Sakura Haruno's eyes widened in disbelief, as if she had misheard him.
In the past, whenever she came to see Sasuke-kun, she was either shut out at the door or left disappointed.
Sasuke had never once shown her a pleasant expression.
He always wore a cold face, as if the whole world owed him money.
And yet, even so, Sakura had never once given up on liking him.
She had even drifted apart from her childhood best friend, Ino Yamanaka, simply because they had fallen for the same boy.
…
"S-Sasuke… what did you just… say?"
Sakura lifted her delicate, fair face. Her rosy cheeks were flushed pink, filled with both shy sweetness and utter disbelief.
It felt like a dream.
Sasuke looked at the beautiful girl before him, her eyes filled entirely with him.
Back before he transmigrated, as a useless shut-in, when had he ever received this kind of treatment?
This was the heroine of Naruto, Sakura Haruno!
And right from the start, she liked him this much…
If he didn't have the Invincible Sign-In System, Sasuke might not even have had the courage to face this new world.
But now?
With the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and Jōnin-level chakra, even if Kakashi Hatake showed up, he'd probably have to kneel and call him "Dad."
Sakura was a girl who cared deeply about her appearance. Her pink hair was beautifully maintained, soft and glossy.
Sasuke smiled handsomely. "Silly girl, of course I meant it."
"From now on, you're my girlfriend."
In the original storyline, Sakura's personality wasn't exactly popular. Compared to Hinata, her popularity was nowhere near as high.
That was because everyone viewed Naruto Uzumaki as the protagonist. Naruto liked Sakura so much that he practically worshipped her.
Yet Sakura rarely gave Naruto a second glance, only turning to him when she needed something.
In contrast, Hinata's devotion to Naruto was leagues deeper.
So naturally, when people projected themselves onto Naruto as the male lead, they disliked Sakura.
But look at it from another angle—
What if the protagonist was Uchiha Sasuke?
Sakura may have been captivated by Sasuke's handsome face at first, but throughout the entire series, she never changed her heart. From beginning to end, the only one she longed for was Sasuke.
A girl this devoted, whose eyes were filled with nothing but him—
How could Sato Haruki, the former shut-in, possibly reject her?
…
'Of course… heh. All the beautiful girls in Naruto will be mine!'
Now that he had transmigrated into this anime world full of beauties, and even possessed Sasuke's perfect face, how could he not build himself a grand harem?
"Sakura, all these years you've liked me… everything you've done for me—I've seen it."
Sasuke's voice softened with emotion. "Sakura, be my girlfriend."
"Sasuke—"
At that moment, Sakura's heart pounded wildly. She had never imagined that the courage she had gathered to bring him a gift and confess today would actually move Sasuke.
She was overjoyed.
Overwhelmed.
Unable to hold back her feelings, she threw herself into his arms.
Countless nights, she had dreamed of being with Sasuke…
And now, her wish had finally come true.
She held him tightly, as if only by embracing him could she confirm that this wasn't a dream—that it was real.
Sasuke, of course, welcomed her without hesitation.
If Sakura had loved Sasuke for years, then as a former shut-in, he had fantasized countless times about being intimate with beautiful anime girls.
Now, that dream had become reality.
"Sasuke… Sasuke… I—I like you so much… so, so much!"
After loving him since childhood, after so many years, Sasuke had suddenly accepted her.
Sakura was deeply moved. Her heart overflowed with emotions and words she wanted to say.
Sasuke wrapped his arms around her as well, carefully savoring the sweetness of holding a real anime girl in his embrace.
'So this is what it feels like to hold your anime wife… It's even better than I imagined.'
Why did Sato Haruki love anime and game beauties?
It wasn't just because they were pretty, had great figures, or charming personalities.
More importantly, 2D girls fulfilled the fantasies of otaku like him.
They were perfect—untainted by the flaws of reality.
Sasuke sighed inwardly.
'I love the anime world. I love anime girls.'
…
Sakura finally had somewhere to anchor her emotions.
Sasuke had fulfilled the fantasies of his former shut-in self.
So as they held each other, both were overwhelmed with excitement. They embraced for a long, long time, reluctant to separate.
After the rush of emotion passed and Sakura gradually calmed down, however, a flicker of doubt surfaced in her heart.
'Is the Sasuke in front of me… really Sasuke-kun?'
Why had he changed so much?
If Sasuke had been moved by her years of affection and chosen to accept her, that was understandable.
But—
'Could it be…?'
'Is this not Sasuke at all?'
'Is this Naruto Uzumaki disguised as him?!'
The moment that thought crossed her mind, Sakura's face went pale.
In the original storyline, there had been a time when Naruto ambushed Sasuke and transformed into him, trying to trick Sakura—he had even nearly stolen her first kiss.
It had been outrageous.
So with Sasuke's personality changing so drastically, Sakura had every reason to be suspicious.
Suddenly, she pushed him away.
Her pink hair was slightly messy now, her red dress rumpled. Her cheeks were still flushed, her expression a complicated mix of emotion—shyness, joy… and suspicion.
Her gaze grew serious as she stared at him.
"Sasuke… I'm really happy you accepted me and made me your girlfriend…"
"But—"
"Are you really Sasuke?"
Sasuke froze.
Looks like he had overdone it just now.
His mind raced.
There were three options before him.
The first was to come clean—admit he was a transmigrator and that he was now Sasuke.
Obviously, that was impossible. He would never choose that, not in this lifetime.
The second option was to use the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan he had just obtained. With a simple genjutsu, he could easily erase Sakura's doubts.
But that would be meaningless.
A woman won through illusion—how could that be worthy of his rare chance to live in the Naruto world?
So Sasuke decided on the third option.
He would win Sakura's understanding with genuine emotion.
And if that didn't work—
Well… using genjutsu later wouldn't be impossible either.