Chapter 3: Trigger

"And last but certainly not least, the #1 LoveMe member: Mogami Kyoko!"

Kyoko's face flushed darker as she realized it was her turn for the auction. She stood up and walked stiffly to the front of the stage. The president beamed at her, clearly proud of his #1 LoveMe girl.

"Here we have the original LoveMe girl, she starred in Dark Moon as Hongo Mio, and more recently as Natsu in Box R. We'll open the bidding at 10,000 yen!"

The room was silent except for a few coughs.

Kyoko's face fell.

Yashiro nudged Ren. "Hey, maybe you should just bid. It doesn't look like anyone is going to."

Ren felt irritation rise up within him. How could people not realize how amazing she was? Well, it doesn't really matter, because at least I know. He thought to himself as he readied himself to raise his paddle in a bid.

Kyoko stared at her feet. Well, I hadn't expected much but I hoped at least someone might-

"10,000." Came a timid voice.

Kyoko looked up and saw Hikaru from Kimagure Rock raising the pink paddle into the air.

Kyoko felt a warmth in her heart. Thank you, Hikaru! Thank you for making me not be a failure.

There were some whispers in the crowd. Kyoko noticed some people had surprised looks on their faces.

"12,000!"

"15,000!"

"20,000!"

The bidding had begun suddenly and quickly. The president leaned over to her. "I think people just realized who you are."

Kyoko felt her face warm slightly at this. So because people realized I really am in show business they want to hide on me? Maybe they didn't believe the President at first about the other roles I've played.

The bidding continued rapidly.

A loud voice called out, "Thirty-" there was a muffled yell, before the bidding continued from the rest of the crowd. Kyoko wondered briefly about the voice but ignored it as she became overwhelmed by the amounts of money people were bidding.

Meanwhile in the hall just outside of the auditorium , Sebastian had ambushed a very irate Shotaro, who had been in the middle of trying to win a date with his ex-friend.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" he yelled.

Sebastian placed a hand on Sho's shoulder. "You," he said firmly, "Are not welcome here for the auction. Security will now remove you from the premises. Have a lovely day."

Sho opened his mouth to protest but was interrupted by two large security guards picking him up and carrying him away.

Still on the stage in the auditorium, Kyoko was feeling more and more embarrassed at how much money had been bid on her. Surely , she wasn't worthy of that much.

30,000 had turned into 80,000 and the bids were continuing. She had noticed that Hikaru had continued to bid until the amount reached 100,000 yen. At which point she could only assume he had decided it was too much money to spend on a date with her. She felt her nerves rising as she realized all the current bidders were people who were unknown to her. What if she wound up with someone terrible? Even maybe someone like Shotaro?

Ren noticed the dark look on Kyoko's face. She must be worried about what kind of guy she'll wind up getting stuck with. Maybe I should just go ahead and bid. I can say I'm just looking out for her.

Ren was lost in his own thoughts trying to convince himself he could bid on her without raising suspicions.

"300,000!"

Ren's eyes searched the crowd. That voice… it couldn't be. His eyes found the owner of the bid: Kijima.

Ren glanced at the stage to see Kyoko's reaction to the latest bid, was she smiling?

His gaze returned to the offending bidder. Kijima glanced towards Ren and gave him a smirk.

I hope you're grateful that I'm doing this for you, Ren. Kijima thought to himself. At least if you bid on her you can go on a real date with her, instead of just trying to scare off guys who are interested in her.

No one else was bidding. Ren could hear Lory begin the countdown.

"Going once for 300,000. Twice and-"

"500,000." Ren couldn't believe he had done it. He had really just lifted his pink paddle into the air and bid an extravagant amount of money just to prove to Kijima that he was dead serious.

He regretted his decision when he saw the Cheshire Cat type smile spreading across the President's face. But even more so, when he saw the horrified look Kyoko had.

"Once, Twice, Sold to number 25!" Lory announced.

The crowd applauded the final bidding, while Ren sat frozen in his seat. What have I done? She's going to hate me. He sighed.

Luckily, Yashiro had the sense not to say anything to Ren at the moment. He sat by his side in silence as the President announced the end of the auction.

"Thank you all for attending, and a special thank you to our winning bidders!" he announced as people began to shuffle out of their seats.

"I'm going to go take care of something." Yashiro said quietly before rising to step away.

Ren sat with his head in his hands. He heard the sound of movement in front of him.

"Um, Tsuruga-san?"

Ren's head shot up at Kyoko's voice.

She was leaning down to look at him, her eyes full of concern. "Tsuruga-san, I am so sorry that you had to bid on me. I know you were probably worried about if I went out on a date with Kijima-san."

"Wha- worried?" he asked. Had she figured him out? Had she realized he was jealous?

Kyoko nodded. "I know that I almost shamed LME at the Dark Moon wrap party and you were probably worried that I'd tarnish the company's name if I went out with him. So I'm very sorry that you were forced to spend your hard earned money on me."

"Mogami-san."

Kyoko continued talking quickly. Her head lowered in a bow of respect. "I certainly don't expect you to take me out on a da- an outing. I will fully pay you back for all the money that you had to-"

Ren touched her head. "Mogami-san."

She stopped talking and lifted her head to look at him. "Yes, Tsuruga-san?"

He smiled at her. "It's really all right. If I didn't want to bid, I wouldn't have. I don't expect you to pay me back. After all the money was for charity. But, I do expect that date."

Kyoko blushed at the intense look in his eyes. She looked away. "Yes, well," he watched as she twisted her hands together nervously. "Thank you, Tsuruga-san. I was really worried about being stuck with somebody unpleasant. I'm glad it's you."

Ren sat still for several minutes after Kyoko had left. Her words replayed in his mind over and over again.

"I'm glad it's you."

He ran a hand through his hair. Stop. Don't get your hopes up. You know she didn't mean anything by it. It's probably just because you're her Senpai.

Yashiro returned to the neighboring seat. "Ren, I took care of your paperwork for the auction. How was your talk with Kyoko-chan?"

"She thanked me."

"Thanked you?" Yashiro asked in confusion.

Ren nodded. "She thanked me for winning so she didn't get stuck with someone unpleasant."

"Well, maybe if you take her on a really special date you can help her to see you as more than just her Senpai?" The older man mused.

And how will I manage that? What kind of date is special enough to convey all my feelings?

That night, Kyoko tossed and turned in her bed. "How could I have said something like that to him? What if he realizes my feelings?" she groaned, pulling her pillow over her face. Kyoko, you idiot! Saying you're glad it was him is nearly as bad as the time you told him you'd be waiting for Katsuki more than Mizuki.

She pulled the pillow down and hugged it against her chest. "But, I do get to go out on a date with Tsuruga-san." She felt her cheeks grow warm. As nervous as I am… I think I'm really looking forward to it.

She closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift off to sleep. The day had been exhausting, full of anxiousness about the auction. But now that it was settled she no longer had to worry about if she would be bid on or who she'd have to go on the date with. She already had her answer.

Tsuruga-san…

A/N: Thank you for reading chapter 3! I hope you enjoyed it. I wasn't feeling well tonight but I wanted to get the chapter posted. Next chapter will probably show the beginnings of the dates. :) thanks again! :)

Oh and btw because I know some people have expressed concerns about the amount of money I'm having them bid... I did my research and it is all intentional. Keep in mind this is still a celebrity auction with rich people as the bidders and it's all going to charity. :)