Hello! \(^-^)/ This is another short chapter but, from here on out they do get longer. As usual, I don't own anything. Also, a long overdue THANK YOU to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, etc. Please enjoy the next chapter!


Silence.

And then, more silence.

Kyoko did notice that they had left the shop almost ten minutes ago. Those ten minutes were full of an unbearable silence, furtive glances at Ren, and racing thoughts. 'He… is that really Tsuruga-san? He looks so… no! No, no, no! I c-can't think those types of thoughts.' Kyoko stole another glance at Ren in an attempt to sort out her thoughts. She really hated the silence. 'He doesn't seem to be angry,' Kyoko thought, 'I wonder what his problem is.'

"Ano, Tsuruga-san? Is something wrong?" Kyoko tentatively asked.

Ren looked shocked. He had forgotten she was in the car. His mind was frozen in time; more specifically, when she came out from the dressing room. 'What an awful escort I am today. The premonition I had this morning seems to be coming true. Perhaps the rest of today will go smoother…until tonight.' Ren thought with dread.

"I'm sorry Mogami-san. I was preoccupied. Nothing is wrong really." Ren gave her a small smile attempting to soothe her worries.

"If you say so Tsuruga-san." Kyoko was relieved, Tsuruga-san did look better than he had earlier. Plus, he was able to smile.

Another moment of awkward silence pursued.

"You know Mogami-san, since we are practicing for your date scene tomorrow and since it would probably be wiser to avoid calling each other 'Tsuruga-san and Mogami-san, as people might figure out who we really are, why don't we use fake names? Perhaps we could use the characters' names in the script?" Ren asked.

Kyoko looked out the window and thought for a moment. "Hmmm, that is a good idea." She turned to Ren. "But can we not use the names from the script? I'm not particularly fond of the name Nakasone, Nobuko and you really don't seem like a Hasegawa, Hachiro." Kyoko muttered.

Ren laughed softly. "Mogami-san, if you are okay with using different names for today, so am I. Now all that needs to be done is come up with our new names. Or," Ren shot a quick, sly look at Kyoko, "we could always use just our first names. We are on a date after all. It's not unusual for couples to call each other by their first names."

Kyoko looked at Ren in horror. "No, no, NO! I could never be so rude as to call my esteemed sempai by just his given name. And besides, didn't you just say that it wouldn't be wise to call each other by our true names? We are in danger of crazy fan girls finding out your true identity. If that happens, any hope of practice is gone! No, I'm against it." Kyoko crossed her arms and slid further back into her seat.

'Hnnn. I set myself up for that one.' Ren fished around for another excuse. "Mogami-san. How many people are named Kyoko? And Ren, though less common, is still a common enough name for us to not be recognized. Besides, won't you be acting as your scene's character? Isn't she different from the actress 'Mogami, Kyoko'? I think we'll be fine, and this way, it's easier to remember."

"No, I still won't do it. If there is even a one percent chance that we will be found out, I refuse." Kyoko stated adamantly.

Ren sighed. 'Why won't she just give in?' Now he only had one more excuse left. 'This had better work…'

"Mogami-san, if you don't want to use our names, and you don't want to use the script's names, what names do you want to use? And please don't choose names like 'Hime' or something. We are out in public." Ren changed to a teasing tone. "Ah… maybe you're afraid to use our real names in public. Is it because you're afraid you'll slip up and call me Tsuruga-san and then you'll be to blame for the failure of our date?" Ren looked at her to make sure she heard him.

Kyoko looked back at Ren with a gleam in her eye. "Ren-kun, you're on!"

"Well, in that case Kyoko-chan, I'll be listening carefully today to make sure you don't slip up." Ren pulled into a parking spot. "Oh, and Kyoko-chan, we're here."

Kyoko looked out the window. She couldn't believe it. She turned to Ren with an enchanted look. "Ren-kun, this is where we're going on our d-date!?"


So, you're all curious about where their next stop is, right? Submit your guesses (or rather, review ^^) by clicking on the review button. Until next time, Bye Bye!! ^-^