Eternal Melody

His thoughts broke once the door of the bar opened, great. A customer when Hamano isn’t around. Guess there’s no choice. Yoru isn’t here either. He sits up, “Welc—” Yuhi pauses in mid-sentence when he saw who just entered.

Yuhi sighed deeply. “I see you are just going to show up without calling now.”

The person who just entered is Kiragi Asuka, one of Sumire’s close friends.

Asuka does not say anything to that but took a seat at the counter.

Yoru came just in time, thank goodness. He wasn’t bad at making drinks, but it wasn’t like he was any good either. The ginger hair boy seemed rather nervous to be around Asuka. Come to think of it, Hamano must have said something about it before, about Yoru not being good around girls. 

“So? What is it?”

Asuka closed her other eye for a split second before opening it once again. “I want you to tell me directly since Jae-San won’t say a word about it. Sumire doesn’t have it anymore, does she? The emerald color.”

Yuhi didn’t respond straight away and recalled what happened during that time. So she noticed it already; this one is rather sharp. “If she doesn’t?”

“I noticed something had changed.” Asuka trailed off. “Up until now, Sumire served as the holy knight’s number two under Aki-san. However, during that time frame, Aki-san started acting rather strange, and that’s when I noticed that the cross on his arm. One of the pieces seemed to be fragmented.  No, it has nothing to do with his reduced strength; he’s still the same as ever. I didn’t mention this to Futaba when I met with her, however during the time Sumire contacted me.

Why would Sumire contact Asuka?

“When she called me. I didn’t think it was her at first since she has never sounded like that before. She sounded so terrified.” Asuka pauses before she shook her head. “No saying would be wrong. That person has never been as strong as everyone says she is. She’s never been that strong. 

That’s why when she didn’t break down, I wonder why nobody questioned. Isn’t it strange? Shouldn’t someone have found it strange? Why? Why didn’t they let her cry? Why does everyone else get to cry but her.”

He doesn’t know how to deal with girls on the verge of a breakdown. Or rather, Kiragi Asuka is not the type of person who would show her emotions openly like this. But luckily enough, he wasn’t alone. 

Ookoyama stood up and placed his hand on the girl’s shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. “It’s alright. I’m sure that she already cried in front of someone over the matter.”

At that comment, Yuhi flinched, but he looked over at Kira Jun, who stared at him with an odd gaze. “Did Maon tell you?”

Jun did not say anything, but he understood his new team member very well now.

“You?”

Kirishima smiles.”  It’s not too difficult to guess. With the way she’s always stuck to you like glue.”

She was stuck to him like glue, huh? Indeed, she often clung to him, even before they dated. But Yuhi didn’t think that anybody would mistake them as a couple, let alone somebody Sumire could rely on.

Yuhi nodded. “Yeah, she cried. For Kuruga Asah and for all those nameless individuals out there who got involved.”

It surprised her when she cried, but it surprised him more when she cried the way she did. It was a first for him to see her that way. No, that’s wrong. That time too, he saw it, the tears she cried for Tsueno Mamoru and the tears she cried when he left her. 

“I have always watched over them. That’s why I know she isn’t okay still. Asahi is dead. Futaba went off to investigate and has yet to contact anyone. I wonder if you’re aware of it yet; when we contacted her father’s place the original manager answered and told us that she didn’t know of the ‘Momoi’ family at all. They intend to cover it up; that means something happened.”

Jun spoke up. “I see. Was there not that huge shootout incident a while ago? At the park parking lot near a factory.”

Hey, hey Kira, idols shouldn’t investigate cases like that. Still, he also heard of that incident since Hino warned him not to go there.

“It’s exactly as you say. Futaba’s father was involved in that incident. I don’t think she was involved, but we can’t be too sure.”

“Does Iwa not know this?” Yuhi wondered. 

One of the few things he learned about Iwa Ran was the guy has a childhood friend. That childhood friend is Sumire’s best friend.

“If he knew, then there would have been hell already, no?”

That’s true. Iwa doesn’t look like it. But he is the type that would go ahead and turn the world upside down if something happens to the people he cares about. 

That incident, too, in summer in the stadium. Funny enough, those Iwa is now in a team with that very guy he said he would kill if Sumire gets hurt. 

“I don’t intend to tell him because I do believe that Futaba will contact him first.”

Yuhi did not care for Momoi Futaba; he has never met her before. But he did care for his new teammate. Moreover, he knew how much Sumire cared for the two. “You want me to help you?”

“You catch on quickly.” Asuka slides an invitation on the bar counter. “I need someone to go with me to this event; if you can’t, Hamano will do.”

When Yuhi saw the blue-colored seal, his face color turned pale, and he looked away. “I guess Atushi is going with you.”

“Alright.” 

After a few more words, the purple-haired woman left. Kirishima chuckled. “That was interesting to see. I did not think the rumored cold-hearted beauty would cry like that.”

Yuhi sighed. “Just because she has a label like that on her does not mean you can restrict her like that. She is free to behave any way she wants to.”

He watched as Jun quickly typed something on his laptop, and sure enough, when he got closer, he saw the words he just said on the screen.

“Oi.”

Jun shrugged. “Occasionally, you would say great lines like this. I still do not know much about you, Yuhi-san. So I figured jotting down anything you say will help me.”

Yuhi sighed again when he heard that. “You don’t have to write notes; you can just get to know me.”

“Did you hear that, Ookoyama? This is why Sumire-san likes him.”

Ookoyama Kirishima chuckled. “Indeed, it is rare to find a person like this.”