiko said, pausing like the words tasted bitter.
"Then don't do it for yourself."
She looked straight into Sakura's eyes.
"Do it for OG."
And with that, Aiko turned around and walked out of the room, leaving Sakura alone with the truth that hurt the most—
That love wasn't the only thing Koharu was offering.
It was power.
And Sakura had no idea how to survive it.