Kaorin71:

^_^ I'm back! This story is another idiotic idea of mine. It started when I saw a pizza cutter/slicer (whatever it's called) while I was brushing my teeth and I thought, 'Has Kyoko eaten pizza?' Then I saw this episode on Special A about Hikari having this fever and well, that's pretty much how I got the whole concept. It's not very good (I wrote it when my eyes were practically begging me to drop) but maybe someone might enjoy this a little so I just did it…

P.S: Please R&R! (If you can) Criticisms to minimum level, please! Not so harsh!

Another P.S: The underlined word there is 'weirded'. I don't think there's such a word but I used it just to express how extreme Chiori's reaction is to Kyoko's bizarre behavior.

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat. If I did then the story would be totally boring.


A Slice Of Pizza, A Piece Of Trouble

"Happy Birthday!"

The joyous cheers of the crowd echoed inside the room. A small table was placed in the middle, filled with scrumptious and expensive delicacies. The area was decorated with a cheerful theme, complete with some balloons and one giant cake at the center of the banquet. Kyoko smiled warmly at the sight.

"Thanks a lot, everyone," said Kyoko, hugging the insanely big package Maria had given her. "It's really nice of you to throw this celebration… at eleven thirty in the evening."

President Takarada, the person responsible for this all, beamed brightly at her. "It's no trouble at all, Mogami-san. You were busy with work earlier, after all. I specifically reserved this place a week before now just for your birthday celebration." He laughed gleefully. "To tell you the truth, this place was originally reserved for some cheap politician. But anyway, I managed to take care of it."

"Yeah," Maria snorted beside her grandfather. "He practically scared the management to give this place to him. And he brought me along, too. To think he even hugged the manager. It was horrible when they thought he was an eccentric and looney gay but, just as grandfather said, we took care of it. " This statement was followed up with a smile radiating with mischievousness.

Kyoko looked at them, perplexed. "Um, are you sure..?"

"To hell with it," Kanae told her, vexed at her reaction. "Mo! Kyoko, don't you get it? They did that just to give you a decent birthday party even if it's this damn late. I and everyone else in this room could be snoozing off now but we chose to commemorate your special day."

"She's right, Mogami-san," Chiori, who was at leaning against the far wall, said. "You should enjoy yourself. What's the point of doing this party if the person to whom it's supposed to be dedicated to isn't happy?"

All others nodded at her statement. Although Kyoko wasn't sure whether she should be happy for what the president and Maria did, she sure knew that everyone in that room made an effort to come to the festivity. Kanae was right. She should be enjoying.

"Okay. I'm sorry for spoiling the moment. I'll cooperate now," Kyoko merrily declared, glancing at each person. "Let's all enjoy."

"For Kyoko-chan's birthday and for the success of her new drama," Sawara Takenori, the talent section head, said, initiating a toast.

They all clapped their hands lightly. Kanae, despite her earlier outburst, smiled for her best friend's achievement. Chiori, who stayed out of the crowd before now made her way towards them with a shy grin. Maria and Takarada-san shouted a bunch of cheers. Sawara watched Kyoko with pride and satisfaction. All her close friends were here.

All except one.

The president turned the sound system on and played a festive song at the highest volume. No one bothered to complain as long as he didn't do anything weirder than that. Maria clung tightly unto Kyoko, urging her to open the gift.

"C'mon, open it," she said, pulling on her clothes. "It's great, nee-chan. You'll like it."

Heeding the girl's words, Kyoko gently tore the wrapper off. Although even without opening it, she could guess what the content of the gift was. It was soft as a pillow and big as half her body. When she had finally ripped the cover off, she was dumbfounded at what she saw.

It was a stuffed toy, just as she predicted. Well, it had the body of a teddy bear. What was surprising was the head of the toy looked a little bit like that damn excuse for a human being. Bingo. It was a stuffed Shoutaro Bear.

"Uhm…" she gazed at the gift, baffled at its appearance. Then she threw a sidelong glance at Maria. "What exactly is this?"

