Dream Star

Karas.h.i.+ma Haruka, the devil tongues opinion, eh? Indeed, perhaps the current her needs to be a.s.sessed by him.

....
Two and a half hours later

A certain woman with bright red hair, tied up in bunches lets out a deep exhale. Her name is Tachibana Miu, age sixteen, a famous pop idol who is number 4 in the idol rankings. With cherry red hair as bright as a tomato, and a personality people would describe as friendly and outgoing. People also viewed her as somebody who puts in an incredible amount of effort into her work, but Miu always saw that side of herself as being stubborn and not knowing when to give up.

With all the events that transpired after March, it felt like she was finally going to fall sick. As she walked down the river bank accompanied by the G.o.d 5"s Nakara s.h.i.+chiro, her gaze remained fixed on her friend Teras.h.i.+ma Lila who was playing around with the water. It"s only when she is with these two people does Tachibana Miu remain a degree of sanity despite her troublesome thoughts. It always felt like trouble would befall her, one would think after being in the entertainment industry for so long she would be used to things not going to plan. However, earlier was a complete disaster. With the fight that broke out in the middle of the program, the equipment getting destroyed, the audience rioting.

Just when Miu think things couldn"t get worse, her transportation for the next job falls apart. Thankfully s.h.i.+chiro was pa.s.sing by on his bike. It was a good thing too, Fujisaki Selia just happened to be here too and started criticizing Lila. A deep sigh pa.s.sed her lips as she recalled the events that transpired then, why is Fujisaki Selia acting like such a big shot now? Does that woman think that the position she has now belongs to her? The woman"s position in the song cla.s.s, the jobs she gets - it"s all because Lila wasn"t around.

Once the idol a.s.sociation board figures out what to do with Lila, it will be made clear what will happen to Fujisaki Selia whether she"s real or fake. Without Lila"s jobs and opportunities, will that girl still be as successful in the Entertainment industry? Miu doesn"t think so.

The two of them were on the river bank, the building in sight as Miu thanked him.

s.h.i.+chiro blinks as he pushed his bike along, " Huh? What did you say?" Is he doing it on purpose? She said it clearly.

"I said thank you," said, "You know for clearing everything up with those two and rus.h.i.+ng me here on your bike. Got a problem?" Uwaa, what on earth is wrong with her? Why does she always have to talk like this? Even though it started normally, she still ends up making such a remark.

To her surprise though s.h.i.+chiro doesn"t mention it, "Not at all. You"re just stating your opinion honestly, it"s unlike you," s.h.i.+chiro commented.

"Are you trying to pick a fight?" Miu questioned. It wouldn"t surprise her if that were the case; he often picked fights with her in the past.

s.h.i.+chiro laughed, " Not at all. Since your being honest for a change, I"ll do the same. You"re welcome." Miu doesn"t say anything to that. He does do things that irritate her, even now that"s still the case, and yet that feeling of wanting to get to know him more and more won"t go away.

"Is it okay for you to be loitering around herd so much? " He did win the national exams, shouldn"t he be doing work elsewhere?

"It"s fine the others gave me the " okay" sign. Besides someone from our side has to see with their own eyes Lila"s big moment."

Come to think of it; he switched to calling Lila by her first name even though he"s always called her by her last name" before. Miu wonders if it had anything to do with what Kasumi told her. " s.h.i.+chiro has...given up on Lila", she really couldn"t believe what she was hearing from him at first. That can"t be, especially this guy. Whom although he acted like such a fool was always watching over her so warmly.

"They should have chosen someone else," Miu murmured.

"Ahh continuing the cold treatment, huh? And here I thought you"d remain honest for the rest of the day at least."

"That"s not it !" she exclaimed.

"Miu?"

That"s not it, she didn"t mean it in that way, "They should have chosen someone else.. Because aren"t you still hurting from her rejection?"

That"s right; they should have asked somebody else to come here. Of course, that would mean not being able to see or talk to s.h.i.+chiro again for G.o.d knows how long. But it"s better than him being here, "Seeing those two together, aren"t you hurt at all?" Miu was referring to Lila and Karas.h.i.+ma Haruka.

s.h.i.+chiro smiles, " I see, so that"s why you suddenly accepted my apology. I didn"t think you"d be worried about me."

