Completely different.When she"s with Karas.h.i.+msan when she"s with him and the others. Takahiro was silently observing from the corner, watching over the stand while the others went on their breaks. That really caught him off guard, he didn"t think that he would catch her smoking.
"I don"t do it often since it"s bad for my voice. But, recently, I cannot sing easily." She cannot sing. Kouta did explain the situation. But, he found it hard to believe. After all, the girl he met last year always sang. No matter where she was.
He didn"t tell Kouta about it, though he briefly mentioned it to Mikami, what happened two days ago. It"s not that he intentionally wants to hide it. It"s simply because he wasn"t sure how to explain it. After all, that was the first time he had ever seen her so weak and fragile before. He wasn"t sure, it was okay for the others to know. But he thinks about how stupid that thought is. Those two probably know already.
.
.
He"s searching for Ruka, when he runs into Karas.h.i.+ma, in a rather compromising position with a woman. But before he could say anything...
"Haruka. Haruka! Look, look, I got so many cool stuff!"
Haruka"s gaze landed on him, a dangerous look on his face. He didn"t say anything but Takahiro understood. He had to zip it and not say any more. The woman had already walked off in another direction; blending into the crowd, like another bystander. Lilchan clearly didn"t see her.
Upon seeing him, Lila panicked, "Ah, Takahiro-kun. Wah, are you going to scold us?"
"Uh no...I was just looking for Ruka."
"Ah, I see!"
. ....
"What did you buy? That"s a lot of stuff."
"Ah you know there were loads of good things over there and um..."
"Let me carry it." Haruka offered, his tone gentle. Takahiro was stunned by the sudden change, considering how dangerous Karas.h.i.+ma looked just now.
Lila replied happily, "Aha, okay!"
...As the awkward 3rd wheel, he should probably leave. However, to his surprise, Lilchan went up to him and suddenly asked. "Takahiro-kun, um, um, do you want to go around with us?"
Huh?
Even Karas.h.i.+msan seemed stunned.
"Oi…"
Lilchan with a shy expression said, "It"s okay? My attention is on you Haruka..."
"..."
"..."
Woahhh. She"s seriously cute.
"Give me your hand."
"Okay..."
Is he seriously going to tag along with them and be the awkward 3rd wheel? As he was considering how to get out of it. The girl"s gaze meets his and Takahiro nodded in response. Soon, he found himself trailing along behind them. That took him by surprise just now. Such a serious and mature looking gaze.
.
.
When he got the chance, he apologized for what happened the other day. He did this out of earshot from Karas.h.i.+ma though.
"You mean for almost taking advantage of me?"
"Gah."
Lila laughed, "Takahiro-kun, your really not used to girls."
"It wasn"t till high school I went to a mixed school."
"Oh, and you only have men around the house too."
... Most people would ask about his mother, but she isn"t doing that. This girl is very strange. He thought so when he first met her, but he"s certain now. Sometimes she gets that look on her face. A look that cuts of the rest of the world. Even though she normally looks so meek. His thoughts broke off of finding her gaze on him, thump. Thump.
"Takahiro-kun, do you, like me?"Lila asked.
"...!"
"It sorta feels like that? Am I wrong?"
"I..I...uh...don"t know..."
He really doesn"t. But at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to protect her. He"s never had such feelings before.
"Then, does Takahiro-kun want to find out?"
"Huh?"
Lila laughed at his comment, "Well, I suppose I can"t make that decision for you."
The moment he thinks her smile is cute, he loses. But she really is different. His thoughts broke off when he finds her staring at his hands. Recalling the injury, he sustained after almost getting caught, he quickly hides it. But the girl grabs hold of his hand, "From the other day?"
"Uh yeah, I was a bit taken back…"
"Your precious hands got hurt because of me. I"m sorry."
"It"s okay, I shouldn"t have…" Takahiro trailed off, meeting the girls gaze; he knew he had lost. "Could you help me find some bandages?"
Lila laughed softly and nodded, "Yes, let"s go find some.."
.
.
By the time they do find Ruka, the sun has already gone down, and the skies were dyed orange... Supposedly the girl got roped into helping with the stands on this side. Takahiro exhaled deeply, how on earth does she manage this every time? He hopes Mikami and Kouta managed the stall just fine. His gaze briefly meets the girls.
That look again...
Maybe he really does like her. He doesn"t really get it himself. "Takahiro-kun! Look at the sunset it is so pretty."
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
. . . . . Oh. Oh. Oh. So this is why.