Eternal Melody

"What does this have to do with-" Yuhi's eyes widened when he flicked to the next page.

There was an image of a man with silver-colored hair wearing glasses and a basic profile. "Mashima Toh?"

"It's the guy Sumire dated before."

"Are you saying he is the culprit?"

"Not quite; he is a suspect. But it won't surprise me. This man is one of Lucifer's main henchmen. If he killed these women based on his orders, it's no wonder we had a hard time identifying the bodies."

Yuhi scanned the images of the dead bodies and recalled Sumire's words.

'Toh is very gentle; I sensed how kind he was from the moment we met. But I was afraid of that kindness, and that's why I initially pushed him away.'

It can't be possible. Even if he is Lucifer's right-hand man, Sumire does not misjudge people. But if this guy is on the suspect list, something must lead to him being suspected. Unfortunately, he does not know what that something is just yet.

Huh, wait a minute? Atsuro said the words 'dated' and not 'fooled around.'

"You knew about Sumire and-"

Atsuro sighed. "Of course, I knew about it. I was watching over her carefully then because of her suicide attempts. Do you truly think I wouldn't be able to figure that out?"

Right, Sumire mentioned this too.

Yuhi looked at Atsuro suspiciously. "You're not doing that now, right?"

Atsuro sighed. "Why do I have to? I know you stick to her like glue and your team members? They behave so casually, but their surveillance on her is worse than what I did."

His team members? Now that he thought about it, those guys seemed to know where Sumire is most of the time.

"Do you think Sumire knows about this-?" Yuhi pointed to the case file in his hands.

"Of course she does. She has probably been communicating with that guy again because of it."

"I see."

"You should be careful, Yuhi, when Mashima Toh returns. From what I observed when those two were together, Sumire strangely listens to everything he says. I don't even want to count how many dangerous situations I caught her in because of his words."

"Dangerous situations?"

"Mashima Toh is a psychologist who can see through all forms of disguises. There was a case a while ago where evolved human body parts, particularly their brains, were taken after being killed. Even Masaru struggled as a profiler and suggested to Sumire to use this guy."

"So you're saying she was with him just to get information and use his skills?"

"It started that way, but she naturally started to get along and fall for him. Of course, she would. Back then, everybody was protective of Sumire. The knowledge of her suicide attempts was limited to just Aki and me. But a few caught on that she didn't value her life. So they were unnecessarily protective towards her."

"Was he not like that?"

"Mashima believes that overprotective and sheltering behavior towards a person prevents that person from growing to their full potential." Atsuro sighed. "Because of that belief, he used to drag Sumire with him to dangerous places. Sumire being Sumire, saw this as him trusting her."

It seems like this guy is different from the others. 'How dangerous.'

"Is there any sign that he will be returning to Japan?"

"Yes, since he is being suspected abroad. Lucifer will use this chance to bring him back here before the suspicions turn into police questioning."

"Won't that make the police suspicious?"

"Mashima's work visa is expiring. Normally, it would be easy to renew this, but Lucifer will ensure that it would be bad for him to continue working there because of the rumors."

A foolproof plan, Lucifer has this all planned out. If that's the case, then did Mashima Toh kill those people? Unfortunately, he is not the type to judge unless he has met the person. It seems like Sumire trusts him a lot too. It would be dangerous for him to suspect.

Yuhi was about to return the files to Atsuro, but he pushed it back and said sternly. "Yuhi, you should take on this case."

"Huh?"

"I know you're reluctant to do any major jobs since your only helping Sumire out occasionally. You haven't returned to the underworld. But if they give this case to somebody else, Sumire will be in danger."

Right, because she frequently contacts Mashima Toh, and there are rumors about them.

"If you take this case, it will be less risky, and you can keep an eye out on Mashima too."

"I understand." Yuhi reluctantly put the case files in his bag, but not before glancing at the man's picture briefly.

Ever since he learned the man's name, he had to stop himself from searching him on the internet. But now that he had seen a photo, he felt even more troubled.

That silly girl really likes pretty faces. He could even imagine her saying that Mashima looks like a piece of art. It must be due to the artistic blood inside her, but it bothers him.

She always jokes about not his looks not being important. But sometimes, he feels insecure. If somebody better looking comes along, will she change her mind?

Yuhi frantically shook his head. He can't have such negative thoughts; it's rude. Besides, Sumire can openly admit her feelings now.

Atsuro tossed him another bag. "This is medicine for Sumire. I don't know what Nagawa has been giving her but gradually replaced it. I do not trust his medicine at all. You're the same, right?"

"Sometimes she experiences very bad side effects," Yuhi explained what happened earlier.

This was the main reason for his visit, but it slipped his mind.

At those words, Atsuro frowned, and he rummaged through his drawers. "Hold on. I think I have something else." He trailed off. "But can you get me a sample of the medicine Nagawa gives her?"

"A sample?"

"Even if it's just a few drops on a handkerchief. If you take the entire bottle, Sumire will become suspicious."

"Do you know something already?"

"For now, I am merely speculating, but it will do no harm being careful."

Indeed with Sumire's current situation being careful won't hurt. Those people, the black Alice organisation won't stay in the shadows anymore. They will use whatever opportunity they can get to target her.