Talk

"You don't have to worry." Sumire must have seen his disturbed expression. "Nothing like what you're thinking has happened."

"I suppose you're right. I mean, I was the one who took your first time."

At those words, she almost dropped the knife in her hands, but he immediately caught it. Toh raised his eyebrow seeing her behaviour.

"I thought we already talked about this. Why are you still acting so strangely about it?"

"I should be the one questioning you. Why do you bring it up so casually?"

Is that what it looks like to her? Indeed for him, this wasn't new. This isn't the first time he has taken somebody's first time, either. It's nothing to boast about, but he is indeed more relaxed now that this happened more than once.

"Sorry about that."

"Huh?" Sumire exclaimed.

"I said I'm sorry. I didn't take your feelings into account."

"You know, if you put it that way, it makes me feel awkward." Sumire sighed. "I am not good with this stuff, but I shouldn't continue this way. I suppose this was a nice wake-up reality call. Since I succeeded in the drug immunity training, I have been taking reckless actions. I took advantage, knowing I'd be fine no matter what and that there would be guards around me at all costs."

"Guards?"

"Yes, for upper members in the Holy knight's group, normally we would be assigned guards/escorts. The higher position you have, the more escorts. My position right now is a bit strange."

Right, because she has to hide her true position.

"But I should have had a fair amount of guards. However, that night, I didn't have any at all. When I asked Aki what had happened, it seemed they were following me like usual. But they all suddenly fell asleep."

"They fell asleep?"

"Mm, it would make more sense if somebody knocked them out. But no, they all reported that they heard a strange melody and ended up sleeping."

'That sounds like the work of an evolved human.' Now that he thought about it, the aura he saw around her a few days ago was not normal. Could it be that this girl is an evolved human? Humans with evolved genetics that have led to the manifestation of otherworldly powers.

If he did not belong to this line of work, then he would never believe such a thing. But, since he is a member of that man's group, the abnormal has already become normal to him. The main reason why that man took him in was because he was an evolved human.

"Anyhow, I finished cooking."

Toh blinked, hearing those words, and glanced down to see a pot of stew with firmly cut leaf, parsley, thyme, tomatoes, potatoes, and grounded pepper alongside the meat. It smelled good, and it seemed like she hadn't burned it.

He helped her bring the pot to the table and got the rest of the table set out. Sumire sat across from him as she poured tea into his cup.

They lifted their spoons and said, "Thank you for the meal.' before digging in. The moment he bit into the food, he blinked and continued to eat.

He wondered when was the last time he found a meal this delicious. 'I cook my meals perfectly, and yet I never find those perfectly cooked meals delicious.'

He felt Sumire's gaze on him, and she laughed. "Um, is it good?"

"Delicious, maybe you're right, and you're a natural at this."

"Flattery is certainly your strong point. But this has given me a bit more confidence now, I will do my best, so I can make more meals like this."

This is so strange, eating alongside another person like this. He has shared the table with many people before, but he has never experienced such warm feelings. His gaze never left hers as he ate his meal and watched her at the same time.

She seemed surprised at the results, too but raised her hands and did a mini victory pose. So, she can behave cutely like this too. How many different sides of her has he seen already? How many more sides of her will he see?

His thoughts break off when Sumire slides an envelope across the table.

"This is the other reason why I wanted to see you urgently and why I broke free from my house arrest."

Toh opened the envelope to see several profiles.

"These are some of the men that were captured alive during the incident."

Toh didn't know what surprised him more, that she had actually left some alive or that she didn't hide her motives. That bloody sight from a few days ago remained firm in his mind. It served as a reminder that while she may seem normal. She is capable of such a brutal act.

He isn't frightened like Koichi, but he shouldn't let his guard down too much. No matter how interesting she is to him.

"Do you want me to speak to them?"

"If you may. Masaru is still healing up, and while he will be present too. It seems like Aki-san wants you to take over instead."

"I don't mind, but I do believe the deal was I would be following your orders."

Sumire blinked, and she laughed. "Don't worry. I only said that so you wouldn't think I was being conceited. I was the one who convinced them to get you to take over."

"Oh?" Toh raised his eyebrow. "It's true that I can do this, but you haven't seen my abilities yet or how I work. How are you so confident that I am better than Tachibana Masaru?"

"Hmm, you may call me silly for saying this. But if I say instinct, how would you react?"

At those words, Toh burst into laughter, and Sumire grunted.

"I am serious! When I heard what type of work you did, a part of me was like, 'that makes sense.'"

"But you still wouldn't conclude that I'm better than your friend."

Sumire paused for a moment before she mumbled that she might as well tell him.

"I hope you don't take this the wrong way. But the reason why I went crazy in the karaoke bar a few days ago was because of you. I wanted to test you." Sumire admitted. "For a while, I wondered what would be the best way to test your ability as a psychologist, and it struck me. 'If he sees a bloody massacre by the woman he is interested in, what would he do?'"

So she did that on purpose?

"I didn't know they'd be coming after me. I planned to set up a different scenario at a later time. But since it happened, I figured I would take advantage of the situation."

Right, she was this type of person. Toh sighed, frustrated. This is the first time he has difficulty figuring somebody out. Then again, he already prepared himself when he first met her. 'This wouldn't be easy.' It's probably due to accumulated stress from the last few days, but he almost forgot about his silent determination to uncover everything about her.