0.4: The Beginning Of A New Dream (4) (Rewrite)

Terashima Lila reminded him of the rain.

Like the rain, she would show up unexpectedly. 

She would catch him off-guard, and yet disappear just as quickly. 

Haruka ignored the sound of the constant messages on his phone. He already knew who was calling him persistently. 'He already told that guy not to call him.' The present source of his annoyance was his best friend, Sakurai Mikado, who was away on a business trip. The man would call him every day. 

What will that guy get from all of this?

His thoughts trailed off when he saw the grey sky. 'Huh?' The rain rapidly came down, and in seconds, it was pouring heavily. The clear sky from a few minutes ago wasn't there anymore. 

He immediately covered his head with his bag and sighed. Damn, the weather in this town was bipolar. 'Make up your mind.' Yesterday, it was incredibly windy, but earlier today, it was so hot. His gaze fell on his T-shirt that now clung to his body due to the rain. Give him a break already.

Haruka didn't know where he was rushing to, but he knew he had to escape this rain soon. Whenever it rained, he couldn't help but remember back then. Pain emerged in his heart. 'Even now, he couldn't move on from the past.' How many years have passed since then?

His trance was broken when he collided against someone. He quickly helped her up and paused in the process.

Huh? Familiar. This hand. It seemed familiar. When he looked up, his eyes widened.

Wow, how beautiful. 

The girl he crashed into was tall about 175 cm, with long gorgeous blue hair - the same color as the midnight sky. But what stood out to him was her facial features. Haruka felt his heartbeat increase as he looked closely at the delicate girl in front of him.

"Lila?" Haruka murmured. 

For a moment, he watched as the girl froze - and for a split second, he thought that he found her at last. The girl who was supposedly missing, the number one idol. Terashima Lila. 

Was it her? Has he found her at last? Haruka gave her hand a squeeze. He wanted to hug her, but right now, he was in a complete daze.

"Could you let go?" The girl suddenly asked.

When he heard her reply, he frowned. 'It wasn't Lila? But they looked so similar.' Still dazed and confused, he quickly composed himself and freed her hand. He ran his hands through his brunette locks and sighed.

"Sorry, my bad. You look..." He paused, looking at her. 

How was it possible for two people to look exactly the same? He couldn't be wrong. Haruka took a quick glimpse at her again. The girl's body proportions were slightly different; she was curvier and taller. Her hair was longer and Lila had black hair, not midnight blue like the night sky. 

But that volume, shape of her face, eyes, noses, and lips. It was a perfect fit. One glance was all one would need to put two and two together. However, if it was her, she wouldn't treat him this way. 

Haruka sighed, how desperate had he become? Good thing nobody else was around to see his foolish mistake; maybe it was an absurd mistake, but it wouldn't do him any harm to double-check later.

"Sir, are you a student here?"

He couldn't miss the girl's gaze; she kept looking him up and down. "Huh? Yeah, a third-year, and you are...." Haruka scanned the girl's uniform. She was a student here too, but didn't know who he was. 

He noticed her staring at the ground, and Haruka spotted some documents scattered on the sidewalk. 'So that was why she looked at him.' He bent down and started gathering the papers.

She also bent down, and he couldn't help but look at her. He never met anyone so beautiful and graceful before. The girls around him were gorgeous, but 'slutty' and 'superficial.' There was something about this girl that mesmerized Haruka. He watched her for a good few minutes and helped her gather the rest of the papers.

"Sorry about that." He apologized when he handed her the papers. "Are those the new student papers? I will reprint them for you."

"Ah? Is that alright?"

Haruka nodded. "Just tell me your name and class. I will have someone bring it over to you later." He took out his phone from his bag and sent a quick message to one of his friends in the committee.

Right at that moment, a familiar voice called out.

"Ari-chan, I've looked all over for you. So this is where you are."

He glanced over and saw a man with spiky midnight blue hair. His kohai, Hamano Mikami, was part of the male idol group "Ray." Haruka raised his eyebrows. "You know her?"

Mikami nodded, "Yes, she is a transfer student." 

"I know that, doofus." Haruka trailed off. "If you were going to fetch her, you should have done so at the gate."

"It wasn't my job." Mikami turned to the girl. "Apologies, your new roommate was supposed to fetch you."

The girl shook her head. "I came a bit late too."

Haruka silently observed the two hoping to catch something. He found it hard to believe that two people could look the same. He already met Lila's siblings, so he knew she wasn't a relative. But judging from Mikami's behavior, this girl was a normal girl.

He looked at Mikami suspiciously. His midnight blue hair kohai laughed. "Now, now, senpai. I wonder what you're thinking."

Mikami hadn't touched another girl since he returned. Haruka knews that well because he went to see him numerous times; he helped him suppress his "urges." However, taking too many drugs weren't good for anyone even if they were medical drugs.

"I thought that she is too pretty to be your friend."

