Ah, but recently there has been another person. But thinking about that guy now makes her recall that she had a one-night stand. Would Yuhi call her dirty? Will he judge her for this?
'I can't let him know.' It doesn't seem like Ru told him either, so it's better to keep this a secret. How could she turn him down, get a boyfriend, and now sleep with another man? No matter how lonely she is, she can't do such immoral stuff.
"So, do you only like me for my voice?" Sumire intended to tease him, but it quickly backfired on her.
"Do you want the answer? I mean, I don't mind talking indecently over the phone. But it would be a shame for me to miss out on seeing your red-stained face."
W-what? W-what indecent- Sumire felt her entire face burn. She didn't understand what he was talking about. But based on his tone, it can only be about- Y-yuhi has those types of thoughts about her?
Her thoughts broke off hearing him laugh.
"D-don't tease me. I don't know what to do when you're like this."
"I know. But, I truly want you to give it some thought before we see each other again. My confession."
Sumire blinked when she heard his words, even though she had already turned him down. He is saying something like this?
"W-what is there to think about it?" Sumire felt very flustered. Why are they even talking about this?
"Well, I don't know, maybe a change in your response. I didn't confess in the best conditions; I want to make it a bit grander next time."
"Grand?"
"You know, on stage in front of everybody to hear. You wearing a bright red dress after singing. Me kneeling down on one knee and proposing."
"P-prop-"
"This is why I am telling you to think it through."
"G-give me time, no a year. After a year, I will give you a reply."
"You know it's almost February. You have eleven months to decide."
"W-why are you counting down?"
What's with him? Since when was he this bold and shameless. But, all the tension she felt after seeing Masaru in that condition has disappeared now. As she thought, whenever she speaks to this person, she felt calm.
Is it because of her feelings for him? Would she feel reassured after speaking to him like this if she didn't like him back?
"I want to count down the days until I hold you in my arms."
'He must have been doing that already. I shouldn't have said no; even now, I can sense his pained tone.'
"Y-Yuhi, how are you?"
Ah, she stuttered again. Why does she keep behaving like this in front of him? But since she heard his voice, her heart hasn't been able to calm down. Her hands are shaking, just holding the phone.
"Now, she asks. Well, actually, I have been struggling a bit, so this call was good timing. I feel relaxed speaking to you."
Yuhi struggling? "Do you want to talk about it? I wish I was by your side."
If she was, then she would hug him tightly. Huh? Hug him- No, no, no, it would be too embarrassing to do that.
"With my career on the rise, I have more job opportunities. I can perform in larger venues. But it's not that simple. Many people dislike my sudden rise; the jealousy in the entertainment industry is very extreme."
"Are they bullying you, Yuhi?"
Is he suffering injustice alone and not fighting back because it would harm his position?
"You could say so. Verbal abuse is just as bad as a physical one. The idol entertainment board isn't the best either. Now that I am more famous, they want to control the type of work, no the songs I write."
Ah, so they don't want Yuhi writing songs for her anymore?
"I am being criticized a lot by the music experts. They are the ones who analyzed my songs and identified who I am talking about. The fans understand I am singing for one particular person, but they cannot pinpoint who. It is different with the music experts; they can tell. They say as an idol I shouldn't write songs for one particular person; it is a betrayal to the fans."
Sumire frowned hearing those words. "I dislike that old-fashioned way of thinking. I understand that the fans are important, but why do we have to restrict ourselves just to please other people? Music should be free. We should be able to write what we want."
"I knew you would say that." Yuhi seemed pleased with her reply. "You truly are amazing, Sumire."
He praised her, which made her feel happy. Just a single word from him, and she feels like this. Yuhi, she truly does want to be by his side right now. Is he struggling alone? He never did have many friends. Plenty of people wanted to get close to him, but he didn't have anybody he could speak to.
"Yuhi, are you alone-"
"It would be better if you were by my side, but I am not by myself. I have somebody I can rely on. I guess you could say I treat him like family."
Sumire couldn't hide the relief when Yuhi mentioned the gender of the person. For a moment, she thought he was referring to a woman.
Yuhi chuckled. "I won't get close to a woman who isn't you."
"T-that-" Sumire mumbled. She has no retort to that. "If you have someone, that's fine."
"What, not going to listen to me rant anymore?"
"I won't. I feel frustrated. You have worked so hard, Yuhi, to get to where you are now. Those people have no right to control your life."
Sumire grumbled, only causing him to laugh even more. "This isn't funny. The past year since you returned to Tokyo, you have worked twice the amount as anybody else in this industry."
It's true that when she was dating Sano, she tried her best not to think about Yuhi. But, whenever she had the time, she would still search up his news. She understands very well how much effort he has put in to get to where he is now.
For his career to rise like that, no feet can be achieved overnight.
"When you were here in Star town. I saw you practicing every night, even after a difficult mission."
Even though he received serious injuries, he would still practice.