His phone call

It was early the next morning when she woke up feeling much better than before, so she decided to go out and jog. Thankfully she found suitable clothing to wear.

Quite some time has passed since she last ran like this. Recently a lot has happened, and she has had to focus more on the underworld. But, after that talk with Toh yesterday, she reconfirmed her love for singing. As she thought, the career she wanted to focus on was still singing.

'I have to tell Aki-san that I want to decrease my work.' At least after she debuts, she has to be careful with what jobs she takes. She recalled Toh's expression when he asked why she still remained in the underworld. It's not like she never thought of quitting before. Several incidents occurred in the past that almost led to her getting arrested.

Just thinking about her careless behavior recently, Sumire sighed. Since when did this all start? Sumire paused to think about it and groaned. Right, she started behaving recklessly again right after Sano dumped her.

Although she never had feelings for Sano, at the very least, he served as a good 'limiter.' Back when she first started dating him, she knew she had to be very careful that he didn't find out about her identity in the underworld. That's why she seldom took on any dangerous jobs for the past year.

Hold on a minute. Now that she thought about it since the break up with Sano, the amount of work she received would total the amount she should have taken during the time she dated Sano.

Sumire's gaze dimmed, and she clenched her fist. That Aki did this on purpose! She thought he was overworking her too much recently, but he insisted that this was the normal amount.

Was it so wrong for her to take a leisure break from her underworld work, to go dating? The guy in question, indeed, ended up being the largest jerk possible. But at the very least, she experienced a normal relationship. She paused in mid-thought and shook her head. No that is wrong. The relationship she has with Nagawa Sano is anything but normal.

'I think it's too soon, after all, for me to be in another relationship.'

She has received two confessions and one person saying they are interested in her. She has had plenty of new options. But her heart still aches when she thinks about how badly the last relationship turned out.

She doesn't want to jump onto a new one so soon.

Her thoughts break off when she sees the caller ID, causing her to stop running abruptly. She almost dropped her phone in her hands.

"H-hello? Y-Yuhi?" Sumire said, startled.

She heard laughter and felt her heartbeat increase. Whenever he laughs, it sounds so innocent and childish. It is completely different from his usual image.

"Sorry I haven't contacted you for a while. I was just finishing up my tour, so I've been jumping from one city to another without much of a break."

"T-that's al-alrigh-" Sumire bit her tongue and yelped in pain,

Yuhi laughed again. "You don't have to rush speaking to me. I am not going anywhere. Take a deep breath."

Sumire felt very embarrassed and knew how red her face was even without a mirror. It is so strange, but whenever she speaks to Yuhi. It always ends up with her doing something stupid. She took several deep breaths before turning to her phone again.

"Did you need me for something?"

"Well, I figured I'd like to hear your voice for a bit before I go to the next town and ask you if I'll be hearing anything about your debut."

"Uh." Sumire laughed awkwardly.

This is probably not the best time to tell him that she has been focusing on the underworld work. One of her promises with Yuhi during his visit not too long ago was to earnestly work hard for her debut. But with the current situation, how could she possibly think of her debut? She still hasn't found the location of that mysterious man who appeared in town, the one who defeated Masaru.

Incident after incident has been happening, and she has had no choice but to involve herself in all of them.

"The Holy Knights have been busy, haven't they?"

Despite Yuhi's casual remark, Sumire understood that he had found out already. If he already knows, then there is no use pretending anymore.

"I'm sorry!" Sumire immediately apologized. "For breaking our promise so easily."

She heard a sigh on the other end, and she was worried that he was angry, but he quickly dismissed her worries.

"Well, truthfully, I only asked you to do that to convince myself. I already knew it would be impossible. Although I am not as up-to-date with the underworld matters as before, I have heard the news here and there. This is the main reason for the call. I wanted to check on you and ensure you are not overdoing it. I mean, without me by your side, your probably running off alone recklessly and fighting by yourself-"

Sumire blinked, hearing him ramble. Is it just her, or does Yuhi seem nervous?

"I'm a bit nervous talking to you on the phone like this."

A-ah, she was right. But since when could Yuhi behave so cutely? Oh no, it feels like she will fall for him even more.

"Are you worried about me, Yuhi?"

"All the time," Yuhi mumbled. "To the point, I am actively watching the news and using my old contacts. Something happened five days ago, and while it was reported as a heroic deed, the style of reporting felt familiar to me."

"Ah, it was Aki-san."

"I thought so, and the only reason why he would go so far is to protect you."

Sumire blinked upon hearing those words. Huh? To protect her?

"Hey, why do you seem so surprised?"

It seems Yuhi understood her sudden silence.

"B-but just now, you said that Aki did that to protect me. That doesn't make sense."

Yuhi sighed upon hearing those words.

"You know, I wonder if it is a good thing for me if you're so oblivious regarding how others feel about you."

Despite those vague-sounding words, recently, she has received two confessions, and somebody says they are interested. So, she isn't as clueless as she was before. Is Yuhi implying that Aki likes her? It was difficult just imagining it, that man towards her. Oh no, if she thinks about it anymore, it feels like her brain will explode.