At that comment, Haruka couldn't miss the girl's reaction. Her entire face burned red. The contrast between her blue curls and red face made her look even more lovely. He felt his heart beating rapidly. 'Is he stupid? Why is he getting nervous for?'

"I'm Kiku Ari, a second year." Ari suddenly introduced herself.

He nodded, and for a moment, he didn't know what else to say. But noticing her gaze, he quickly said, "Karashima Haruka, a third-year." 

It was an awkward introduction since Haruka had a difficult time looking her in the eyes. However, when he saw a leaf on the girl's hair, he extended his hand out to remove the leaf. Each second that passed felt like an eternity. When he finally removed it, he kissed her locks.

____________________________________________

Let her introduce herself again; her name was Terashima Lila. Because of certain circumstances, she came to this town on a journey. However, considering her status as a number one idol, she had to undergo several disguise methods—one her hair color and two her name. 

Using the name "Kiku Ari," her new life has begun. Regardless, it did not change the fact that she belonged to an elite family and was considered a princess because of her status. 

The Terashima family was well-known in the music industry because of her mother being the Queen Of Music and her father the God of Composers. What was more, she belonged to a rare lineage, hanyous - half-human and half-demon.

No, this was not like the movies; one was not an offspring of a demon and a human. Both her parents were humans, so how did this work? No one truly had an explanation. But the research found traces of demon blood in both parents' side - history suggested that human and demon couples were the norms back then. Yet it slowly declined, resulting in only traces of demon blood left in one's body.

Regardless, all of this information could be saved for later. Right now, she began her life as Kiku Ari. A fresh new start. But, she wasn't off to a good start. Not only did she wandered off, she bumped into the one person she avoided meeting for a while.

Lila froze shocked at Haruka's sudden actions. Wah--what-what--what? Shedidn't have time to comprehend what was going on… since he turned to speak with Hamano-kun. She looked at him, dumbfounded. 'Is this man serious? Don't do anything that is bad for one's heart!' Lila internally screamed.

She quickly kept her composure when he suddenly turned back to her.

"If you need anything, and Mikami is too busy, just ask me."

An idea came to mind.

"Will you send me the papers later?" Lila asked. 

She was in no rush to read them. However, she wanted an excuse to meet up with him.

Haruka's lips curved to a smile, "Give me your number. I will call you when I'm finished with them."

Lila nodded and took out her phone from her pocket. She felt his intense gaze on her, but she shook it off. Moments later, she heard a beep.

'Accept this number?'

She clicked the green yes button, and moments later, his name appeared in her contacts. It was what she expected. He changed his number - no wonder why those calls didn't go through. She tried to call him several times, but the call never reached him.

He tossed something on her head. 'A towel?' "I didn't use that, so dry yourself off with that."

After a few more words, Haruka immediately walked away. Lila waited until he was gone before she turned to Mikami. She didn't know when he placed the umbrella above her head, but Lila quickly dried herself off with the towel.

She wanted to say something, but her thoughts went blank. Lila didn't think thatshe would meet him so soon.

Karashima Haruka.

Lila didn't have time to ponder on that because Hamano-kun instantly lectured her after.

She brazenly confessed to having strayed away. She didn't see the need to hide it.

"How could you stray so far away from the school?" Mikami lectured.

"I heard a beautiful melody, so..." However, it misled her. The melody was in the school's direction. But it was windy earlier, and the sound reflected in the wrong direction.

"Good grief, it seems like you'll be a handful. I promised Shichiro to take good care of you, though." Mikami sighed.

"Sorry for the trouble," Lila apologized.

"There's been no trouble yet."

Lila looked down, understanding what he meant.

"He figured it out. Though it's true, most people will if they have met you personally."

Getting discovered didn't bother her at all. Lila recalled the strap she saw and asked, "Hamano-kun, had Haruka-kun been using that strap the entire time?"

"Hmm? Oh, that phone strap?"

Lila nodded.

"Yeah, I thought it was weird. But since you're asking, did you give it to senpai?"

"I gave it to him," Lila mumbled. She didn't think that he would continue using it.

….

It surprised Lila when she met her roommate, but it all worked out. 'This way, she could keep an eye out on Yumeko-chan too.' 

After settling the forms, she returned to the school building and walked through the main building. Since it was class time, there were no students around. She only had one destination in mind. 'A library.'

Yumeko-chan told her that this school has many libraries. The central one was always noisy and not peaceful, so if she wanted to read, she ought to go to one of the less noisy ones. One of Yumeko-chan's friends had told her about this one specific one. That guy's words seemed peculiar, but she shrugged it off. There was indeed a library here, and there wasn't anyone around. Lila opened the large doors.

Upon entering, her eyes lit up. It was like what that guy said. This place wasn't not only quiet, but there was a calm atmosphere as well. It almost reminded her of Kiryu's private library back in Universal S. She should thank that guy when she sees him again. Since he was close with Yumeko-chan, she will probably see him again soon. Despite her worries, he seemed to be a decent person. Her thoughts trailed off when she heard sounds of heavy breathing and moaning.

