Yuhi tightened his hold. "Sumire, listen to me," he said seriously. Even if he doesn't confess, Yuhi wants her to understand his feelings.

At that comment, Sumire pulled away from him as he expected. She didn't reply but hurriedly grabbed hold of her bag. Yuhi sighed when he saw how frantic she was. He walked over to her and grabbed her hand. "Listen to me."

"I don't want to. Yuhi you, you said you wouldn't mention it anymore.." Sumire mumbled.

'That's what he thought.' He wouldn't mention what happened the last time they met a year back. However, just now, he realized his feelings for her again. He wants to see her smile; he wants to get closer to her.

"You're a pervert."

"Call it whatever you want." He walked towards her, and she took a few steps back until he had her backed against the wall.

Moments later, Yuhi closed the distance between them and drew their bodies closer. His forehead touched hers. The only reason he wasn't kissing her yet was because of her expression. "I have done nothing yet."

"Yet," Sumire repeated. She looked down at the ground. "I thought you would have a girlfriend by now."

"I had one, but I broke up with her," Yuhi admitted. "She cheated on me."

"I see."

"Did you want to confirm that before I kissed you?"

Sumire kept looking away. "I won't let you kiss me."

"Is that so? But can you escape?" Yuhi questioned. His hands wrapped around her waist, one of them slid down. His fingers curled against her shirt. He brought his lips to her ear and licked it.

Sumire shuddered. "Yuhi.."

"I let you go once because of Tsueno Mamoru. But you came here willingly to me."

"I didn't come here for you," Sumire mumbled. "It was a coincidence."

"You do realize that your seventeen now, right? You shouldn't lie."

"What does age have to do with lying. Geez." Sumire trailed off. "What is it with you and pushing me against walls?"

"It's easy to corner you this way."

Sumire hesitantly played with the hem of his shirt. "I think I should tell you in advance. I'm not ready for a relationship now."

"That's fine. I can wait for you."

Her cheeks reddened. "Do you really like me? I find it hard to believe."

It isn't like; he loved her from the very first time he met her. Sure that snowy incident all those years back confirmed his feelings for her. However, during their first brief encounter, he already liked her.

"Can we make this work?" Yuhi asked. "I know you just got here, and honestly, I don't know what I'm doing."

"You don't know?"

Yuhi laughed. "Yeah, I don't know. But I won't let you go until I get a kiss."

Sumire rolled her eyes and sighed. "Even if you kiss me, it won't mean anything."

This girl is so stubborn, but then again, he understands what she is trying to say. Currently, IbukiSumire is a shell of her former self. Though she may smile around him, Yuhi realized how difficult things are for her now.

It's hard to hold back when she makes those cute expressions in front of him. However, if he pushes her too much, she may end up hating him.

Yuhi didn't want to risk it; he finally got her here. If she runs away from him, it will seriously damage his self-esteem. Yuhi debated about it for a few minutes before he closed the distance between them. He bent down and covered her mouth in his. It was surprisingly easy for him to open her mouth. 'Maybe she changed her mind.'

He kissed many girls before, and he considers himself to be quite experienced. But even then, Yuhi never felt like this before.

The kiss felt great, but something was wrong. Yuhi opened his eyes and saw it. A strange look on Sumire's face. Her eyes were hollow and empty. Her entire face seemed lighter than earlier, pale like a ghost. 'She looks like a puppet.' Sumire didn't even react when he pulled away. She remained still. Right now, what is she looking at? Right now, who can she see?

He was furious. Yuhi knew it was stupid to feel such things. Sumire is hurt; she must be in a lot of pain right now. Yuhi hesitated, but he resumed his kiss. He quickly pried her mouth open again and stuck his tongue inside.

His tongue teased hers; his hand gripped against her shirt, which he lifted slightly. The girl's skin was smooth as he expected, and he felt heat course through his veins. He couldn't forget how he kissed her a year ago. A kiss that went slightly overboard that ended up with her slapping him.

Ibuki Sumire always had a way to make his desires go crazy. To think their simple interaction since yesterday would cause him to want her so much.

He always thought of her as a beautiful girl. But now, after kissing her for a good few minutes, she looked even more exceptional. With her ruffled hair, traces of saliva from their kiss dawned on her lips. 'Not to mention..' A beautiful shade of red on her cheeks.

Yet something bothered him. Sumire's eyes still seemed dead to him.

Yuhi chuckled. "What happened to staying composed?"

He was teasing her, of course. Yuhi felt her trembling the entire time he kissed her. He removed his hands from her shirt and fixed her clothes up. "I will leave it at this for now. If I scared you, I'm sorry." Yuhi apologized. "But, I want you to understand what my intentions are from now on."

He wants her to understand this.

"Your intentions?" Sumire questioned.

She still seemed lifeless, asking this question. Her violet-colored eyes bright as a jewel looked directly at him. But something was missing.

"I will pursue you." Yuhi declared. It felt stupid now that he said it out loud.

Pursue? Does he have to say that openly?

Then again, he doesn't understand the current situation very well. Yuhi awkwardly ran his hands through his hair. He felt sweaty after that kiss they shared a few minutes ago. But Yuhi knew better than to dwell on it. The girl didn't reply to him, and the atmosphere around them was heavy now. He just went ahead and made it awkward for her.

Yuhi took a deep breath and extended his hand out towards her. "Let's just go, okay, Sumire?"

"Okay," Sumire mumbled.

The girl quietly followed behind him. Yuhi stole a few glances and sighed. 'Maybe he overdid it.' She may have trembled. But her reaction as a whole frightened him. Right now, anyone can do anything to her, and she would still react this way.

After walking for a few minutes, Sumire suddenly tugged on the edge of his clothing. Yuhi glanced back at her, and the second he did, he felt her lips brush against his cheeks. It was a sweet and light kiss, but it was still a kiss. Yuhi immediately froze.

'What did she just do there?' For a moment, his brain couldn't process what happened just now. Sumire pulled away from him.

"Yuhi, can you please give me some time?" Sumire mumbled.

Time? Yuhi was still having a hard time processing what happened. So her words did not make any sense to him.

"I need to think a lot of things through." Her voice sounded so desperate and her gaze. 'She looks so lonely.' It pained Yuhi to see her this way.

The death of her most crucial person destroyed her. He shouldn't have kissed her. What was he thinking?

Sumire buried her face in his back. "I'm very sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. Yuhi, you kissed me. But to me, it's all the same. I felt nothing."

So he didn't imagine things there. Yuhi sighed. He wanted to tell her he didn't mind. But he couldn't do it. He didn't say a word and watched as she pulled away from him. A blank expression, soulless eyes. 'Tsueno Mamoru, this girl can't live without you.'