"What the hell is it, really?" Kanae, baffled as Kyoko was, glared at it. That has got to be the creepiest present to give a person. "Is it some kind of punching bag?"

"No," Maria contradicted, looking clearly offended. "This is a very priceless doll, you know. You can actually use it as a punching bag. But its main purpose is for cursing."

Eyes gleaming with eagerness, Kyoko turned to her. "Cursing?"

Maria nodded vigorously. She then pointed to a box which was under the bear. "There are a lot of tools inside that box. They're all essential in cursing. See, I saw this ad on the internet. This is called the Eerie Bear."

"Eerie Bear?" Kanae repeated. Now that sounds creepy.

"Yep. And it says there when you use this, you have to replace the bear's head with the appearance of the person you want to afflict with a curse. I had this specially made so that nee-chan would be glad when she receives it." Maria blushed as she said the next statement. "I'm sorry if it looks stupid but it's all I can give. It could never par up to the Tsuruga-san doll you gave me. I'm not especially skilled with making voodoo dolls so I had to order..."

She patted the girl's head. "It's not important. Anyway, this is the best gift I've gotten so far."

"Really?" Her innocent eyes sparkled brightly.

Kyoko replied with an affirmative nod. "It's the greatest gift I'll ever have."

"Oh is that so?" The Love-Me girl beside them snapped. She snorted, turning her back to Kyoko. "Then that means you don't need my gift anymore. It would be embarrassing to give you a lowly present."

Her eyes flickered, turning sympathetic. She hugged her friend to prevent her from getting away. "No! I want your gift, Moko-san. I want it more than anything else!"

"Mo! Let go of me! You don't need this stupid gift."

"I need it," Kyoko persisted. Her hand reached out for the small package on Kanae's palm. "Is that it?"

"Kyoko, let me go!"

"Not until you give me your gift."

Struggling to get away, she held the gift away from her best friend. Kyoko winced, extending her arms to get it. After a while, Kanae realized she won't win against Kyoko's monstrous strength. Sighing in defeat, she let her arms go limp, letting her snatch the gift away. Almost immediately, Kyoko opened the present up. Her first reaction was shock which vanished quickly, replaced by utmost delight.

"It's -" she whispered, rather enthusiastically. "It's wonderful~~~~~!"

Inside the package was the extremely rare and most treasured collection of perfume, make-up and accessories by Perpetuity, the biggest company of perfume in the industry of Japan. Such an assortment of products is very costly, as she knows. Even if she worked her back off for five months, she's still light years away from gaining such a collection. And for her almost penniless friend to acquire this probably cost her a lot.

Her eyes brimmed with tears. Kanae couldn't figure out if her gift made her upset or elated which itself annoyed her. Kyoko twirled around to face Kanae, giving her the biggest hug ever. She nearly choked her to death with the embrace.

"Moko-san~~~! This is the greatest! I love it! I'll treasure it forever and ever." She said, practically squealing at her ear.

"Yes, yes, I get it. Now will you get off? I'm gonna die of asphyxiation." Her expression softened a little. Damn it, she just can't stay angry at this girl. She's too hard to resist. I'm sure that Tsuruga's facing the same problem, Kanae thought.

Reluctantly, Kyoko parted from her their hug. There were some tears rolling off her cheeks from all the joy she felt. Pretending to scowl, Kanae lightly shoved her away, venturing towards the table filled with food she was not supposed to eat. From the distance, Kyoko contained a giggle as she watched Kanae devour everything edible within reach.

After that affectionate display, Kyoko sauntered around the area, having a light conversation with each person she encounters. They gave her countless gifts which she decided to just open in the morning. As for the president's gift, she wasn't sure about accepting a life-size statue of herself. At least that's what she thought the president's gift was since he hinted at it.

Suddenly, the doors burst open. All turned their heads to look at who had just arrived. And they were not disappointed as they watched the graceful Ren Tsuruga make his way towards the center of the room with Kyoko.

"Good evening, Tsuruga-san," Kyoko politely bowed.

Ren chuckled. "Shouldn't I be the one greeting you? After all," he said, showing her a bouquet of red roses. "It is your special day."

