I was so happy

It was like fate liked them, a few days after she finally met her father. He had been in a coma and had difficulty with his speech.

But the first thing he said when he woke up was 'Sumire.' The doctors immediately contacted mother and located the other team members. It seemed they were separated and ended up in different hospitals.

Lila remembered it very clearly, how her mother ran to her father and sobbed like a child.

Now that very person is causing her problems! Lila did not think in the middle of her story; her father would suggest going out somewhere. Right now, Kiryu walked in, and she tried getting him to tie father to the chair, but father slipped away far too easily.

This explains their current situation of right now. However, her eyes twitched, annoyed. Father used that man's chance walking by with boxes to evade them.

Lila quickly leaped onto the roof alongside Kiryu, and it did not take them long before they found him.

"Sorry." Kiryu apologized.

"It's fine. Father can be quite eccentric, mother told me before."

"Is your relationship with him still not good?"

Lila shook her head. "It's a lot better than before. But we are both awkward people, so we do not converse much." Her gaze fell on her father, who was wandering around. "After what happened recently, he should be careful, but here he is wandering around again."

"You truly resemble your father more."

Lila stepped on Kiryu's foot.

"Ouch, you're so violent. Are you upset that Haruka has been shutting himself in the lab with Nobu recently?"

At those words, she frowned and sighed. "I understand what he is trying to do. With Zane in the enemy's hands, the situation has become dire. What if they do something and get Zane to attack us? It would be very bad considering that Zane knows more about our side now."

"It sounds like you never trusted him."

"Don't you think it's hard for me to do that? After everything, if it wasn't for him. Haruka and I would have been together sooner."

"If that happened, I wouldn't have spent thirteen years with you."

Lila paused and noticed something different. Just now, when he said it, Kiryu didn't sound bitter. It just sounded like he was reminiscing. Now that she thought about it, recently, he spends a lot more time with Kotori-chan.

She recalled her friend's expression when she admitted to liking Kiryu and how she apologized. Perhaps there is a chance? Initially, she felt odd about the idea of Kiryu being together with another woman. But she felt conflicted; she wanted Kiryu to move on. But with Kiryu's personality, even if he moved on, he would still love her deep down.

It would mean he would grow alone; she did not like that idea at all. Yet all the girls stay away from him because they know how much he likes her. They all give up early.

The candidates who do still like him regardless are the Miyazawa sisters. Maria is not bad, but she knew the girl felt guilty for doing all that bad stuff due to her sister's brainwashing.

As for the other candidate, Rosalia-chan is no good at all. She doesn't even have to consider that. Then all that leaves is Kotori-chan. Kotori-chan kept apologizing that time and said she would never make a move.

'When I learned the story from her sister how Kotori-chan fell in love with Kiryu. I felt so relieved.' She felt relieved that a normal girl loved Kiryu so deeply.

She was hoping they would get closer for the longest time, but if she made it too obvious that she wanted them together, it would be cruel on them both.

Even if she does not do anything, these two will get closer.

"Just for now, I will watch over him." Lila laughed. "This is dejavu, though. Mother did this often in the past too they are similar."

They are similar, have the same hobbies, and get along very well. They are truly a match made in heaven. Although Ren-san shared similarities with her mother, their harmony was not as good. To think there was a time where she entertained the idea of mother being together with Ren-san.

If she truly succeeded, mother wouldn't be happy.

It is a good thing she changed her mind.

"You know when I first met father in the hospital abroad, I was frightened. Not because he was injured and covered in bandages. But because I was worried that he wouldn't accept me. After all, he wasn't there for my birth ,and all those guys liked mother. I thought he would misunderstand and think mother slept with somebody else. She actually did, and that's why I was worried he would think I wasn't his child."

"Yeah, on the way to the airport, you were freaking out."

"You could have come with us."

Kiryu shook his head. "It would have been wrong of me to interfere in your family affairs."

Lila stopped herself from saying, 'even though you were family?'

Kiryu is doing his best to move forward, even if it is painful for him. She cannot carelessly say such words that would sway his resolve.

"But when father saw me. He stood up even though he could barely move and picked me up. 'I finally get to meet you, my brightest star.'"

"He said something that cheesy?"

Lila laughed. "I was surprised. But I felt very happy. I couldn't get close to anybody back then and felt uncomfortable around everybody. I thought it would be the same with father too, yet it felt so natural when he picked me up. That moment, I remember it so clearly. I was so happy, so this is what family feels like."

Even though mother remained by her side and was good to her, she always felt that something was missing.

"You can have that moment again when your child returns to normal."

"That's true. I want to raise him properly alongside Haruka."

"You know why he is avoiding you, right?"

Lila nodded. "I understand; it's very lonely. But as long as he is safe, I am content."

"The other day, Haruka was trying to chase him down, but he lost."

She laughed at the thought, and her gaze fell towards her father. "When this is over, Mother and father should take a trip somewhere. I think they deserve it, to have time for themselves. I can take care of Hoshiko and William. Ever since mother returned, they have not had much time for themselves. I think they need it."

Lila recalled her mother's cries and exhaled deeply. "Father is so stupid. How can he still not understand what mother is thinking?"

"I think it is exactly because he understands your mother better than anybody that sometimes he gets confused and does stupid things."

"Are you talking about yourself?"

"Yeah."

Lila's gaze softened. "I hope you make Kotori-chan happy."

She wasn't going to say this before until she confirmed everything. But this is a good moment.

"Well, I will try. That girl is so strange; the other day, I found out she made the leaf I gave her into a bookmark, and she freaked out."

Kotori-chan, that's so cute!

"Things are still a bit weird. I'm still not sure if I am rushing things, and I still love you, Lila. But, I do know that I can't leave her alone. For now, I want to try."

"I know," Lila mumbled. "You also understand my feelings, right? But the two of us already have people who have left a much stronger impression on each other's lives. If you search your memories, you'll probably realize even long before Kotori-chan became my friend and I introduced you two. You already made plenty of memories."

Kiryu raised his eyebrow. "It feels like you know something I don't."

"Uh."

'I can't tell him how I remember why Kotori was so familiar. There was a time when Kiryu needed an assistant, and Kotori-chan ended up picked. Kotori-chan's appearance then was so different, and she was so quiet too.'

However before Kiryu could interrogate her, they suddenly heard father's voice from below. "Lila, Kiryu, we need to head back now."

Lila sensed her father's frantic voice. Did something happen?