Eternal Melody

"I will be with you."

She laughed softly, hearing Hino's words. The past few months, they have gotten even closer than before. She truly does feel blessed to have him by her side.

"By the way, Eli passed you some documents to give me, right? Was it something important?"

Anything Eli obtains from D entertainment goes to Hino for a 'check.' He insists this is because he doesn't want her to get too stressed. But Sumire suspects that there is more to it than that.

Hino took out an envelope from his bag and passed it to her. Judging from how creased the envelope was and the corners of the documents. Sumire could tell that he must have overanalyzed everything.

"Ah, so Ru is truly in D entertainment?" Sumire isn't surprised as she reads the first few pages.

"Right, it seems like Eli has personally seen him a few times, but Tsueno is pretending not to know him. Eli has tried speaking to him, but-"

"Ru ran away."

"You know him very well."

"Mm, we did spend like seven years together. He is more than a childhood friend to me."

That's why when she first discovered that Ru joined D entertainment, she didn't panic. Contrary to what the media intended, she wasn't phased too much seeing that picture of Ru and another woman. If it's Ru, he joined D entertainment with a purpose in mind.

"Besides, I already heard the details from your little brother at that time. If Ru decided to take on such a dangerous job despite still healing from his injuries, it must be for a purpose."

'The only thing that would motivate Ru to that extent would be something to do with me.'

"I see, but well, if Tsueno does turn on you. Yuhi already said he would deal with him, so you wouldn't have to."

"He won't betray me, so we don't have to think of that scenario." Sumire pointed to the photograph of a girl with short hair on the next page. "This woman, Hori Fuko's relative. Hori Aya is the one we should deal with at the moment."

"According to Eli's information, this girl is far more talented than Hori Fuko. But because her looks are average, Hori Fuko was the one allowed to debut in the entertainment industry."

"So the Hori family uses their children like that?"

Hino nodded. "Each child will specialize in every corner of the business, entertainment, medical, and political scene. They even have children with regular jobs like teaching or running their own shops. The entertainment industry, however, was difficult for them. None of the children exhibited exceptional talent for music or even modeling. Even if they had a child talented at music, they would get tossed aside if their looks were not good. Hori Fuko, however, fits the requirement."

"If it's like that, then Hori Aya's sudden joining D entertainment may be a way to retaliate against her cousin and her family forcing her on a path she didn't want. What did they make her do?"

"She became a professional assassin."

Sumire sighed upon hearing those words. So they made her walk the dark and dangerous path of the underworld when the girl wanted to be surrounded by the brightness of the entertainment industry?

"Rich families are truly twisted."

"Was it not like that with yours?"

Sumire thinks for a moment and shakes her head. "Although my mother was against the entertainment industry. I think it was more to do with a traditional way of thinking. She only believed in jobs with security like being a doctor or lawyer."

"So what your doing now is making your mother in heaven cry."

She laughed. "I think I already did a lot of other stuff that would upset her."

"Like sleeping with a man you just met and staying over at their home?"

The smile didn't leave her lips as she listened to Hino. "Mr manager, did anybody tell you that there is a boundary you shouldn't cross when you snoop around people?"

"Don't give me that scary look. I stumbled on the information accidentally when I was snooping around Mashima Mirako. It seemed like that little brother held a grudge against you for charming his brother." Hino raised his hands in the air like he was surrendering.

Sumire sighed; she could feel a headache coming along. She wonders how many people now know how the relationship between Toh and her started. 'As long as the media doesn't get hold of that information.' Unfortunately, she cannot guarantee that.

Recently when she is going to downtown Tokyo where all the delinquents are. She sees the reporters there. It seems they have caught on to her being an underworld member. But, there is nobody stupid enough to rat out her identity. Even those who are hostile towards her will give it a second thought.

Moreover, the underworld scene in Tokyo is already under her control. Anybody who disobeys will pay the consequences.

"You're forgiven if you keep me company for the rest of the day."

"If you're going downtown, please let me come along."

Sumire laughed, hearing his frustrated tone. He probably wants to stop her from going there too much. But the Akagumi bar is in that part of town, so she visits often.

"Today, you can help me with a little job."

...…..

Downtown Tokyo, alleyway.

Sumire had just finished tossing a person onto a [pile of already defeated enemies when she caught a glimpse of Hino fighting. She whistled. He is holding that thing naturally for somebody who was so against holding a gun earlier on.

She waited until Hino finished, and he turned to her with a defeated expression.

"You are too tough. How did you defeat fifty of them in just five minutes?"

Sumire's gaze brightened. "Aren't I cool? If my dearest saw me, he would fall in love with me all over again."

"No, no. I'm sure Yuhi would scold you for doing this when you're pregnant." Hino shakes his head.

"But you haven't snitched on me yet, or rather when you found out, you started joining me."

"After the Mashima Mirako incident, I understood one thing about you. You don't disobey orders from Aki."

Her lips curve to a smile. "He is my boss, after all."

"Does your boss know that you're pregnant?"

"He isn't stupid; surely he knows. But somebody has to do the dirty work, and I hate to say that half his men are incapable of doing such a good job."

Or rather he sent a card saying 'congratulations, tell me which one you want me to train.' That bastard, he is already planning on turning her children into cold-blooded killers. If he ever does it, that bullet is going straight to his head.

That will be the day she disobeys him for the first time.