Kyoko made a sound which could only be interpreted as a yelp of joy. She casually swept the flowers from his arms, cradling them gently. "Thank you, Tsuruga-san. They're like descendants of Queen Roza."

Someone behind Ren smirked. He turned towards his manager, giving him a look that spells death. Yashiro, however, didn't mind him. He continued sneering as Ren escorted Kyoko to a seat.

Noticing Yashiro just standing by, Kyoko asked, "Is Yashiro-san going to be alright just standing there?"

"Definitely," Ren replied in a rather cold tone. He's surely enjoying all this and tease me about it later, he added grimly.

Her spine stiffened as she heard that ice cold voice. Ren lost his composure for a second, realizing the mistake he made. "Don't worry about him, Mogami-san. He's enjoying too, although he doesn't show it." This time, he said this with ease and comfort.

He smiled when he saw her relax herself. Contented, he sat down beside her, looking casually at the others. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

She nodded shyly. "Uhm... All my friends are here. Except for the Daruma-ya couple, that is. They couldn't attend."

"I see," he replied and for a moment, no one uttered a word. Not able to stand the silence between them, he asked, "Are your jobs still fine?"

"Yep. They're all going fine and great. Everything is alright during work. And almost all the people are nice."

"Really now?"

"It's true. They help me around a lot. I also help some. And the Ishibashi-sans -"

Immediately, Kyoko clamped her mouth shut. No way. She almost said that out loud. If she had continued, she could've told him that she was Bo who had been helping him in his problems. That would've ruined everything.

"Ishibashi-san?" Ren asked, curious.

"Ah, it's -" Kyoko struggled for an explanation. Damn it. Her mind went blank. "They sometimes help me."

"How? Do you work with them? As I know, they're in that show, Bridge Rock, right?" Ren was now leaning closer to her, almost just inches apart.

"Yeah. I sometimes go there when I have no jobs and hang out with them," she quickly told him. "And with the chicken."

To this, Ren nodded. "The chicken. Huh. Say, do you know who's inside that suit."

"What?" Why is he asking me this? Kyoko wailed in her mind.

"I'm interested in that chicken," Ren admitted, clasping his hands together. "I want to know who that fellow is. He's quite entertaining."

"Ah well, you see, Tsuruga-san… er, um, I really don't know who…"

"You don't know or you don't want to tell me?" He smiled. The fake smile. Kyoko cowered at the sight of it. Her eyes almost burned out.

Stuttering, she explained, "The chicken's identity is a secret, even to the crew so no one knows. Really."

His figure inched closer to hers which made her more anxious. "No one knows, huh? Isn't that weird?" Ren looked directly in her eyes. "Is there something you're not telling me, Mogami-san?"

"No! You're mistaken. I -"

The doorbell rang out loud. They didn't even know that the place had a doorbell. President Takarada merrily skipped to the door and opened it. Kyoko sighed at the distraction. Ren was so close to finding out her secret. She just can't lie to him no matter what.

"Pizza's here," Takarada announced, placing eleven boxes of the pizza on the table. "Sorry but I only have pepperoni here. It's all sold out so we have to bear with this."

"Oh, the pizza's here!" Kyoko chorused out loud, standing up from her seat. Better make a distraction to get away from Ren's deadly smile. "And it's pepperoni, too! My favorite pizza."

Actually, in her whole life, Kyoko has never even eaten pizza. And she has never even seen one. Her eyes widened as she saw president Takarada open one of the flat boxes and her gaze quickly fell on the plate-like food. It was covered with a lot of grated cheese, some things that Kyoko took for pieces of meat, some pieces circular red thingies and more toppings. Kyoko didn't know how to describe it other than being overloaded.

"Well, Mogami-san, aren't you going to take a slice?" president Takarada asked, peering at the actress.

Nodding, Kyoko replied, "Yes, please."

Takarada smiled at the girl. Then he took out -from his pocket- a pizza cutter. How it fit in his ridiculously small pocket, Kyoko didn't know. He raised the hand with the cutter carefully and leaned forward to take a slice. In a matter of seconds, he had perfectly cut out a piece of the pizza, placed it on a saucer and handed it to Kyoko. She thanked him and went back to sit down.

