Just when Lila thought whether it was okay or not, Haruka had decided to walk away. It pained her seeing this sight and she wanted to rush after him, but she knew this would be the only chance she could get to check on Kiryu.....
Once she returned, instead of asking Kiryu on his present state and confronting him. Lila stared at him.
"You should probably stop staring at me," Kiryu said.
"Sorry, um I just.."
Kiryu lightly knocked her forehead with his hands before his hands lingered on her cheek, "Worried?"
"A little," she muttered. That"s a lie; she"s anxious. If his condition is so bad, why is he competing here?
"Don"t mind it too much; I wouldn"t be here if your mother didn"t give me the okay."
".."
Kiryu walked over and pulled her into his arms. And just like that, it all came back to her. Kiryu"s scent, the way he calls her name - everything she loved about him.
"Rest a.s.sured, yeah?"
"Y—y—yee?" she stuttered.
Kiryu laughed, "Silly girl."
Her mind was going into a haze. Why did he hug her? No wait, don"t be stupid Lila. Friends can hug. That"s normal, he probably saw how upset she was and only came over to hug her because of that. Yeah, that"s undoubtedly the only problem here. Lila realized how they were still hugging and pulled away, or at least tried to. Once she got whiff of his scent, it was difficult to just let him go. Or rather ever since they broke up with each other, Lila was having a hard time whenever somebody left her alone for a long time. Whenever Haruka goes off, she can"t help but get scared. "He will leave her too, just like Kiryu did." She can"t help but think such negative thoughts like that. So
Kiryu never disappeared from her heart.
She repeated the words Soichiro said over and over.
"Hey, quit sniffling me for a second."
Lila"s cheeks reddened as she panicked and let go of him Kiryu laughed, "Cute."
The first few days she could act calm because she didn"t have time to get close to him. But now, it all came back just like that.
Kiryu reached over and pats her head, "I"ll get going okay?"
"Yes, um, be careful."
He flashed her another smile before walking back to where Haruka and Oujiro were most likely warming up for the next challenge. Why is her heart beating so loudly for? What an idiot. Then again, why did she even let herself get near him? She knows how weak she becomes when she gets close to him. But Lila thought after all those nights spent in another mans arms, that she would have forgotten already.
"Stupid," Lila muttered to herself.
----
Meanwhile, Kiryu was thinking and thinking that he almost fell during the rock climbing challenge, but regained his footing as he continued.
"Shoot," Kiryu mentally cursed. What was he doing just there? Flirting with another man"s girlfriend. Then again, it"s Lila; it"s not just any other random girl. The two of them are still engaged with each other, so it"s not like touching her isn"t allowed. Kiryu deeply sighed, what on earth is he doing?
He asked Kanehera Kouta and later Hamano to watch over Lila. Both who reported that Lila is madly in love with Karas.h.i.+ma Haruka, and Kiryu had seen it in the news reports. So he knew the two weren"t just making it up or exaggerating anything. But despite the evidence right before him, Kiryu did not want to give up. He still held on to some hope, and he"s glad he did. When they kissed and hugged, the girl acted all shy about it.
She blushed, didn"t she?
And she smelt him.
Lila"s always had a strange scent fetish, so Kiryu didn"t want to over think things. But, that reaction isn"t something somebody with no feelings for him would make.
He said he would work towards being friends with her. But honestly, how can he be friends with Teras.h.i.+ma Lila of all people? Even before they started dating, they were already touching and doing things that friends shouldn"t do. So the two of them were never friends with each other. So, for them to become friends now is even stranger. He has to work on it, for Lila"s sanity anyway. Kiryu doesn"t want her to feel pressured when she already has so much to take care of.
"Kiryu-san, I don"t know what happened with you and Lila. But, don"t make it so obvious," Oujiro said once they reached the top of the cliff.
"What are you talking about," Kiryu ran his hand through his hair, "We only hugged."
"Isn"t that bad, Lila has a scent fetish."
Kiryu"s gaze darkened, "And tell me why you know that?"
"Before you continue glaring at me, I only found out by chance and painfully too. When she was pa.s.sed out after overworking herself on the sigh board last year, and I carried her back. She mistook me for you and hugged me. "This isn"t my Kiryu"s scent," etc."
"I see," though it bugs him that Lila got even remotely close to Ichinose like that.
"Are you alright?"
Haruka said nothing and Kiryu sighed.
"Do you need blood? I have some tablets."
"I already had some."
