Dream Star

After kissing for a good few minutes, Haruka drew back with a happier expression than before. "Thank you, Lila, even though I"m supposed to cheer you up."

Lila shook her head, "I"m feeling hungry, can we go somewhere to eat?"

"What do you want to eat? Korean? Chinese?"

"Ah, I want ramen!"

Haruka laughed, "That"s like you, okay, let"s go. I know a great place," the two of them walked out of the car.

It was strangely quiet, so Lila couldn"t help but look around the streets cautiously. Haruka, however, squeezed her hands every few seconds to rea.s.sure her. "I haven"t eaten in a while, so I"m starving."

When she hears his words, Lila frowned deeply.

"Wait! You skipped meals again?"

"Yeah."

"But, I even made you a loving meal..."

At that comment, Haruka placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Mmm, haven"t finished it yet."

"Hubby, you have to remember to eat. I don"t think ramen will be enough, let"s go somewhere else."

....

Lila glanced over at Haruka, who sat directly across her. "He even knows about places like this." The restaurant Haruka brought her to had a very pleasant atmosphere.

"Is it nice?" Haruka asked.

"Yes," Lila nodded. "It"s tasty."

"Good, I thought this place would suit you."

He is thoughtful of her now. There are no problems.

Haruka stays by her side a lot now too. He makes sure to return home without fail too. They both have such busy schedules, but that doesn"t stop him from spending time with her. These days her life seems so peaceful, even though.

"Lila, you have to get ready. Zane has something big planned. No, he"s already in the middle of something major.."

For Yori, who usually stays out of these things to say that. Lila understood that eventually, these peaceful days would end, so she has to treasure every single moment with Haruka.

"So hey," Haruka mumbled. "I wanted to ask if you were okay recently."

"Eh?"

"Look, I know I"m not the best person to discuss your troubles, especially the hanyou stuff. You already know my stance on that, so I understand why you won"t tell me. But, I like you a lot Lila. I find hanyou matters troublesome. Since this is you, however, I will make an exception."

Oh, wow... Lila felt heat creep up on her cheeks. His words rendered her speechless. What is he saying? She didn"t think he would react this way.

"Lila?"

"Uhh," Lila awkwardly avoided his gaze. "I thought you were going to make an inappropriate remark again... Like usually, you"d relate that question to something s.e.xual. I don"t know what to say with you suddenly acting so serious."

Haruka coughed, "Well if you put it that way, I look like an idiot right now."

"Maybe you are."

"Listen, I really do want you to talk to me more about these matters. Well, anything that troubles you. I don"t want you to keep anything to yourself. I understand you, Lila, better than you may think…" he trailed off. "Look, I know it"s difficult—you"re not used to people caring like this, at least caring openly. But, I want you to understand, there are people who care about you. I"m one of many."

"What brought this all on?"

"You"ve looked a bit down recently, so I wanted to..cheer you up. I want you to know you can rely on me."

His honest words truly surprised her. Karas.h.i.+ma Haruka has come a long way. Her mission to change him is a success. That"s why Soichiro isn"t mentioning Haruka anymore. Why everybody wants her to return to Star town permanently, but she already decided it. After the Dream Star Tournament ends, she will leave j.a.pan with this person.

He noticed it, even before she did. The growing pain and sadness she has felt this entire time. All those emotions she held back for so long, she can"t do so in front of this person. In front of him, she is no longer the cursed Teras.h.i.+ma Lila. She is a normal girl.

Or maybe she looked that miserable and down? Did other people notice it too? When she appeared on shows, did they think the same? No, Lila doubted they even noticed. Even if people noticed it, n.o.body has approached her about it yet. It"s something that falls outside of the norm, so why would they deal with it? It"s too heavy; it"s too much for them. How many times has she heard that excuse before? Lila already lost track how many people abandoned her halfway.

At first, they tell you they will stay by your side no matter what. But, when it gets worse - they leave.

"I thought that maybe we could go on some more dates... And that will cheer you up."

So that"s why he mentioned the bike ride... "Thank you, but you don"t have to do this. I apologize for the way I behaved regarding your movie. After we finish eating, you should go back, and I"ll come with you. I"ll apologize."

It pained her to say such words. But her behavior is too careless. In the past, it would be okay to act that way, since Soichiro would cover everything up for her. Even the Austin family would take such actions for her. However, she can no longer rely on them. She needs to slowly distance herself from them. Choosing Haruka means abandoning everything she had before.

Is it worth it? So many people have asked her that question, and yet her answer remains the same. It is worth it, Karas.h.i.+ma Haruka is worth it.

Haruka continued, "Look, I"m not doing this to show off or anything, nor am I doing this because I"m competing with Kiryu. I don"t have such thoughts anymore. You can spend time with him if he makes you feel comfortable too. I"m okay as long as you cheer up. I don"t like seeing you sad, Lila."

Her gaze softened, "Truly; he has changed." It isn"t just Haruka but Kiryu too. Everybody around her is changing, with the flow of time. She is the only one who remains stagnant and unchanged...

Lila extended her hand out across the table and caressed his cheeks. "I love you."

"Yeah, cheer up, okay? If you need anything, just tell me. I"ll do whatever I can to help you."

Lila nodded and sighed, "The atmosphere turned so heavy then, I"m sorry."

"No need, flirting is good and all. But we can"t do that all the time."

"The project you were working on with Rikksan, is that idol festival correct?"

"Mmm, yeah. It"s still in the initial stages, so it will probably take a good five months or so before it takes flight. Were planning on making a new venue for it too, so it will take more time and resources."

"I see, your working hard."

"What are you talking about? You"re working hard too."

Awkward laughter escaped her lips, "I take back what I said, you"re so honest. I don"t know how to react."