Ren spoke as she approached. "That seems tasty."

"Then you should take one, too," Kyoko told him. "By the way, you haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"Ah, about that. I've -"

Kyoko shook her head. "Don't tell me you've eaten some rice balls. They're barely enough to make you full! You should take one, Tsuruga-san. You shouldn't neglect that body which all of Japan's girls are swooning for."

Ren's hands shot up defensively. "Okay, Mogami-san. You win. It is, after all, your special day. I'll take your request." He stood up.

Seeing his defeated form, Kyoko smiled. How Ren wished he could just let his control slip and embrace her. He wanted so much to hold her close to him, to tell her how he really felt. Of course, a dream will remain a dream. Doing that would cause a scandal in there.

Snapping from her thoughts, Ren was about to head for the table when Kyoko held his arm and turned him to her. He was thinking all sorts of things when she touched him. Wishing, actually, that Kyoko held her back to tell him to hold her.

"Here," she said, handing him the saucer. "This is for you. I'll just get one myself."

"But - "

"You must be tired from filming. And now you're still here when you can just crawl to your bed and nap." Kyoko smiled again. "You should rest a while. I'll be entertaining other people if you have anything to say."

Kyoko then went on to the table, leaving behind the gaping Tsuruga Ren. Honestly, he really did wish he could just forget that anyone was here and drag Kyoko to him. Now he was thinking of doing all sorts of immoral things.

He sighed. Better just busy himself with eating that pizza than to have illicit thoughts about the innocent Kyoko.

His feet brought him back to the sofa. Though when he did get back, Kotonami Kanae and Amamiya Chiori was sitting in the sofa, chatting unhappily.

"I have at least three dramas to attend to," Kanae quickly and angrily said. Ren couldn't understand why she was upset about having so many jobs. She should be delighted. "Then they're offering me this new movie. I'll probably be crawling if I take on another job."

"Lucky you," Chiori mumbled. "At least it's a drama. Can you believe the president? He keeps giving me childish roles and comedic ones. I don't get it. Why is he doing this?"

"You should've known what you were getting into when you entered this section," Kanae told her.

"How should I know how ridiculous that president of yours is?" she practically grumbled incoherently.

Not wanting to eavesdrop on them anymore, Ren started to go away. But Kanae quickly took notice of him and glowered.

"Oi, Tsuruga-san," Kanae called, putting a sarcastic tone on the honorific. The man had a very good reason to piss her off. Damn it. When she thought nothing else will par up to the gift she gave to Kyoko, he comes bounding in the room, giving her a bunch of fairy-looking flowers which he knew Kyoko liked. No way was she letting him off this time.

Ren looked back, giving the actress a smile. Chiori flinched a little seeing that the smile was a 100% fake. "What is it, Kotonami-san?"

Kanae snickered lightly. "You should know what I want. You giving gifts to Kyoko like that. Why do you keep defeating me?"

"I don't get what you're saying," he said. "Truthfully, gifts are to be given with love. There's no comparison for that."

Kanae, pissed beyond common sense, was about to answer back when Kyoko came strutting toward them, handing Chiori and Kanae a saucer with a piece of pizza on it. She took one for herself then sat down with the two. She turned and gestured towards Ren. "You should sit down, too. You must be tired."

Grateful that Kyoko was concerned for his welfare, he unwillingly sat down with the three. The sofa was wide enough to accommodate them though with him surrounded with the three girls, he looked like a playboy with his harem. He didn't like the idea even one bit.

"Come on," Kyoko told them, raising the pizza to her mouth. "Those slices would go to waste if you don't eat them."

Kanae scowled. "Who the hell even told you to give me this calorie rich substance?" Nevertheless, she took a huge bite from it, completely destroying her diet.

Chiori looked at the pizza slice like it was some kind of radioactive slime and bit it. Ren smiled to himself as he also took a bite at the slice. They savored the taste of the food, especially Kyoko. In a matter of minutes, she had finished her piece. She gleefully licked he fingers.

