Imperfectly Perfect 2

44 : First Attempt

Sana is lazily walking towards the main building of the university. She will be dropping at the student council office as part of her usual routine every time her day is about to end.

It is still just around four in the afternoon in the middle of the week so there is still a good amount of students wandering all over the place.

As she neared the building's entrance, a couple of girls passed by her, noticeably giggling. She was about to shrug it off when another group of boys passed by her with the same excited energy the chuckling girls showed off.

"I feel like I already had this experience before." Sana mumbles to herself as she quickens her stride towards the building.

Upon entering the first floor, she rolled her eyes, seeming to confirm what she was expecting.

A tall girl wearing a different university uniform is leaning on the handle of the stairs of the first floor, looking down and fiddling with her fingers nervously.

Sana simply stood flatly on the building's entrance for a moment, contemplating what to do next. She heaves in a deep breath before walking towards the tall girl. "Tzu."

"Sa— Sana."

They just looked at each other for a good couple of minutes until the vice president broke their eye contact, clearing her throat. "Why are you here?"

"Can— can we talk?"

"Look, Chou Tzuyu. If this is about—"

"Please?" Tzuyu looks at her directly with sincere eyes.

Sana pauses for a moment, then lets out a huge sigh. "Okay. Follow me."

The cheer captains walked outside of the main building. The older girl just walked without glancing behind her. Tzuyu diligently followed her without complaining.

After about three minutes, they arrived at a corner behind one of the old lecture buildings. The place is obviously secluded from the crowd with old trees lining an old pathway.

"Talk, Tzu." Sana speaks with a blank expression. "Now."

Tzuyu exhales deeply in a bit of annoyance. "I heard you got drunk."

The cheer captain rolls her eyes. "If you're here to nag me about how I should—"

"SANA."

The older girl blinks slowly, a bit startled by how Tzuyu suddenly raised her voice. "Wha— What?"

"Why did you get drunk without telling me?" The younger girl speaks in a voice laced with annoyance and at the same time authority. "What if other people took advantage of you, huh? You should've at least informed me. No matter how busy I was, I would've found a way to make sure you were safe that night."

Sana failed to get the words out of her mouth. She definitely isn't expecting the sudden interrogation. "Tzu— Tzuyu—"

"MINATOZAKI SANA. I know that we haven't been talking for days now since you walked out on me but that doesn't mean that you can go and be irresponsible with yourself."

"Wait." Sana scoffs, although she obviously looks nervous right now because of Tzuyu's attitude. "Are you mad at—"

"YES."

The younger cheer captain slowly walks towards Sana. The latter takes a step back, then another. However, on the third step, Sana felt the building's wall behind her, making her unable to move further from Tzuyu's gaze.

"Tzu— Tzuyu." The older girl tries to compose herself but her stuttering gives away her current uneasiness.

Tzuyu stayed silent as she took the last step to be as close as she could to Sana. And then she hugged her.

The younger girl speaks as she tightens her embrace. "I don't want you to go doing those irresponsible things only because I'm breaking your heart by being stupid enough to not know what you want."

The vice president stayed silent, unable to find the right words to respond. But that was only until she heard faint sobs, feeling that her shoulder was getting soaked. That is when she slowly raised her arms to reciprocate the hug she was receiving. "Hey, Tzu. Don't—"

"I'm sorry if I disappointed you last time." The younger girl continues to sob. "Am I that naive with things about love? Am I really that oblivious about these romantic things?"

"Oh my— Tzu, don't be like this." Sana also starts tearing up. "Hey." She breaks the hug and cups the other girl's cheeks. "Stop crying, okay? I'm sorry. I— I didn't want to hurt your feelings like this. When I walked out at that time, I never wanted to see you like this."

Tzuyu pouts like a kid on the older girl's touch. "I may even look like I'm cheating right now because I'm crying and I'm even using self pity to get your attention."

Sana wipes off the tears on Tzuyu's cheeks that are continuously flowing. "Hey, hey, hey. Stop crying. Please."

"Sana." Tzuyu calls out while holding both of the older girl's hands like her life depends on it. "Umm... Did I— Perhaps... Did I make you feel like I was using you when I told you everything about my current situation?"

Sana softly smiles with pain in her eyes. "Tzu."

"Ye— Yeah?"

"That... That is one of those things that I don't want to hear from you."

Tzuyu looks at her with worry. "Really?"

The vice president simply nods. "Why should I feel used? Are you only using me to get out of this fixed marriage?"

"No!" The younger cheer captain quickly waves her hand in dismissal. "Definitely not!"

Sana just nodded and looked to the ground.

"Then..." Tzuyu continues to speak. "Is it— do you think telling you about the deal was just too soon?"

"That is not it, Tzu." The vice president glances at her. "That's not the reason why I did not want to agree with it."

The younger girl pouts again. "So those two weren't what you wanted to hear, huh? Sorry."

Sana looks at their hands and slowly moves hers to intertwine it with Tzuyu. "Tzu."

"Hmm?" Tzuyu hums. She now looks like she was about to cry at any given second.

The older cheer captain smiles. "Is this you, trying to figure out what I wanted to hear?"

Tzuyu nods a couple of times.

"Then... just try again."

"But what if I disappoint you again?"

"Why?" Sana slightly tilts her head. "Will you stop trying for me at some point?"

"N— no! I don't want to. I won't stop! I will never!"

Sana smiles at her sincerely. "I'm glad to hear that. I truly do." Then, she shifts into something serious. "We're no longer those kids anymore who could play house all they want until someone has to go home and everything that they built in the game drops just like that. We're adults now, Tzuyu. And I assure you, I have no interest in playing a game of house with you. Not anymore."

The vice president looks deeply into the taller girl's eyes. "You understand that what you want from me is nothing simple and is something really big, right?"

Tzuyu just nods slowly.

"Then, for me to agree with it..." Sana continues in a very serious tone. "I need to hear the right words from you. I'm so sorry to break it to you but cry all you want, whine all you want, do anything and everything but— but unless I hear the things I need to hear from you... I swear that I will never agree to that stupid deal you're offering me, Chou Tzuyu."