Eternal Melody

Sumire took the mic being passed to her by the announcer and took a deep breath. "I mentioned it during my debut that there were three people who inspired me to continue this path. It's only because I've been chasing her this far that I was able to climb this high. I thank her from the bottom of my heart. Today I beat her, however-"

Yumi winked. "This is far from over. While you continue to evolve Sumire-chan, I will do the same. You lit the fire in my heart, and it is burning so strongly. In two years, challenge me again on that stage, and we will decide who the true top idol is."

Her eyes widened when she heard those words, and Sumire laughed. "You always seem to get the last words in. I am no match for you there." Sumire trailed off. "I will be right on your trail and head to the top at the speed of light."

...

An hour later -

A relieved sigh escaped her lips as she slumped down on the pillar in the lounge area. 'Those reporters are so weird! They were shooting death glares during the pre-conference.' Human hearts are truly hard to comprehend. She indeed sang with even the haters in mind. But she didn't think she would get through to them.

Music is truly amazing; it has the power to change people's hearts. It was the same back at the festival when she painted that picture. She wants to continue using the things she loves to make people smile.

Her thoughts broke off when somebody pressed a cold drink against her cheek. Sumire looked up and saw Yuhi. No, what stood out to her was the scar on his cheek and the cuts on his hands.

"You ran away way too quickly." Yuhi laughed. "But that is like you; you're not going to suddenly adjust to the reporters being nice."

"Yuhi-san," Sumire said sharply. "You broke our promise."

"Only towards the end. You know they planted a bomb in the stadium, right?"

"A--a bomb?" Sumire looked at him in disbelief. But Yuhi is not the type of person to lie to her. "I see a bomb, so whatever they were doing outside was only a distraction."

Those people are truly ruthless. But it seems Asuka and Atushi handled everything.

"Sumire." Yuhi suddenly said in a serious tone. "There is something I want to ask you."

"Yes?"

"Shin told me something strange. Lucifer appeared, and he said he took your first time."

Eh? Sumire blinked, puzzled at those words. What did Yuhi just say? "How could he say that? It's true my first time wasn't with Ru; it wasn't with Ren or even Kou or Atsuro. But it wasn't him."

Sumire quickly covered her mouth when she realized something.

Yuhi's eyes twitched, annoyed. "Oh? If it wasn't them, then I wonder who it was."

'I can't tell Yuhi it was Toh. After all, I didn't have feelings for him. How could I tell him I was just fooling around? It had nothing to do with me being lonely.'

But for Lucifer to make that claim, does he know Toh? Toh was a spy from an organization that disliked her. Toh got closer to her in order to step all over her.

"That designer?"

Sumire flinched when she heard his tone. Uh-oh, maybe she shouldn't have listed out all the guys like that. But really, if anybody else overheard this, they would surely misunderstand. There are no reporters around, right? She did make sure, but who knows. Those guys are like snakes lurking around.

"Yuhi, you know Toh and me. It's not what your thinking. I wasn't serious. I knew he was a spy."

The only reason she slept with him was because she wanted to catch him out. 'Two can play that game.'

"If I think about it now, it was very petty of me to do that. But at that time, I was having a hard time as a member of the Holy Knights. I had strength, but that was all. I was no good at other work. So I wanted to prove myself. I admit it wasn't the best choice, but I didn't want to lose my place there."

'Even though I was not attached to anyone there. I didn't want to be alone.'

Sumire waited for his response, but Yuhi didn't reply right away. Seconds turned into minutes quickly. Uh-oh, is he seriously mad this time? Ever since she came here, Yuhi has not gotten seriously angry at her even once.

It surprised her how calmly he reacted to everything. Sure there were times when he became emotional. But he has never truly gotten angry at her. She always found his unusual behavior; how is it possible for him not to resent her a little for her careless behavior?

Is it because he does not truly care for her? There was a time when she thought that, but those thoughts quickly vanished. How could she possibly have such thoughts when he treats her well?

Even though he has a busy schedule and seldom has time to attend class, ever since she transferred, Yuhi has attended school more frequently. They walk home together and go shopping.

He is the first person to fly to her side and help her whenever she is sick. He stays by her side the entire time she is sick and is careful not to disturb her when he has to do some work.

'He is too good to me.'

No, that simple sentence cannot describe Terashima Yuhi's treatment towards her. This is more than good treatment. He treats her like some type of goddess and practically does everything for her. Sometimes she thinks it is a bit too excessive, but at the same time, it warms her heart.

'I can tell he is only looking at me.' Those eyes, which to others normally appear cold and distant, only brighten when she is around.

Her thoughts broke off when she felt a gentle pair of lips on her forehead. "I already know that."