After that warning, Yumeko thought she prepared to see anything. Yumeko thought she resolved herself already. But even then, it surprised her to see it. Several unconscious bodies lay beneath her feet; the smell of blood covered the entire room. The unconscious people had so much blood coming out of them. In the center of all of this was a man with silver hair, a woman with short black hair was with him. No, they weren"t together. Yumeko saw his hands wrapped around the girl"s neck, a dangerous look in his eyes.Lilas"s most precious person is Austin Kiryu, and this woman is Miyazawa Rosalia.
"Leave Lila alone."
"Tut, tut. Did you think just because I stopped coming over to your house, you could do whatever you pleased? Kiryu-kun, do not underestimate me."
"G.o.d d.a.m.n it, leave me alone already! Lila won"t return to my side, she already has Haruka. I plan to be single forever. I won"t be with another woman again, is that not enough? I won"t belong to you, but n.o.body else will have me."
Her eyes widened when she heard the exchange. So, this is what he decided? No wonder Austin Kiryu does not take any action. He made a deal with this woman. Yumeko wondered why he gave up so easily. So it was something like this. It"s far too sad. Even though she is clumsy and awful at love. Yumeko always wanted a relations.h.i.+p like the one Austin Kiryu, and Lila had. A relations.h.i.+p where they treasured one another. Where they only had each other…
"Something similar to what Atsuya and her had." But how did that relations.h.i.+p end up? It ended up badly. Atsuya...she won"t let Lilchan suffer the same tragedy. If she chose
Haruka, then that"s fine. That"s her choice. Yumeko wanted to respect it.
At first, Yumeko felt doubtful. But that"s because she didn"t realize who Kiku Ari was. She knew how much Haruka loved Lilchan. So when she saw how he acted towards "Ari," she felt disgusted. She made a mistake.
"Don"t you think this is enough?" Yumeko immediately spoke up.
The two turned to her.
Rosalia rolled her eyes and laughed. "What is a little girl like you doing here?"
"One I"m not a little girl, at most your two years older than me. Two, shouldn"t I ask you that question? Did you know what your doing is considered stalking and trespa.s.sing? Isn"t this Austin-san"s room, you just waltz in here to hara.s.s him and intimidate him.. What are your intentions? To scare him? Blackmail? If that"s how you express your feelings, then it"s no wonder he doesn"t look at you."
If Miyazawa Rosalia simply stayed by Austin-san"s side and took care of him normally. Then maybe by now, something would have changed while it"s impossible to get rid of Austin-san"s feelings for Lilchan. If she stayed by his side, then maybe something would change one day. That process is long and frustrating. But at least it would be better than this.
Maybe her words got to the girl since she froze.
Yumeko took a deep breath and continued. "I don"t understand why you"re trying to do this. A one-sided love hurts; it"s painful when the person you love doesn"t look your way. When they love another person," she trailed off and laughed. "I understand those feelings very well. I went through it, and then I hurt the person who cared for me the most. Hey Miyazawsan, is Austin-san the only one? Isn"t there someone else out there who cares for you more than Austin-san?"
"I don"t have anyone else."
"I don"t believe that," Yumeko mumbled.
Lightning bolts seemed to form between them. But Mikami thankfully interfered, "Since you two are so worked up, why don"t we have a friendly fight?"
A sudden stage showdown - an abrupt one. However, this is the only way for Miyazawsan to understand.
.....
Yumeko walked down the hallway and sighed. She didn"t have to look at the results board to know what happened. She lacks "skill" the most. It was normal for her to lose.
Even though she lost, Yumeko strangely refreshed. Knowing full well that everyone would be waiting to ambush her at the front entrance. Yumeko took the back exit. It"s not like she wanted to avoid them or anything. But she wants to have some time to settle her thoughts. Since she entered the tournament, so many things have changed in her career as an idol.
