Eternal Melody

Even after he forgot about her, he often found himself observing other people’s expressions. Whenever he saw the happy smiles on his fans’ faces, it made him feel happy. But at the same time, it always felt like he was searching for a particular smile among that crowd.

“Regardless,” Yuhi mumbled. “Do you like it?”

“Mmm, I do a lot. Thank you, Yuhi.”

He wants to ask her more questions, but knowing her, she would not give him this information now. His thoughts broke off hearing a loud rumble in the sky. The rain was getting worse, and he clicked his tongue, annoyed as he typed out a message.

“I will get Nagawa to fetch you.”

Sumire nodded. “What about you?”

“I can walk.” 

“Why don’t we just drop you off?”

Yuhi looked at her skeptically. He doesn’t want to intervene. Even if the two have had that talk and Nagwa won’t cross boundaries easily anymore. He doesn’t want to see how they interact with each other. Yuhi was about to say something when he heard the sound of a car approaching.

Nagawa carried an umbrella. “I was nearby.”

So, in other words, he followed her? 

Yuhi watched as the man draped his coat around her shoulders. “Are you cold?”

“A little, but it’s okay.”

“You look a bit feverish to me.” Yuhi watched as the blonde-haired man placed his hand on her forehead. “Hot, get in the car now.”

Sumire looked back at him. “Can Yuhi come too? He needs to go to school.”

Yuhi wanted to say he was fine, but he heard a deep sigh. “Alright.”

It was only when he got into the car did he understand why Sumire invited him along. There was a woman in the passenger seat. Sumire didn’t seem surprised to see her. 

This is the one from the hospital that day. Despite how emotional he was then, he could still recognize her. There was something about this woman that resembled Sumire.

“Sorry about this Ibuki-san, I have a function to attend in this area, and I heard Sano was nearby.”

“You don’t have to explain it to me. He is only my doctor.”

Sano’x eyes twitched, annoyed. “Then maybe I should take that pass off you?”

“Isn’t that an abuse of power?”

Yuhi sighed when he saw them bicker. Then again, it is better than her being upset. She should be lively like this than depressed.

“Ibuki-san, those earrings are nice,” Penelope commented.

Yuhi wanted to curse when he heard that harmless-sounding comment. He already knew how this would go.

At that comment, Sumire stopped bickering with Sano. Her cheeks turned red, and she shyly played with her fingers and laughed. “Mm, Yuhi made them for me.”

They haven’t even confirmed if those are the earrings, but she is already going along with it. But more importantly, Yuhi felt his heartbeat increase when he saw her smile.

Thump, thump, the sound increased more when she turned to him.

“My boyfriend is very talented.”

Whatever self-control he had vanished, and he leaned over to kiss her, not caring about the other two. It was a good thing that Nagawa had yet to drive the car; otherwise, there would have been an accident.

Sumire shyly laughed when he parted their lips. “This is why I told you that holding back is no good. You’re so silly, Yuhi-san.”

Why is her reaction so- this girl is driving him crazy. Why does she keep doing this to him? If she has any idea what is going on in his mind, he wondered how she would react. She blushes over the most simple things, like them holding hands and hugging.

“Sano, I’m driving.”

“I will.” Sano still insisted, but Yuhi could tell how pale his face was.

The redhead immediately cut him off. “I’m telling my grandmother.”

It seemed that did the trick since the two swapped seats. Yuhi cursed in his head after he calmed down. What on earth did he just do there? No matter how cute Sumire is, he should still refrain from doing something like that in front of others, no in front of his rival.

To think he just had a conversation earlier this morning about his considerate behavior towards Nagawa. 

Once Penelope started to drive, silence engulfs the car. Yuhi looked over at Sumire, who was oddly quiet, and noticed how red her face still was. She seemed shy after that kiss, and that made him look away. He didn’t know why he did something like that, but before he knew it, he lost control of himself.

Somebody switched the radio on, and soon the news replaced the silence. 

“Good afternoon, news just in. A surprising statement from the top of the entertainment world Takashi Yumi. In a few days, her world tour is coming to an end. A few months ago, when she planned the location of her tour, she also mentioned that one of her kohai would perform at the event.”

“This kohai of hers is surprisingly Ibuki Sumire, who performed her debut song superstar of tomorrow earlier on this year.”

“Ibuki Sumire-san has been in a hiatus, and even after fans reconfirmed her appearance, she has not been present at any music events. This has lead to much controversy towards her.”

“But surprisingly, this was all so she could prepare for her duet with her senpai.”

At that comment, he watched as the dazed girl turned frantic. “Wait-?!”

“Let’s listen to the statement from Takashi Yumi, who announced this herself.”

“The big surprise? Yes, I suppose it is time I reveal it. But even if I hyped it as a big surprise, it is only a performance between my dear kohai and me.”

“Does that mean-“

“The present I have for the people who have supported me is a duet with my dear kohai Ibuki Sumire-chan.”

From the looks of her expression, it seemed she had no idea. Yuhi picked up his phone and saw the incoming call from Hino.

“Did you just hear the news–” Hino trailed off. He must have heard Sumire’s panicking. “Are you together?”

“Yeah.”

In Nagawas car with the fiance too. Yuhi, however, didn’t bother with such details. This is already a strange enough situation. Yuhi passed Sumire the phone.

“Of course I didn’t know; she never mentioned this.” Sumire trailed off. “But even if I didn’t know, I’m still going to sing.”

When Yuhi heard the determination in her voice, he tapped Penelope’s shoulder. “Could you drop by my agency?”

“No.” Sumire suddenly said. “Go to the stadium.”