They can still smile

This is the first time for him dealing with this type of situation. In the past, whenever he encountered a situation like this, he didn't know what to do.

How is it possible for a girl like this to like somebody like him? Terashima Lila liking him was not unusual. No matter how convinced he was back then that she would eventually return to Haruka. At the very least, he acknowledged her feelings. But Ayase Kotori liking him was peculiar, they seldom spoke, yet he left such a grand impression on her.

Kotori is not like Lila and him. Despite the horrors in her life, she has lived a life under the sun.

His thoughts broke off when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Even without turning around, he knew who it belonged to.

"What am I supposed to do?" Kiryu mumbled..

Whenever he got stuck on anything in the past, Lila would help him. Despite how childish she appeared most of the time, she was very good at giving people advice.

"Right now, you can come with me to the market."

Kiryu blinked at her words. "Huh? But that-" He turned to look at her to see if she was joking, only to see a bright smile on her face. Even in a situation like this, he felt his heartbeat increase.

"Let's go, Kiryu?"

Kiryu looked towards Kotori on the bed and nodded. "Alright."

….

When Lila said, 'let's go to the market.' He honestly didn't think she was serious. He thought she meant that they would go patrolling. After all, everybody knows the streets in Star town are not safe. But surprisingly, this one was.

"The other day, I spoke to Asuka-san about the town's status. There are places similar to the ones in New York but on a smaller scale and more unstable. These people cant stay here for long." Lila pointed to the chime in the corner. "The chime will ring if the infected approach, and these people will abandon their stalls as quickly as they can."

"Then why would they even bother setting it up?" Kiryu felt very confused.

"It's because they want to give others the desire to live; even when the situation is this bad, they want people to have hope."

To have hope, huh? He assumed that everybody living in this town had already given up on the world returning to normal. But it turns out that is not the case.

"Kiryu, look. There's so much meat."

"Now, Princess. If you eat too much, you'll get fat. "

"It's okay. Haruka will love me regardless!" Lila exclaimed.

Kiryu rolled his eyes at that comment. Perhaps it was due to their honest conversations, but Lila is now more open about discussing her feelings towards Haruka.

Well, this is better for her; it is no good suppressing her feelings. It does hurt, but perhaps a part of him has already accepted it.

"So why are you buying some?" Lila looked at him with pouty cheeks.

He had to stop himself from commenting how cute she looked.

"Don't sweat the details. Here have some." Kiryu hands her a barbecue stick he just bought, and Lila takes a bite.

Kiryu froze for a moment but quickly regained his senses.

'Just now, her lips briefly touched my hand.' He felt his heartbeat increase. He needs to stop reacting like this.

"Uwaah, it's so yummy! What is this?"

"Right? It's better than I expected."

Lila laughed. "Mm, it is a good thing we came, right?"

Kiryu nodded; unlike earlier, he felt a lot calmer. His gaze softened. Was Lila trying to cheer him up this way? Right, she often did things like this before. Back whenever he felt upset, she would randomly take him to places. They made a lot of memories together.

"Wow...this cloth looks expensive." Lila pointed to blue-colored silk fabric.

"If we look at the price, it's probably more than we earn as idols."

"Our wages are different, though."

"Is that you showing off?"

Although he earned more than Lila at the start, everything changed when Karashima became her manager. That guy is a very good manager, and he has a lot of connections. Haruka elevated her status so much that nobody other than the legends from Sumire-san's time could beat her.

It is frightening how much she progressed in little under a year. Lila may have defeated Kyoko-san and became number one before going to Light town. But he knew the girl still felt unconfident. Many commented that Terashima Lila is not good enough.

But Lila more than proved herself; she restarted with a new identity and became even more popular. When Lila revealed that she was Kiku Ari, those who criticized her could not say much. What could they say? Lila showed that even if she restarts from the start as somebody new, she can reach the same status, no even further.

This girl is truly amazing. Kiryu noticed loads of people looking their way, but there was not a single hostile look. In fact, many people were greeting Lila cheerfully. These people are not pretending; they are genuinely happy to see her.

'I was under the impression that everybody disliked Lila. After all, many blamed Haruka. But that is not the case.'

These people are still star town citizens; they have been in the same town as Lila for so many years. While there will be those who criticize her, how could they hate her?

"I didn't mean it that way !!!"

Kiryu reached over and patted her hair. "I understand."

Lila broke free and mumbled that she wasn't a child. An old lady with curly hair approached them.

"Miss Lila, look at these apples. Don't they have an unusual glow? It makes them look tastier."

Lila bent down. "Oh, your right; it's a pretty red." She trailed off. "I remember buying fruit from you when I was younger."

"I was ashamed. I didn't have much to offer then."

"Don't be, and it made me very happy." Her gaze softened. "I am glad you can smile and live happily even during these times."

"An old lady like me would be dead already if it weren't for your efforts." She trailed off. "Why do you look so pale? Have you not been eating?"

Lila laughed. "Don't worry, of course, I eat. It's just the assembly work keeps me busy."

"Is that so? But still, you should take some."

Kiryu looked around the market and noticed the happy atmosphere and even the smiles on people's faces. Even though the people here are not wearing any fancy clothing, just simple clothes, they all have such a bright smile.

'To achieve something like this, somebody must have sacrificed a lot.'

From Lila's words, she only just learned of this place recently. If it isn't Lila who made this possible, then there is only one other person who could have done this.

Sumire-san, although he disliked her. Kiryu understood that she cared more about the world's peace than anybody at the end of the day.