What can I do for you?

Back at the hidden manor, Haruka was staring at Lila's peaceful sleeping face. The girl had somehow found a way to slip into his arms again. He fell asleep after they had that serious conversation.

'I thought she said she would be busy this morning, but when I woke up, I found her in my arms.' It was late morning, so a few hours had passed. But he assumed that her business would take much longer.

The other day, something happened, and now they have someone new in this manor.

Haruka realized that the girl was a friend of Lila's, so he avoided her.

All of Lila's friends seem to dislike or be on their guard around him. Now that he understood the reason why he decided it would be better to avoid agitating them, at least for the moment.

'I should make her something to eat. She rushed breakfast this morning.' With that goal in mind, Haruka removed Lila's arms from him. She shifted uncomfortably, and he placed a plushie by her side.

That should do for now.

..

It did not take long before he whipped up the last meal. 'I think I made far too much, but she will like this type of thing, won't she? They can have a nice lunch date.'

His gaze softened at the thought of her cheerful smile.

Lila seems to enjoy it whenever he cooks for her. This must be something he frequently did for her in the past. Whenever they did anything together, she seemed so content and happy.

Haruka's thoughts broke off hearing clattering. He turned to the direction of the sound and found a man with silver-colored hair by the door.

Austin Kiryu, huh? 'To be honest, I still don't know what to think of --' Barilla rushed over when he noticed something unusual.

"H--hey, are you-" Haruka trailed off when he saw how pale his complexion was. "-alright?"

It was a stupid question; of course, he wasn't alright.

"Haruka?" Kiryu mumbled and scanned the room. "Sorry, my mistake. I thought Lila was here."

"She is sleeping." Haruka hesitated. "Do you need some help?"

"Yes."

Haruka walked over and helped Kiryu over to the couch area. Kiryu slumped on the couch and exhaled deeply.

"Is that for Lila?" Kiryu suddenly said and pointed to the food.

"Y--yeah. I think I made too much so if you want-"

Kiryu shook his head. "It's fine. I feel like crap anyway. Besides, Lila gets possessive when it comes to anything to do with you."

"I see."

An awkward silence followed his sentence, and Haruka felt his face break out into a sweat. This is awkward. Can he return to the kitchen area now? Or does he stand here like an idiot?

'No, I can't leave him alone.' Haruka returned to the kitchen and fetched him a cold glass of water. If he doesn't want to eat, he should at least drink something.

He walked back over to Kiryu and noticed how his face color turned paler by the minute.

"What can I do for you?" Haruka muttered.

It was a stupid question; there was nothing he could do to help this person, even if he wanted to. But he still felt like he ought to try.

"Just stay here and keep me company for a bit. We haven't talked much since you came here."

'That is because I learned that you like my wife from the others. So I avoided speaking to him, not due to jealousy but because I did not know what to say.'

It does not surprise him that others like his wife. Lila is a good person, after all. Moreover, he learned that Kiryu and her used to be in a relationship too.

'Kiryu let go of Lila-chan for your sake. So Haruka-senpai you have to-'

Haruka recalled what that midnight blue-haired man who dropped by the other day said. His words remained clear. Kiryu let go of Lila, so in other words, this guy gave Lila up so Lila could go to him.

They must have been friends; otherwise, why would anybody let go of the person they love?

"Are you settling in alright?"

"Uh yeah."

"That is good to hear. Sorry if we can't offer much luxury-wise. It would draw too much attention."

"That is fine."

He felt that he was used to living under such harsh circumstances.

"Then onto the main question, is everything going okay with Lila?" Kiryu trailed off. "I know you two were getting along fine even without her having memories. But now the situation has changed. Is it difficult for you? Are you struggling?"

Haruka blinked, startled at Kiryu's concern. He thought the man would ask questions regarding his wife's wellbeing, but that is not the case here.

"Sometimes, it is difficult," Haruka admitted. "I can tell that she misses the old me. Sometimes when I do things that resemble the past, she would get that look on her face. I want to understand those emotions. I want to know why she fell for me. But at the same time, I understand she is happy just seeing me alive, well, and next to her."

He does not know the details of why they separated in the first place. But he could form vague ideas based on her behavior.

"It seems even without any memories; you understand Lila far better than me."

Haruka could not miss the bitter tone, and he averted his gaze. "Sorry, but I love her."

Kiryu laughed. "Why are you even apologizing? The old you would not have done that. But let's see, yeah, I am relieved to hear you say that with such confidence."

"Did I not do so before?"

"Whenever I asked you your feelings towards Lila in the past, you always gave me such a wishy-washy answer. You have no idea how many times I wanted to hit you. But I understand why you were insecure about my presence, and your self-value towards yourself was low."

'So it was something like that after all. I figured I did not care much for myself when I did not react to my own scars, but this confirms it.'

"Maybe because you do not remember, or maybe because of what happened during your separation. But you are more confident now. That is a good thing." Kiryu said, relieved.

Haruka could not miss the gentle gaze in his eyes when Kiryu said that.

"Hey, your--" Haruka did not get a chance to finish that sentence since he suddenly started to cough out blood. His eyes widened, startled, but he spotted Lila by the door before he could do anything.

"Haruka?"

Lila slumped her face in his arms. "Carry me."

"Are you still sleepy?" Haruka's attention was on his wife in seconds, but he kept an eye out on Kiryu.

"Mm, but I have somewhere to go." Lila quickly turned to Kiryu on the couch. "Kiryu?"

"Hey"

"You look pale. Ah." Lila nodded. "You listened to me."

"Thanks to that, my body is acting up."

Lila laughed softly. "Sorry about that. But it's good listening. Ah, let's see for now until Nobuhiko finds a solution. You can drink my blood."

"Hold on Lila, Haruka-" Kiryu reminded her.

"Oh." Lila quickly rushed over to him. "The thing is"

"I read about it in the books you left me. It'll be bad if he doesn't get any blood, right? I'll leave the room."

"Thank you." Lila leaned forward and kissed his lips, causing his eyes to widen. It was so gentle and sweet; moreover, he felt so much love behind that kiss.