'That isn't true. I hugged her.' But, unlike his previous actions, a hug is nothing. Manager huh? When he first heard the news, Sano felt livid; he knew Hino liked Sumire. If Hino became Sumire's manager, the two would spend more time together. He did not like that at all.
Although Hino had never made a move on Sumire before, Sano felt that his friend's self-control would eventually break.
Hino sighed. "Even so, what are you doing here again?"
"Didn't you clear up my schedule for this day to check on San?"
A complicated look appeared on Hino's face, and he reluctantly nodded.
"Anyhow, perfect timing. I'm going to wash the dishes. Keep an eye out on him for me." Sumire swiftly left the room carrying the tray with empty plates.
Hino positioned himself in the chair by his bed, and Sano raised his hand. "Before you lecture, I will apologize in advance."
"You told me you were going on a business trip." Hino trailed off. "Why didn't you just tell me?"
"If I told you, you would have tried to interfere."
"Of course, I would have. You don't tell me much these days. Is it because your worried that Sumire will end up involved?"
"You're weak against her. If she asks you anything seriously, you will reply."
"I guess I can't deny that. But if you continue this way, those people will kill you."
"They won't, no matter how bad it gets."
Sano felt very confident in this. No matter how bad the situation becomes, at most, they will work him till he is half dead. They will never go as far as ending his life.
'As long as they can see that Sumire still cares for me. I think she realized that too; otherwise, she would have stopped associating with me long ago.'
The reason why she keeps coming back to him even though she does not have to. Even if she hates him, it is not to the extent where she would stand by and watch him die.
That foolishly honest side of hers is something he has always liked.
"But really," Hino looked towards the door where Sumire was moments ago. "Don't do anything to her, okay? No matter how many desires you have towards her, don't act on it."
"I am surprised at your self-control. How do you do it?"
Hino rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "This isn't the first time for me, so I am used to it. I told you before there was a girl I liked, right?"
"You mentioned it before."
"The reason I never confessed had nothing to do with our careers, like I said. It was because she was in love with Yuhi."
Sano blinked when he heard those words. Huh? But if that is the case, why does Hino not resent Terashima? This would be the second time having the girl he liked stolen from him. It surprises him that there is no resentment between them.
"For me, Yuhi is more important. That is probably why I can cope with all of this."
"Does it hurt?"
Hino laughed weakly. "I can't say it doesn't. She is right there next to me, but all I can do is give her love advice."
"She asks you?"
"Sumire can be very brutal about it. But it's more like she noticed herself that I wouldn't do anything. She is comfortable around Nakara Shin and me because we both chose friendship over our feelings for her."
Right, it is not just Hino but that guy too.
"I don't think that is possible for me," Sano admitted. "No matter how often I see how close they are, I don't lose my fighting spirit. A few times, I felt upset, but I never thought of giving up."
"What will it take? Yuhi putting a ring on her finger or getting a wedding invitation?"
Sano flinched when Hino mentioned the word wedding. He knew about it, of course. Although both Terashima and Sumire are being low-key about it, there is already talk. 'The wedding ceremony is the day after their high school graduation.'
When he first heard about it, his mind went blank; he remained frozen in one spot for a long time. How come? How come they decided to get married that quickly? They would have only dated for at least a year when the wedding came around. Isn't it too soon?
But if his information is correct. Sumire has known Terashima long before him. The two already shared a connection and made memories together. That irritated him; if he met Sumire first, Terashima would not be in the picture anymore.
Right, the only reason why Terashima is winning is because he knew her first. If their roles reversed, perhaps the one who would be marrying her now is him.
"Sano, you, I don't know whether you're just trying to lie to yourself. Sumire fell in love with Yuhi; she fell in love with his singing years ago. No, even back when they were kids, the two were strangely connected by something."
"Lucifer told me about that," Sano mumbled. "The three of you knew each other since you were kids."
Hino nodded. "Yeah. Back then, I unconsciously already gave up. I liked her then too, but I had already backed down before I understood that. It was silly for me to give up without trying when I think about it now. We were kids; anything could happen. However, when I saw those two together, I just gave up."
"Does she love him that much?" He was frightened to utter these words this entire time, but he wanted to know.
In other people's eyes, in their eyes, does it truly look like that?
He has heard many people's opinions regarding Sumire and Terashima Yuhi's relationship. But half of those comments were superficial and said out of jealousy. Those people only say things like Sumire doesn't suit Terashima because they dislike her.
What he wanted to hear were genuine opinions. Does it look like he is fighting a losing battle in others' eyes?
"Yes." Hino nodded. "But you know Sano; this is my own opinion. You have always had this bad habit of caring for others' opinions. It would be best if you scraped that way of thinking already. What matters is what you think."
"You already heard my opinion and disapproved."
"Right. But that's just how I think; you shouldn't care about it."
Sano looked at him blankly. He doesn't understand anything Hino is saying. Ever since he was younger, he has had to pay special attention to others' opinions. If he makes a bad impression, it will impact the rest of the family. He has lived his entire life like this, so how is he supposed to change that now?