Ren glanced at her, amused. "You really like it, don't you?"

She nodded vigorously. "It's delicious enough. I'll go take some more. Do you guys want some more?"

Kanae frowned, seeing her plate empty. She just wanted to take a small bite. But she devoured the whole thing. To think she was keeping a strict diet. She scowled again as she replied, "No thanks."

Chiori also declined, seeing that she can't even finish one slice. "Maybe later."

Ren graciously turned her down, convincing her that pizza after rice balls were enough to fill his stomach. Kyoko grumbled a little then went on to the table. Soon she came back, having three slices on her saucer. She finished them again as they engaged in conversation. She was coming back and forth from the table, not being able to resist the taste of the food. In half an hour, she had devoured one and a half box worth of pizza.

When she had her fourteenth piece, things began to change.

"Say, Tsuruga-san," she suddenly said in the middle of Chiori and Ren's conversation about work. She drew a loop around the air. "Have you liked any of your co-stars?"

He blinked twice, not believing what she asked. "What was that?"

"I asked you if you have ever fallen for one of your co-stars."

"Oh." Ren didn't seem to get why she asked that kind of question. Although her asking of it kind of gave him the impression that she was interested in him. "Not really. It's just about work, after all."

"Not at all?" Kyoko turned to him, giving him a questioning look. "Not even Matsunai-san?"

Clearly referring to Ruriko Matsunai - the girl who declared that she was the last pop star of Japan and the one who was Kyoko's competition in her first major Love-Me job -, Ren said, "No. It never really occurred to me to love someone." Yeah, right. Liar.

"Then, how about those other actresses? I'm sure you're a normal and healthy boy. All men fall in love all the time." Kyoko laughed a little, swirling her finger around.

Kanae, who had noticed Kyoko's sudden change in attitude, squinted at her suspiciously. "Kyoko, are you alright? You seem weird. Weirder than normal."

"I'm alright Moko-san," she said in a rather slurred speech. She straightened from her slouching position and leaned toward Kanae. "I'm just asking about Tsuruga-san's personal interest, that's all."

"Yeah. I know what you're doing," Kanae said. "And that's definitely weird."

Kanae faced her friend and placed a hand over her forehead. "Hey, you're burning up. Did you drink some alcohol or are you having a fever?"

Concerned for the love of his life, Ren leaned forward too and then gently felt Kyoko's forehead. He was slightly surprised when he felt her skin was too hot. "Kotonami-san's right. Mogami-san, are you feeling well?"

"I'm fine," Kyoko said, her voice still slurred. She raised her head. "Better than ever, I say."

"Are you sure?" Chiori suddenly asked. "You're weird when you're well. You seem to creep me out now."

Kyoko nodded. "I'm fine… better… feeling well…"

Her eyes drooped. Ren was thinking maybe she was just tired. So he told Kanae and Chiori to stand up and let Kyoko lie down. She seemed to have gone unconscious as she didn't respond when Ren lifted her up then gently set her back down to the sofa.

He turned his back to her. He told Chiori and Kanae to tell the president to stop that outrageously loud music. They left, going toward where the president was. Sighing, Ren turned back to the sofa. He was surprised at what he saw.

Kyoko was gone.

He glanced around frantically. And, indeed, he found Kyoko groggily making her way to the president. Ren mentally kicked himself as he dashed after her.

Kanae reached the place first. She went up to Takarada. "Um, could you turn that blasted music down? My best friend is sleeping peacefully at the couch and you do not want to wake her up."

Takarada looked at her, confused. "What do you mean? Kyoko's right behind you."

Startled at that revelation, she swirled around. And she did see Kyoko's face. Something seemed off with that feverish expression on her face, though.

"Uhh, Kyoko? Are you sleep walking?" she questioned the girl.

She, however, didn't seem to hear her talk. Inching forward to Kanae, Kyoko suddenly jumped and embraced her. "Moko-san~~~! I really like you!"

Shocked by the sudden action, Kanae tried to peel her off. "Mo! What the hell? Kyoko, get off!"