Kiryu recalled how Karas.h.i.+ma dragged away Lila and pain spread across his face, "d.a.m.n," he thought while it was what they were doing up there. Kiryu didn"t think Karas.h.i.+ma would be so bold to admit it in front of him. Kiryu noticed since Lila returned, Karas.h.i.+ma refrains from being too affectionate with her in front of him. This is what Kiryu has always liked about Karas.h.i.+ma Haruka; he"s a n.o.ble person. Contrary to the rumors, Karas.h.i.+ma Haruka has a sincere heart. For him to be doing this now, something must have gone wrong.
"You probably didn"t take enough, so have these for now," he said calmly as he placed the packet in Karas.h.i.+ma"s hands.
"Did you enjoy your little flirting session with my girlfriend?"
Kiryu flinched, d.a.m.n. Of course, he was watching.
"We only hugged," Kiryu trailed off, "It didn"t mean anything."
Of course, that was a lie. Just that simple hug with Lila that lasted far longer than it should have meant a lot to him. He wondered if it were the same for her, or did she act out of instinct, those red cheeks and that shy demeanor of hers.
"Sit down."
Kiryu does so, and Haruka sighed, "This is difficult for me. Lila said you already told her that you"ll just be friends."
"Yeah."
"But we both know that"s impossible for you two."
"Impossible?"
"I"m not an idiot, you know, even I can tell that your relations.h.i.+p didn"t start out as friends. You"ve always had a deeper connection with her because you didn"t have that annoying friends.h.i.+p barrier. From the start, she was already yours," Haruka admitted, "But, I met her first."
"That"s why," Kiryu looked down. That"s why he was always uneasy. Even when he started dating Lila last year, Kiryu was worried about Haruka. If she meets him again, won"t she change her mind?
His fears resurfaced when Karas.h.i.+ma appeared in October. At first, Kiryu didn"t recognize him. Of course, he didn"t, so many years have pa.s.sed since then. Both of them had changed. Besides he never did catch Haruka"s name before, at least he would never have thought that Kanagawa Ren and Karas.h.i.+ma Haruka were the same people. However, when he saw how Lila reacted towards him, Kiryu started to research. He still wasn"t sure even then, so he asked Sumire-san to confirm. Sumire-san could recognize him, and sure enough, she did. Kiryu wanted to be wrong; he didn"t want the man that just appeared to be the same Haruka who is Lila"s, first love. But fate has always liked playing tricks on him.
"Since I started dating her, all we"ve really done as a couple is have s.e.x."
Kiryu clenched his fist. Bear with it, bear with it.
"Of course she acts shy about it at first. But it didn"t take her long before she got used to it, having s.e.x with me regardless of time or place."
That did it.
Kiryu grabbed hold of Haruka"s neck, "You, you--."
"Yeah, scold me. Punch me or whatever."
"Lila isn"t like the girls you"ve slept with. Don"t treat her like a plaything," Kiryu exclaimed. d.a.m.n, he should have known better. He shouldn"t have let Lila go then. It was far too soon. As long as he was still dating her, Karas.h.i.+ma could only play around with the idea of touching Lila.
But now that he has her, it seems like Karas.h.i.+ma has been overstepping a lot of boundaries. Sure the two of them are dating, but with Lila"s condition? Having s.e.x twenty-four seven will not help her get better.
"I know."
Seeing Karas.h.i.+ma"s soft gaze, Kiryu lets him go. Tsk.
"If you know, then treat her better. If you do, she won"t come back to me."
The only reason why Lila may still have feelings for him is the difference in treatment, "Lila likes going on dates, she likes taking walks and flirting while she"s writing music. She likes going shopping together, studying together... Just do these things with her, and you"ll be fine," Kiryu said. He doesn"t even know why he is bothering to explain. Karas.h.i.+ma should understand this after spending so much time with her.
"I can"t do those things with her."
"Why not?
"Those are the things she did when she was with you."
After hearing those words, Kiryu finally understood. It"s not that Karas.h.i.+ma doesn"t want to go on regular dates with Lila or even his lack of knowledge on these things. It"s because those things will remind Lila of him, "Sorry," Kiryu apologized.
"Don"t apologize, I get it. I have to do better. I"ll bear with it."
From: Lila
Haruka, Haruka
Why don"t we go on a date after this?
And um, we can uh do those things after.
But let"s have a normal dinner first, okay?
"Aren"t you going to reply?"
Haruka s.h.i.+fted uncomfortably, "Dude, you being around when I reply is odd."
"Don"t feel so awkward about it, I"m used to this."
He really is, he"s used to other guys liking Lila. Look at his group members, they all liked Lila at one point, and some still love her even now.
"Tell me, do you really think the two of you can still be friends?"
"Why are you asking?"
Haruka sighed, "Because, I know it"s not possible. Don"t you see how she reacted towards you? You only hugged her too."