When he revealed to the girl's parents that he was somebody Ki knew from back then, they gradually allowed him to see her more. Sneaking around to see her was becoming increasingly difficult. So, he had no choice but to reveal his identity.
'If you can protect that child, we would be very grateful.' Ki's parents are not bad, but they are not good either. Like Ki said, their traditional values lead to a lack of empathy and understanding of Ki's situation. They could not bring themselves to understand Ki's behaviour because they had no knowledge of it.
They simply thought of her as a troublesome child. But, it seemed like they feared her safety after she left the facility.
'They gave her back to us, but she seemed strange for awhile. It seemed like she had no more emotions. It was terrifying.'
That is not surprising, considering what happened then. They end up separated after a failed escape plan. It was the second time an escape plan failed with Ki. So she probably started to blame herself for getting both her and Yuhi hurt.
It was one of the first things he noticed when he saw her again. At first, he was not sure. The girl from his memories and the girl he just saw resembled each other, except one had bright eyes filled with childish innocence and the other one had blank eyes.
"You still don't want to tell me?" Sumire asked, breaking his thoughts.
"It's not like that. It's just-"
"I think I can guess. It must have been in a bad situation. I don't have many memories from before this day, Ru. My childhood was a blur. I only remembered insignificant things and feelings. But as for actual memories, there was a gap."
Mamoru does not say anything, but she must have taken his silence as a yes.
"It does not matter how we met. I am very thankful that I have you by my side."
"Ki.."
Sumire laughed. "When you first came up to me, I thought you were some kind of hobo due to how you dressed. Your fashion sense has gotten better, but back then, it was awful."
'For a moment, I thought there would be a cool guy out here, but all I see is a hobo.'
Mamoru recalled the words she said to him when they first met in the facility, and he laughed. She truly doesn't change, does she? Even without memories, these traits about her remain the same. That may be why even though he was disappointed that she did not have memories, it did not take long before he cheered up.
At the end of the day, she is still the same Ibuki Sumire with whom he fell in love. The same girl he vowed to protect.
Since he first met her, he has felt this way, so that's probably why her parents eventually gave in.
Mamoru's lips curved to a grin as he took out a photo from the album. It was a picture of the girl crying.
"You seemed delighted that your parents finally approved of our friendship."
At those words, Sumire's cheeks colored. "H-hey! Don't make fun of me. I was just surprised."
"Is this the face of somebody who was surprised?"
"Give me that."
It is fun to tease Ki since she is normally the one who teases him.
"I don't know if I should give it to you."
"Now your just bullying me!" Sumire exclaimed. "When did your arms get so long? Gah, how frustrating."
"Did you shrink Ki?"
"Ru!" She puffed her cheeks, and he laughed.
After all, it's better like this, seeing her carefree and smiling like this. He will do whatever it takes to ensure that Sumire no longer has to get involved in the underworld matters anymore. To do that, he has to distance her from Aki.
Mamoru decided it was enough and was about to return the photo to her, but Sumire got angry and tried to stand up to get it. But this only leads to her falling on top of him.
If his face wasn't red before, it was now. They were so close that their lips were close enough to touch slightly. He caught a whiff of a nice floral scent around the girl.
'I knew Ki was getting prettier, but this is too much.'
Sumire suddenly scrambled away from him. "S-sorry- but you shouldn't tease me so much."
"Y-yeah." Mamoru sat up, embarrassed.
This is dangerous after all; maybe he should strongly insist on her staying over in the guest room next time she comes over. Mamoru stole a glance at the girl and surprisingly saw her flushed cheeks. Can he hope, even if it is just a little bit? Can he delude himself to think that perhaps she feels something more than friendship when she is with him?
Mamoru handed her the photo, and Sumire pouted. "I don't even know why your keeping pictures like this. Should I inspect everything in your room? What if your hiding more?"
"Hey, a guy has things in his room that a teenage girl does not need to see."
"That's gross, Ru. I didn't know you were into that stuff."
"That's not what I'm talking about!"
"Sure, sure."
Oh geez, this girl has such a bad personality. Mamoru lightly knocked his forehead against hers. "I don't have hidden pictures of you."
Why does he have to hide them? Whenever they aren't together, he likes looking at her photos.
"You could have fooled me." Sumire laughed. "But Ru, you have more photos of me than you do of yourself. Your so silly."
Mamoru chuckled. "I guess so."
There are many things he can take pictures of now. Unlike the facility, the world is a fast and beautiful place. There are many sights to see. He was incredibly fascinated by everything after leaving that place. So he picked up photography. But amongst those beautiful sights, the most beautiful for him was Ki.
In this world filled with colour, the colors that surround her shone brighter than anybody else.
…..
Mamoru exhaled deeply as he walked through the streets. It was a strangely quiet Sunday morning. There were not many people on the streets even though it was almost lunchtime. This was the twentieth time he had sighed since earlier.
'I let my guard down and overslept. I planned on making Ki a nice breakfast and tag along with her today, but she was already gone when I woke up.'
The girl did not leave without saying a word; there was a note with a mini illustration attached to his desk.
Two words, thank you, and a drawing of a smiling chibi Ki.
It was enough for him to understand that he cheered her up. It was what he intended. That girl has seen far too much blood recently; he does not want her to continue seeing such terrible sights.
Where could she have gone, though? He had already checked with the other guys, and nobody knew where she was. For a split moment, he feared that she was off trying to end her life again. But a quick message to a certain underground doctor was more than enough to reassure him.
Since he has nothing to do, maybe he can get her a present? Would she find it weird if he got her something sudden- Mamoru's thoughts broke off when he passed by a jewelry shop. He immediately walked back and glanced at a four-leaf clover necklace on a silver chain.
That would look good on her.
Ki does not like wearing extravagant jewels, which is why she seldom has anything. But this design is simple yet beautiful. She would like something like this right?
'I don't have a reason to give her something, but I know this will make her smile regardless.'
Mamoru quickly made up his mind and headed inside the shop. "Excuse me."