Her words seemed to have been ignored because Kyoko squeezed her tighter. She struggled with the girl, unable to shake the creepy feeling off. And she felt like she was being cooked because of Kyoko's extremely high body temperature.

Finally, with the help of president Takarada and Ren, Kanae managed to be free of the killer hug. Kyoko went limp in the men's arms, not even trying to squirm free. The raven haired girl gasped, not used to the extra weirdness coming from the actress.

"What is wrong with you? Are you cracking up? What's with hugging me like that?" Kanae babbled the questions accusingly at her

Kyoko sniffed a little, a feverish look still on her face. "I just love you, Moko-san."

"No! Stop what you're saying!"

Confused by the situation, Takarada gazed at Ren. "What exactly is going on?"

He shook his head, sighing. "I have no clue. Mogami-san went hot all of a sudden."

The president, still confused with the turn of events, touched Kyoko's skin. It was hot, indeed as he quickly jerked back his hand. He stared at Ren in horror. "Don't tell me. Ren. Did you touch her? Did you do something immo-"

"No I did not," he answered before her could even finish the question. He sighed heavily then put on a friendly expression as he talked to Kyoko. "Let's go back to the couch now, Mogami-san."

"I'm not sleepy."

"Mogami-san, you're burning up. Please -"

"Ren."

At the mention of his name, Ren's eyes widened. Takarada and Kanae also seemed surprised. Kyoko calling Ren with his given name? Something was definitely up.

Still baffled, Ren turned to face Kyoko. "Are you really okay?"

She raised her head to his in flash, their foreheads almost touching. Kyoko smiled enticingly. "Ren, I really like you, you know."

Kanae's mouth dropped open. Chiori, who was shocked out to interfere earlier, now wore the same expression as Kanae had. President Takarada only had a look which could be described as complete ecstasy. Ren, however, had a very troubled expression. And inside his head, his emotions were in chaos as they tried to make sense out of everything.

Okay, he thought. She's definitely not alright. He forced himself to let go of her, else he does something drastic to her. Slowly backing away, he motioned for Kanae and the others to act.

President Takarada would be more than happy to let Kyoko carry on but he too realized that this was not the normal Kyoko. She would never call Ren without honorifics. And she would not tell him straight out that she liked him. She was weird but she was also too dense for love.

They started to advance towards her. Before they could make an appropriate act, though, Kyoko leapt sideward and got away from them, hurtling herself unto Ren. The actor twitched as Kyoko ran towards him, deciding to just back away. He did not do this quickly as Kyoko easily caught him and leaned on to him

"Ren," she murmured. "Don't tell me you hate me. I really do like you."

Damn it. He was close to losing his sanity. His hands clenched to knuckles, tightening as he fought for self-control. Finding his voice, he managed to choke out a reply. "Mogami-san, you should go to sleep now. Just -"

His sentence was cut off when Kyoko stood tiptoe and actually tried to kiss him. Fortunately for Ren, he dodged back slightly so her kiss only touched his cheeks. Even though, it was still enough to break all of hell loose.

Takarada called to Sawara to help him get Kyoko off Ren. But when they looked at the situation again, it was Ren who needed to be pried off Kyoko. Unfortunately, Ren had surrendered to his emotions and held her petite body close to his. The president didn't let this bother him. In one swift motion, he ripped Kyoko away from Ren and struggled to keep him calm.

"Quick!" He called out. "Catch Mogami-san now."

Sawara only threw him an exasperated look. "Where exactly is she?"

The three men twirled around in surprise. Kyoko was nowhere in sight. They tried looking around the room, their gazes sweeping every corner. Then, they noticed her orange her as she went through a door to their right.

The Love-Me girls were on the move at once. They dragged the unknowing Maria with them as they entered at what seemed like the kitchen. A grand kitchen to be more precise.

Maria looked at both girls. "What happened to nee-chan?"

Chiori threw a sidelong glance at her, shaking her head in dismay. "Don't ask. Even we couldn't figure out what the hell got going."

