It was only because he waited that the situation escalated this far.
Sumire's feelings for Nagawa may change. She already no longer hates him despite having so much hate previously.
This situation is dangerous.
Despite his calm demeanor, ever since Nagawa Sano appeared, he has felt very uneasy. He managed to conceal it this entire time, but it took more out of him than he thought. Yuhi gradually felt his mental state weaken, and before he knew it, whenever he heard the words Nagawa and Sumire, an odd pain would appear in his chest.
His thoughts broke off when Sumire switched the stove off. She suddenly grabbed hold of his cheeks and, with a stern expression, said.
"Are you upset that I met with San?"
"Huh?"
Sumire sighed deeply. "I knew that it was you who called Hino. He uses a different ring tone when it comes to you. You overheard Sano calling for me and misunderstood!"
"I'm uneasy when it comes to him," Yuhi admitted.
"You never said anything until now."
Of course, he didn't. He understood that she had some unsettled matters with Nagawa. Even before they started dating, Sumire mentioned it. So naturally, he wanted to respect her wishes. That was why even though Hino warned him, he never interfered.
'I just watched them get closer' Yuhi felt a sudden anger when he thought of it that way. What on earth is he doing? Why did he allow things to escalate this far?
No wonder the others gave him odd looks, and even Asuka said something about giving him some advice next time they met up.
He can't help it; even if it meant sacrificing his own feelings, he wanted her to continue smiling. He didn't want her to dislike hun,
Yuhi sensed the hidden meaning in her tone and knew she was mad about it. "Since when were you-"
Sumire sighed deeply. "From the very start! Are you stupid Yuhi-san? How can you watch as the girl you like, later on, your girlfriend act so close with another guy? Sure, I had my plans, but if you told me you were uncomfortable, I would have stopped right away! What is important to me is how you feel!"
Her words and her anger surprised him. Yuhi didn't think she would get this worked up about it. But watching her behave this way melted the unease he felt in his heart. This display of anger shows her frustration towards him- how can he not be happy about it? This is a sign that she cares.
What is important is how he feels, huh? Sumire probably has no idea what type of impact she has on him saying such things. Back then, all he could do was scramble for any pieces of love, even if it were mere scraps. But now he doesn't have to do anything to get it. He doesn't have to beg or lose his pride over it.
This girl will give it to him naturally. His thoughts broke off when she brushed her forehead lightly against his. She still held a stern gaze on her face as she continued.
"I understand that you were trying to be considerate of me, and I do get what you were trying to do. But I feel you have underestimated this relationship, underestimated me too much."
"I have?"
Sumire nodded. "I know at the beginning I said that it would be difficult and I may not return your affections very well. But even then, surely you must have understood that I already had feelings for you a long time ago. Sure, I could never say anything because there was so much going on, but with the current situation, I don't want you to misunderstand anything."
Misunderstand? What is she talking about?
Does she think he holds a grudge against her for that thing that happened with Sano? Yuhi was about to tell her this when Sumire suddenly took a deep breath.
"I really, really like you, Terashima Yuhi."
Yuhi stared at her, speechless at her sudden confession. How did it come to this? Weren't they talking about how uneasy he regarded her spending time with Nagawa? Then again, she probably thinks the main source of his unease is what happened between them.
So now she is confessing to him like this so he wouldn't get the wrong idea. Yuhi sighed deeply, 'Give me a break already. I already like her so much. If she says stuff like that, how can he possibly let her go?' Yuhi didn't reply immediately and continued.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and mumbled. "You probably don't realize it since I haven't been exactly clear. But I want you to understand something. The only person I have ever liked was you. I like, I love you-" Sumire corrected her words. "I love you so much."
He intended to tease her and say something along the lines of its about time, but how could he do that now? This is the first time hearing such honest words escape her lips.
Yuhi didn't know what to say. What could he say to this? It seems that words are wasted when she is this way.
There is one thing Yuhi understood, though. It must have taken a great toll on her mentally to convey her feelings honestly like this. How much did she ponder and sacrifice for her to say such words?
She doesn't have to do so much for his sake. But even during that snowy concert several years ago, she did the most for him. She was the only fan whose voice he could clearly hear. In the face of despair due to the weather, she was the one who convinced people to stay and believe in him.
With her flushed cheeks and trembling body, Yuhi thought she would collapse. But she remained firm until he got the glass dome around the audience.
Normally it is difficult to see the audience clearly from the stage, but Yuhi could see her. So when he saw her a short while at the end of the concert than at the karaoke bar right after he finished his interviews. 'I thought to myself then that it must be fate.'
He is not the cliche type to believe in love at first sight, but right then, he already knew that his feelings towards the girl were anything but normal. So he took advantage of their meeting and invited her over. Yuhi already knew that the weather forecast was bad; he knew if she didn't get on transport soon, then she wouldn't be able to go home. But he still invited her over.
Taking a random girl home was so risky. Whenever Yuhi thought back to that day though he didn't regret anything, he was right about he. Not once did Sumire take advantage of him, and she even left him that note saying that she would catch up to him. She had plenty of chances to do something, blackmail or even theft. But Sumire didn't do that.
He never regretted bringing her back. Their meeting led to him thinking that maybe there are good people out there. She had such genuine and honest eyes. Moreover, that voice, it seems she defeated him from the very start.