Eternal Melody



SUMIRE

Soujiro flicked her forehead. "The sparkle in your eyes suggests that you agree with him being so reckless."

"Actually it does worry me. But just thinking about Yuhi-san causing chaos, makes me fall in love with him all over again."

She needs to check with her connections abroad and see if anybody captured any footage. When Yuhi-san is fighting, he is ten times cooler than usual. She wouldn't mind adding those videos to her collection.

"As for your safety while I am gone. I have instructed my guards to still keep an eye out on you."

"I'm fine--"

Soujiro shakes his head. "It's not safe."

Toh uses this chance to stroll back into the room.

"I'll watch over her."

Soujiro raised his eyebrow. "I'm sure you will. But, taking extra precautions will not do any harm. Especially since.." He trailed off. "-she has the bad habit of running off and doing something careless."

"Indeed, and even when she promises she will behave. A single trigger is all it takes for her to run off."

Sumire pouted. Are they really discussing her when she is right here?

"I'm tempted to chain her to the bed." Toh said.

She looked at him horrified.

"Even if you do that, she'll find a way to loosen the chains."

"She is oddly skilled at everything."

'Since when did these two start getting along!' Sumire pouted as she looked back and forth at the two exchanging experiences of her bad behaviour.

"Jokes aside my dear." Soujiro trailed off. "I want you to be very careful. Lucifer will know that I have left the country. He won't hesitate to try and meet you frequently."

"Mmm. I get it."

"That man has been oddly agitated recently. In the past he wouldnt show himself, but now he is appearing more frequently in the public eye." Soujiro looked at Toh. "Can you add any details?"

Toh shook his head. He looked equally as troubled as Soujiro. "All I can say is, it is making his older subordinates uneasy too. Lucifer has always kept his identity a secret, even when he started to sponsor others with the filthy money he has earned from terrorizing others."

"That money Lucifer has, the facility must have given him some. But the rest of it, by terrorizing do you mean the villages in the regions?"

Those places are so cut out from regular civilization, that they even have their own community, leadership that is separated from the rest of Japan. 

Toh nodded. "Most of his wealth come from those places."

Sumire frowned. She wonders what is going on in K region, where her family manor used to be. She hasn't been back yet since she kicked out her pesky relatives from the property. K region is quite close to Star town. So if she is going to pay a visit there, she should drop by star town too.

'I'll ask Hino to make some time on my schedule. I want to talk to Ryuuji-kun directly.'

Toh and Soujiro continued discussing a few more details but her thoughts had wandered. Visiting star town huh? She briefly did so last year. But it was only for a few days. In that short time frame she made sure to avoid certain places, and made her presence in town as little as possible. So nobody actually knew she came there.

This next visit will be very different. The only reason she avoided the town was Ru's accident, she wanted to avoid walking in those streets filled with their memories. Ru is alive, so there is no reason to dodge the place anymore. Still, she has been gone so long and the last time people saw her she was a mess.

'I wonder what they will think when they see me. Only a few know Ru is alive, the people in star town have no idea. So, they will still be looking at me with a judgemental gaze in there eyes-'

Sumire shakes her head. There is no use in dwelling in these thoughts now. She has to cross Star town to get to K region anyway. 

The moment Soujiro left, Sumire turned to Toh with questioning eyes.

Toh kissed her forehead. "I've been speaking to him when I have the chance."

"Ah.

"Don't misunderstand. I'm not undermining your strength.

But with the kids around, it's better to take extra safety measures. I will do my best to protect you, however if makoto sends a guard over to protect you exclusively don't push them away alright?"

Sumire slowly nodded. She wanted to say there was no need. Hino has been talking more about the competition he is setting up, meaning Nao will be in Tokyo soon. Rather than have a stranger guard her, she would rather it was someone who was more familiar with her.

"It's either one guard, or his shadow guards and I have seen them. They may protect you, but they'll only be doing it for the money. They won't be loyal to you."

"Isn't that the same for one guard?"

Toh shook his head. "Having a single guard is different. Even if they do it for money at first, if you spend that much time together. Eventually you build a rapor with them, you become closer and they'll eventually become loyal."

Sumire simply nodded. She was fighting of her exhaustion and yawns from escaping her lips. Toh must have noticed since he switched the TV off, and scooped her up in his arms. She turned to the food they had yet to finish,

When Huan suddenly appeared. "I will take care of this mom! You rest,"

Sumire laughed softly as she motioned Huan over. Toh picks him up with his other hand and Sumire kissed the boy's forehead. "Your such a kind child. Why don't you join mommy to sleep when you have finished here?"

Huan nodded happily at the suggestion and Toh placed him down. The moment they exited the living room.

Toh sighed deeply. "Sometimes I forget how cruel you can be beautiful."

Sumire blinked puzzled for a moment before Toh added. "Asking the kid to sleep with us?"

She laughed softly. "Well, it's not like anything was going to happen between us. So isn't it fine?" She said those words in a light and playful tone.

But Toh didn't return it, and there was a serious look in his eyes. Sumire felt her cheeks turn red and she cursed in her head. Dangerous, a dangerous topic. What happened to all those walls she built between them since that incident where he gave her the antidote and overstepped his boundaries with her? She has been very careful, how can she slip up now?

*Unedited*