With her he wants things to be different. So far so good, but his gaze fell on the girl who buried her face in his neck. She didn't say anything for a few minutes and he knew she was inhaling his scent again.
"I want to graduate together."
"Mmm, don't worry. They talk like that but your grades are good."
"I also want to go to the beach with Yuhi."
"Right we didn't get a chance to go."
"I also want to sing with you." She whispered this part and his gaze softened.
So that's what she decided huh? Sumire probably wasn't able to say it in front of the teachers since she wants to confine in somebody she trusts first.
"Should I ambush your stage with Takashi Yumi?"
"Don't be silly, you know Yumi-senpai isn't singing with me."
"You could have fooled me."
"Besides I think it would be hard for me to sing with her."
Yuhi noticed her trembling shoulders and paused. "You don't have to rush yourself, Sumire. Even if Mamoru is alive, this incident traumatized you heavily. Its true that your able to live a normal school life, but people shouldn't use that as leverage for you to sing again."
"But I want to sing."
"You do?"
Sumire nodded slowly. "I want to be able to breathe properly again, and to get rid of this suffocated feeling in my heart. There are so many things I want to say."
Right thats the type of singer she is. It is because she has such beautiful and powerful emotions in her heart that her songs touch the hearts of so many people, including him.
"Then say them."
Sumire laughed and got off his lap as she opened the window. She took a piece of scrap paper from his notebook and started to fold it. Yuhi understood what she was doing and he did the same, both of them made paper airplanes and threw them out of the window.
They watched the airplanes for a few seconds, before one fell on the ground.
"Argh! Why did mine fall right away?"
"Its the way you threw it."
Sumire made another one and he wrapped his arms around her from the back. "Alright throw."
She did as he said and this time it didnt fall immediately.
"I did it!"
Sometimes she has her childish moments.
"Are you still going to study in France?"
"That is the plan, but I'm going to delay it for awhile."
"You don't have to-"
Yuhi shook his head. "This isn't just about you anymore." He trailed off. "I surprisingly like it, being in a group with those guys. At first I was worried that it would go wrong. After all I knew they all like you, no matter how accepting they are it would be hard for them to be around me since we convey our feelings through our music."
Sumire's feelings for him pour through even during the debut song, and the other songs afterwards. The girl they like is writing about another guy, it should be hard for them to sing but those guys proved him wrong.
"During the time you weren't here. I thought I would be alone again. Even though I have friends, I don't have anybody who is truly close to me. But it wasn't like that at all, they would casually visit me during the day and accompany me after school even though we didnt have work together. They would come over during lunch even though the music building is on the other side." His gaze softened. "It is the first time for me, meeting people like that."
"I see, mmm I am glad. You know Yuhi I will be honest with you now. I was the one who asked the idol association board to put you as a group."
"You were?"
"You don't seem too surprised?"
Yuhi sighed. "Well even though they were putting pressure on me regarding it I could tell there was something unusual. If they just wanted to put us as a group they could do so easily, but they went through the trouble of asking permission. They considered our feelings and extended the time frame. They waited until we came together on our own."
"So your saying only I can make such considerations?"
"Only you would care about us to this extent." He trailed off. "But how did you do it? Normally you don't interfere in anything associated with the idol association board."
"But I still have a place there. Truthfully at first I didn't intend to force it. Quatro Light was doing fine, they were achieving great sales and breaking records. You were doing the same and internationally too. However during Quatro lights live last year I noticed something off. Coincidentally that day you had a concert too. When I watched the two performances side by side something clicked. I saw something I hadn't seen before." Sumire laughed. "Maybe it was too careless of me just deciding like that."
"It wasn't careless, and besides you turned out to be right didn't you?"
"I am truly glad you are getting along with them Yuhi-san."
Yuhi felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the gentle gaze on her face.
He wondered when did it start? Since when did her smiling face, since when did her acting childish would melt the vicious emotions normally residing in his heart? He wasn't as bad as her but he still had his fair share of skeletons in the closet. Happiness is a foreign thing thing to him too. But the year he spent with her as a member of the Holy Knights and the present has made him change his mind.
Whether he deserves happiness or not doesn't matter, if he has to be happy, he wants it to be with her.
"I will walk you back."
Yuhi had to refrain himself from asking her to head back with him. For now he has to hold himself back.
....
Although he confidently sent her off yesterday. Yuhi didn't get much sleep and in the end he skipped work in the morning. If he is going to skip work he should attend school, but since yesterday he felt very restless.
Yuhi took a deep breath as he approached her room only to hear light laughter. It seems she wasn't alone. He peered through the door to find Nagawa was there.
"The doctor was here earlier, he said that I still have a fever and should rest."
Sano brushed his fingers across her forehead. "You do still seem quite hot."
"I thought you were coming much later."
"Are you going to have visitors? I can go."
"Ah no, I was thinking of reading. Your early because-"
"I had some cancelled appointments."
Even from here Yuhi could tell it was a lie. They must have talked again, because there is something different about Nagawa. Yesterday he refrained from asking too many questions. It was the first time she went out since she became hospitalized, so he didn't want to pressure her too much.
"Don't read for now, lay down for a bit longer. Have you eaten?"
"A little."
"Then have some fruits for now."
Sumire laughed. "Im alright, you don't have to spoil me so much."
If she smiles so innocently like that anybody would want to spoil her. Yuhi took a deep breathe. What is he doing hiding? Its not like there is anything to see. Sumire doesn't care about Nagawa, at least not in the same way she does him.