Kiryu often told her a joke that 'high school students have no self-control.' Lila didn't think that she would one day witness it herself. The one who told her about this library mentioned how it was the quietest place in the school.

____

It did not matter to him as long as he felt 'wanted' by someone. But ever since he met Terashima Lila in Star Town, everything has changed for him. Now, whenever he did stuff like this, he felt messed up, terrible, and empty. Was he betraying her by doing something like this? Haruka did not understand. But one thing is for sure - this no longer filled the loneliness in his heart.

Haruka angrily sent the girl away. She quickly scrambled off, confused. "But today---"

"Go away." He snapped. He did not have the time to deal with these kind of people.

"How could you? Did you find somebody else?" The girl clearly did not want to obey and insisted on fighting. "I know that only two months have passed, but you said that you would not consider anybody else."

"Look, I am not in the mood right now."

Did she have to do this now? He has no time for this. Haruka didn't say anything, and the girl used that chance to hit him. He could tell that the girl had never hit anybody in her life. It was a slap, but it did not hurt one bit. "Are you satisfied now?"

The girl was silent, her eyes blazed with fury, and she hurried off.

For him, it was this simple. None of these girls meant anything to him. He fixed his clothing up and sighed. He was about to take out a cigarette when he caught a glimpse of someone behind the bookshelf.

"Who is there?" Haruka called out.

A girl with long curly blue hair stepped out. He recognized her immediately. How could he forget her?

"Ari-chan, is it? Need something?" Haruka didn't hesitate to use her first name.

"S-sorry, umm... I heard that you could get more books here," Ari said nervously.

"I see. Did nobody tell you that only third years can come up here?"

"I didn't know! I'm sorry." Ari apologized.

When he saw her flustered appearance, he blinked. 'Why is she--' Haruka paused in mid-thought, thinking about what she heard and maybe saw. He supposed, to ordinary people, it was not normal. But, from looking at her, he could tell that she had a man and wasn't pure. So, he wondered why she reacted that way. 

Come to think of it, he met someone like her before. Terashima Lila. Now that he got another good look at her, he confirmed his earlier thoughts.

He grabbed hold of her wrist. The girl seemed startled, but he continued. "You look exactly like her. Since earlier, I've thought that." Haruka muttered. Was he wrong?

"Senpai?" Ari mumbled.

"As long as you have permission from a third year, you can keep coming here."

Ari seemed puzzled and kept repeating the word "Umm."

Haruka scanned her again for a few minutes before making up his mind.

"I'll let you," Haruka said.

She was surprised, but nodded.

"Tt-thank… thank you, senpai." She stammered, cheeks flushed.

Haruka nodded, and released her wrist.

… He wanted to make sure. If his speculation ended up being wrong, then he will screw her like all the others. She was a beautiful girl. His thoughts were interrupted when she rummaged through her bag and handed him a towel. "Thanks."

Ari took a seat and started reading. Haruka cleaned himself up and watched her from the corner of his eye. She was indeed beautiful; he thought so when he briefly bumped into her earlier. But, it was rare to find a beauty who wasn't older than him or around his age, and yet she was younger. A young beauty, huh? 

'That second-year girl he was currently seeing was getting too clingy.' He no longer felt satisfied doing it with her. That person also said that it was okay to stop seeing her. 'Kiku Ari...' He couldn't deny his growing interest in her.

He took a seat beside her and examined every detail.

"What are you doing?" Ari questioned.

"Hmm? Just watching you read." He casually put his hand on her thighs and gave it a little squeeze. "So, hey, do you have dinner plans?"

"Dinner?" 

Haruka nodded. "Let me treat you to dinner." This way, hee could make some excuse to take her to his place. It was that simple. How many times have girls fallen for this technique?

"What would you like to eat?"

"Ramen."

He blinked when he heard her response. 'Sure, he likes ramen too.' But did she not take the hint? Was he not making it obvious enough? Haruka frowned and leaned forward. He brushed his lips against her ear. 

"Are you sure you only want ramen?" 

"Mmm." The girl's reply was so straightforward, causing his gaze to darken even more.

Was she playing hard to get? 

"What about dessert?"

Ari turned to him, "Are you hitting on me?"

"That depends," he continued caressing her thighs. "I'm not a pushy guy. If you don't want to take it further, then I won't do anything."

"Senpai. Do you think I'm stupid? You're trying to trick me. Do you think I'm an easy woman?"

"Not at all." Haruka lied. He did think that. She turned red earlier when he kissed her hair. If she wasn't easy, that was fine with him too. "I always get what I want."

Besides, the one he wants right now was her. Still, he didn't want to frighten her too much. He freed her and leaned on the chair. He took out his headphones and put them on.

"Are you listening to music?" 

"Mmm."

The girl didn't say anything and continued reading. Haruka kept stealing glances at her, 'This girl isn't easy at all.' But maybe, that was what he needs right now—a challenge.