Eternal Melody

Sano woke up and realized that the girl was no longer by his side. For a moment, he panicked but then heard the sound of something from the outside. He slipped on a bathrobe and made his way outside to find Sumire practicing with a wooden sword. He silently observed her from the door frame, his arms folded across. Even after he kissed her like that, can she still practice? Then again, Sumire is stronger than him; she always was.

He wondered why she didn't push him away. Is it a bad habit from the past? Sano placed his hand on his head. It occurred to him that something was wrong, something bad happened in his dream, and she is no longer supposed to be here.

"San?"

"Good morning."

Sumire nodded and walked over. She extended her hand out, "Your fever seems to be gone."

Sano blinked at how casually she did this. It was normal back then, but how can she still- Sano paused in mid-thought. Then again, he is the same. Even though they are no longer dating, he still has bad habits from the past.

"How long have you been practicing?"

"What time is it?"

"Eight."

"Then four hours."

He frowned when he heard those words. "Four am?"

Sumire laughed lightly. "Or maybe it was five? I went running around the block."

This girl is so fearless, even though he repeatedly warns her how dangerous it is. But then again, she was never to sit back, even if it meant being in severe danger. She often told him in the past that if she sits around and does nothing, she will end up feeling very restless.

"Shall we order take away?"

"Ah, I did that already. It is just some onion rings, fries from that new American takeaway place. San, you like that kind of thing, right?"

"Yeah, did it arrive already?"

"Mmm, no, it should be about—"Sumire's sentence fell short when they heard the sound of somebody knocking on the door.

"I will get it."

Sano exited the house and went around from the garden. Did she time the delivery? Normally, he has random waking up times, but he would wake up at a specific time frame since he requested leave. How odd that she noticed something like that.

The moment he saw the delivery man, however, Sano blinked, surprised. Isn't this guy Maon Kou?

His lips curved to a grin. "I thought I recognized the address."

Sano recalled the last time they talked and cautiously stepped back. The maroon-colored-haired man laughed.

"You don't have to worry. Yu-yu explained everything."

By Yu-yu, he means Teashima Yuhi? Sano paused. Now that he thought about it, Sumire's behavior towards him is a bit odd now too. That must also be Terashimas doing, but exactly what did he say?

"Why are you working in a takeaway place?"

Kou chuckled. "The new restaurant happens to be one of my family restaurant chains abroad. They seemed to be short in hands, so I decided to pitch in. The girls there knew this was your address and started to argue about who would come here, so the boss told me to go."

Sano couldn't miss the hostility at the mention of other females. "Im loyal to her."

"Loyal, huh? Hey Nagawa, did you know that Mimi liked you?"

Sano blinked, surprised at those words. "What do you mean?"

"I think you are under the impression that she never loved you, but that was wrong. Sure she may have accepted your offer to date for superficial reasons, but it didn't take long before she genuinely fell for you."

"That is impossible."

"You can keep telling yourself that, but think for a moment. Why did she end up so hurt and affected if you meant nothing to her?"

He paused for a moment. Indeed, when they first saw each other again, there was that look of hate and pure disgust. But it didn't take long, did it? It didn't take long before she gave him her number and they started to talk. She even helped him with some business proposals, and she didn't change him as her doctor when her illness started to act up.

Right now, she is even living in his house even though she doesn't have to. Sumire has made a lot of sacrifices for him. If she never liked him like he originally thought, then she wouldn't have bothered.

"Do you think it is okay for me to like her?" Sano muttered.

He never thought he would end up consulting anyone about this, but now that Hino is open about his feelings towards Sumire. Sano felt awkward discussing these matters with him.

"That is up to her and not me, but let's see-"Kou chuckled. "I think anybody who can make her happy deserves her love."

Anybody who can make her happy? After a few more words, Maon Kou quickly left, not before passing him the takeaway bag. Sano walked back to the garden area to find that Sumire sat on the patio with a dazed expression, the wooden sword by her side.

"It smells good."

"I saw Maon."

Sumire laughed. "Uh, I wondered why you were taking a while. I thought for a moment that maybe the delivery person was a cute girl, and you started chatting her up."

"No."

She rolled her eyes. "Imp only joking."

Sano looked at the ground. He was still having a hard time processing the words Maon Kou told him. But the more he thought it through, the more his mind cleared up. It is clear to him that Sumire isn't hostile towards him. But he never once suspected that maybe she behaves this way because she used to like him.

He placed the bag on the patio, and Sumire started to take the dishes out. He walked back into the house and pulled out a foldable table before placing it in front of her.

Sumire laughed again. "Mm, you are prepared." She trailed off. "For this time of year, it is unusually warm, so I thought we could eat outside during lunch too."

"If you would like."

He didn't know what to do today. Generally, on his days off, he would call up different women and sleep with them. His days off usually center around his third priority, women. But he won't do something like that when the girl he likes is with him.

"You don't have anything else to do?"

"Well, nothing outside. I am going to practice for Yumi-senpais live later. The rooms on the third floor are soundproof, right?"

"They are."

Now that he thought about it, she hasn't sung on a proper stage since she arrived in Tokyo. He knew it was because of the accident, but it troubled him. How many times has he set up events for her, only for her to not show up? He still doesn't have a solid footing in the Entertainment industry, so it reflects badly on him.

"Will you be able to sing?" Sano awkwardly asked. He didn't want to criticize her, but her career may no longer recover at this rate.

The rumors on the net and the media- nearly everybody is saying bad things about her. Even the people who defended her at first have backed down.

It is only natural for them to do so, an idol who can't keep her promises, an idol who refuses to sing. Nobody would waste their time on somebody like that. Time heals all wounds, but almost a year has passed now. Sumire already has a new boyfriend too, so there are those who no longer use that reasoning to argue her case.

"Yes."

Sano blinked when he heard her firm and immediate response. This is a bit surprising; the last time, she still seemed so uncertain, and in the end, she didn't show up. It was a venue he specially asked for, but she never came.

Sumire suddenly stood up and stretched her arms. "Then I suppose it is time for me to get going."

"Get going?"

"Mm, after all, this is a dream."

Sanos eyes widened when he heard those words. Wait a second, what is she-- he watched as a strong gust of wind appeared and their surroundings turned blurry. Sano immediately reached out to hug her.

"No, please, Sumire."

Sumire laughed. "I was a bit worried after I just left like that, so I wanted to make sure you ate something."

"You can't do this to me."

"But I can. Im so sorry."

In the next second, he heard the sound of something shattering.

..

Sano woke up to white walls and a white ceiling. He was panting heavily and screaming.

"Sano? Sano--" It was Penelope, but there was someone else there too. Despite his blurred vision, he could make out his friend.

"Hino, Sumire. Take me to her."

At those words, Hino bit his lip. "Sano, look at the day."

Sano looked towards the television.

It had been two and a half weeks since Ibuki Sumire disappeared and since he went into a short coma. There was no doubt that he was thinner than before, and his hair seemed longer.

"You can't find her?"

"We looked all over Japan. Sano, she isn't here."

Then she went abroad? But where would she go? These questions sprang to his mind, but unfortunately, he had no answers.

"By the way that-" Hino pointed to something on the bed. "-is for Yuhi?"

Sano looked towards the bed and spotted an envelope with Sumires handwriting.

To my dearest Yuhi.

There was no doubt what that letter was for, but Sano wanted to laugh. Even though he was the one, she said goodbye to, the one she was thinking of the most is still Terashima Yuhi.

Even now, he cannot win, but that thought no longer bothered him as much. All that matters now is finding her.