They continued to wander in the kitchen. They were caught in surprise when Kyoko leapt out of a storage closet. Immediately, Kanae was in her defense mode, shielding herself from the girl. She was not Kyoko's target, however. She was aiming at Chiori who was too weirded out to react. In a second, Kyoko had Chiori in her embrace.

"Chiori-chan~~~" she chorused softly, holding her in a firm position.

"Get off her!" Her best friend told her, pulling on her clothes. Maria too helped out, seeing that something was undeniably wrong.

Kyoko finally heeded their words and stopped, her body going limp. In a few seconds, she was snoring lightly. The three girls looked at each other, wondering if it was safe to carry her back to the room. Chiori poked her arm and when she didn't respond, they proceeded to lifting her to the other room.

Ren was sitting on the couch beside Takarada when they went back. Sawara sighed in relief seeing Kyoko asleep. The president had managed to calm the actor down during the three's hunting spree. They decided to just let her sleep then and there and clean up the area.

Ren took Kyoko from their arms and carefully laid her down on the sofa. This time, he did not turn his back on her. He gently sat down beside her, stroking her hair as she slept.

"Oi," Kanae called out as he took out two mops. "Don't just sit there and stare. Help out here."

Amused at the outright sarcasm she used, Ren started to stand up. Yet, as he did so, a hand got caught in his. It took him several moments to realize that it was Kyoko's soft hand that was preventing him from leaving.

"Don't leave…" she whispered. "Ren, don't go…"

Despite her pleas, he still persisted for her to free his hand. No such luck. He then resorted to talking to her. "I have to go help them. Just sleep soundly, okay?"

Reluctantly, he pulled his hand from hers. Ren moved away, walking towards Kanae to take the mop.

Before he could leave, Kyoko stood up from her sleeping position and pulled him back. At first, shock covered Ren. Then he started to reason with her again, only to be interrupted with something touching his lips. Kyoko kissed him lightly, gripping his hand. Soon enough, unable to resist any longer, Ren gave in, supporting her by placing a hand to her back.

"Kyoko!" Kanae screamed, prying her friend from Ren's body. She stared in disgust at the actor then at Kyoko. But she had already fallen asleep again in Kanae's arms, falling into deep slumber. She shoved her gently to the sofa then almost stabbed Ren with the mop handle. "You! Mop the floor and stop doing immoral things to her!"

He didn't even complain. Ren was too happy at the moment. After all, who wouldn't be when he had been kissed by his heart's dear one?

They spent the night cleaning and watching over Kyoko. They made sure to keep some ropes nearby in case she does something again. Almost all of them didn't get any sleep. So when morning came, their eyelids were practically begging them to drop.

Everyone struggled to stand up. Since the couch was taken by Kyoko, they all had to nap on the floor. Including the poor Maria.

Kyoko finally woke up. She sat up, scrubbing her eyes as she surveyed the area. Then, she bolted up, remembering the party. "What happened? Why am I sleeping here?"

"You tell me," Kanae mumbled, her eyes almost bulging due to lack of sleep. Kyoko had to prevent herself from jumping away. "We were awake all night to keep watch of you."

"Huh?" A question mark was plastered on her forehead. "What do you mean?"

"Please keep quiet. My head hurts. You got wild when you got drunk last night."

"I got drunk? I didn't drink alcohol."

Takarada sat up. "You didn't get drunk? Then what did you eat?"

Kyoko thought hard about it. "I didn't eat anything except the pizza…"

"Who knew pizza could make you weirder than what you are now?" Kanae added before she fell asleep.

"Wait," Kyoko said as they all fell asleep. "What exactly happened? Tsuruga-san?"

Ren opened his eyes for a few seconds and winked at her as he smiled. He looked at her directly in the eyes. "It would be better if you didn't remember any of it, Kyoko."

"Wha-" she froze. Since when did her sempai start calling her by her first name? What the hell happened last night?

It will really be for the best if you didn't know, Ren thought sleepily. It would be best if you never knew what you did...

Kyoko pouted at all of them. No one told her anything which meant she probably did something horrible.

Damn it! I'm never eating pizza again, she thought, lying down to sleep again.