Sumire tried to break free of his hold, but he would not let her go. "You're still as stubborn as you were back then."

"That's uncalled for Yuhi-san." She seemed troubled by his words. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"And I like seeing your smile when you're by my side. Both of us are fighting to protect our desires."

Her cheeks colored slightly, and she looked down at the ground. "Isn't that sly of you?"

"What are you talking about, dear? These are my honest feelings."

"You're so…"

Yuhi cupped her cheeks. "I'll calm you down. So relax, yeah, Sumire?"

His thoughts broke off when she wrapped her arms around his neck and mumbled. "What are we doing?"

"Whatever you like."

This is not the best coping method, and he advised against it last time. But right now, if he were to leave her alone after this conversation, she will most likely do something reckless.

..

They both took a nap after that, and when he woke up again, she was no longer beside him. She left a note saying she would go out. He found her quickly, though, in the gardens. He watched her for a few minutes tending to medical plants with great care before she spotted him.

"Are you alright? You looked pale earlier."

"Not too exhausted… rather, stressed would be a better word. It's nothing to worry about, though," Yuhi replied.

"You should go rest then…"

He shook his head. His hands trail over the pink heart-shaped flowers that Sumire had been attending to. "Shouldn't you be heading to bed as well?"

"It's these flowers, and they only bloom at night. After researching, I discovered they would be blooming tonight, and I was right. When they bloom, I can harvest them and make them into a nice tea. A tea that relieves and calms a person's tensions. I just thought it would be helpful."

Yuhi blinked at her explanation. Then doesn't that mean something has been worrying her? "Has something been troubling you these days?"

The light blush that crept over her cheeks didn't escape his notice.

"Well, no, but Tanabe-senpai told me that you're quite stressed these days, so I thought of making you some tea. Oh, since you are still up, would you like me to prepare some tea for you? It would help you sleep better."

He was silent for a while, before he felt a warm feeling appear in his chest.

Yuhi held up a hand and covered his eyes, and his lips slowly spread to a slight smile.

Sumire seemed puzzled and asked, "Are you upset with me?"

"No, I'm happy. Thank you Sumire."

A quiet walk back to his apartment from the gardens. The entire time he noticed how distracted she was. Her gaze never left her notebook.

He leads her back inside, knowing that she caught a cold easily. For summer, it was quite cold. Even when they entered the apartment, her gaze remained on the book, but she stopped when they came inside his room.

"Do you like it?"

There was a pot of freshly brewed tea by his beside. It was something he quickly made before he left to find her.

Yuhi sat on the edge of his bed with a cup in his hands, and Sumire stood close by.

She appeared edgy as if being alone with him in his room was unfamiliar. It wasn't. How many times have they laid in those sheets together?

She often sneaks into his office too. Yuhi, however, felt the strange atmosphere around her. Well, he expected this. It was different when it was the dead of night, and the entire town was asleep.

"You know you can take a seat if you want..."

Sumire shook her head. "N--No it's fine."

She is acting cautiously around him. It's kind of amusing in a way. His lips curved into a smile even if she does belong to someone else. If he can still make her react this way, it is a good sign for him.

From the very start, Yuhi understood that Sumire did not belong to him.

Yuhi sighed. "Sit."

At that comment, Sumire didn't protest anymore and took a seat beside him.

But Yuhi noticed how far away she sat from him. She was tugging at her coat sleeves and fidgeting. Even if it was dark, he saw her red-stained cheeks. She really is cute.

If he wasn't restraining himself, then by now, he would have attacked her.

Yuhi shook the thought out of his mind. No, no, even he was a reasonable person. He has to respect her boundaries. Besides, that promise does hold priority.

"Lately, it seems like you've been in the gardens a lot more."

Sumire carefully lifts the medicine book from her bag.

His eyes went wide. "D--don't get me wrong or anything. I have every intention of carrying on music - and I didn't just make a one-shot debut to let it end like that. I want to keep on writing and creating more beautiful songs for you and the others. However, lately, when I go on jobs, I realized that maybe there's something I can still do."

Yeah, he figured that was it.

Since she is this kind of person, Yuhi understood what her intentions were.

"You can't learn medicine that quickly, you know."

Sumire nodded. "Yeah. But honestly speaking, it's actually been something I've been doing for a long time now. Since he left me the first time," she laughs lightly. "Though most people don't bother with medical plants nowadays. I believe it can still be of use. If I can do something aside from fighting, then I want to do just that."

So that is the reason why she is working hard. She must have sympathized with the patients in the hospital. Do they remind her of Mamoru?

"....also...you."

Eh? Yuhi looked at her, puzzled. Why did she mention him?

Sumire looked away flustered.

"I mean, you always look worn out and exhausted...I figured that managing a company isn't an easy job when you are a celebrity too. There must have been some sort of wager with Hino."

That's spot on, correct. She is sharp; however, this time around, there is no way she could have figured that out on her own.

"I'll kill that stupid bodyguard of mine." Yuhi immediately guessed who told her.

Sumire laughed softly. "Ah, I guess that was no good."

"Geez, I can't believe he spoke to you about something like that. Since when were you two on speaking terms anyway?"

He knew how cautious she was towards strangers.

Sumire pulled a face. "Actually, for some strange reason, he is always in the gardens area during lunch. That's why we ended up talking."

Yuhi doesn't respond, and his eyes twitched in annoyance. That stupid guard of his didn't mention that at all this morning. So that's why he brought her up. Good grief. So those two met? By bodyguard, he means the one Hino assigned him when they met. That person spoke with Sumire, Yuhi frowned slightly. Sumire likes good-looking guys, right? They spent all that time alone in the garden area- Yuhi quickly shook his head. There is no need to worry about random guys; in the end, his biggest rival is still Tsueno Mamoru.