"So Lani-san, how come the rest of your co-workers are not having dinner with you two?"
Lani looked up from her yakisoba and swallowed. Patting her mouth with her napkin, she replied, "Oh that? Well, Deedee is visiting a friend in the city and is staying there for the next few nights. Mr. Smiles and his assistants had some work to complete so they returned to our hosts house. Mr. Divoldi and Mr. Kelp decided to go back to our host's house as well and call home to wish their kids and wives goodnight. Mr. Divoldi has three girls all under 5 and Mr. Kelp's wife, daughters, and granddaughters just got back from a fashion show in Milan. Apparently they got food poisoning and he wants to make sure that they are alright. That just left me and Cara, but we don't mind. Because of that, we got to get to know you all better."
Ren swallowed his bite of sushi and nodded. "I'm glad that we were free tonight. The president really wanted us to get along with the Silver Raincloud representatives."
Lani cocked her head to the side slightly in confusion. "President? You mean Takarada Lory?"
Yashiro nodded. "Do you know him?"
"Yes, actually. We are staying at his estate during our time here. He is quite… memorable."
Ren thought back on the president's eccentric entrances and parties. "Memorable is one way to put it."
Lani laughed warmly. "Yes I do say that it fits him well. Speaking of people not being here," she turned to Kyoko who was taking one savory bite after another of her hamburger and egg. "Where are your co-workers, those two young ladies who were at the meeting with you? I would have liked to have invited them to dinner as well."
Kyoko swallowed her hamburger and wiped at her mouth in a way similar to Lani. "Well, Amamiya-san had another meeting to go to and Moko-san, I mean Kanae-san, went with Hiou-kun to their shoot. They are in a TV Drama together."
"I see, well, I guess that I will have to get to know them another time. Shame though, this was a wonderful evening." Lani finished her yakisoba and gently rested her hands in her lap. Beside her, Cara had fallen asleep after inhaling two plates of Gyoza, a bowl of Ramen, three plates of omurice, and two bottles of sake. Her jetlag had finally caught up to her. "I had better get Cara back to the president's villa. I guess we will see you all in a few days at the press conference?"
"Do you know the way back?"
Lani nodded as she shook Cara awake. "Yes, I finally figured out how to work the GPS that President Lory gave us. Thank you so much for accompanying us for dinner. It was a pleasure to be able to get to know each other better." With one arm supporting Cara, Lani reached into her purse and pulled out a wad of bills.
"No please, let us treat you, after all you are our president's guests, as well as guests in our country." Ren protested as Lani counted out the right amount and set it on the table.
"It's perfectly alright. We ate the most and we were the ones who disrupted your plans for the evening. You can pay next time." Lani's voice was kind and gentle, but her tone clearly stated that she would take no arguments from them.
Kyoko jumped up from her seat. "At least let us help get Cara-san into your car, she looks very tired." Lani dismissed her protests with a wave of her free hand.
"No need, I've got it under control. Cara" Lani's voice became stern and she spoke rapidly in a foreign language. Cara immediately opened her eyes and dashed out the restaurant door and to the car, sliding into the passenger seat before promptly falling back asleep.
"What the..!" Yashiro tried to process what just happened. "What did you say to her?"
Lani put on her coat and buttoned it up quickly. "I just told her that if she didn't get into the car that I would leave her behind with no money for food." She shook both Yashiro and Ren's hands and pulled Kyoko into a quick hug. "It was a wonderful evening, thank you. We will see you in a few days and if you ever want to find us, here's our numbers, and I'm sure you know where President Takarada lives." She handed Yashiro two business cards with telephone numbers on them. Looping her purse over her, she gave them one last wave before she left the restaurant and drove away.
Kyoko waved goodbye until their car was out of sight. "They were really nice don't you think Tsuruga-san, Yashiro-san?" she asked, following them as they walked to Ren's car.
Yashiro nodded. "They certainly were. Cara-san is somewhat unprofessional and she seems like a handful, but Lani-san seems very dependable."
Ren nodded in agreement and unlocked the car, allowing Kyoko to slide into the back seat before getting in himself. It had taken a lot of manipulating, but he finally got Kyoko to agree to let him drive her back home. "I have a feeling Cara-san will surprise us when filming begins."
Yashiro looked slightly confused but let the matter drop. He conversed with Kyoko until her exhaustion caught up to her and she promptly fell asleep.
Ren gently shook Kyoko awake when they arrived at Daruyama. He waited until she was safely inside the restaurant before he got back in his car and drove to Yashiro's apartment.
"What did you mean by that earlier, Ren? About Cara-san?"
Ren shrugged as he pulled up in front of Yashiro's apartment complex. "I just have this feeling, that's all."
Yashiro shrugged and got out of the car. "Well, it doesn't matter. I will see you tomorrow at LME. Remember you have a photo shoot at 7am and then a short break before your interview at 9." Yashiro waved goodbye and headed towards his apartment.
As Ren drove home that night, he thought about the project. He smiled to himself as he pulled into his parking spot and made his way upstairs. He would make this movie a success no matter what. After all, it was his first drama with Kyoko acting opposite him. Smiling at this thought, Ren entered his apartment.