What did he do that was so wrong? Why does she hold such a deep grudge against him? Sure he cheated on her, but it was only a little. Besides, it was on a whim. At the start, he did not intend to cheat on her. Sure he used her from the moment they met, and his intentions aren't pure. But he intended to treat her normally.
Hino led him to the car and Sano followed without a second word. The second he sat down, he closed his eyes.
A dream of the past came to him.
......
Star Town 20XX
A young man with short hair stood in front of a school gate with a bouquet of flowers in his hands.
What is he doing? He is going to look like a weirdo if he waits for her outside her school like this. But whenever Sano thought of her, he wanted to meet with her right away. His gaze fell on the bouquet of flowers in his hands. Would she like this? He has never dated a girl with such a large age difference before so he does not know what to do.
"Did you see that?"
"I did, I did!"
"Do you think Ibuki is dating Ichinose-senpai?"
At that comment, Sano frowned. Ibuki is a common name, but even then, this is too much of a coincidence. Sano got some directions from the girls and headed in the direction they mentioned. His footsteps felt heavy, and the entire time there was a voice in the back of his head telling him to turn back quickly. If he does not go back now, he may see something that he does not want to.
What if she cheats on me?
Sumire is still a high school girl; she is young. Why would she choose to be ina serious relationship with a man seven years her senior? When he proposed that they start dating. Sano did it on impulse, he frequently saw her in business parties, and they got along well. He did not think she would say yes to him, and he knew how old she was.
Her age was a problem; that was why he hesitated at first. But then somebody told him her identity, and he changed his mind. Sano felt bad for using such a young girl, but his company business was in trouble. This is the only way for him to save them.
Sanos thoughts broke off when he spotted his girlfriend. She was with a guy with blonde hair, and they sat close on the small bench. The two appeared to be listening to music and chatting happily.
Just as he was about to call out to her, the blonde-haired guy leaned forward and kissed Sumires cheek.
"Wh--what?"
"I thought you looked cute."
"D--don't do that over something silly."
"It's your fault."
Sanos gaze dimmed. It isn't her fault; that guy was the one who kissed her. But, does she have to act so embarrassed about it? Does she not know how misleading that looks?
Still that guy she is with, the second heir to the Ichinose family is it? It seems like Sumire has a wide circle of friends.
"Besides, I told you already. I have a boyfriend."
Arashi sighed. "Nobody has seen the guy before, and you won't even tell us his name. So, of course, I can still do what I want with you."
The girl laughed softly. "I don't hate that straight forward attitude of yours." Sumire extended her hand out and brushed her fingers across the man's hair. "Leaf."
"R--right."
"Quit acting embarrassed."
"Right back at you, Rei."
Sano froze even more once he heard the nickname. Are these two that close? He has never heard anybody call Sumire by a nickname before. Sano always assumed that was because Sumire was not close to anybody in particular.
He clenched her fist, out of all the people she is close with why is it another guy? Why is it somebody else in the high class?
For the first time in a long time, he felt threatened. Will he lose her like this?
...…..
In the end, he retreated and went back home. But to think he would find Sumire at his home waiting for him. It seemed like she must have left the school the same time as him and headed straight here. He took the long way round, so that is why she arrived here before him.
"Sorry for using your kitchen. I was getting hungry."
"You came from school?" Sano said as he loosened his tie and put his bag down. His gaze did not leave the girl. Traces of sweat lingered on her neck, and her cheeks seemed flushed.
Did she run here? Why?
"Is that curry?"
"Mmm, I learned to make it recently."
"That sounds good." Sano trailed off. He did not know if he was lured in by the smell, but he stood up and immediately walked over to where she was. He wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Sano?"
"I was at your school."
"Yes, I heard." She switched the stove off and turned around. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "You should have said something."
How could he when she was flirting around with another guy? Just thinking of what happened earlier irritated him. He was so angry then and almost dragged her out of the school by force. It was a good thing he didn't do that; otherwise, she would surely get mad again.
Sano bit her earlobe, and his hands trailed against her skirt.
"S--Sano, didn't we talk about this?" Sumire suddenly seemed nervous.
Indeed they did talk about it. Despite what it looked like to people, the two of them did not decide to date randomly. They set rules and boundaries when it came to being intimate. After all, Sumire is younger than him; she is a minor.
In front of him, this girl always acts so innocently. But just now with that other guy was she not acting very bold? Ibuki Sumire is innocent, upbeat, and gets flustered when it comes to guy talk. Quick research is all it took for him to learn these facts about the girl. When he learned of all this, it took him by surprise.
How can somebody so oblivious about the world exist in this day and age? No, how can such a kind girl exist?
"We spoke about it, but I am very frustrated with you right now." Sano pushed her down until she fell on the ground. The kitchen floor is cold, and for a moment, he considered bringing her upstairs. But when he saw her averting her gaze from him, it fueled his anger even more.
After learning that information about her, Sano decided what his next steps would be. He thought she was clueless when it came to men, let alone got close to them. But the events from earlier replayed in his head, it replayed over and over. Her laughter and her flushed cheeks towards another man.