Chapter Forty-Two: Gravity of Love:

Hotaru�s love life just got complicated. This occurred two days ago on another outing with her son. Initially, she wanted to track that woman she laid eyes on in the park. However, Akira started to cry.

�What�s wrong, honey?� his mother asked. She already fed him and changed his diaper.

�Did you drop any toys?� Hotaru asked. She began looking around on the ground. I don�t see anything, the loli demon thought. Akira�s wails grew louder.

�Hang on!� Hotaru called. �I�m checking right now.� She looked inside the stroller.

�Doesn�t seem to be anything missing,� Hotaru said. She looked at her son. �Are you tired?� she asked. �I know, we�ll take a rest for now.� The loli demon looked around for a bench to sit on in the busy streets. She spotted a bookstore across the street. Perfect, Hotaru thought. She looked down at her crying son.

�Hold on,� she said. �We�ll take a rest shortly.� The loli demon pushed her son across the street. She had eyes on her because of his crying. Hotaru kindly waved them off.

�It�s okay,� she said. �We�re just going to rest!� Hotaru hurried to her destination. She unfastened Akira and picked him up. Not surprisingly, he stopped crying when she held him.

That�s what that was, the loli demon thought. You�re spoiled sometimes. Still love you, though. She took a seat on a bench outside the store. Hotaru took a look around her.

�Excuse me, miss,� someone spoke up. Hotaru looked up to see a man in his late thirties handing her a stuff monkey. �Did you drop this back that way?� he asked. The man pointed back down the street. Hotaru looked at the grey and white stuffed monkey with big eyes.

�Where did you get that?� she asked rather surprised.

�I found him on the sidewalk down there,� the man explained. �Poor little guy was about to stepped on.�

�Thank you so much,� she said. As she spoke, Hotaru felt her heart flip in her chest. I�ve never seen eyes so blue before in my life, she thought.

�What�s your name?� Hotaru asked at random. The man looked rather puzzled.

�Excuse me?� he asked.

�What is your name?� she asked again.

�Oh,� the man said, �I�m Kase Hiroyuki.�

�Hotaru,� the mother said. Her cheeks began to redden with blush.

�You have a cute baby,� Hiroyuki said.

�Thanks,� Hotaru said. �Hey, are you busy at the moment?�

�No,� the dark-haired man answered. Hotaru felt her own excitement flare within her. She quickly cleared her throat.

�Well, I�m resting for the moment,� the demon explained. �Care to join me? That�s if you want to, I mean.�

�Fine, alright,� he replied. Hiroyuki took a seat as Hotaru�s heart pounded against her chest.

�I�m here,� he said. �What now?� Hotaru shrugged her shoulders.

�I don�t know,� she replied. �Just sit here, I suppose.� Hiroyuki looked puzzled.

�Do you do this with all strangers?� he asked. Hotaru�s long black ponytail swished from side to side as she shook her head.

�Not really,� she replied. �It�s a nice day though.� At the time, the loli demon didn�t see it. Maybe then she could�ve been better prepared for the tug-of-war hurricane coming her way. Right now, she took in the peace in the middle of the dwindling calm. Only her heart sped in the middle of her sleeping love.