When I first wrote this chapter, it was about 1500 words, but after editing, it became pretty much double that length. I hope you enjoy this chapter! This was probably my favorite chapter of this fic to write!
Ren dropped the letter in shock at what he had just read, letting Yashiro pick it up and scan through its contents. Yashiro smiled at Kyoko's courage to finally confess. Way to go Kyoko-chan!
"So are you going to meet her today or not?" Yashiro asked, giddy with excitement.
"I-" Ren started before pausing as he didn't know what to say.
"I can't believe it! Your feelings are returned! And by Kyoko-chan no less! You got Love Me number one to fall in love with you!" Yashiro exclaimed in delight.
"You have to go! It's almost sunset since you've been staying in here since yesterday night! Come on, Ren!" Yashiro said as he dragged Ren to his bedroom. Yashiro looked frantically through Ren's closet, browsing its contents until he found a pair of black slacks and a dress shirt and threw them to Ren's chest.
"Put these on!" Yashiro ordered.
"Yashiro-san-"
"Hurry up! You could break her heart if you don't get there in time!" Yashiro interrupted him.
"What if this is just a trick for her to break my heart instead?" Ren's voice cracked. Yashiro looked at his broken charge in shock.
"What are you taking about?"
"She lied to me. I didn't know it was her behind the chicken costume, but I told the chicken that I loved her. She knew the whole time, but she just thought it was fun to toy with my emotions and kept up the charade," Ren laughed cynically.
"Ren, I think you need to think logically about this for a second. Did you explicitly tell Kyoko-chan that you loved her?"
"I told her I loved a high school girl. What other high school girls do I talk with except for her?"
"You have to remind yourself that Kyoko-chan is Love Me member #1. Do you really think her first thought when you told her that you loved a high school girl was that you, the number one bachelor in Japan and dear senpai who she places on a pedestal, would love her? She probably thought you were talking about another girl the whole time!" Yashiro reasoned. Understanding dawned on Ren, then a wave of guilt overtook him. He had treated her so horribly last night!
"I have to see her and apologize for my actions last night," Ren said with determination as he started to put on the outfit Yashiro set out for him. Yashiro grinned at his charge's newfound resolve.
"Go get her, Ren!" Yashiro exclaimed.
...
Yashiro drove a surprised Ren to the park who hadn't know that Yashiro had learned how to drive and gave Ren a thumbs up as he exited the car. Ren smiled a thanks at Yashiro's encouragement and ran into the park, seeing no other passerby around except for one lone girl sitting on a park bench, the hood of her hoodie covering her hair. Ren realized that she had been waiting in the cold this whole time and ran up to her. Sensing his presence, she rose up and turned to run away.
"Wait!" Ren called out as she started to sprint away. He followed her as she sprinted away from the park and towards the LME building next to it. Ren tried to keep up which wasn't hard to do considering his long legs and athleticism, but he only caught her hand as she turned into the LME lobby.
"Please hear me out," Ren said as he held her wrist tightly so she wouldn't run away, but gently enough to not hurt her. When she didn't make any effort to move away, he spoke.
"I know you've been hurt by love in the past, but I want you to know that I have been in love with you almost immediately since I met you. It just took me a while to realize my feelings for you. I'm sorry for what I said yesterday. I didn't know your feelings at the time, so I apologize for making presumptions. My jealousy blinded me, and I said so many harsh words to you without thinking logically. In reality, I'm in love with you, and holding back my emotions whenever I seen you around has been torture. You're the only girl whose ever had this kind of an effect on me, and your presence in my life has changed me for the better. Will you please take another chance at love again with me?" Ren asked as he wrapped her hand in his, feeling something on her finger for the first time. He looked down and froze as he saw the expensive ring on her pinky finger.
"Oh, Ren-san, of course I'll be with you!" The girl exclaimed as she turned around and lowered her hood, revealing long black hair and an obnoxious grin on Kimiko's conceited face. Ren stood petrified at what he had just done in front of the whole LME lobby. Kimiko smiled up at him and glanced over her shoulder, smirking to a girl in a pink jumpsuit with short auburn hair that had watched the whole exchange. Without warning, Kimiko wrapped her arm around Ren's neck and pressed her lips to his own.
When Kimiko kissed him, Ren was immediately brought back to reality and pushed her off him roughly, shocking Kimiko who had thought him to be a kind gentleman. Looking around, Ren spotted a flash of pink running away from the scene, and he immediately sprinted towards the figure, leaving everyone in the lobby confused at what had just transpired.
"Wait, Ren-san!" Kimiko called out to his retreating form.
Ren couldn't be bothered to care about Kimiko anymore however as he chased Kyoko through the halls of LME. She tried to run away from Ren, but his long legs allowed him to catch up with her as she turned into the Love Me room, before she could lock the door. He charged into the room and wrapped his arms around her shaking form, holding her in place.
"Let me go, Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko cried, desperately trying to break out of his arms.
"No, I won't let you go until I tell you the truth, Mogami-san," Ren said as he flipped her around and crashed his lips onto hers, the repercussions of his action not mattering to him anymore as his pent-up desire was unleashed all at once. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she was frozen in place.
"I thought that she was you. That confession was meant for you, Kyoko," Ren explained as he pulled back from the kiss.
Kyoko was still blushing furiously from both the sudden kiss and Ren's use of her given name and didn't hear what he said in her dazed state. "What was that?"
