Yuhi, who had just been sitting there since she arrived, suddenly tugged on her hand. "I think I managed to win, but only because I knocked this thing off his wrist."
".."
Sumire immediately understood what he was trying to say. "It is already a thing of the past. If you want one, I can get you something better."
The important thing right now is being able to treat his wounds. Sumire inspected his face, a badly bruised eye, and swollen cheeks. 'I have to admit that I am a little impressed. I did not think Sano had it in him to start a brawl.'
Moreover, it must have taken a lot of courage to fight against Yuhi. When she worked together with Yuhi in the Holy knight's organization, many felt intimidated by Yuhi's presence alone.
"The past, huh? The strap is damaged, so he used something else to cover it. He did not want anybody to change the design, so he simply protected it. Your not moved after hearing this story?"
"Why would I be?"
Yuhi continued not letting go of her wrist the entire time but not making any other moves either. "It seems the biggest competitor to win your heart is actually Sano, not Mamoru."
What nonsense is he spouting now? She recalled the words she exchanged with Shin and sighed. If Yuhi-san is this insecure about it, she would be heartless to continue seeing Sano.
'I should stop meeting him to avoid this misunderstanding.'
"If I asked you not to see him, you would probably do so in a heartbeat. That would be the right thing to do. However, I do not want to see you fretting over him when your not around him."
"That's not-"
"While we are on this topic, tell me about the other one too."
It never occurred to her that Yuhi observed her reactions towards Toh. She only briefly mentioned it before. Sumire exhaled deeply and pulled him up.
"First, let's find a place to sit down."
In the end, they decided to remain in the residential area. If they go to a public park, even if it is late, there is a chance for people to eavesdrop. It was getting very late now.
While she was initially in a rush to get to the party, she knew they would be partying all night with those guys' personalities. It would make no difference whether they were late or not.
Sumire reassured herself of this fact as she turned to take some supplies from the medkit in front of her. It turned out someone had seen the fight and wanted to call the police but refrained when she recognized the people fighting. When she went looking for a medkit, this lady approached her with one with a smile.
'You have to treasure that one. He was truly fighting to protect your honor.'
She did not know what kind of words Yuhi and Sano exchanged. But it was easy to guess since she understood their personalities very well. Sano probably said some misleading things regarding her, and Yuhi defended her. Even though they both harbor deep feelings for her, why was one of them such a fool?
"You're thinking of him again," Yuhi observed.
"Only as a passing thought." Sumire dabbed some antiseptic with the cotton and held it against Yuhi's eyes. "Hold this."
"Mm."
"Do you truly think that lowly of me Yuhi-san? You already know what kind of things he did to me in the past. Why do you think I still harbor feelings for him?"
"It is more like your actions say more than your words do. Don't you know whenever he gets hurt, you look very pained. It is small things like this that make me think otherwise."
"If that is the case, are my feelings a lie?" Sumire challenged him.
To her surprise, Yuhi shook his head. "No, I know who you like. It may sound like I am contradicting myself here, but I just want to make a few things clear before the new year."
"This sounds like an interrogation."
Yuhi laughed. "I won't do that to you."
Even though he could easily do so, she has learned by now that this person would do anything to ensure that she is safe from harm. He will never force her to do anything.
There are times when sometimes she wishes he would be harsh on her, but if he actually executed it, she would be disappointed.
"What do you want to do?" Yuhi asked her in a kinder tone.
Sumire stopped treating his wounds and slumped her head on his shoulders. "It is hard to say." She mumbled. "I thought I knew what I was doing with him before, but it turns out that is not the case. I have regrets. I already told you this. But, even if I have regrets, what can I do about it? We cannot return to those times."
The person she knew had long disappeared. She could tell after spending so much time with him that the darkness had already taken over his heart. The pain and grief he experienced cannot vanish. The damage has already been done; that person has already suffered enough.
"There is a method, but you are going to scold and scorn me for even mentioning it."
Sumire felt her heartbeat increase and her face color turn cold, understanding exactly what he meant.
"I am not returning to him!" She exclaimed.
That is the last thing she is going to do.
"But hear me out if all you need is closure. You should temporarily get back together and then end the relationship in a normal way-" Sumire did not let him finish his sentence as she stood up and stormed away.
She did not get very far since she felt a familiar pair of arms hug her from the backstopping her in her tracks. "Let me go."
"I can't do that."
"Yuhi-" Sumire said angrily. "How could you even suggest that?" Although it was indeed the most logical thing to do. If she didn't enter a relationship with him, she would have probably done that eventually. But now that she is dating him, how could she possibly do something like that?
"Believe me. I didn't want to say that." Yuhi suddenly cursed. "Damn, I knew this was a bad idea."
Sumire immediately understood from his behavior and sighed. "Hino is a good guy. San does not deserve him as a friend."
"I have to agree. It turns out Nagawa has been neglecting his health a lot ever since you stopped talking to him."
"It did seem like he was going crazy from the very first day."
But as Yuhi described the details, Sumire had to admit that she was shocked. She immediately took out her phone and dialed Sano's number, but there was no answer. She tried again, but it went through to voicemail.
It took her a moment before she recalled something and dialed another number.. Moments later, she hears a familiar voice. "Yes?"