Haruka exhales deeply, as he questions his actions. What is he doing? His gaze fell on the girl who had fallen asleep. He woke up just moments ago and was startled to find that her arms were wrapped around him, protectively. He"s not a kid..."Nnghh…"
She"s breaking out into a sweat, is she having a nightmare? Hesitantly, Haruka pulls her closer to him. Until the girl was resting on his bare chest. To his surprise, her breathing calmed down and she was no longer sweating. . . Perhaps, there is something he can do for her. Perhaps it isn"t completely hopeless. For the two of them to be together.
.
.
He wanted nothing more than to push her against the wall, corner her again and kiss her lips so pa.s.sionately, so it would eventually lead to s.e.x. However, even he understands the meaning of self-restraint. With the way things are now, she"ll spend more time avoiding him than falling for him. He must maintain a good pace. His gaze darted toward the girl, who had pushed the elevator b.u.t.ton.
As they waited patiently, he hears her humming a melody. Even when she"s humming, it"s clear that she"s good. A good pace huh? For romance, he can do that. But, with her career. He doesn"t want to waste any time. The more exposure she gets, the more people will figure out it"s her. That"s fine. After all, he wants them all to be shocked. He wants them to take it all back, the words they said about her.
His thoughts break of seeing her s.h.i.+ver and he takes his jacket off, wrapping it around her.
Lila laughs softly, "Thank you."
"..…"
"Are you catching a cold? I scheduled loads of mini-lives for you."
"It"s fine. I"m just not used to singing so much."
Really? She used to sing a lot back then. But then again, it wasn"t for work purposes.
"You"ll be OFF when your birthday comes around, so hold on for a bit longer."
"My birthday…"
"What"s the matter?"
Lila shakes her head. Odd.
But, it"s almost time. He really ought to buy her a present.
___________________________________________________
After pondering about it all morning, Kasumi picks up her phone and calls Wataru. One ring, two rings. No answer. Maybe he"s busy? As she was thinking that she hears the sound of a click. Ah.
"Wat-"her sentence falls short, as she hears Wataru call out "Hamano." Ah...
"What?"
Mikami"s voice.
"Shouldn"t you get some rest? "
"Hah, that"s a strange comment from you."
"Making sure your body is well rested, is also something a professional should do."
"Are you lecturing me? Who do you think you are?"
. . . . .
Mikami, she wants to. Say something. She wants to say something, anything. If she speaks up now, then he would surely hear her. But, she has no right to talk to him, especially after breaking his trust. He told her he loved her for real, and all the misunderstandings of the past were cleared up. They even made a formal announcement, and yet she --
She"s weak.
Lila.
She"s afraid. Afraid, that she really will lose him with this incidence.
Afraid, that he will break down because of her. The signs are already showing.
!!!
So that"s how it is.
Regarding Mikami, she will leave him up to you. She"s sorry she"s so weak, she"s sorry to push yet another burden on you. But, if it"s you, Lila. Mikami will be just fine. He"s her most beloved person even now, so, please look after him.
_________________________________________________
"My Kiryu! Are you cheating?"
"Uh, it"s not like that."
…A girl?!!!
….
A girl.
So Kiryu"s new a.s.sistance is a girl.
Before Lila could inquire anymore, she hears a sweet feminine voice call out to Kiryu.
"Kiryu-san, the shower is free now. I"m sorry for taking a long time."
"It"s fine, you"ve been working hard. Here, uses this towel."
"T--thank you."
Hearing a rustling sound, she pouts. Is he drying her hair?! Wah, that"s her privilege. Kiryu, drying another girl"s hair, she really doesn"t like the thought of that. Before she knew it, she found herself bursting into tears.
"Wahhhhhhhhh."
"Hey, Lila..."
"Your girlfriend?"
"Yeah."
"I--I"m so sorry! You see, I ended up tripping over and falling. So Kiryu-san was kind enough to let me use the bath. I"ll leave immediately."
Hearing the girl"s response, Lila stops crying and looks at the screen. Pretty ginger hair. Innocent looking eyes. She doesn"t look like a bad person, and from her response. It doesn"t seem like she"s interested in Kiryu.
"You can stay. Thank you for taking care of Kiryu! Whilst you can"t become close, you can be friends."
"Y--yes."
"Pfft. You always say such cute things. Mm, so? Why did you call me?"
"Kiryu, do I need a reason to call you? "
"Calm down, you"re still jealous."
How can she not be? She didn"t know such a pretty and even worst nice girl became Kiryu"s a.s.sistance. If it was someone like Rosalisenpai and the usual girls, she wouldn"t have to worry. But this girl sort of resembles her of the past. What if Kiryu fall for her?
"So, I"ve been thinking Lila. Do we go to a hotel or my apartment? The second is a bit risky since I have people guarding me..."
Wh--what? Wha?
He chuckles at her reaction. "Well, we"re obviously having your birthday meal where there are no prying eyes."
"Um, my Kiryu. Your intentions are obvious."
"Hmm, they are? "
She shyly plays with her hair and looks down. She"s a bit embarra.s.sed. She"s not the only one who"s gone through slight changes appearance wise. Kiryu"s more handsome now, so whenever he implies perverted things, she gets even more embarra.s.sed.
"And?"
"I--I"m going to write a song for Hamano-kun, but, it"s hard to get to know him without bringing up Kasumi." she managed to say.
Especially now.
When she heard the news about Kasumi having a boyfriend. Lila, knew immediately that something must have happened.
"It"s true it"s difficult, but it isn"t impossible. Are you not confident?"
"My confidence levels are low when you"re not around."
"I see."
"Also, my Kiryu. I really miss you."
"I know. Just hold on for two more days, we will see each other soon. Do you want some advice my Lila?"
Kiryu"s advice! But, does she deserve it? When her singing had become like this? Lila shakes her head, right now, she should focus on finis.h.i.+ng Hamano-kun"s song.
.
.
He seems a lot calmer now than before. Is it because of his new female a.s.sistance? No, no, don"t think about it. It"s a good thing Kiryu isn"t lonely. From, what Wataru told her.
? Incoming call: Austin Kiryu.
!! From her Kiryu?!!
Lila quickly answers it.
"Ah--um!"
"Lila, I miss you."
Ah.
She was just imagining things. Kiryu still misses her.
"Kiryu-san, why are you on the phone? You have to go up in 5."
"In a sec. Lila, still there?"
"Ah-huh. Um, is something wrong Kiryu?"
"Your hair is very cute. I can"t wait to see you. Also, make sure you wrap up. It"s still chilly at night. Weren"t you wearing a short sleeve dress in the recent music show? At least compromise with a half sleeve..."
Wahhh, he said so many cheesy things in one go. Her heart was beating so fast the whole time, so she didn"t get a chance to say anything. But, " I love you, Lila. Do your best." It suddenly feels like she has the strength to do anything.