Eternal Melody

At first, neither of them said a word, but Toh already knew by her relieved sigh that she knew it was him. They both remained quiet, and he didn\'t remove his hand from her mouth until he safely guaranteed that the crowd had gone past already.

When he finally moved his hand away, Sumire immediately left his hold and looked at him awkwardly before bowing.

"Thank you for helping me." Sumire mumbled.

"You\'re welcome."

Still, no conversation. But Toh didn\'t mind it too much, he was enjoying being with her again and being able to look at her so closely. She has gotten prettier before. When he first met her, she was also running away. But the difference is she was running from dangerous people then. Even in the moonlight, he could tell how pretty she was.

He was drunk, and because of the commotion, his fun was disturbed. When he ran into her running from those people, he couldn\'t help but think that he had found a goddess. She was so pretty, and before he knew it, he was inviting her to his home and helping her.

\'Was it simply attraction due to her appearance? At first, it may have started out that way. But the more I got to know her. I realized there was something more. No, even from the very first day we met. I wanted to protect her.\'

It was unusual for him to have such irrational thoughts. He barely knew her, and he did start out liking her because of her appearance.

\'I conducted so many evaluations of myself after our first meeting, and all the results pointed to me falling in love.\'

Love was a new emotion he hadn\'t felt before. Although he had many clients who came to him regarding getting love advice, he had never fallen in love before. But, after meeting Ibuki Sumire, that changed. Before he knew it, he had fallen so deeply and could no longer turn back.

"C-Can-Can you not-s-tar-e at me so much?" Sumire breaks the silence with stammering.

Her entire face was bright red, and Toh understood that she knew why he was looking at her.

"I think you have gotten prettier," Toh mumbled.

"T-that-" Sumire averted her gaze and kept looking at her feet.

"Was that you a few days ago? The one who helped me and Hino escape from the smoke screen?"

Toh blinked and laughed.

"Hey! It\'s not funny."

"I was expecting a different type of welcome. Rather you\'re not surprised?"

"This is the best university around. I figured I\'d see you here." Sumire said casually.

If Nakara Shin hadn\'t seen him earlier, he would have fallen for her act. But, after hearing what she did for him, he wasn\'t falling for it. This girl seldom replied to his messages the past year and didn\'t call him once until recently. However, Toh could feel the love and care she had for him.

"I see."

For the next few minutes, neither of them said a word. Toh didn\'t want to rush the girl. She must be processing her emotions.

"Can I get closer to you?" Sumire suddenly asked.

Toh\'s lips curved into a smile, and he nodded.

Sumire buried her face in his back. For a moment, they simply remained that way before she mumbled quietly. "You really came back."

"Didn\'t I say I would?"

"I thought you were lying," Sumire muttered.

"I thought so too." Toh agreed.

That was the first promise he made to a girl, no, the first promise he had ever made. He has never made a promise to another person before. But, even when he was abroad, he couldn\'t forget her. He bought her many gifts because many items reminded him of her.

His current girlfriend at the time, \'Lisa\' was livid whenever he bought gifts for Sumire. At first, she thought he was buying gifts for her, but eventually, he found the jewelry engraved with Sumire\'s name.

"Toh, you know I--" Sumire started.

Suddenly her phone started to ring, and she apologized before answering it.

"Right now? Ah-huh, mmm, got it. I\'ll use my pass. I\'ll see you at the gate then."

Sumire turned to him with a troubled expression.

"Is it work?" Toh asked knowingly.

He knew how popular she was right now. With M5 abroad, she is in high demand as the only one who could take over their jobs.

She nodded. "An artist canceled their slot on a music program, so I\'m filling in."

"Then you should go." Toh was reluctant to let her go. But, it would be irrational for him to take her away from her work.

This is the most crucial period of her career right now. She can\'t skip any important jobs.

"Can we talk later?" Sumire asked.

"Sure, just message me."

To his surprise, however, Sumire didn\'t leave, and he sighed before turning around and hugging her tightly. He wanted nothing more than to tell her how much he had missed her and wanted to see her. But it was difficult for him to say such words.

His thoughts break off hearing her soothing breathing, and he ran his hands through her back.

"Is it comfortable hugging me?" Toh wondered. She suddenly seems more relaxed.

"Just a little," Sumire muttered, and he laughed.

It seems this stubborn side of her hasn\'t changed. But he is flattered to know that she is still comfortable being by his side.

"We have a lot to talk about, Toh. But right now, I just feel overwhelmed after seeing you. So is it okay if we don\'t speak about anything yet?" Sumire mumbled.

It was an easy request, and he didn\'t mind. But, Sumire seemed very troubled about making him wait. Toh gently placed a kiss on her forehead and squeezed her hands.

"Go."

Sumire nodded, and she left his arms. Toh reluctantly watches her leave and sighs deeply. He ran his fingers through his hair. That wasn\'t what he was expecting their first encounter to be like. He initially planned to ambush her when she was with her friends and hand out gifts. But that plan failed the moment Nakara Shin came.

\'I rushed over to see her and completely forgot everything else.\'

It was the same when he heard about Mamoru\'s accident. He rushed over on the next flight and didn\'t even consider the consequences of his actions. However, he was in for a huge shock when he saw her. She truly looked like a broken doll.

\'The first thought I had was, was he that important to you?\' Toh thought he already understood the extent of the relationship they had with one another. But, it seemed he underestimated it. Even if it was something he couldn\'t predict, he had no right to say such heartless words to her.

This entire time he has been subconsciously blaming himself.

His thoughts break off hearing his phone beep.

From: Sumire

Also, I forgot to say this. I don\'t blame you for the words that you said to me that day. I was broken, and you only said the truth. Please don\'t blame yourself.

Toh blinked and then burst into laughter. Truly, this girl amazes him. How does she know what he thinks before he even tells her?

From: Toh

Then, I will praise myself for what happened instead. It was quite enjoyable.

From: Sumire

S-t-u-p-i-d.

There were no more messages after that, and he chuckled. What happened after he said those words, huh? He has always liked touching her. He has heard from many of his associates how touching the person they love is different from random one-night stands. But he had never experienced that feeling until he met with Ibuki Sumire. She truly is the light in his dark world.