London (August 2035)"Just remember this success would not be possible without you.
No matter how bright I s.h.i.+ne
Or colors I see
For me, the brightest color is the one that you brought me.
All of this began with you and me
Our color, I want it to be the guiding light to the future."
.....
"This is.."
Itsuki spoke up, "It"s within the rules since the melody and name are the same as what"s registered."
People let out a relieved sigh. Lila knew after what happened earlier; people didn"t want a repeat of a high-level performance getting shot down. But she read the rules carefully; she knew they"d except this. Changing the lyrics to the song.
"How interesting," Itsuki continued to speak, "If my fellow judges don"t mind, I shall start."
Lila noticed Haruka sending Itsuki-san a glare and her sweat fell.
"Your performance is very different today. It"s unlike your usual style, and yet you performed very well. Almost like you were greeting an old friend."
This person is sharp. She noticed it during the previous round too.
Is he a bad person? No, Lila shook her head. Even if she gets bad vibes from him, he"s not necessarily a bad person. He"s most likely just somebody.
"I"m thankful for Kaname-san"s words," Lila thanked him. "It"s like you said. But not just an old friend, an old lover."
Her comment startled the rest of the public, while it"s no secret that she"s dating Haruka. To bring up somebody unrelated was unheard of.
Lila, however, dismissed their confusion and cries in an instant, "You see, for me my songs have always been a way for me to convey a message. The messages that I cannot convey through common words, instead they take on the form of a song. I guess to sum it up, I"m a very clumsy speaker," Lila laughed softly causing the crowd to laugh too. "But," she continued, "But
I enjoy being an idol from the very bottom of my heart. I enjoy singing and standing on stage; it brings me a different thrill. I want everybody to experience these feelings whether they are still starting as an idol. It may differ per person. But standing up here and being able to convey the words you want to, to somebody important to you is truly wonderful."
"Then Miss Kiku Ari, are you saying you dedicate this performance to somebody?"
Lila nodded, "Ah-huh, to somebody very important."
"Will you be more specific?"
"My dear childhood friend?" Lila awkwardly laughed at that, "That sounds a bit strange. The two of us were never really like that. Let me change my wording, for somebody who was my whole world for the longest time."
At that comment, the crowd whispered.
But Lila paid no mind to it; it doesn"t matter what they say or think. She sang this song for Kiryu and hoped it reached him.
No, not just him but everybody living in Universal Star town. Did they hear it? Even now, Kiryu"s presence in her heart is very bright. Without him, she wouldn"t have come this far.
…....
No sooner had she left the stage did somebody grab hold of her wrist and pulled her away. Of course that somebody was none other than her boyfriend Karas.h.i.+ma Haruka. Once they were in a quiet s.p.a.ce out in the hallway, he pulled her into his embrace.
"Um, my praise?" Lila asked.
Haruka whispered something in her ear, and her cheeks reddened, "That"s um, more of your reward than mine."
"Really? But I"ll please you, and not myself."
Lila laughed, "Dummy."
His lips brushed against her neck, "But, you need to be punished too."
"H—Haruka?"
"I can"t stand it; you were singing for another guy."
Ah, he"s worried. Lila reached out to touch him, but he suddenly pushed her down on to the ground. Despite the sudden push, he used his other hand to ensure her head didn"t hit the ground.
"Haruka.."
"I"m not going to hurt you; just let me drink."
"Okay," Lila immediately agreed. It"s not like she"s hiding anything from him.
.....
After a few minutes, Haruka drew back from her, his gaze still bloodshot red. Lila weakly tried to get up, but unfortunately, she lost too much blood for that.
Lila noticed however Haruka sat up, with a somewhat sad look on his face. What is he thinking? When he gets like this, exactly what is running through his mind? "Haruka?" Lila whispered.
She mustered some strength and gently kissed his cheek, which startled him, "What are you doing?"
"Giving you a kiss."
He stared at her dumbfounded for a moment before he mumbled, "Kisses should be on the lips."
"Un," Lila made sure she sat on his lap properly. Arms wrapped around his neck, before she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.
The kissing quickly turned to a rather heavy make-out session.
Lila"s noticed one thing with Haruka that she has a bit of an issue with. He"s very careless with her. At times he recalled both their professions and acts coldly with her in public. But most times things end up this way. With them being rather intimate in the middle of public s.p.a.ce.
Not that anyone can say anything since the two of them are dating. But her "image" as an idol is still vital. Haruka said it to her too that men may entertain the idea of her being there"s if they see her like this. Contrary to all his talk though, lately Haruka doesn"t hold back. It"s almost like he"s trying to prove something.
His lips were on her neck, and for the next few seconds, all that could be heard is the sound of licking and sucking accompanied by her moans. Lila always bit her tongue whenever Haruka attacked her like this. She was aware of how loud her voice was.
"Don"t hold your voice back," Haruka murmured, "I like it when you"re loud."
Lila looked at him in disbelief, really now? They"re in public. Almost as though he read her mind, Haruka brushed his hands against her thighs.
Ah-? Wait, is he actually serious? But Haruka dismissed her distressed look and continued his actions.
Before anything else could happen though, an angry voice called out. "Haruka!"
It was the judge named Clara.
"Tsk, what is it?" Haruka exclaimed.
"Where"s Kogami Yori? She"s the next contestant."
"Hah? Wasn"t she supposed to go at the end?"
Clara s.h.i.+fted uncomfortably, "We received word from above. To give the end show."
The woman"s stronger demeanor immediately turned fearful, like she regretted the decision too.
Haruka pulled away from her and sighed, "d.a.m.n, they got to us eh?"
"Haruka?"
"Last time you performed last because you came first remember?"
Lila nodded.
"We s.h.i.+fted things around for both divisions. So one side gets the opening, and the other gets the ending. While initially, we negotiated on Kogami"s side. We couldn"t ask for you."
A knowing ah pa.s.sed her lips.
"But they went back on their agreement," Haruka clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Isn"t it obvious there are biased judges in the tournament if we do this. Also, Kogami isn"t here now. Since she"s at the end, I wasn"t too worried but.."
"Wait, what do you mean she isn"t here?"
"She had an emergency and had to go. She"s performing last, so I didn"t think much of it."
Ehh? Yori went to Haruka? Well, she supposes that made sense. The other judges definitely wouldn"t have approved of her leaving midway.
"If this goes on, she"s going to be disqualified. Think of something Haruka."
"I"m thinking," Haruka turned to her, "Ask that guy for a favor."
That-- oh!
Lila immediately took her phone out and contacted Soichiro.