February 20th - Yuhi's apartment -

They both skip school.

For several days.

For almost a week, it's a week tomorrow. Yuhi kept count.

They are midway into February, and it is almost time for the graduation event. When Tsueno Mamoru passed away, Yuhi visted the town. He even ran into the others and showed him to the grave. He wanted to pay his respects, at least. Nobody told him about Sumire's situation and current state. If he knew, then he wouldn't have returned to Tokyo and stayed with her. By the time he realized, it was already far too late.

Yuhi wants to bring that topic up. He wants to talk to her about what happened when Mamoru passed away. The information from Asuka was too vague. 'She locked herself up in Mamoru's place, and wouldn't leave the house.'

Did she eat during that time? She is alive now, so she must have eaten something to survive. But when Yuhi saw the state of that apartment, he knew something was wrong.

Since Mamoru died, time has stopped for Sumire. His gaze lands on the brown-haired girl who was resting her head on his shoulder, "You know if you want to sleep, you should go to your room." Yuhi commented.

'Although I like this.' But Yuhi knew better than to divulge in such thoughts right now.

"No, I'm just resting. I don't want to part from Yuhi either."

These lines have escaped the girl's lips more often than before. She no longer got shy or embarrassed, saying them either. Whenever Sumire looked at him with those eyes, he could not help but kiss her.

Even though this sort of thing makes little sense, it's illogical, and yet they both long for something. Yuhi longs for her, craves her to the point that he knew that he could no longer sleep unless she were by her side. But what Sumire wanted, the person she longed for was somebody completely different.

Such actions with him are only to settle the disturbance in her heart, even if it is only for a little while. Although he knew that, Yuhi said nothing about it. He would not mention it. He can't let it get to him. It's already good enough that Sumire is letting him get this close.

'Still for how much longer?' Yuhi knew how many other guys liked her while those guys have stopped such advances towards the brown hair girl, only for now.

His main concern other than the fiance is that man—Nanairo Feather's Ichinose Arashi. Yuhi remembered how close they were and even though Sumire turned him down.

It didn't mean Arashi was no longer a threat for the girl's heart. Yuhi sighed, 'too many rivals.' Right now, he is the only one by her side. However, he knew this situation wouldn't last long. When the other guys show up, he won't have time to spend time with her.

He told Sumire it was okay to rely on him. But at this stage, won't she rely entirely on him? He should bring her back to school soon, so she can make some new friends.

Still, he should tell her to stop holding his hand and getting close to him. Yuhi constantly worried whether or not it was okay.

He sometimes thinks of asking her if it was okay to keep doing that, especially considering how the girl is a fresh and upcoming popular idol now. Yet whenever Sumire looked at him with those eyes, such concerns and worries disappear.

"Has anybody told you that your personality is bad?" He asks because he thinks it's necessary to say it.

Yuhi doesn't mean it as an insult; it wasn't something he said to offend her. Nor was he trying to demerit her in any way, no it was because he was curious.

Sumire smiles. "I hear that quite a bit. But as if such things would bother me." Of course, they won't. She suddenly laced their hands together. "Though, are you implying your personality is just in contrast to mine?"

She got him there. Yuhi liked the feeling of her hands on his. At first, Sumire stayed far away from him; she didn't go near him. But as time passed by, she gradually got closer. Yuhi didn't know what to think about this sudden change.

After all, people saw him as the cold prince on the school grounds for the reason. He understood where the cold part came from, but for the Prince bit --- he paused in mid-thought. Akatsuki, it's him. "If I were a sadist, then you would have a huge problem." Yuhi tried to sound threatening. But he knew the girl wouldn't believe him.

"Is that so?" Sumire responded playfully.

They can't continue like this; he knows that full well. But he knows that he can't stop.

"What do you want to do for lunch?" Yuhi asked. "The fridge is empty, so we could go somewhere."

There wasn't much food there to begin with. But when Sumire came here, the food vanished. He seldom stayed here, though. Why would he bother staying in this place, when he simply goes to school and work? Iro road high school is close to the main city too.

So there wasn't much furniture either. Yuhi thought this would bother her. But Sumire didn't mind. Still, it bothered him. So for the past week, he gradually bought things.

"Hmmm, then let's go shopping instead."

"Sure, what would you like? I will cook today."

The two of them took turns to cook, and sometimes they cooked together. Yuhi liked spending those moments with her since it was an excuse to get closer with nobody judging them.

"Let's cook together." Sumire trailed off and laughed. "I like it better."

Her smile is as bright as the sun. A sun he can't reach no matter how close he gets. Yuhi shook his head. "Go get changed. I will wait for you downstairs."

Sumire moved away from him. "Yuhi, get changed too."

"Huh?"

She sighed. "I don't like nagging. But you slept in those clothes and went out in them for the past two days. I know you didn't wash them either."

'Sumire sounds like my girlfriend as the days go by.' Yuhi didn't mind, though. When he brings her back to school, he wants people to know who she belongs to. Yuhi quickly shook that thought out of his mind. She doesn't belong to anyone, at least not him.

Yuhi agreed, and Sumire left his room. Sumire mainly slept beside him. However, he gave her a separate room where she could relax. There is no bed in that room, it's quite small. A room that can fit only a closet, a chair, and a desk. A small space to draw. But she even does that last part in his room.

He walked over to the closest, deep in thought. His closest has become quite full too. Sumire always buys him clothes when they go shopping. It won't surprise him if she does that on today's trip.

'He is so used to her being by his side.' But when they finish high school, won't she return home? Yuhi shook his head; there is no use thinking about such things now.