Dream Star

Haruka was aware even left alone; there were cameras everywhere. But he didn"t hesitate to bury his face in his girlfriend"s chest.

As he thought so before, the girl"s mission is dangerous. A man like this created an entertainment company. It was all too suspicious. Haruka figured the actual reason had something to do with Lila. But he wasn"t sure what that reason was, now he does.

"You know Haruka, I"m not that weak," Lila spoke up breaking the silence, "I know what I"m doing."

"Do you really know? You entered the Dream Stars compet.i.tion, despite knowing what would happen to you. You could have taken a break," Haruka mumbled. That"s right if she took a break from singing then.

Lila shook her head, "That"s not possible for me, a life without singing isn"t possible," she spoke softly, "Haruka, you know everything about me don"t you?"

Haruka nodded, not understanding where the girl was coming from.

"That"s why you should know, without singing I wouldn"t be able to breathe."

Ah.

"Lila.."

She pulled him away from her and walked towards the window, "You see Haruka, it"s vital to me. It"s second to my own life. Deep down I"ve always prioritized music over love, and that may have been one reason why my relations.h.i.+p with Kiryu failed," the girl"s tone contained pain mentioning Austin Kiryu.

Haruka walked over and hugged her from behind, causing her to laugh softly, "Un, I"m comfortable and being with you like this. You know, I"m not the type to dwell on the past too much. I may miss Kiryu and everyone else. But I want to focus on the future and the man in front of me, the one I"m in love with now is you Haruka. While I"m still the number one idol Teras.h.i.+ma Lila, I"m also Kiku Ari- and Ari has a grander dream, much grander than the one I had before."

"A grander dream?" Haruka repeated.

Lila enthusiastically nodded, "Yes, it"s because of this grand dream that despite the harsh consequences it causes my body. I will continue to sing."

He played with the girl"s hands; a sigh pa.s.sed his lips.

"You won"t even let me lecture you, huh?"

Something fills the girl"s gaze with warmth as she turned around to face him; his hands remained on her waist and pulled her close to him.

"You can if you want, but you"ll be wasting your time."

Haruka stared at her in disbelief, this girl doesn"t hesitate to shoot anybody down, does she? But he supposes that"s more like her.

"Can you tell me something? Why did you become an idol? Was it just to follow in your mother"s footsteps?"

Lila smiled, "You know since this journey started. I"ve lost count how many people have asked me that. Do you remember? We had a somewhat similar conversation."

A similar conversation? Haruka tried to think back to a conversation they"ve had like this in the last few months. But nothing came to- he looked into her eyes. Oh, "Last year."

"Yes, I was talking about last year. You know Haruka, my dream has changed now. Your right, at the start mother, was the reason why I became an idol. Even though my sister is the one who encouraged those dreams further. For me, there have always been two guiding lights that only keep s.h.i.+ning brighter and brighter. As long as I had those guiding lights, I was able to grow as an idol. But during my years as an idol, something was changing. Those two remain my inspiration, but I no longer wanted to be exactly like them. I wanted to s.h.i.+ne, but even brighter than them," Lila softly laughed, "I had my head in the clouds a lot. Realistically speaking, the way I was then I wouldn"t have been able to beat them. But it was my naive and childish wish that lead to where I am now."

Naive and childish huh? But he always believed she had that potential.

"Teras.h.i.+ma Lila is someone constantly aspiring to improve herself. You are hard-working and ambitious. Your not satisfied with what you have now. You forges a new path towards a higher stage. A grander dream."

The girl"s cheeks turned red at his words, "Um, is this praise? I"m a bit surprised but happy."

He brushed his fingers across her soft cheeks, and Lila laughed.

"Honestly I"m still a bit afraid. But this will be my last hurdle to become a true idol. You know, many people can become famous. But only a handful become known for a lifetime. Only a selected few become true stars," Lila paused, "You see Haruka, due to my lifestyle when I was younger. At some point I started to crave the warmth of other people, yes my situation was like you. But I sought it; differently, I searched for it on stage. The bright light and cameras - the feeling on stage whenever I started to sing. Whenever I was on stage, I could breathe again. But at some point, even that place become suffocating, because I started lying to myself. That"s why I have to overcome one last hurdle."

Haruka gently kissed her lips, "Yeah, I get it," he softly murmured against her lips. "No matter what obstacles you"ll face, no matter how hard things get. I will be with you. I know you"ll be just fine regardless though, even without me." he said the last line quietly.

This girl who is hardworking, ambitious, and diligent. Those are one of the many reasons why he fell in love with her. Many reasons huh?

Lila"s cheeks turned into a pout, "Why do you keep belittling yourself? I love you Haruka."

Eh? What?

Haruka stared at the girl speechless, "Weren"t we talking about your dream?" Why did she suddenly confess out of the blue like that? She really does do these strange things that he doesn"t understand.

When he saw how serious she was, he kissed her lips again, "Quit fooling around."

"But I"m not, I love you Haruka."

Again?

Don"t people use those words when it"s a special occasion? Or maybe it"s just him. He doesn"t really understand.

"I love you too."

It felt strangely foreign, saying such words. But at the same time, it felt just right. Lila laughed, "Um, I see!" she buried her face in his arms, "I"m happy Haruka."

In the past, he wouldn"t have been able to tell her such things. He would have brushed it aside and categorized her in the same manner as those other girls. But it"s different now, Haruka knew he genuinely loved her. He knew his feelings keep growing by the day. No matter what happens, he wants to stand by her side.