"Mmm, Atushi is always thinking of different menus for me. He always disliked how I had a limited diet before, and whenever he could, he would make food for me. But we were both swamped then, and I had to look after Ru. So now that he has this opportunity, he is working very hard to develop various dishes that I would like. Jae is very good at baking; he always makes different treats with me. Oh, and Chitose has his vegetable garden; it's amazing. Kawa and Yoru always treat me to good food whenever we go out. They know a lot of good places."

Yuhi listened to her and noticed how tender her facial expression was. She indeed looks like an ordinary girl now. Nobody would have thought that just a year ago, this girl was standing at the top of the underworld as the Queen and living a bloody lifestyle every day. Although she cannot completely escape from that fate, at the very least, she now has peaceful days.

​​

"I'm glad I got to know everybody in Akagumi."

'Not I'm glad to have come to Tokyo, but Akagumi specifically.' Who would have thought those guys could make her this happy? Then again, they aren't bad people. Sure he disguised them as a delinquent group, but the guys were not vicious at all. They do have their tough moments, but the reality is they are a bunch of kids with huge hearts. They all had terrible lifestyles, though.

If he didn't help them, they might have lost to their despair.

Now that he thought about it is that the reason why he didn't abandon any of them? Why did he personally help them out even if he didn't have to?

"So you think of them-"

"I think of them as family."

Oh, they thought the same thing.

"You know how it is with my family Yuhi. Even when they were around, I never felt that we were family. But when I lost them, I realized that it didn't matter if things were awkward; as long as they were around, it was enough." Sumire trailed off.

There was a lonely look in her eyes. But it was only for a second. "That is why I am very thankful to those guys. Even though we are not blood-related, I feel family ties towards them."

Suppose she feels that strongly then Yuhi had a hunch, and he immediately voiced it out. "Is this the reason why you have been dealing with underworld matters more?"

"Mmm, because I want to protect them. That drug that the organization is spreading is very dangerous. Right now, they are targeting random members of different groups. Even though not everybody knows about my ties to the group, there is still a high chance that those drugs could end up in their hands. I do not want to take any risks and lose people anymore."

Yuhi couldn't say anything to that. She truly is a brave one. Where does she get that strong conviction from?

"Then Christmas eve, and New year, do you want to spend time with them?"

Sumire blinked, surprised. "Christmas eve?"

Yuhi chuckled. "They didn't want to get in my way to hog you during Christmas. So they planned a small gift exchange on the twenty-fourth. It may be too much considering you also have your live with Takashi Yumi that day, but-" His sentence fell short when he saw her sparkling eyes. "You want to go, right?"

"En, of course! I also want to visit the shrine with everyone."

Geez, she is way too honest. So much for monopolizing her time until New year. Still, this isn't a bad development. Sumire most likely knew how he felt about her getting close to the others, so she refrained from speaking about it.

"Then let's go with everyone."

Sumire suddenly stopped walking and appeared directly in front of him. Yuhi felt his heartbeat increase when he realized how close her face was. "What is it?"

"I was just thinking, Yuhi-san, you're a very kind person, arent you?"

"What brought this on?"

"I heard from Yoru and the others how they met you." Sumire trailed off and laughed. "Even though you criticized me for playing hero before, at the end of the day, you still did it?"

"It's your bad influence."

"Mm, but still, I think it is a good thing. We may have scary powers and unusually inhumane strength, but we are still human at the end of the day. We still cry when we are in pain or suffer injustice; we still get angry and lash out at people. We still smile when we are happy when we are with the ones we care for. We still fall in love," She whispered the last part softly, and that was when Yuhi felt her lips on his.

It was a brief kiss, and yet Yuhi felt the strong emotions behind them. She brushed her forehead against his. "I truly am happy now, Yuhi. Even though so many bad things have happened recently, this is still the happiest I have been in my life. The reason I can be this happy is no doubt because of you."

Indeed, unlike her previous life, Sumire leads a relatively safe life now. She can be a normal high school girl, worry about school-related matters, and hangs out with her friends.

But now she has more precious things.

"You have more to lose now." Yuhi voiced this out, knowing if he left it, it would trouble him a lot more.

"I don't think of it that way," Sumire mumbled against his lips. "Now I have more things to protect."

Yuhis eyes widened when he heard those words. Of course, she would see it that way.

"That includes you. I will make sure nothing bad happens to you."

Despite how calmly she said this, Yuhi sensed the strength behind those words. The strength and the pain. Even though Sumire knows Mamoru is alive, she still blames herself for what happened even though she has met Mamoru.

'If only I were stronger.' In the past, he also had the same thoughts. If he were stronger, then he wouldn't have lost a precious friend.

Yuhi flicked her forehead, and the girl yelped in pain.

"That hurts! What was that for?"

"For being stupid."

"Hey--!"

He extended his hand out and pinched her cheeks. "Whenever you try to act cool, it only makes you look like a loser." He commented.

Sumire's eyes twitched, annoyed. "That heartful speech took me ages to think off, and yet here you are insulting me."

"I am only telling the truth. I understand your resolve to protect everyone and me. But who said you have to do all of this alone?"

She suddenly turned quiet.

"Ibuki Sumire, you're not the only one who sees those guys as family. The same goes for me, and the same goes for them towards us. Rather than face things alone, let us fight alongside you."

At those words, the girl looked surprised before she sighed deeply. "I figured you would say something like that. Yuhi-san, you acted like a loner and didn't allow people to get close to you. But when they did, you treasured them dearly. It was the same with me; that was why I could never tell if you liked me."