Eternal Melody

This is not the first time he has seen an artist like this. He has been in the entertainment industry for so many years now. There are a lot of dirty dealings in the industry, and artists who do not have a good social background end up working from scratch. Even then, they will always fall against people with good social backgrounds. Because of this, they resort to bribes, tricks, or sleeping their way to the top.

But even amongst those people, Hori Fuuko is the most shameless one. How did she manage to brainwash an entire entertainment company? Unless she slept with the president. It wouldn't be surprising if she did.

"I can't stand it; not only is she stealing my attention away. But she is even getting married to Yuhi." Fuuko said bitterly.

"Calm down, Fuuko; if Takayama is really recruiting Yuhi, then their marriage ceremony will be delayed."

At those words, Fuuko's expression relaxed. "That's right, with this timing."

"Exactly, Terashima-san is not a fool. He will not pass on this opportunity just to stay with her. This will certainly dent their relationship, and you can use that chance to intervene. Don't worry, Fuuko, I am on your side."

"Even so, it's concerning. There has to be something we can do to stop her momentum. It would be bad if Takayama-san learned what happened before."

"Relax, even if he finds out now, what difference will it make? Unlike before, we have more connections and power."

"But wasn't he suspicious before? He may learn the truth now." Fuuko mumbled.

"I doubt it. Once he holds a grudge,, that guy won't change his mind easily. She is already on his bad side."

Takeyama clenched his fist as he continued to listen to their conversation. So these two were the ones who sabotaged her.

"It's difficult to get rid of Ibuki. Even with all the bad rumors about her, she is still getting offers. We could try what we did before, but that was very risky, and I don't think she will fall for it again."

"The photos from that time were not very good, but we can still use them. If people learn she was fooling around at that age, it will certainly dent her career."

He didn't stay to listen anymore and continued to walk away.

'Music does not lie.' Now that he thought about it, Ibuki Sumire was the one who said those words. Before he even learned her name, he was already following that philosophy. Indeed, a person's true nature comes out when singing. Ibuki Sumire's songs are gentle and filled with light.

Takayama recalls the address from the other day. 'I suppose I can pay her a visit now that I have confirmed everything.'

___

Sumire and Yuhi's home, North Tokyo.

'Hmmm, I think I am following the recipe correctly.' Yuhi-san suddenly had the urge to have macaroons after those macron adverts interrupted our movie time. It's not something she has made before, but since she is good at baking, it was surprisingly easy to follow the recipe. But appearances can be deceiving; she ought to taste test it several times first.

"You don't have to listen to his whims all the time."

Seeing Hino, Sumire looked over and saw Yuhi alone on the couch, looking at documents with a complicated look on his face. Hino had come over with some work for Yuhi. Sometimes she forgets that Yuhi is a businessman too.

"It's alright. I like it when he acts childish. It gives me an excuse to spoil him."

"You say that, but if you overindulge him, he will take it too far and start making unreasonable requests." Hino trailed off. "You don't need me to spell that out for you, do you?"

At those words, her entire face turned red. "I-I know! You don't have to say it like that."

"Well, that's good then. You're taking a long time just making macaroons, though."

"That's because I'm cooking unagi too."

"Why are you-" Hino paused and sighed. He ran his fingers through her hair and patted her head. "Does Yuhi know that you know what my favorite dishes are?"

Sumire laughed. "Of course he does. I had to confirm it with him first."

"Sorry for coming over so suddenly. I know I shouldn't be interrupting your time alone with him, especially since you resolved yourself to tell him to go. But I was just worried; he will get angry."

"Mmm, I know. So maybe my making macarons for him is a way to ease the tension. I have already planned the conversation several times in my head since we spoke about it. But even then, I couldn't picture a scenario where he wouldn't get angry at me."

"Sumire, maybe you should think about it again. Yuhi is already famous abroad, so I do not think this will make any difference."

"Don't be stupid, Hino; you know every musician's dream to stand on that stage."

"I will admit that Yuhi mentioned aiming for it before, but Sumire, your more important to Yuhi than his dream."

At those words, Sumire sighed deeply. "I know that very well, even though, as his biggest fan, I don't agree with his logic."

"Instead of thinking from a fan perspective, you should think about it from the point of view of his wife-to-be."

'Wife to be, I like the sounds of that. Next week I will become Terashima Sumire.' At the thought of that, she felt a warm sensation in her heart, and her cheeks turned red.

"I am very happy that he is considering our future rather than running off somewhere."

"See? Then-"

"But Hino, having those thoughts are selfish. Yuhi became an idol and not a singer for a reason."

Hino shakes his head. "Yuhi became an idol, not a singer, because he knew you would make the same decision. Can't you see, Sumire, everything Yuhi does is for you? If you were to tell him to leave now, it would be very cruel. No, he would fall apart--"

Before Hino could say anymore, she felt a pair of arms hug her from the back. "Hino, what are you lecturing Sumire about again?"

For a moment, Sumire thought he overheard, but when she turned her head and saw a sleepy-looking Yuhi, a relieved sigh passed her lips. Even though she has resolved herself, it's still difficult to do.

She doesn't want Yuhi to get angry at her. Since they became a couple, Yuhi has never truly gotten angry at her since she arrived in Tokyo. Although there was that incident not too long ago with Mashima Mirako, she knew Yuhi held himself back.

This time, how will he react? Would he hate her at last? A part of her is afraid. She noticed it a long time ago and yet didn't say a word for this reason alone.