Following day - T Studios Waiting Room -Lila was busy reading through the doc.u.ments for the next job; it was for a TV program called "who is your prince." Judging from the t.i.tle she already knew where this would go. But Haruka accepted this job for her regardless, that means he wants her to prove something. She peeked at him through the doc.u.ments in her hands. Are they okay? He didn"t kiss her all morning, and they didn"t have s.e.x last night either. Sure, she should be grateful for that. But Lila felt awkward about it; it"s not like him. She didn"t offend him, did she? Lila tried to think back to the events of the last few days, but couldn"t think of anything.
To think she"s worried about the amount of s.e.x they have. Lila flushed red; she really has become more shameless and bold, hasn"t she? It"s Haruka"s fault. It is unlike him not to touch her; she isn"t kidding when she says that ever since they started dating, he"s done it with her every day. Why did he suddenly break that trend?
Did she offend him somehow? Haruka was talking about the schedule today and explaining the program in detail. But, Lila wasn"t listening, and she stared at her boyfriend. Will she be able to tell if he has s.e.x with somebody else? Yori always says that this is a sign of the guy getting tired and moving on to another woman.
"Hey, are you even listening?"
"Haruka, kiss and hug please," Lila concluded. While Yori"s theory makes sense, Lila knew from the way Haruka looked at her he can"t possibly have gotten sick of her.
Haruka looked at her dumbfounded and brought her closer to him, "Are you messing with me again?" Oh, he"s close she can feel his breath and his scent.
"No, I just want a kiss and hug," she looked at him with a serious expression.
"Is this because of last night? Sorry, I was tired."
Tired? But that"s never stopped him before. Still, she can understand if he"s worn out. Lila nodded, "But, I still want my kiss."
"Gosh, you"re too cute," and after he paid her that compliment. His lips are on hers. Even though she told Haruka to control himself around her, that"s only about s.e.x. When it comes to kissing, she doesn"t mind if he doesn"t control himself. Haruka is an excellent kisser, after all.
"Mmm, we"re going to be late. I still need to run through the program with you."
Lila pouted, "It"s okay, I"ll go with the flow. Don"t stop," she murmured. Don"t stop, not when it feels so good. But of course, she wouldn"t say such bold words out loud.
Haruka smiled, "You enjoy kissing?"
"I do."
Besides it isn"t just kissing, there"s a bit of touching below her neck down to her chest and legs. For Lila, Haruka"s touch has always been very comfortable. s.e.x is good, but something like this feels better for her. Seeing how Haruka wasn"t making a move, she leaned towards him, pressing her body against his arm — tracing her hands on the exposed part of his top. It worked since Haruka is kissing her again in a matter of seconds.
"Dearest, if you don"t stop with your cute sounds...I"ll seriously jump on you," his tone was serious so Lila knew she ought to stop and ask him to run through the script. But, she liked this too much to stop, "Suit yourself," Haruka murmured against her lips.
However, just before Haruka could get serious, they hear somebody coughing, "Ahem."
Her thoughts broke off when she spotted ginger hair by the doorway, "Maaya!" It was none other than her fellow G.o.ddess4 member, who specializes in the pop genre Kira Maaya.
"And me!" a sing-song voice said.
Lila"s eyes brightened once she saw bright blue hair and pink locks, "Miu!" she immediately got of Haruka and made her way over, "It"s good to see you."
"We would have met sooner if you know, you showed up at the party," Lila sent her friend an apologetic look. Yori told her later on how Miu was at the party, and she regretted not being there. "But well, I"m glad to see you again."
"Yes, me too."
"Maaya, you"re acting awkward. Normally you"d say something about a challenge…"
Lila looked down at her feet; things are still awkward between her and her fellow G.o.ddess4 members. Though they welcomed her back, a lot has happened since then. They probably think she betrayed Kiryu too.
Haruka however interrupted, his arms went around her waist, "Tachibana and Kira will partic.i.p.ate too."
"Ah? Is that so," Lila muttered.
"I asked them," Haruka said, "Because this show is too dangerous for you to go alone."
"Dangerous?"
"Yeah, there"s a lot of personal questions to be asked. While people can lie their way through, it"s challenging when the crowd is present to pressure you and all that."
That sounds troublesome, and yet Haruka accepted this job offer. She wondered why.
"I want you to be honest, Lila."
