Peaceful Life System: I only need to live peacefully-Chapter 92: Heart to Heart talk

"Lila..." Riku breathed, his voice a mixture of relief and trepidation. He closed the door softly behind him.

Lila looked up from the bed, her eyes, though still shadowed with the memory of his rampage, held a warmth that made Riku’s heart ache.

"You’re back," she said, her voice quiet and slightly fragile. "Elara said you were with the Dwarves. Did... did it go well?"

Riku walked slowly towards the bed, perching hesitantly on its edge. "It did. We have a plan for the creep. Elder Borin and Thrain are working on it." He paused, searching her face.

"But that’s not important right now. Lila, I... about what happened before... I am so incredibly sorry. I never meant to scare you like that. I never wanted you to see... me like that."

Lila reached out, her fingers gently touching his hand. Her touch was hesitant, but not fearful.

"Riku," she said, her gaze steady, "I was scared. Terrified, even. That... that coldness, the anger... it wasn’t the Riku I knew. The Riku I..." she faltered for a moment, a faint blush rising on her cheeks,

"The Riku I care about is the one who smiles when he sees children happy, the one who brought water to our village when we had none, the one who makes silly jokes and even sillier faces when he thinks no one is looking."

A small, sad smile touched her lips. "That Riku is kind, and gentle, even when he’s being a bit of a mysterious idiot." She squeezed his hand. "I don’t understand where that other... power... comes from. But I don’t want it to change you, Riku. I don’t want it to consume the good man I know you are."

Tears welled in her eyes. "I just wish... I wish you’d share more with me. When you carry these burdens alone, when you bottle up whatever darkness you’re fighting... it hurts me too. Because I want to help. I want to stand beside you, not just be protected by you."

Riku’s throat tightened. He had assumed that his origins were not a big deal. However, it appeared that his secrecy was hurting her.

"You’re right, Lila," he said, his voice thick with emotion. He turned his hand to clasp hers properly. "You’re absolutely right. I’ve been keeping a few things from you. "

"The truth is," he continued, taking a deep breath, "I have a lot of memories of a different world. The powers I have... they belong to me now, yet at the same time, it feels that they come from a different existence."

"And there’s... a System. Something that guides me, helps me, but also... sometimes, it feels like it’s trying to manage a part of me that even I don’t fully understand. That anger you saw... it’s a remnant of that past self. A self that was powerful, but also... very alone."

Lila listened intently, her eyes never leaving his. When he mentioned the System, a flicker of recognition crossed her face. "A System?" she repeated softly. "Riku... when you were... like that... before I hugged you... I think I heard something. Or felt it. A desperate whisper in my mind. It said... it said you were lost, and only I could reach you. Is that the so called system that is looking out for you?"

Riku stared at her, genuinely surprised. "You... you heard the System? It spoke to you?" This was new. The System had interacted with him, given him quests, warnings, even chided him. But directly communicating with someone else?

"I think so," Lila said, a little uncertainly. "It was just a flash, a feeling. It told me to tell you what you protect."

A wave of understanding, and a fresh pang of guilt, washed over Riku. The System, in its own way, had reached out through Lila when he was beyond its direct influence. And Lila, with her simple, heartfelt words, had been the anchor that pulled him back.

He brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles gently. "You saved me, Lila. From myself. More than you know."

However, Lila’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. Something was still gnawing at her.

"Riku..." she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "All this power you have... summoning gods, healing hundreds, this System... and I’m just... a village girl from Elowen. I wonder... with all that you are, all that you can do... will there still be a place for someone like me beside you?"

"Will you... will you still want to be with me, even when I can’t fight your battles or understand these grand powers?"

Riku’s heart clenched. He cupped her face gently with his free hand, his gaze earnest and unwavering. "Lila," he said, his voice firm but filled with a deep tenderness. "Being a ’village girl from Elowen’ is everything. You are kind, you are brave, you are fiercely loyal. You see the good in people, even in someone as complicated as me. You remind me why I want this peaceful life."

He leaned closer, his forehead touching hers. "Summoning gods means nothing if I lose the person who makes my heart feel at peace. I seek nothing but to live in a peaceful world, but I do not want it to be one without colors or sounds. So, I want to build that peaceful world with you, Lila. Always. You are not ’just’ anything. You are everything to me."

Riku held Lila’s face with his hands and gently caressed it, slowly inching closer.

"Riku..."

Lila puckered her lips and closed her eyes, as she reciprocated RIku’s show of intimacy.

After a moment, their lips met. Slowly at first, but increasing the intensity with every passing second.

"Lila, I have made some soup for you. It is good...Kyaaa"

The kiss that was just getting passionate suddenly broke at the new voice. Riku, sensing the new presence, immediately moved back. Lila also moved back a bit, avoiding Elara’s gaze.

"You.. you leecher. What do you think you are doing?" Elara asked, her face completely red.

"Wait, Elara. It is nothing like that." Riku tried to explain.

"Pervert... Hentai... Molester...." Flushed red, Elara immediately ran away from the room.

"Well.... she is gone now. Shall we continue?" Riku asked Lila with a cheeky smile.

"Continue my foot." Lila laughed, pushing Riku away.