Eternal Melody

"I am not so sure anymore."

She did not realize that it hurt her this much until he told her. Yes, she was in pain but to this extent? It does not make any sense to her. But there is no doubt that she was in love to the point that it haunted her for so many years.

"That person is most likely not worth it."

Yuhi sweat fell, and Sumire shook her head. "Scum is scum no matter where they ago. A person's core nature can change, but there will always be traits that remain the same."

"Sumire."

"The same goes for me. There are traits I can never get rid of, traits that you may end up hating in the long run Yuhi-san."

She watched as a pained expression appeared on his face, and Sumire pulled away from him.

"Just now, you told me to tell you everything. But there are some things I still do not understand myself, so Yuhi--" Her sentence fell short when Yuhi kissed her forehead softly.

Sumire blinked, surprised. She thought he would get mad at her, but instead, he does something like this. It seems like Yuhi-san will never change, at least in this department.

"I liked that you got mad just now."

She likes that he cared enough to get mad because she did not respect herself.

Yuhi laughed. "Miss detective, is  that some kind of fetish?"

"If it is, it isn't an odd one." Sumire pointed out.

"Who knows? People can interpret things as they please."

"Hey Yuhi-san, if your not tired yet. Can we go somewhere?

…

When she suggested going somewhere, Yuhi probably thought she meant they would go on a walk, but it was not like that.  The place she brought Yuhi too was an area near their school.

"I'm sorry about this; it must be boring for you."

"Rather than boring, I am getting middle school de-ja-vu feelings. Rather I haven't run like this seriously since then. It has been a long time."

Sumire laughed. "I guess so, so you're not bored."

"No, it's not that. But is there any reason? You know, doing something like this suddenly."

Sumire shook her head. "I wonder if you could call it a reason." She trails off, a gentle smile appears on her face. "Whenever I have a problem, or something's on my mind, I just run and run until all the troubling thoughts have left my mind. After that, it's easier to talk about how to solve those problems. I don't just want to sit around and do nothing. I want to at least get moving, even if it's just physically moving. As soon as I run, it feels right." Sumire laughs softly. "I just like the feeling of moving forward with my own two legs."

"Well, what's on your mind right now then?"

Sumire turned back and winked. "That's a secret."

She has to keep moving forward in order to deal with her problems no matter how painful it is.

After they ran the whole track, they eventually came to a stop at the fountain area. Yuhi collapsed on the bench, yet she stood on the fountain, stepping and stretched her arms out.

"The wind here is so nice. It feels great."

After a few minutes, she noticed Yuhi watching her before he stood up and made his way, overtaking a seat on the fountain wall.

"Say…" Yuhi started nervously. "Can I ask you something?"

"If it's advice on how to pick up girls properly, then I'd advise against it. It's the season for shaved ice after all."

"You're never going to let that go. But we are both grown-ups now, so I can play that sort of game too." He reached over and pulled her into his arms. Her eyes widened. "Since you're so jealous all the time, then all you need to do is remain by me, no?"

At that, her cheeks turned slightly red; despite it being dark, she knew he could see this.

"Okay."

Since they are so close to each other like this, wouldn't it be okay for him to kiss her?  No, no, she shouldn't think of such things now. After all, even Yuhi must be reluctant to touch her after what happened earlier.

"Atushi said you went into town with Asami and Aika. Did you have fun?"

"Ah yes.  .  . We took care of the patrol first before going anywhere. And then we took a look at all the new markets downtown, it's amazing. Everyone's always so lively in this place, and every day seems to have a festival vibe. Asami looked cute in that panda hairpin, oh but Aika and I chose the animal hats. I already have plenty of pins after all, so something unique like that is better.

Oh, on the way, we ran into Shin and Komei-kun. Komei-kun is an info giver; although he used to be a delinquent, he now prefers background work. However, he says that I know that he has had a harsh time due to the incidents.

Since then, Shin has casually met him often as though not to make him feel lonely. Shin is kind despite what it seemed like; he is a gentle person."

He cupped her chin with his hands. "I think you've already said another man's name too many times."

She looked at him, puzzled.

"Talking about your exes is fine since you dated them. But talking about another guy so fondly with that expression on your face. It annoys me."

"But Shin isn't just anyone. He is a good friend of mine."

"You said 'friend,' and yet that is not the sort of impression you would make for a friend, you know?"

Before she could reply to that, he leaned over to kiss her.

"Mmph."

She backs away slightly. "Yuhi, wait, stop. If you kiss me anymore….my lips will become swollen."

"So?"

"'So' tomorrow we are having lunch with the Rokjous. If they see then--"

Yuhi doesn't let her finish and kisses her once again. This time a lot deeper, as he ran his hands through her hair. Oh, this idiot! Why is he reasonable one second and then unreasonable the next?

'Even if he cannot have her; even if that's the case just for a little while longer. He wishes to hold her in his arms like this.'

Sumire's eyes widened. Ah-what is this? How come she can suddenly understand his thoughts?

She doesn't know how long he kissed her, but when his gaze met hers, he pulled away, "Mmph, too much, eh?'

Sumire hits his chest. "Idiot! Why did you do that so suddenly!"

"Why you ask, there isn't a particular reason."

'He can still kiss me so easily.' What happened earlier bothered him, and yet, he still treats her the same way. But this is one of the things she liked him; she likes how he can still accept her despite knowing her faults. For the current her, this feeling is the most important.