Other people who hear these words may think Terashima is too possessive, but Soujiro saw it differently.
"Is that so? Then you'll be relieved to hear that the same goes for her."
Yuhi didn't get a chance to ask him anything, and Soujiro watches as a pair of dainty arms wrapped around Yuhi's waist within seconds. It was Sumire; she no longer wore the same clothes as earlier. No, her entire appearance had quite the glow.
She modified her clothes and even put on makeup.
"Yuhi….did you come to see me?"
'I knew she would follow me out. Even though she has been in this strange mood since morning, her senses are still sharp.'
"Sumire." Yuhi seemed surprised. "I came to see Makoto there."
Soujiro rolled his eyes at those words. 'As if, after this, he would have snuck around and gone to find her.'
"Jerk, even if it's a lie. You should still say you wanted to see me!"
"Aha. Did you miss me that much?"
"Of course I did!" Sumire exclaimed.
Terashima leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I received another confession; how will you take responsibility?"
Soujiro retreated inside, deep in thought. Who was it who told him about Terashima and Sumire? He indeed ended up discovering it himself, but before then, somebody else mentioned it. Just thinking about it irritated him.
'Lady Sumire is in love with the idol Terashima Yuhi.' He does not want to admit it, but it threw him off guard. Although he had no interest in the entertainment industry, even he knew who Terashima was.
So it surprised him. It caught him off guard, considering how he knew how bad she was when it came to anything to do with relationships. She is awkward and bad at talking to people, and she usually has an indifferent look on her face. But when it came to Terashima Yuhi, she wore such a bright smile on her face.
It vexed him, and that was when he realized he was in love with her. But he never intends to tell her. After the accident that killed off her family, he realized how much of a fool he was.
'I should have told her.' Because nobody found her body, Soujiro went with the assumption that she was still alive.
"Sir."
Soujiro glanced up and saw Naoki. "That person is out at the back. He said he wants to check on the stone with you."
"Then I shall go. Terashima is here, so Sumire shall be fine. But just in case, please remain."
'I do not need Naoki to condemn me for taking such careless actions.'
.....
At an underground chamber on the outskirts of town, Soujiro was lead inside the building.
He learned that he was an individual with evolved genes when he was no more than five years old. A part of him already understood before then that there was something different about him. But when he finally learned the reason why it baffled him.
'I am someone with evolved genetics, somebody with abilities like the ones you see in movies?' It seemed unreal to him.
"We are going further underground than I thought." Soujiro broke the silence.
This man walking ahead of him is a contact point to the black Alice organization. He is a member of the church, the same church which is sheltering the organization.
'When I first learned this, I was very puzzled. Why would such devote believers follow such a man?'
It did not take long before he learned the reason.
"Indeed, it seems they had to move the stone since it was too close to being discovered. Sir Soujiro, you appear to be quite distraught. Is it because she has returned to your side now?"
Despite that causal question, Soujiro understood what the man was trying to do. 'Did you switch sides?'
"My intentions have not changed," Soujiro answered.
This man has no idea, however, what his real intentions are. On the surface, he is making it look like he will going against Sumire and bring her to that man. But that is not the case at all. He figured this was the best way to obtain information.
'I have to pretend I am on the enemy's side. I have already consulted this with Terashima, so in the event something goes wrong, and she finds out, he will let her know.'
In the past, Soujiro would not have trusted Terashima with this job; after all, they had a bad relationship. There is a chance Terashima would sabotage him; even now, that is the case. But Soujiro recalled his expression earlier. If it is the current Terashima, it is okay to have faith in him.
"The reason sir Lucifer is interested in Ibuki Sumire is her blood; it seems she has a strange affinity to darkness. You are aware that humans with evolved genes have different abilities, correct?"
"Yes."
"Ibuki is a special type because she belongs to a group of humans with half human and half demon genes; she is a hanyou but a purebred one. She has more demon genes, more demon blood than she does humans. Surprisingly, she has managed to age in a normal way, but that will not last long. Eventually, she will stop aging, and her appearance will remain the same."
Soujiro frowned when he heard those words. "Are you saying she will not die?"
"It is harder for her to die; no matter how injured she gets, she will not die. That is why sir Lucifer will take more drastic measures even if it means endangering her life."
'How cruel. Why does she have to suffer such a terrible fate?'
He maintained his calm expression despite his distressed emotions. He cannot lose composure now.
"The black Alice organization exists for Ibuki Sumire; there is no doubt about that. But I do not think Lucifer understands the extent of her importance on the world. That is why we have to resort to using ancient arts. There was a time where magic was common in Japan; there was a time where people fought battles daily. Several spells could only activate in front of certain objects embedded with magic."
"So that is why."
"The church managed to dig up this ancient stone, but we have no idea how to use it. The language is hard to decipher. But I have learned that the Makoto family members were in charge of the stone before. So I believe the secret of your ancestors was passed onto you."
Indeed that is the only reason he could strike a bargain with this man. It did not take long before they arrived at the underground chamber. Brick covered the walls and a marble stone flooring. There was a large pillar in the center, and below it was the stone.
The only light source in this room came from the candles. Soujiro stood directly in front of him.
"Looking at it now, I can confirm what I told you. I can read it."
'I do not understand why, but I can read everything on this tablet.' It looks like it is on the verge of falling apart, but the words written there were clear to him even then.
Makihara seemed pleased with his response. "This is indeed a magic stone, and if we use it against her, we can surely win. However, only one person can use the magic from this stone. If it recognizes you as the master, you should not only be able to read it but use the ancient arts."
Soujiro had no interest in this stone at all.. But when he learned of its existence, he realized it would become a threat to her.