What makes us human?

"When did you start sleeping with her?"

"I don't know the exact moment. I tried not to think about it after all. But she was the one who made the first move. I was broken back then. We escaped the orphanage, but I felt empty. I was abroad then so I didn't hear any news about you. But you came to London once when Kiryu's mother had a concert here, right? When I heard she was coming, I thought there would be a chance to see you. I was happy to see you smiling and doing well. When I saw you with Kiryu, I thought it was good he was treating you well."

Lila frowned and hit him then. "You should have called out to me."

"No, back then, I was in no state to see you. Later on, when Kiryu studied abroad for a short while and we met up. I told him the same thing too."

Lila exhaled deeply. But now she understood what Haruka and Sophia's relationship was. They were simply filling the gap after losing somebody valuable.

"Then I returned to Japan, and that stuff happened with Yumeko and Huan."

Haruka has experienced far too much grief and pain for a normal person. It is a real wonder how he can still smile after experiencing this tragedy.

"Don't make that face. It was a long time ago."

But even after so much time passes, there are some scars that do not vanish.

Now she understood, Haruka only allowed Sophia to do whatever she wanted because he felt bad that he couldn't help.

"She told me some time after we started to live together, originally the orphanage people wanted to pin the blame on me and use me as an example. But Ruki offered himself to shield me. 'Haruka is different from us. I don't know what it is, but I feel that we can't let him wither away. He must have a special person. I want to reunite him with the one he loves.'"

"Did you talk about me?" Lila wondered.

"I carried the bracelet you made for me. It wasn't fancy looking, so the orphanage people didn't pay attention to it. I guess I gave my feelings away when he asked about it."

"I wish I met him; he sounded like a great guy."

Haruka shook his head. "It is a good thing you didn't. He might have stolen you away from me."

"Silly."

"You know I am not done yet. I said there were two reasons. Do you know what the other one is?"

Lila blinked, startled at his question. She thought for a moment, but nothing came to mind.

"Hmm, here is a hint; what is the difference between a monster and a human?"

"Eh? Uh isn't that obvious?"

"I guess I should be more straightforward; what is the difference between like and love?"

Lila managed to respond, and Haruka bent down and brushed his forehead against hers. "You see, Lila, humans arent actually humans when they are born. The first time they truly become human is when they love someone. So even though I did all that bad stuff in the past, I never called myself a monster. I always referred myself as a human. I fell in love with you. The fact I was capable of that makes me human."

So how does this relate to his second reasoning? The more he talked about it, the more confused she got.

Lila raised her hand. "I am confused."

Haruka only laughed before he nuzzled his face in her forehead. "You really are very cute."

Why is he suddenly complimenting her? It makes her happy but more importantly, what is with that huge goofy-looking smile on his face?

She felt her heartbeat speed up. This is the first time she has ever seen him behave this way.

"You're trying to distract me. Explain what you mean." Lila paused. "Are you saying you are motivated to participate because of love?"

She briefly retraced his words in her head. It was a far-fetched answer, and that was why it was not the first thing that came to mind. But if Haruka is still saying stuff like this, then perhaps-

"Correct."

For love? But he did not say what kind of love?

"There is someone I love so deeply that I wouldn't think twice about giving my life for that person."

Lila sensed the warmth in his tone, and pain spread in her heart. He is talking like he is not around that person right now. Is it about Rikka-chan?

"You see, that person has the image of some type of ice-cold goddess. But the reality is she is timid and a huge crybaby. If I leave her alone for a moment, she bursts into tears. She is very precious. I have to watch over her - I don't like the idea of people seeing her cry."

She miscalculated; she didn't think Haruka had a person like that. She doesn't want to listen to it.

"Even though she is frightened of a lot of things when it comes to helping other people, she would have any danger head-on." Even though a troubled look appeared on his face when he said those words, the warmth behind his words did not vanish.

He must love this person a lot.

Haruka paused for a moment but only for a moment.

"She is a silly girl who thinks she was born a monster, and because of that, she immediately shut out her heart to others. For the first few years, she did not speak to many people and seldom went outside. She did not trust herself to be around humans. At first, I only intended to watch over her. When we first met, I thought I saw a fairy, and yet there was something in her eyes. It was like she had already given up on the world. I became further involved with her to fulfill my goals. I thought I would just use her as a stepping stone. But it was not like that at all."

Ah- this? Lila felt her eyes widen.

"She had to sacrifice her love for thirteen years just to be by my side. In exchange, I promised I would make her smile more so her sacrifice would not be in vain."

By this point, she already knew who he was talking about. Lila felt her cheeks grow hot.

This is the first time, the first time she has ever heard him speak about his feelings towards her like this. She does not know how to react; her heart is beating so fast.

"Many people have asked me when was the moment I fell in love with her. But it is hard to answer. At first, I thought it was when we first met, but as time went by, I kept finding more things to love." He turned to her with a bright smile. "The one I am talking about is you, you silly girl."