Yuhi walked over and slipped the jacket from her shoulders, and replaced it with a poncho. "Wear this."
"En thank you, Yuhi."
He had to look away once he saw the bright smile on her face. This is bad; each action of hers is driving him crazy. This girl most likely has no idea what sort of impact she has on him. But even if she did know, he doubts the situation would change.
"Wear this out." Yuhi grabbed her hand. He didn't want to stay here any longer. The girls had stopped talking, but he could still feel how hostile they were.
"The payment?"
Yuhi turned to the staff. "We will put it on your card, sir."
He didn't want to deal with those girls anymore and quickly left with Sumire. The moment they left, she buried her face in his arms. "Dearest, thank you."
This silly girl must have been nervous this entire time. Yuhi leaned down and kissed her forehead softly. "Mm, anytime. Do you want to go home?"
Pretending to be strong is mentally exhausting. She must be very tired.
After walking for a few minutes, they ended up in the train station area. Due to the weather and time, there were not a lot of people there.
"It's really snowing! How beautiful." Sumire exclaimed as she skipped merrily ahead.
Yuhis gaze fell on the girl, and his gaze softened at her child-like actions. It is easy to forget that she is just a normal high school girl when she has so many burdens to take care of.
"Careful, you might slip."
The snow was still refresh since it just started snowing a few minutes ago. But Sumires' condition still isn't good. Just as she was about to refute him, the girl lost her balance. Yuhi quickly rushed over and reached out for her.
For a moment, neither of them spoke as they looked at each other's eyes. Yuhi felt his heartbeat increase. Huh? What is this feeling again?
The girl is the first one to look away, and she covered her face with her hands. Yuhi remained daze for a moment longer before he grabbed hold of her hands.
"I feel very weird today."
"Uh, weird?"
"Mm," He leaned down and brushed his lips against her ear. "Weird. What are you doing to me, Sumire? Can you tell me?"
He was teasing her, of course, and did not expect an answer, so when she suddenly replied, it startled him.
"I think it's because your feelings for me are increasing."
"You think?"
Sumire sighed. "I don't want to toot my own horn, but you've been feeling self-conscious since uh." She coughed. "Since you touched me. It was a bit different."
Yuhi blinked when he heard those words. Right now that she mentioned it, there was something different when he touched her. But he thought it was because he hadn't touched her in a while. He never would have thought it was for this reason.
He has always loved her, but he wondered when did he start loving her even more? His feelings for her have evolved since the first time, he still loves her for the same reasons as before, but there is something more now.
It seems she understands that very well.
"Why don't you take responsibility?" Yuhi joked, but Sumire jabbed his chest with her arms. "Ouch, why are you so mad?"
"Earlier, you recognized that girl." She mumbled quietly, but he heard her.
It took him a second to realize what she was saying. Is she talking about that fan? It never occurred to him that would be the reason why she rushed over to the window.
"I find it cute when you get jealous," Yuhi leaned down and slipped her shoes off, replacing them with a pair of boots. "But even then, I get upset when you doubt me."
Then again, it isn't her fault completely. It is because he messed around so much before she came here. Sumire is not the type of person to believe in rumors. But even for her, hearing that stuff every single day must be unsettling.
"Uh, what are you doing, Yuhi-san?"
"Massaging your feet."
She still isn't completely recovered.
"My rehab is going fine Yuhi-san, I can walk at least this much."
It sounded like she was rambling. Yuhi didn't have to look at her face to see how nervous she was. She isn't the only nervous one, after all.
"Say Yuhi?"
"Mmm?"
"I-I was wondering, could you practice with me?"
"For Takashis event?"
She laughed nervously. "I am still a bit scared. But ah don't worry, I feel resolved. I will sing that day. It's just. It will be the first time for me in so long facing so many people. Although it is hard to see the audience's facial expressions from the stage, just the fact that there will be so many."
Yuhi stopped massaging her feet and pulled her into his arms. "You don't have to rush; you know that, right?"
"I know, of course, I do. But like I said, I also want to sing again. It's just a bit frightening. But there will be a rehearsal beforehand and plenty of time before it starts. If I keep practicing on the stage before the event, I should be fine."
It sounds like she is trying to persuade herself. Truly this girl is so foolish at times; she needs to stop pretending to act strong. Yuhi understood why she did it, but at the same time, it has become a habit. She doesn't have to do this in front of him.
It was almost like she understood what was going on in his head since she suddenly apologized.
"I'm sorry, Yuhi."
"Don't mind it; it's not like I don't understand. But," Yuhi pinched her cheeks. "I am mad about something."
"Uh. I thought you-"
"If Nagawa gives you a gift, especially clothes, reject it."
Sumire laughed softly. "Would you rather I walked out in the hospital gown?"
Yuhi looked troubled at her words. He understood why she accepted the clothes, but it still made him feel bad. His gaze fell on the sky as he pulled her away from his embrace.
"A lot of stuff has happened recently. You even had to miss out on school for two months, even though I wanted nothing more than for you to experience a normal high school life."
"And I have, because of you, I actually like going to school. I don't exactly get along with everybody. Many people say bad things about me, but I still like it. The reason I can think that way is no doubt because of you."