As a child of ordinary members of society. No, of businesspeople. Her idol career and involvement in the idol industry was a bad thing for her parents. Forget her brother becoming a member but even her? From the start, her idol career was dodgy. If she wanted to continue it, she would have to succeed. So many people place their expectations on her.
It was never easy for her. Debuting at a young age and everyone carrying so many expectations of her. Before she knew it, she focused on trying to complete her jobs perfectly. That"s right; the notion of perfection also influenced her. But she indeed lost sight of the fun of being an idol.
However, when she watched Teras.h.i.+ma Lila"s performance for the first time, that changed.
When Yumeko found the courage to ask her, Lila simply laughed and said," I"m actually…not doing it on purpose. Though its true I have the ability to control it. How to put it? I think …it"s because I"m afraid...Even though it looks like I"ve gotten better. Ever since that time, something has stopped for me. Time has stopped and the hands on the clock has only moved a little since then. Right now, I"m about to take this big approach to ensure it moves quicker. But that"s only because -"
Her thoughts break of when she spotted black hair leaning against the pillar. Yumeko blinked once and then twice. "Is she seeing things?" No, that"s her isn"t it?
The girl turned her head, and her eyes brightened up. "Yumeko-chan!"
"Lilchan," Yumeko said, surprised.
Lila laughs, "How long do you think I"ve known you?"
"And here I was trying to pull off a cool exit," Yumeko sighed. "I guess it doesn"t suit me."
"And um, were good friends! So we share a special connection."
Her gaze softens. Really…that"s right, isn"t it?
"I"m sorry I lost," Yumeko mumbled. "I wanted to prove something to that woman.."
"Yumeko-chan.."
"Let me get this out the way first, you"ve always been my goal for the longest time, Lila. Back then, I searched for a way to escape the pressures and burden from my family. But I couldn"t find a path by myself. However, when you said you"d aim for the G.o.ddess4. I was very surprised, along with your other fans. But we all saw how determined you were. Starting then, something changed."
"Because of me?" Lila repeated.
"Yes, it all started with you. Then eventually I saw it, the feelings you held back this entire time. When I heard your explanation it made a lot of sense. It"s not as though you did it intentionally -and you were gradually getting better. You said then that it was because you saw how serious everyone was their radiance inspired you?"
"En, when I see someone radiating brighter. It motivates me to work harder."
"It was the same for me. But couldn"t put it in words. When you first came to Light Town, I was wandering around aimlessly. I wandered with no destination in sight. But things are different now. I found my answer. Let me say it once again."
"En, I"m listening."
"Teras.h.i.+ma Lila, your my goal. Without question, you"ll reach higher than ever before. But, even though i lost today. Who can say that it"s the same for the future? The me now has lost but the me starting from tomorrow, has opened up loads of doors and roads of possibilities. The me starting tomorrow will not lose. Because my inspiration, what I had always been searching for was you," Yumeko trailed off and laughed awkwardly. "Even if I say this, I understand I"m nowhere near your level."
Lila shook her head, "No, you"re wrong; even now, the only one who can beat me is you. Kanehera Yumeko-chan," Lila extended her hand out. "I"ll be waiting no matter how long it takes, so don"t give up."
"Lilchan..."
"You see, Yumeko-chan, I"ve always believed in you, even when you gave up on yourself. Thank you," she mumbled. "Also, for taking care of those rumors. I appreciate it. Haruka tells me he doesn"t mind, but I know it does."
"You don"t have to thank me. He"s changed because of you. You did what I couldn"t."
Lila looked her up and down, "Do you still like him?"
"No, I stopped a long time ago," Yumeko shook her head. "You see, Lilchan. I"m very bad at love. I want to take my time with it. Take my time and learn from my mistakes before I fall in love again."
To her surprise, Lila bent down and whispered something in her ear. Yumeko"s eyes widened when she hears those words.
"Really?"
Lila chuckled, "Yes. So don"t worry about anything. Eventually, you will understand too, Yumeko-chan."