"Then if you fail again, all you have to do is try again."
Eh? That wasn't what she expected. The answer seems so simple, and yet when she hears this person say it, something seems different.
The brown hair girl makes her way over with her arms folded across her chest, "I already challenged you once before to make it to where I am, didn't I?" Yumi said that Sumire gives a light nod in response. "Even if it isn't as an idol, unlike before, you're standing in a higher position than before. Like I once was when I had to choose my future. Staying in that position may mean a lot of hardship..." Her gaze turned serious.
"The second I became a top Idol, I realized how different it was. I realized that I couldn't stop for a single moment. I had to keep aiming higher and higher no matter how suffocating it was for me. Even If I wanted to stop and take a break, I couldn't do that. I had to keep on aiming higher and higher. If I stopped for a moment, then all the hard work I put in this entire time would vanish. By the time I realized what was happening, I could no longer sing the same way as before."
"Yumi-san."
"But thanks to you, I remember the reason I started to sing."
Sumire looked down. "I haven't done anything...even now, even though I have my resolution. I often hesitate."
That's right, even though she has decided. There are those times where ...where she finds herself in that pitch-black world again.
Yumi shook her head and gave her a kind-hearted and warm smile, "That in itself is not wrong. I said it just now didn't I? Even if it is in a different context, you are now standing in the place I once was. Hearing how hard you've been working, hearing how much you had to go through, and yet still kept on going. I could find it again what I had lost, the me who would dream about anything."
Her gaze softened when she heard those words. That's right, this person from the very beginning was anything but perfect, all those incidences and everything she has gone through. The elder party turned it into strength, which always seemed to shine despite being in pain.
It's who she is that is amazing.
Sumire shuts her eyes and opens them again. "I received that dream from you."
Before she could say anything else, she felt somebody drape their coat around her and grab her hand.
Oh, Yuhi? Indeed it was none other than her boyfriend, Terashima Yuhi.
"I will tell her the rest."
Yumi chuckled. "Please do."
Sumire didn't get a chance to say goodbye since Yuhi dragged her away rather quickly. The entire time, however, she kept looking at his back. This isn't the first time he has dragged her away like this. When they went on missions together in the past, he often took her hand in his like this.
Back then, he told her it was because she walked too slowly, and stuff like this way she won't get lost. But she wondered what his reason was now? Why does the image of him holding her hand back then and now overlap in his head?
The circumstances now differ from before, and yet at the same time, there is something similar too.
"Yuhi, why?"
"I was the one who called her over."
Wait, Yuhi has that much power? He can even summon somebody like Yumi-senpai?
"Don't you know what position I have in the entertainment world?"
"Yes, I do, but this--"
"Right, it wasn't easy for me to bring Takahashi Yumi here. But I did."
"What did you sacrifice?" Sumire asked curiously. Even if Yuhi mentioned her, Yumi-senpai isn't an easy person to persuade.
"It's nothing."
"Nothing, huh?"
She watched his expression carefully and laughed softly as something came to mind. She understood Yumi-senpai well; the exchange is most likely performing a few concerts for free.
She clung to his arm, and Yuhi sighed deeply. "Hey, are you trying to bribe me?"
"Says the one grabbed my hand earlier."
Yuhi raised his eyebrow. "Was that a problem?"
"Mmm, you should greet me with a kiss."
At that comment, he grabbed her hand again and pushed her against the wall. "You know, I told you before if you mess with me, what will happen to you, right?"
"I know. I understand it very well."
"So you do this stuff to mess with me."
"No, it's because I want it."
Yuhi leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. "You're driving me crazy, don't do this to me."
"Then, just go ahead."
The scent of his cologne mixed with the scent of cigarettes, and yet it seems so natural. They kissed for a good few minutes before they hear the sound of a phone ringing.
"Damn," Yuhi mumbled against her lips.
"Is it Hino?" she recognized the separate ringtone by now.
"Yeah, since I bailed."
"That's no good."
"Just another."
Sumire laughed softly. "No, don't be silly, Yuhi-san. You should go to work."
"I am surprised you are not asking me to stay."
"That's because Hino is my friend too. The poor guy is working hard to cover for you; the least you can do for him is to show up when he calls."
Yuhi deeply sighed. "I am sure your mentor told you already."
"Ah, the stuff with the idol association board?"
"It's not just my songs they want to control but the jobs I do. You know I don't like taking many jobs not related to music, even more so modeling jobs."
Sumire blinked, understanding what he was trying to tell her. "Then replace the female model with me?"
Yuhis lips curve to a smile. "That is called using connections."
"I am sure I will be a better model."
Yuhi laughed at her words. "You're so confident, but that is a good thing." His gaze softened. "Walk me to the end of this street?"
Sumire looked at their surroundings and noticed where they were, and nodded. For a moment, nobody spoke, and she enjoyed the breeze blowing against her face. For September, it was unusually colder. Summer just ended, so she half expected it to remain warmer.
Yuhi let go of her hand and stood in front of her. He reached out and started to button his coat which she had draped around her shoulders.
"Aha."
"Don't laugh. I don't want you to get sick, and the concert is later tonight."
"Mm, don't worry, I know." Her sentence fell short when her phone rang, and she laughed awkwardly. "I guess the interviewers came."
Yuhi looked confused, but he frowned. "You accepted an interview? Is that okay?"
"It won't take longer than an hour, Yuhi."
"Half it."
Sumire sensed his tone and the concern in his eyes. Her gaze softened. He isn't being unnecessarily possessive of her, and even if he wants her all to himself, he will never restrict her.
"Okay, then twenty minutes?" He appeared satisfied with this answer, so Sumire turned to leave, but Yuhi grabbed her arm, and in the next second, she was in his arms.
"If something happens, I will get them."
"Hey, remember who you are talking to here? Rather than let my cool boyfriend beat them up, I would rather do it myself."
Yuhi laughed. "You're very good at flattery. Here is your reward."
It was just a gentle forehead kiss, but it meant so much more to her.