Eternal Melody

Chapter 618 Awkward meeting

It was a coincidence that she ended up in the same cafe as Yuhi-san, the childhood friend, and Hino. When she saw her dear, she wanted to attack him, but when he saw him happily chatting with that carefree smile on his face. Sumire found herself hiding behind a pot of plants.

Sumire sighed deeply. What on earth is she doing? 'I have already monopolized Yuhi-san for three days.' After she picked him up from his friend's place, she ensured that he stayed home. It was difficult at; first; that guy is a workaholic. Fortunately, she made up a good enough excuse to make him stay.

'I didn't have to lie. I still wasn't well myself. All I had to do was say I didn't want to be alone.' Yuhi can be guilable at times. Or maybe he is just a fool? Sumire thought she was doing a good job hiding, but it did not take long before Hino found her.

"Instead of sneaking around, just show your face." Hino sighed. He didn't wait for her response and dragged her over to where Yuhi was.

"Wait a minute, Hino--" Her sentence fell short when she felt somebody stare at her.

"Sumire?" Yuhi said surprised.

Geh. "Uh, hello." She said awkwardly, trying to avoid his gaze.

Yuhi's eyes brightened, and he hugged her tightly. "I was just going to call you."

Was he?

"I ran into her coincidentally, but I figured this would be the best time to introduce you."

A coincidence, right? Those things do happen.

"Sit with us?"

"Mmm."

Maybe it was due to the impact of the hug, but she decided to join them. The original seating arrangement had the childhood friend beside Yuhi. But the girl moved away once she saw her. It seems this woman already knows about her. They did make eye contact three days ago, so she must know how hostile she is.

Her thoughts broke off when Yuhi placed a plate in front of her and started to place some food on top.

"Yuhi-san, I can't eat this-" She trailed off once she saw his bright smile.

Sumire felt her cheeks turn red. W-well, if he is looking at her like that, then she supposes she can eat.

After taking a bite, her eyes brightened.

"Is it good?"

"Mm, it's delicious!" Sumire extended her fork out. "Yuhi-san, you too."

Yuhi took a bite, but he didn't stop there; the cream from the bun dripped down her arm. Yuhi didn't hesitate to lick the cream away.

Hino hit Yuhi across the head, causing him to drop her arm. "You two, do that stuff at home!"

Yuhi looked at him with an innocent expression. "Did I do something wrong? I was just helping her not waste food. You are the one who told me it is bad table manners to waste food. Right Sumire?"

He only licked the cream away and yet his tongue. Yuhi has a long tongue; whenever he licks her, she always ends up feeling strange.

Her cheeks felt hotter than before as she thought of what had happened a few minutes ago.

Hino's eyes twitched, annoyed. "You, stop attacking so love-struck. You're going to enlarge his ego."

"B-b-but my dear is too handsome."

Sumire wrapped her arms around his neck. "Stop seducing me in public."

"So, is it okay to do it at home?"

There must be something wrong with her. All the words leaving Yuhi-san's lips sound so seductive. Ah, maybe she should just attack him. Her thoughts broke off when Yuhi leaned down and kissed her.

It was a brief kiss, but it was enough for her to feel embarrassed.

"Let's continue at home, yeah?"

"Alright."

Hino coughed, and Sumire drew back. O-h right, Hino and the childhood friend are still there.

The childhood friend, Sumire, glances over at the girl and immediately frowns. Why is she so pretty! This is unfair. Why does Yuhi-san have to have somebody like this around him? Even though she only has him, he has so many others who could give him more love and care. She ought to be happy that he has so many people who care for him.

'I want him all to myself, though.'

These dark and disgusting thoughts. It's no wonder the media keep saying Yuhi is better off with another woman.

"Um, Miss Ibuki, I'm Yuhi and Hino's childhood friend. My name is-"

"I know who you are, Miss Hasegawa cassie."

"Uh, right."

'I feel so irritated.' It's not like there is anything bad about this girl. She is just a normal person. But maybe it is because she is so normal that she feels more irritated.

Her thoughts broke off when she saw that Yuhi had sliced his cake in half. Isn't that his favourite? Does he not want to eat the rest of it? Unless he watched as Hasegawa finished eating her cake when Yuhi slid the plate casually over.

"I've eaten enough."

"T-thank you, Yuhi."

Sumire's gaze dimmed as she watched the two. They must know each other's likes and dislikes very well since they are childhood friends. He even gave her his food.

"Oh, that reminds me, Yuhi, did you receive an invitation to that music festival?"

"Yeah, I received two invites. To perform solo and one as a group."

"That's great! I'm looking forward to sharing the same stage as you again."

A music festival, huh?

"Uh what about you Ibuki-san?"

Sumire flinched at those words. How could she possibly receive an invite for something prestigious? Perhaps if it was a year ago, she would be qualified for such events by now. But due to the incident, no, she wouldn't even qualify for the opening due to her running away.

Hino has a lot of connections, and he could probably land her a spot if she asked. But if she does that, it would go against her beliefs. She wants to earn a spot in that festival with her own ability.

But admitting that she can't even land a spot in that festival in front of this woman-

"She just started her activities again recently. I want to ease her back into the role before taking on anything major." Hino interjected.

Ah, he truly is a professional manager. That answer doesn't necessarily highlight the incident, but it reminds her that she isn't doing major jobs yet because she just returned. Normally when artists return from a break, they don't do any large jobs for a while.

"I see. It's a shame."

"If you're not joining, maybe I shouldn't, too," Yuhi mumbled.

Eh?

"I mean, performing as a group is fine. But I don't see why I have to sing solo too. If I'm going to have a second slot, I would rather sing with you."

This man is crazy; how could he possibly turn down an opportunity to sing solo? During large festivals like this, the main events are usually the solo performances. Then again, with Yuhi-san's status, he doesn't gain anything from participating. He is most likely doing the other performance to help the other guys.

But Sumire tugged on his sleeves. "Yuhi, you won't sing?"

Even if she doesn't participate, she wants to hear him sing.

During group performances, lines are distributed evenly. Yuhi is the group's center, but he makes sure that everybody gets equal parts. 'I want to hear him sing more.'

Yuhi's gaze softened as he looked at her. "Do you want me to?"

"Mmm."

"Then," Yuhi brushed his forehead against hers. "-I'll sing my new song for you."

Did he write a new song for her? It shouldn't surprise her already, but she feels happy.

Still, why is he getting so affectionate with her in public? It is rare for him to do this. Unless Sumire scanned the cafe briefly and saw some reporters, she immediately understood. So Yuhi lied to her. They didn't meet up coincidentally, but this is a setup scene so the media can take a picture.