Whenever Shin thought of Ibuki Sumire, he would recall the time he spent observing her.
She truly is different from what he pictured. He thought she was an emotionless girl someone who didn't have any emotions. It was only natural for him to think that because their past aside. She never reacted to any of the cruel things he said to her. No matter how cruel his words were, she didn't react to them. No that's not why he was so cruel.
It frustrated him, seeing her like that. It was frustrating watching her act exactly like a doll with no emotions. There's no way because the girl who helped him escape that day looked so frantic and desperate. That's exactly why, despite the feelings of anger he felt that day, and he didn't hit her.
Shin felt it was her again when she visited Tokyo on a class trip, and he saw her loitering around. She always wore a mask then and would only show her face around certain people. He didn't know what it was, but he felt it was her, the silhouette - her hairstyle it's completely different than before. But he knew he could never make a mistake when it came to her.
He had to confirm it, no matter what he had to know, and when he did find out, it shocked him. Although he wanted it to be her, it surprised him even more so when she hides her face again slowly afterward, ticked him off.
'She doesn't want to see him', that's obvious. Her reaction was normal - and yet, when he caught a glimpse of the girl's eyes, there was nothing but sadness.
But why? Why would she be so sad upon seeing him? He didn't get it. He debated it constantly in his head and finally worked up the courage to speak to her about it.
His group went on tour. The next time they meet, he will ask her, and they will speak about before. That's how it was supposed to be. But upon his return, he noted that she no longer wore the mask, and the expression behind the mask was a broken doll.
It irked him to see her like that, especially since he knew that she wasn't like that. It was only for a short while before, but he could still remember the girl's smile from years ago. The reason why he was so cruel was to bring out her emotions again.
Though that tactic failed, what brought out her emotions again was those words. 'When you're too kind to me, I become afraid.'
When she first said that to him, he could only stare at her in wonder. She's showing a different expression now, and yet it was completely different than what he suspected. At the start, he thought it was different but thinking about it carefully, and it made sense. She was that way before, too, not being able to say anything to her father and yet smiling whenever she's given food.
She is weak and fragile; when he's kind to her, she gets all confused, and yet to him, that is cute. Ever since he changed his attitude towards her, things have been different between them. He did suspect things would change, but who would have thought that it would become like this now.
He didn't think that he would end up caring for her to such an extent. Damm, that girl is sneaky.
Shin sighed deeply as his gaze fell on the large building in front of him. The huge sign akagaumi bar in neon-colored lettering stood out even from a distance.
So he ended up here. But for the last few minutes, he could not summon the courage to go inside. So he kept walking back and forth.
"The young man lurking around with a suspicious package can come inside."
Shin averted his gaze and coughed. "I didn't want to disturb you."
"But you're worried about me, right, Shin?"
Indeed he was, he left in a hurry because Atsuro called him. But the moment Atsuro left, he came here.
"Go back inside, and you might catch a cold."
Sumire laughed. "Come in, and I unlocked the door from here."
'Isn't Nagawa there? Won't it be awkward?'
But, he did want to talk to her and make sure she was fine. Last night's events must have shocked her. Sumire isn't a delicate person, but he knew that she disliked fights.
He awkwardly opened the gate and walked across the lawn till he arrived at the door. He opened the doorknob and glanced around. There was strangely nobody around.
After a few minutes, he hears the sound of somebody going downstairs. But the footsteps stopped in the hallway.
Shin felt that there was something wrong.
It was Nagawa, he had Sumire backed against the staircase, and he was kissing her. For a moment, Shin recalls a scene from before, scattered garments, lustful gaze, and a strange perfume scent in the air.
He shook his head. Sumire is different from before, and she won't do that stuff.
"San, stop."
"Why?"
"Because I said so." She pushes him away and sighed. "We have a guest; behave okay?"
"Okay."
"Mmm, good."
It is impressive to see how she has tamed Nagawa.
Soon Sumire walked out with Nagawa following behind her. He looked meeker than the last time Shin saw him. He heard the details of Atsuro, but did that one incident change the arrogant man that much?
He awkwardly sat down on the couch, and Sumire and Nagawa sat opposite him. The latter leaned his head on Sumire's shoulders like it was natural.
"Sorry about this. He isn't feeling very well, and he keeps reopening his wounds."
"It's fine."
But a bit strange to watch. Then again, he was the first one to suspect the thing with her and Atsuro.
"Are you alright?" Shin asked. "Last night-" He paused and clenched his fist at the memory. When he saw her ability, he wanted to stop her from using it. Using that much blood is not healthy for anybody, let alone her, who was already weak.
He couldn't stop her, and as he suspected, it was too much for her.
"You don't have to feel bad, Shin, and it was not your fault. I made the decision myself."
So she is basically telling him that she knew what she was doing. But that makes this situation worse. He should have been the voice of reason and told her not to use it at all costs.
"You know it was nice."
"Nice?"
"It's still better fighting alongside Yuhi, but he is not the only one I trust to have my back. I knew you would defend me."
"I told you before, as long as I can sense you, I will protect and find you."
Even though he knew Yuhi or Atsuro could do a better job than him, it didn't stop him from wanting to protect her.
"I know, and you kept that promise this entire time. I am very grateful to you, Shin; you suppressed your feelings for me and treated me as a friend since I came here."
He had no choice; after all, he visited her a few times after Mamorus
's death. Due to her current state, she did not recognize or recall it, but he was there. He saw how broken she became.