"...because we"re partners," Miu murmurs. No matter what happened in the past, it doesn"t change the fact that the two of them are irreplaceable partners.

"Indeed, that"s true. Yes, the others did consider that since it seems like that guy told them what happened. All of them were being compa.s.sionate and even suggested to go themselves. Despite being in the middle of serious jobs."

"Then ---" s.h.i.+chiro cuts her off with a smile and yet there was something different about this one than before.

"Why?"

"You know the feeling of love. Even if you try to hide it, it eventually comes out," s.h.i.+chiro explained, "There always comes a time where you reveal it or the person accidentally finds out. Even without you telling other people, they"ll find out - because of the way you look at the other person."

"...That"s," Miu paused in mid-sentence. She didn"t know how to reply, no it"s because she could answer. It"s something Miu understood, because once upon a time she was in love with this guy. Ever since Miu met Agehsama, though, she focused more on her dream of becoming a perfect dancer. The feelings she once had for s.h.i.+chiro may still be inside her. But she found that when they met again, she was able to speak to him normally. The feelings probably haven"t disappeared, and right now they seem to be slipping into the surface again. It"s only when she"s focusing on work. A beautiful love may only exist in dreams.

As she thought, this person is different from what she thought so initially. Although back then there were times where he seemed to be serious, Miu never really properly paid attention to him then. But now things are different; she finds herself properly looking at him.

Her thoughts broke off when Lila returned to them, flowers in hand, "Miu, s.h.i.+chiro! Look, I found some flowers!"

"That"s an obstruction of public property."

Lila"s cheeks puffed into a pout, "But their pretty, and I didn"t take them all."

Miu smiled at the scene. It"s been a while since she last saw these two bicker away. Indeed, Lila"s presence alone is enough to make anybody smile, "Miu, Miu, this is for you," Lila exclaimed extending her a beautiful marigold flower, "In the language of flowers it means um, um, people a.s.sociate it with the sun due to the vibrant color. The marigold is also called the herb of the sun representing pa.s.sion and creativity."

s.h.i.+chiro interjected, "You also failed to mention that symbolize cruelty, grief, and jealousy."

Lila hits him, "That"s not what I mean by giving this flower,"

The Marigold flower, "Strong pa.s.sion, a.s.sociated with a legendary brave and courageous lion," Miu muttered. And the sun part? This flower resembles Lila more than herself. Yet if she were to say this now Lila would surely say that she is putting herself down.

"Thank you, Lila."

"En, your welcome!" Her gaze softened when she saw her friends cheerful smile, "Ah! Miu, take a picture for me, I want to send it to Haruka."

"Okay," Miu agreed and took the girls phone from her. The phone strap immediately caught her attention, "for Lila, Karas.h.i.+ma Haruka has always been important," Miu thought she already knew that before. But it was only when the girl returned recently, and she silently observed the situation did she understand. Right now Lila is happy, happier than she has ever been before. As her friends, it"s only natural to support her - but instead, everybody has conflicted feelings about it. Because they are friends with both Lila and Kiryu, they don"t know what to do.

Of course, Kiryu doesn"t hold a grudge of any kind and tells them to act normal. But it"s easier said than done. While Miu can do so, treat Lila normally because she genuinely wishes for her friend"s happiness. Miu doesn"t know what to do about the other"s behavior. She"s stressed out about Agehsama"s situation too.

"Hey, are you going to take that picture or not?" a voice from beside her said. Miu snapped out of her trance and noticed that Nakara s.h.i.+chiro was right beside her.

"I am!"

"Then take it, your slow."

Miu frowned, what"s with this guy? One second he is nice and then the next second, he acts unreasonably like this.

Lila laughed, "En, you two get along as usual."

"Who is getting along with whom?" the two of them said at the same time. Realizing this Miu averted her gaze, "I said that out of habit," Miu thought as she cursed herself mentally. Only a short time had pa.s.sed since she returned to this town, after being abroad for so long. Of course, this meant this was the first time she saw Nakara s.h.i.+chiro in a while too.

A deep sigh pa.s.sed her lips; well, her gaze landed on Lila. As long as Lila is happy, she supposes she could just play along.