"Are you going to pair with someone else?" Sumire mumbled.
No matter how strong Ru is, he won't be stupid enough to take on a triple S level mission alone. But, it is difficult for her to imagine him working with someone else.
'I wouldn't like it.'
"No, let's compromise. Let's head to the university tomorrow. But, at the first sign of anything dangerous, I will immediately prioritize your safety over the investigation."
Her gaze softened when she heard his compromise. So as long as nothing bad happens, she can still help with this case.
"I do not think the ring leader is stupid enough to show his face two days in a row. So I think the next few days should be fine."
The next time she sees that guy, however, she will make sure to rip that cloak away. She needs to see his face to confirm her doubts.
Still, there is something else she needs to talk about with Ru. 'I didn't know whether I ought to tell him but considering how much he has done for me lately. I should tell him this much.'
Sumire didn't know how to start, but she finally managed to tell him. She watched as a troubled look appeared on his face, but he slowly nodded.
"I figured it was something like that."
"Y-you did?"
How did he guess that she would end up doing something so shameless?
"It is not unheard of to sleep with another person when they are lonely, and I know how much you miss, Yuhi."
At those words, she felt her cheeks color. She felt embarrassed and mortified. To think Ru already knew, and he is even saying it is normal just because she is lonely. Sumire kept her head down; she couldn't look him in the eye.
"Was he a nice guy?"
"I-I think so."
After all, he even made her food for the next day and gave her a change of clothes. Moreover, he did not immediately touch her. But anybody could do that; was he not just waiting for her to let her guard down? No, she was the one who got carried away drinking the alcohol.
"He is. It was my fault."
He tried to take her drink and even admitted that he was teasing her. She was the one who behaved stubbornly and got all emotional. Perhaps she looked pitiful? She basically told him the regrets in her heart regarding her ex.
He probably pitied her and thought she was a lonely and broken woman who needed somebody to hold her.
"I think Masaru was trying to search for the guy."
"Ah." Sumire laughed nervously. "I thought as much."
Even though she did not give him many details, she knew he would figure it out with his sharp instincts.
"But, it seems like that guy went on a business trip abroad. He won't be returning until the end of the week."
"Then-"
"Then you probably won't see him at the university tomorrow."
Sumire felt her already red cheeks, color even more. "Ru, is that why you originally chose the other case?"
"Yeah, I figured if he was a bad guy, then you probably do not want to see him again. It seems like I was wrong, so I should apologize for that."
"Y-you don't have to."
Or rather, this is very humiliating for her. "I-I don't normally take on cases for personal reasons."
"I know, based on what you told me. He managed to escape the police questioning. It means he is no normal person."
Sumire sighed in relief when she heard Ru's words. At least Ru understands that she wasn't doing this just because she wanted to see him again.
"You probably did this too because you're curious about the guy you had a one-night stand with."
The phrase one-night stand made her want to find a hole somewhere and hide. It was almost like Ru realized that he was embarrassing her since he hurriedly said.
"S-sorry. It's not like I am trying to condemn you."
"I know, you're right. I am curious." Sumire mumbled.
After all, this was the first time in a long time where she did not feel uncomfortable around meeting somebody new. Normally whenever she would meet somebody new, she would end up a nervous wreck due to her social anxiety. But, that is not what happened with him.
"I was able to speak to him calmly. For me, that was very strange."
"Maybe you already met him somewhere before?"
"I do not think so."
Besides, surely she would remember somebody who looked like that? That striking silver-colored hair, there is no way she would forget it.
"I think I will continue to have questions unless I meet him again."
"Then, I will keep an eye out on when he will return to the country. You can decide if you still want to see this person at the end of the week."
So she has a week to decide whether or not she wants to continue associating with him? That may seem like a long time in other people's eyes. But for her, it was not enough time.
This is the first time for her to decide something like this. Normally she would know immediately if she did not want to associate with them. She would judge based on their first encounter.
"A-also Ki, uh did you-" Mamoru suddenly seemed nervous, and she looked at him puzzled.
What's wrong with him? Why is he suddenly behaving strangely?
"Did you take protective measures?"
It took her a moment to process what he was talking about. But even then, she could not immediately reply.
"I did-" Sumire stammered. "He left a pill beside the note."
She didn't know what it was. But based on the stories she heard from people in her class, she decided to take it. Besides, if he wanted to poison her, he had plenty of chances to do that.
When she fell asleep, he could have easily killed her, and she would not know how she died since he left her alive and even made her experience such luxurious princess treatment. She could not condemn him.
Sumire watched as a relieved sigh escaped Mamoru's lips, and she coughed awkwardly. "D-did you think I didn't even know about-" Sumire kept stammering, feeling very nervous.
This is such an embarrassing topic! Now she regrets bringing it up. It seems like Ru already knew anyway. But it was eating away at her consciousness.
It is better to let him know rather than have him misunderstand. This way, she was able to convey her feelings on the matter. Ru has a bad habit of over exaggerating everything, after all.
She wonders how he felt when he first heard the news. Did he list all the theories and scenarios and start panicking? She could imagine him doing something like that.