"Eh? Erm,"
"Your image," Miu nodded, "Going on this program will help improve your reputation. Let"s face it; it"s not very good now. For the first time, the idol a.s.sociation is thinking of just stripping your number one t.i.tle away without having a compet.i.tion. Of course, Kyoko-san won"t let them do that, and there"s n.o.body else really qualified to take your place."
"But you could easily.."
Miu frantically shook her head, "Definitely no. I mean, being number one sounds nice and all. But I"ve never aimed for the top, I"m content with my current position, and I"ll progress in this manner too."
"I see," Lila looked down, "I guess if somebody was going to take my place, then it should be Acchan."
"Lila, even Agehsama wouldn"t take the t.i.tle from you without fighting fair and square."
Her gaze softened, "I know and while I may not be at fault. I ought to take responsibility for my own actions," she trailed off. Besides, it was never the t.i.tle for her. She just wanted to get closer to Mother, to see the same sights as her. Even if the number one t.i.tle were to be removed from her now, it wouldn"t matter anymore. By standing on that stage, Lila already achieved what she wanted. That was the starting point for her.
These thoughts broke off when she felt her boyfriend lean into her, "Haruka? Keeping hugging me."
Haruka laughed, "Mmm," he tightly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him, "Better?"
Lila nodded.
Miu smiled, "Well, aren"t you two getting along?"
"Ah-huh."
Haruka looked away, "Not going to lecture? Kira seemed mad," at some point Maaya had left the room.
"But that"s because everybody is used to seeing Lila and Kiryu together. As for me? I care more for my friend"s happiness, and Lila is happy with you," Miu paused, "But, still you two probably ought to ease down on the s.e.x thing."
Lila flushed red, "We do."
Miu rolled her eyes at that comment, "Now Lila, you two were all over each other just now. I can tell based on how you two interact too, that you touch each other a lot."
d.a.m.n, she almost forgot how smart Miu was. Lila played with Haruka"s hands, as he buried his face in her neck, "Ah-huh, I suppose. But, like I like it. So it"s okay."
"..."
"..."
Why is Haruka speechless too?
"Goodness, what you"ve done to her?" Miu shot Haruka a look.
Haruka sighed into her neck, "I don"t know, I"m the one that"s supposed to be crazy in love with her. But, I think she"s the crazy one with her scent fetishes and all," he said.
Lila knew whatever calmness she had left had vanished. H—H---How does Haruka know about that? It"s not possible for him to know about her fetishes, at least the neck once. She never told him, unless he figured it out? d.a.m.n, she"s been way too careless lately. Still, since he knows about it, there is no use dwelling on the matter. Instead, Lila nodded in agreement to his words and buried her face in his neck. There is a pleasant smell, it"s different from Kiryu"s, but it is just as comforting.
"So, this program. I"ll have to let other men look at you for a while."
"Eh?"
"Other guy candidates will be on the show, including Austin Kiryu, and you have to dress up too," Haruka murmured. Kiryu will be on this show?! Eh? "Don"t worry, I made the arrangements; he knows the plan too. So, you don"t have to worry about anything."
"But, Kiryu loves me Haruka."
His eyes twitched in annoyance, "Oi, don"t mention it so casually."
Lila rolled her eyes, "If you"re jealous, why are you letting me attend this type of program?" She wanted to say to him. But knew if she said those words, he would only get mad at her. Haruka values professionalism, after all. She doesn"t want to fight with him now. So, instead, she said, "I"m just speaking the truth, how do you know he won"t use this show to get back together with me?"
Despite her saying these words though, Lila knew Kiryu wouldn"t do that. Kiryu is not the type of person who would take advantage of the situation. While many things have changed now, the man named Austin Kiryu remains the same. At least she can still understand what he is thinking. He"s changed too, grown taller and gotten more handsome. But, wait, that"s not the point here. Even if Kiryu partic.i.p.ates in this program, he won"t use it to get back together with her.
After all, just recently they had that talk about being friends. But, at the same time, his warning remains in his mind. "I"ll warn you beforehand," when Lila repeated it in her head, she became incredibly embarra.s.sed. He"s changed in that department too; he became more shameless.
Haruka flicked her forehead, "What a cheeky thought, do you want to get back together with him?" Lila shook her head, "Then there is nothing to fear is there?"
Sensing his tone, Lila immediately understood. Haruka is trusting her with this matter. He must have spent a long time figuring out how to clear up her reputation and eventually came to this conclusion. Even if it bothers her, Haruka is doing this for her best interest.