Eternal Melody

'Can you see how much we all care for you? If she knew I was the one who proposed following her to Tokyo, I wonder how she would react.'

Contrary to what all the rumors say, it wasn't Kou who decided that they would follow her to Tokyo. In fact, Kou was the one who was against it; his friend insisted that she needed space and time.

"I can, and it reached me, your feelings."

For a moment, Jun froze, and Sumire laughed. "Why are you acting so surprised? Do you not remember how you confessed to me."

"I have to admit that I tried to erase the memory for a while."

"Because you felt guilty?" Sumire guessed.

"Correct, it wasn't right for me to tell you my feelings then."

Sumire shakes her head. "It's not like I don't understand. It's hard to suppress your emotions in front of the person you like. I understand very well how painful it can be."

She must be speaking from her own experience. He has heard that Sumire-san has liked Yuhi for a long time, but exactly how long? Why is the relationship between them so strong? What is it that ties them together?

"Thank you for telling me."

"Saying this now is a bit too late."

Then again, she wasn't exactly in the best emotional state when he confessed, so it makes sense why he didn't exactly receive a response.

"It really is, and you're not the only one I left waiting. While I am still afraid, something has changed now. That's why with this renewed confidence, I want to thank everyone properly for back then and for now. Even now, you and the others are working hard for me. I am truly thankful."

Before Jun could get a word out, however, they heard the door chime.

"That's strange. I am sure I put the closed sign."

Whenever he ends up having an important conversation with her, he ends up interrupted before he can convey his thoughts. The main culprit to that is usually- his thoughts break off, spotting a man with black hair emerging from behind the shelves.

His hair was wet, and so were his clothes. "Hey, Hino, you should drop us off with your car. I had to leave mine behind-" Yuhi paused after seeing him. "Jun."

"My dear!" Sumire immediately left his side and rushed to Yuhi.

"Hey, there you." Yuhi's gaze is gentle as he greets Sumire.

"That was faster than I thought; you were only gone for four hours."

"I wanted to make it two. But I had a few interviews to catch up on."

The harmony between them is as good as ever. It feels like there is nothing that can tear their relationship anymore. However, the media hasn't given up on trying to set Yuhi up with his childhood friend. Both of them seem to be ignoring it and continuing with their lives.

He ought to do the same and continue with his life. But to do that, he needs to fully regain his memories. Jun's gaze fell on the sleeping Narasaki Hino, and this person will be the key to that.

__________________

When Narasaki Hino woke up, he grumbled a bit about Sumire closing the shop and immediately opened it. He leant Yuhi-san his car keys, and Jun watched the two leave. Narasaki looked at him with a complicated expression and sighed.

"Even if I tell you to leave, I feel you won't."

"That is correct; today, you will give me answers. Is there not a way for me to regain my memories?"

For a moment, Hino didn't speak before he sighed.

"I am the one who erased your memories, Kira."

Jun blinked when hearing those words. 'I suspected it, based on his behavior last time.' He is no profiler, but after observing humans for a long time, he has learned that humans exhibit different behavior patterns when they are nervous.

"It's not just you; my main role in that place was to erase people's memories."

Despite the sudden revelation, he kept calm.

"If I ask you now to return it, I know you will refuse."

"That's right because I genuinely believe it will cause more harm." Hino trailed off. "I can't return them to you, but if you want to ask me some questions. I will answer what I can."

"Was I close to those two?"

'I want to scream and demand for my memories back. But, that would be out of character even for me.'

"You were more than close; you looked up to those two as your role model. Even back then, they were talented and far surpassed their peers. But what you looked up to them for wasn't their skills, but their relationship with one another."

"Their relationship?" Jun questioned.

"Even though they were only children, clearly to everybody who saw them, they liked each other romantically. To have such powerful and beautiful feelings at a young age, it is only normal for people to envy them. But you didn't envy them; you liked how close they were with one another. You enjoyed seeing them smile and being happy. You thought, 'how nice, one day can I have something like that too?'"

"..."

'I was testing him just now, but it seems if you ask him openly, even Narasaki Hino cannot control himself. This person observed not only Sumire and Yuhi-san but also him.'

"In the end, I fell for Sumire-san. So, doesn't that destroy those emotions?"

"Not necessarily; back then, you were one of the first people who figured out that Sumire liked Yuhi, and you confined me. You told me that you liked her that way too, and you were certain everybody else did as well. 'But, I do not want to cause them unhappiness. For me, it is enough just seeing them together.'"

It makes sense now; he is not the type of person who believes in love at first sight. But after he met Sumire-san, he started to think that way. Otherwise, why would he have such powerful emotions towards her despite only having just met her?

So, it seems like those feelings did not appear out of nowhere. He has always liked her. However, if even the young version of himself can say such things, it makes sense why he doesn't feel bitter watching Sumire and Yuhi-san. In fact, when he saw Yuhi just now, he felt relieved. It should upset him to be interrupted when he was on the verge of saying something important. But, he felt no bitterness.