Dream Star

Yumeko wanted to go to Mayu right away, but when she received another message. She decided to stop by there. "It would be easier to get Mikami-kun"s help." She thought he would remain in Star Town longer to spend time with Kasumi-chan. But, it turns out that guy is the same as ever. So whimsical, she ought to lecture him. Her gaze fell on the meeting place. It was one of the rich bars. Still, Yumeko deeply sighed when she saw some guys ogling at her. These people are the same, no matter what social cla.s.s they belong to.

Taking a deep breath, Yumeko opened the doors. Thankfully, because this is a rich bar. She doesn"t walk into anything disturbing. One of the waiters leads her inside the main room, and the first thing she notices is --

"What on earth are you doing here?" Yumeko couldn"t believe who she was seeing. It was none other than Karas.h.i.+ma Haruka of all people. He just entered from the other door, not too far from her.

Haruka raised his eyebrows, "Yumeko?"

"Why?"

"I got told to come here..."

Yumeko frowned when she saw him averting his gaze. "From who?"

Before Haruka could answer, a woman with long golden blonde colored hair emerged. She wore a long red dress that went down to her knees. Her lips curve to a smile, "So you came?"

"Making me drive all the way out here. Don"t you know there is a snowstorm?"

The woman laughed, "Well, you came anyway."

"I"m afraid of what you"ll do..."

"Relax, I have no interest in a weak Teras.h.i.+ma Lila," the woman made her way over and clung to Haruka"s arm. "Why don"t we have some fun?"

"Hold it! I"m coming too."

....

These kinds of places make her very uncomfortable. Even if she is grown up now, there is no way she can familiarize herself with such a place. But, there is no way she can allow Haruka to stay in a place like this alone with this annoying woman. Yumeko heard about her before, but this was the first time she met her in person.

Her gaze darted towards the TV screen; the news flashed Dream Stars Tournament news. So her attention remained there.

"An exclusive news just popped up. While Teras.h.i.+ma Lila herself has not shown herself in public for a long time. Her agency gave us her statement for the upcoming tournament."

Who is the one you"re most concerned about?

[Kanehera Yumeko]

Yumeko almost spat out her drink when she saw her name on the screen. Lilchan! What is she thinking?!!!

"A surprising name."

"Indeed, I wonder what Lilsama means by this?"

"Isn"t Kanehera the one who keeps ending up in last place for each round?"

"She barely survived the revival round."

Her sweat fell when she hears the words of the presenters. Well, it"s true. Since the compet.i.tion started, she hasn"t made a good impression at all.

"Funny enough, it seems like the two performed with each other before Lilsan entered Light academy."

"Is that so?"

A familiar stage from last year appeared on the screen.

"It sets our hearts aflutter

Whenever we brush up against this moment

The world where it all began was waiting there.." Yumeko sang.

"Colors pastel and vivid

I love them all so much I can"t choose

And how can we shape our hearts?" Lila sang.

"These thoughts full our minds

With a multicolored happiness

If we gather enough, can we bring about a miracle?"

That"s right; it was after this stage last year where she resolved herself. To get better, she worked hard. She increased the amount of time she was on stage. Things looked like they were progressing well. However, when Lilchan arrived in Light Town as Kiku Ari. Yumeko felt that something was missing. Even though she was doing well, her songs couldn"t move people"s hearts.

"We received word that Karas.h.i.+ma Haruka also has high expectations for this candidate."

Ah?

Yumeko blinked and glanced over at the maroon colored haired man. Since the interview started, he hasn"t said much.

"This is your second love, my dear? You sure are blind," Sophia commented.

Second love? That"s right, even though so much time has pa.s.sed. The two of them...

"I"m not blind; nothing is wrong with my eyes."

She s.h.i.+fted about uncomfortably, why doesn"t he deny it?

"Hm, I see," Sophia said. "I"ll go grab some drinks. You two can stay here and talk."

The blonde-haired woman quickly exited the room, leaving her alone with Haruka. A relieved sigh escaped the man"s lips, "d.a.m.n, she"s annoying. Not to mention, I"m freezing cold after driving so long. The least she could do was prepare a better room."

"..."

Her thoughts broke of when Haruka brushed his hands across her forehead, "Your wearing so little. Are you cold too?"

"N--no, I"m fine."

Haruka nodded, "Why did you come to this place?"

"I was looking for Mikami-kun. He told me to come here."

"That guy is as insensitive as ever. What is he thinking asking you to come here?" Haruka shook his head. "You shouldn"t stay here long. I"ll get somebody to find Mikami for you. Then you can go home."

Yumeko nodded and paused. "Why did you..."

"She asked me to come."

He what? She felt her eyes twitch at his words. "You"d come here if somebody summons you?"

"Well, yeah."

Is this guy stupid or something? Clearly, this Sophia person has bad intentions. If she didn"t appear here, G.o.d knows what they would be doing by now. Her thoughts broke of when Haruka"s phone started to ring.

"Hey, babe," Haruka"s expression turned gentle. "Yeah, I arrived. Mmmm, relax, she hasn"t done anything. I think she wants to talk."

"He"s talking to Lilchan, right?"

Yumeko glances over. For some reason, something has changed here. The atmosphere around Haruka seems different now. Before he would look troubled whenever he spoke to Lilchan. Now, there is a tender expression on his face.

"Yumeko, Lila wants to talk to you."

"Ah," Yumeko nodded and made her way over. She awkwardly sat beside Haruka. Yumeko wanted to remain distant, but it would be hard to see the phone screen. So she had no choice but to sit a bit closer.

Up close, she caught Harukas sent and shook her head. Yumeko looked at the screen. A pretty girl with long black curly hair wearing a poncho. But, "Your so pale, Lilchan..."

"Um," Lila laughed. "That"s the first thing you say?"

"Sorry, but your..."

"I"m okay; this is nothing."

At that comment, Haruka mumbled, "She"s lying again."

Lila peers over at Haruka, "Hubby, are you behaving? I know you miss me, but you can"t fool around."

"Hey, now...who was the one fooling around earlier?"

"Me."

"Geez," Haruka sighed. "Make sure you take care of yourself. I"ll return in a few hours, don"t worry about me."

"I will worry, hubby. I"ll cry, fuss and throw tantrums until you return."

Yumeko is speechless at the girl"s words. Uh, since when did Lilchan start behaving this way? She wasn"t like this before. Still, her gaze softened. It"s a good thing, isn"t it? These two are getting along better now. Yumeko worried about them for a very long time. She stayed away because she didn"t want Lila to get the wrong idea anymore.

She wanted to bring up the interview, but it felt like she was interrupting their phone call. So, she turned back to her phone. Both Lilchan and Harukkun. The two of them seem different now. But her? Nothing has changed since the last time. Yumeko wonders when she will be able to catch up to these two. She"s always admired and aspired to be like Lila. However, it isn"t just Lila. At some point, she started to respect Haruka too.