In the end, Sumire stopped at a nearby riverbank.
"Taking it easy like this is nice," Kou said, staring into the orange hue that filled the skies.
'It is already this time? I didn't realize.' Then again, with the earlier rain, it was hard to tell.
"You're always so busy after all."
"Being busy has never bothered me. I knew I could always quit if I wanted to." Kou said. That's right, because there is no official contract, He could have easily quit, and there would have been no hassle whatsoever.
"You can't quit!" Sumire said frantically..
"What? Uh, Mimi?"
She suddenly looked so frantic and panicky. Kou smiles; ahh ahh, this really is like her.
"Everyone needs you--" He cuts her off by reaching over and patting her head.
"It's okay; I don't think that way anymore. "
Those thoughts that had once been in the forefront of his mind had gone. After she disappeared, the other guys began to act strange, and before long, they all fell apart as a group.
They were on the verge of disbanding; he was one of the first ones who wanted to quit. Yet she came crashing down in their world almost like a shooting star. If he thinks about it carefully, the girl's timing was far too good.
Sumire sighs in relief as he gently ruffles his hair before releasing his hand.
'Out of respect for Yu-yu, this is as close as I will get with her. I cannot close that gap even if I wish to.'
It is hard for him to erase his feelings for her. However, he will never act on those feelings. Mimi looks so happy when she is with Yuhi; it would be stupid of him to intervene. Moreover, he has become closer with Yuhi too. He is a very good person. Kou could see why Sumire fell for him.
"I have a pretty long history in the entertainment world. I debuted as a kid, worked solo for a while, and appeared in plays, movies, and TV shows. I had good times and not-so-good times. Somehow, after all that, I ended up in a group."
"You mean Quatro Light."
"Yeah." He trails off. "At first, I didn't think we'd do well. And when Yu-yu came along, I thought it would become even more of a disaster."
Having four cold-hearted and cool type guys in one group is a recipe for disaster after all. She must have realized what he thought since she chuckles.
"But you all seem to understand each other."
"Is that how it looks to you?"
"Yes," Sumire said with a tender gaze.
"Lately, Nanairo Feather has been growing rapidly."
"What?"
"They were good before, but they had their shortcomings; individually, they were all weak. But now that is no longer the case."
'Their speed of growth worries me. Right now, M5 is standing on top, but the thing weighing them down is their strength as a group. Ran-ran's dislike towards Yuhi is a huge problem. The others have settled their differences but not Ran.'
On the other hand, Nanairo feather is strong as a group and individually. At this stage, they will end up surpassing them.
"Yes."
"The members of Nanairo feather don't just get along. They're united." The brunette blinked, and yet he continued with his sentence. "Since meeting and watching them, I started to think I could enjoy singing in a group."
It was mainly Sumire's influence, but Kou truly wanted to enjoy singing and dancing with his group members watching those guys. But those three can be quite cold-hearted. They aren't honest with their feelings.
Kou thought Terashima Yuhi would be the same, but it was not like that at all. That guy is strangely good at getting along with people.
Sumire's gaze brightened. "I agree. They love singing. I love all their smiles, too-" As she spoke, Sumire slowly got closer to him until her face was inches away from his. Huh?
The two of them back away from each other immediately.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I got caught up in my thoughts."
'It was just a brief contact, and yet my heart beat like crazy.' Kou quietly sighed in his head. Whenever it concerns those guys, this girl lets her guard down too much.
"You know if you saw Jun earlier. Then surely Kudou was there too. Are you sure you should be here with me?"
At those words, he watched as a troubled look appeared on her face before she loudly exclaimed. "I am practicing self-restraint!"
Kou sweat fell at her words. "You don't have to. They came here to see you."
"But last time I said I would meet them together. It doesn't seem right for me to have a one and one private meeting."
"No, no, it doesn't matter. You realize that too, right?"
Sumire sighed. "I understand, I do-" She trailed off. "But somehow, I get the feeling that now isn't the time."
"Say, Mimi."
"Yes?"
"What do you plan to do with Atsuro?"
He watches the brunette turn stiff at the mention. "Ne tell me. "
"Wa--- don't say it! "Sumire exclaimed.
Oh, this is a fresh reaction.
"Why not?"
Kou spotted the girl's cheeks go bright red; it seemed to compliment the sunset scenery quite well. It's not new for her to be self-conscious about Atsuro, but this is the first time he's seen this expression on her face.
"That it doesn't tell Yuhi but awhile ago at the start of my hospitalization after my return-"
Ah, come to think of it, he called Ryou because he was worried about her condition and the violet-haired man sent Atsuro over.
"So, what did he do?" Kou said curiously.
Surely there's nothing else Atsuro can do to make her nervous anymore? Atsuro had that type of relationship with her; even though she wasn't in the best state, then they still did it.
When he first heard the news, it didn't surprise him too much; after all, he saw how lonely Sumire was.
'I took advantage of it, so why wouldn't anybody else?'
"P--p-r-opo---"
Despite her saying only half the sentence and in a flushed state, he could make out her words.
"Eh? Mimi? Are you serious? Atsuro proposed to you?"
What is with this development? How could Kusaji Atsuro have the nerve to propose to her. The guys that have been around Sumire since she came to Tokyo including Yu-yu are Nakara Shin, Narasaki Hino, Nagawa Sano and that researcher Eli.
Moreover, Mimi has been doing a great job avoiding him. Normally, under those circumstances, one would rethink their next move carefully. How does he have the confidence to propose? What made him think she would say yes?
"Sssh!"Sumire placed her hand on her mouth. "What do we do if there's some press lurking around here on their break or something?"
Kou chuckles. "Mimi, you've actually become wary of the press?"
"It's only natural, don't you think?"
Indeed with the level of harassment, the media has given her, it is normal for her to remain more cautious.