August 2035 Park (London)It was only the following day when Lila realized he was gone.
The familiar that was always with her.
The whole morning she had been searching for him, even neglecting her work but Lila couldn"t find him anywhere. For hanyou"s their familiars were very important, they acted as companions in their time of need.
"Maybe he"s gone," Lila trailed off. They had been looking around all day for her familar but unfortunately couldn"t find a single trace of him. She wouldn"t be surprised if he went away to another city for a while. Her familiar is an odd one he who would do something like that. After searching for so long, the two of them found themselves taking a break in the park, as she sat down on the steps by the clock tower.
"He"s probably just loitering around somewhere."
But that"s exactly why she"s worried. He really shouldn"t be moving around much with those wounds. Lila felt a sudden warmth on her hand, her violet orbs went wide, "I"m sure he will back soon."
Her boyfriend Haruka patted her hair; her cheeks flushed ever so slightly as she looked up at him. Ah, his words are soothing and relaxing to listen too. His actions always make her feel so calm and at ease.
Haruka must have noticed she was staring, since he drew his hand back, "I—I" m sorry. Did I hurt you?"
"Nope," Lila shook her head, "But there are times where you give off that big brother vibe."
Haruka sighed, "Hey, I"m your boyfriend."
Lila laughs, "That"s why I said it like that. Do you have no siblings?"
Haruka shook his head, "Unless my mother screwed another guy when my father left her."
"Hey, you can"t talk about your mother like that."
"That"s why I said it that way."
She hit him when he copied her words. Stupid.
"But honestly there are some areas in my past that is blurry."
"Ah," Lila said, "Is that why you can"t tell me everything?"
"Something like that," Haruka said, "Anyhow, it"s like that."
So it"s like that even though he spoke about those memories so very warmly before. "Then you"re just like me. I"ve also forgotten certain details about my past." Even when she removed the seal on her, everything was still a blur.
"Then why do you sing?" her eyes went wide at those words, "Why did you become a singer and not just remain an idol?"
Lila turned to him, "Weren"t you the one so gung-ho about me debuting internationally?"
Haruka"s lips curve to a smile, "Well, I only said what was on your mind?"
"Che," Lila looked away, "It"s not fair."
"These days, you don"t look happy when you sing."
At that comment, she knew she couldn"t say anything and averted her gaze as she looked down on the ground. She can"t argue against that. Even though singing to her has always been very important, recently, even when she"s on stage, something is missing.
Haruka asks, "Your dream has changed, are you simply overwhelmed with the changes?"
"I wonder if it"s that, maybe I"m just a bit tired of singing. Maybe I want to give it up."
"Is that all right with you?"
"For a while, I thought, but something has changed," Lila trailed off, "My memories are still very vague. But I"m starting to recall things a lot better now. That first incidence, or was it the next one? I"m not sure. But I recall the feeling very well. I was afraid of death; I was afraid I"d die without not being able to achieve anything. Though if Kiryu heard me he would probably comment that I"m contradicting myself. However, recently, my opinions have changed, and perhaps I did feel fear then. Without being able to change anything, then I thought about how much people I could tell that I was there."
If she could carve her existence, proof that she is alive.
"That"s impossible."
That"s right...it probably was. People consider her as somebody who is on the same level as her mother during her younger days; it still wasn"t enough. Lila looked downcast, but hearing such words from Haruka made her feel a little upset. Though she should be used to this by now. Sometimes it made her feel bad.
He reached over and flicked her forehead, "Don"t pull that face, do you think I was criticizing you? Rather, you"re an idol; you should be used to criticizing."
"I don"t like it when it comes from you," Lila exclaimed, "I just want you to continue praising me?"
He laughed and gently kissed her lips, "Don"t overreact too much."
"But," Lila looked down.
"I just meant that you should stop hesitating."
A knowing, "ah" pa.s.sed her lips. Her gaze softened, so Haruka was trying to encourage her? As usual, he uses such indirect methods. She leaned forward and noticed a rare tint of red on his face.
"You"re a tease, Haruka."
"So, I hear."
"Though I hesitate a lot, my feelings haven"t changed at all. I still want to convey these important feelings in my heart," Lila said, "Do you mind if I sing now?"
The moment she started to sing though, a memory from back then came to her.
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20XX Universal Star Town
In the end, the two of themselves didn"t bother heading back home. But instead relaxing by the wall, Kiryu perched on top while she leaned over it, getting a perfect view of the beach as the orange rays filled the sky.
"How are your lessons?" Kiryu asked, "You aren"t pus.h.i.+ng yourself, are you?" he gently caressed her hair with his hands, and Lila laughed.
"En, I"m having a lot of fun."
"That"s good."
Come to think of it; her sister mentioned it didn"t she? " I heard your final exam is coming up. Are you sure you should be here?"
"Well, you could say I"m struggling a bit. Maybe it"s because you aren"t with me a lot these days," Kiryu said.
Hm, because of her? Is Kiryu implying that he gets power from her? Is she also a source of motivation for him? Lila liked that idea. Her cheeks flushed at his words, isn"t he basically saying, " It"s because of you, your my strength." Always saying things so indirectly.
Kiryu stood up, "Well, I guess I just received my Lila power. I"ll do just fine now after seeing your adorable face."
Lila chuckled at that comment, and she saw a tender expression on her face.
"What"s wrong?"
"You"re cute when you laugh."
Since he was mumbling, it was tough for her to hear
"Hey! Are you insulting me?" she half exclaimed.
Kiryu shook his head.
Lila jumped on to the wall, as she pouted directly opposite him. "I just thought about how hard you"re gonna fail."
"I"m not gonna fail. But if I do win, I"ll be getting my reward," Kiryu appeared in front of her.
Reward... " That"s unpleasant. But it"s kinda cute that you want a reward for achieving something, almost like a little kid."
"Those words, I"ll make you take them back !"