As The Wind Blows Your Scent To Me

Sakuya Residence.

Yuina brought out a tray of iced barley tea from the kitchen to the living room. In there, Ryuu was having a heated discussion with Yousuke and Riku. The two of them got here right after Yuina arrived home from school.

Once the school hours ended, Yuina immediately returned home because Ryuu said Yousuke and Riku would come at that time. She also wanted to know the new development of this scandal.

"Currently, there are not many talks of dropping you from the brands you're currently in contracts with. They are still analyzing how the public views you. Since the positive ones counterbalance the negative, most of the companies are on the neutral side."

Yousuke kept talking while scrolling the tablet in his hands.

The screen displayed the list of brands that Ryuu became the ambassador of. Most of them were world-renowned names, either domestically or internationally.

It was really a relief to have such news. If these big brands insisted on charging Ryuu for breaching the contracts, the multiple sky-high penalty fees would surely drown the film emperor. 

No matter how much wealth he had accumulated all these years, the amount would break down into dust to pay all the penalties.

"Yes, Brother Ryuu. Don't worry too much. You don't know that many mother, auntie and granny fans of yours said they respect your choice. To stay faithful to your wife while standing at the apex, means you're so in love with Sister Yuina!"

Riku cut in energetically, trying to lift up the gloomy spirits. 

While the male fans didn't say much about the news, the female ones were either objecting or praising it.

Some of the fans that watched Ryuu from the early days of his debut had become wives or mothers themselves. They sympathized with him and insulted the one who turned their backs on the film emperor just because he wanted to love someone dear to him. 

"Well, those kinds of fans certainly like this kind of dreamy story," muttered Yousuke with a shrug.

On one side, Ryuu kept his silence as he listened to what Yousuke and Riku reported to him.

What they said was true. 

Today, Ryuu read the comments that netizens left under his post yesterday. He ignored the negative ones while brimming with gratitude to the fans that gave him encouragement despite everything. 

The directors, actors and other crew members that he used to work with voiced out their support to him, either using their social media platforms or by simply liking the comments that favored him.

At the same time, the number of people who wanted to watch his downfall had also increased. They subtly hinted that they won't lie to their fans.

There were both friends and foes in the entertainment industry.

Ryuu understood what he said during the press conference would hurt his fans who kept showing support to him all this time but, there was not much he could do.

If he denied the news, it meant he was denying how precious Yuina was to him.

The belief that idols belonged entirely to their fans often led to the situation of being canceled by the so-called fans once the idols were confirmed to be in relationships, especially the famous ones. 

"Yousuke, Riku, have some drinks first."

Yuina's calm voice attracted their attention. She quietly placed the glasses on the table. 

"Sister Yuina, how could you look so calm?" Riku asked while holding the glass with both hands. Her eyes gleamed with concern, "I heard that you went to work as usual. Aren't you afraid of paparazzi trailing you?"

Yuina sat beside Ryuu. She handed him the glass of tea, her eyes were trained on the young woman's face.

"I know that but, instead of holing inside my home because of fear, it's better I continue what I usually do."

The answer didn't differ much from what Yuina had told Ryuu before. The fluctuation of emotions that distracted her yesterday had turned into soft ripples.

Yousuke smiled faintly, "Even so, you have to be careful. We still have little clues about the one behind all this mess."

"Thank you for your concern," Yuina replied to the man with gratitude.

Yousuke and Riku left as the sun was setting, leaving the couple alone in the safety of their home. Ryuu pulled Yuina to him, letting her lean on his chest.

"Is everything really alright with you?" He tried masking the deep worry yet it was so evident from his voice.

"I'm trying to be," answered Yuina with a smile.

From what Yousuke had gathered so far, the IP address that was used by the perpetrator was tracked down to a downtown cyber cafe. The man or woman used a dummy account. Since the area around the place was underdeveloped, his traces ended there.

That person was really well-prepared. Not even a single dashcam captured him.

"Is he simply wanted money by exposing such news?" Yuina kept guessing the motive of that person.

"It's still too early to tell," Ryuu rubbed comforting circles at the back of her right hand. He occasionally dropped a kiss on her soft hair.

To be honest, Ryuu felt so sorry for his wife.

Both of them were in the middle of repairing their flawed relationship yet, something heavy like this happened too suddenly.

Ryuu was afraid Yuina's mood would be affected thus making her doubtful over herself again.

His wife was still recovering from the loss of their child. He could only hope this incident won't make her withdrawn herself from him.

"Ryuu." 

She softly called him, luring him out of his thoughts.

"Yes, my love?" 

Another kiss was pressed gently on her head.

Yuina laughed, sounding so subdued at the end of it.

"I know that I wish you'd spend more time with me but, I really didn't expect it would happen because of this."

During their trip away from the city last week, Yuina had made herself clear. She hoped Ryuu would learn to divide his time between her and his career. 

Ryuu could still go abroad or even join a production that would take lots of his time but, he had to balance the time he was away with the time he spent at home.

Yuina didn't want Ryuu to sacrifice what he loved doing yet, he still had to know his priority as a man with a family.

That was what Yuina wished for but, due to the abruptly exposed scandal, Ryuu had to cancel his remaining schedule so far.

"Every cloud has its silver lining," Ryuu let out a chuckle.

After a long time of self-reflection, Ryuu admitted that he had his own share of faults in their marriage.

On his side, he was too focused on building his career and wealth until he neglected his beloved, only compensating her with material goods to ease his guilt. 

While on Yuina's side, she was too used to suppress her real feelings because she didn't want to drive him away from his path to success.

Both of them just assumed what the other party needed without communicating with each other. 

They were almost walking down on different paths, getting farther and farther from one another. Fortunately, they were still able to take a step back and linked their hands together again, never to be separated.

"Believe me, my love. I won't wrong you again."

The words were spoken with an oath to make them true.

Yuina gave him a smile, the same smile that he loved to see.

She whispered, "I'll also do my part. I won't silently keep everything again."

That night, Ryuu gently cradled Yuina in his arms, singing her lullaby. She fell asleep in no time.

While his Sleeping Beauty had been lured into dreamland, Ryuu carefully moved his hand and placed his palm over her lower abdomen.

A lump formed in his throat, his guilt intensified.

Yuina secretly took the pills that could harm her body just because she was afraid to tell him that she wasn't ready to have a child.

And, her decision was because of his inability to make her felt secure with him.

Ryuu heaved out a sigh, the sound was audible in the quiet bedroom.

After making sure Yuina was deeply asleep, Ryuu quietly left the bed. He ventured to the study room.

Ryuu sat on the swivel chair, his eyes were thrown to the night sky.

"I don't want to make any blind guess but, how did that scum know about Yuina?"

Where did the leak begin? 

Did they unconsciously let down their guard too much after being in hiding for years? 

Ryuu didn't care if whoever it was wanted to mess with him, using him to gain a huge scoop but since it involved Yuina, he had to be careful about it.

The thing he was afraid of if the perpetrator managed to dig deeper into Yuina's background, extracting something that the world shouldn't know.

"She said she would be okay but..." His tone faded at the end of the sentence, Ryuu lamented weakly, "...how could she really be?" 

Even after a decade, Ryuu still remembered how scarred Yuina was when that matter befell her. It almost tore her apart into pieces. 

She guarded herself from everyone, only letting him close. 

The wound was too big, too deep for her to say she would be fine if the matter came to light. 

Ryuu didn't want his wife to be trampled with by unscrupulous people that only knew to blame her, the victim.

"What should I do? Really, what should I do?"

Ryuu lowered his head, supporting his forehead with both hands. Lines of exhaustion blended with anxiousness, making his body shivered.

"What should I do... to keep you safe?"