"Kyoko, you're the one I've been in love with. I thought you had figured it out as the chicken, but I was wrong. I probably should have thought out how you wouldn't think that I was describing you and would probably believe that I was in love with another girl, but I love you. I have never fallen in love with anyone before, but you are the exception. I fell in love with you, Kyoko, and I've been trying to hide it this whole time, but I can't anymore. I love you," Ren confessed.
"But what about Morizumi-san?"
"She tricked me multiple times in an attempt to insinuate a relationship between us, but I can assure you that she holds no significance to me whatsoever. I don't know why she went this far, but I don't love her at all. I love you, Kyoko," Ren repeated, hoping that she would reply to his confession. Her eyes brimmed with tears.
"There's no way. You're Ren Tsuruga. You couldn't have fallen in love with a plain girl like me," Kyoko said tearfully. Seeing the girl he loved in tears, Ren immediately wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.
"You're wrong. Fuwa put those words into your head, but they're not true. Kyoko, you're the most beautiful girl I've ever met, and I fell in love with your determination and kindness, even when you hated me."
"So you really do love me?" Kyoko asked for affirmation, her tears drying.
"Yes."
"Then I l-love you too Tsuruga-san," Kyoko smiled shyly. He beamed down at her and raised her chin, leaning his head down to kiss her. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she found herself squeaking in shock before ducking out of his grasp. She blushed furiously, unable to look him in the eyes.
"Wait, Tsuruga-san. I need to make a phone call," Kyoko interrupted him, turning her head away and pulling out her phone from her bag.
"Is this really the time to be making a phone call?" Ren wondered, a little upset that she had stopped the kiss, but it was Kyoko after all and she was always unpredictable like this. Kyoko didn't respond, dialing the number and putting her phone to her ear.
...
After Ren had pushed her to the ground to run after Kyoko, Kimiko had gotten up to look for him. She couldn't find him anywhere though.
Suddenly, Kimiko's phone rang. She looked to see who was calling her and immediately picked up, ready to gloat to the caller on her victory.
"Hello?" Kimiko smirked.
"Morizumi-san! I was calling you to ask if you could apologize to Tsuruga-san for what happened earlier," Kyoko said. Kimiko was shocked to hear Kyoko speaking normally. She had expected her to be heartbroken!
"Wh-what? Why would I apologize if Ren-san confessed to me? I won the bet!" Kimiko exclaimed.
"Morizumi-san, we both know who that confession was really for," Kyoko replied.
"So what? The terms of our bet were that whoever Ren-san confessed to first would win. Even if it was meant for someone else, he confessed to me first, so you have to give up the part of Momiji and cut off your relationship with Ren-san!" Kimiko ordered.
"I'm afraid that I can't uphold my part of the bet. You won unfairly, so I won't honor our agreement. Either way, I won something even better than you could ever hope to have," Kyoko grinned.
"And what is it?" Kimiko asked, frowning.
"Love."
"What?"
"Tsuruga-san and I were finally able to confess to each other today. I have to thank you, Morizumi-san, since without that bet, we never would have been pushed together like this."
"You're thanking me?" Kimiko laughed.
"Yes I am. Morizumi-san, I hope that there's no hard feelings after this bet since we might have to work together in the future. I wish you to find another role to call your own instead of Momiji since I do think you have excellent memorization skills and acting chops. Please do think about apologizing to Tsuruga-san, though since I'm sure he would forgive you if you did. Good bye, Morizumi-san," Kyoko said before hanging up the call before Kimiko could say anything back.
Realizing that Kyoko had hung up, Kimiko felt her blood boil. She wouldn't back down that easily. Kimiko never let herself lose. She would go any length necessary to get her way. She picked up her bag and motioned for her manager to follow her, ready to resort to another method to get the part of Momiji. If handicapping Kyoko mentally had not worked, then she would just have to plan another "accident".
...
Kyoko ended the phone call with a satisfied smile and put her phone back in her bag.
"What's this about a bet?" Ren wondered, smiling a sparkly smile at Kyoko who cringed back in fear. The sparkles were basically suffocating her, and she found herself unable to hide the truth from him.
"I-I'm sorry, Tsuruga-san! As your kohai, I made a pointless bet with Morizumi-san and placed my job and our relationship on the line! I'm unworthy of calling you my senpai for what I've done!" Kyoko apologized in a dogeza. He quickly helped her off the floor, not content to seeing her prostrating herself in front of him like this.
"What were the conditions of the bet, Kyoko?"
"Morizumi-san and I were competing to see who could get you to confess to them first. If she won, then I would give her the part of Momiji and never speak to you again. If I won, then she would confess to hurting Koenji-san and would never bother me again. If you confessed to neither of us in a week, then she would just leave me alone forever. That's why she leaked that video of you and her practicing a proposal scene and why she tricked you into confessing to her in the LME lobby," Kyoko explained before her eyebrows furrowed as she made a realization.
"Wait a minute, wasn't that c-confession meant for me? Why would you suddenly decide to confess, Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko wondered.
"Yashiro-san handed me a letter that I thought was from you since it was signed K.M. In it was a confession and it said that I should meet with you in the park if I loved you back. I went and saw a hooded figure that I presumed was you since you immediately ran away and I believed it to be because of my words to you last night. I followed the figure to LME where I confessed, but it turned out to be Morizumi-san," Ren explained.
"Ah, so that's what happened," Ren said, sighing dramatically. In reality, he couldn't be that mad at Kyoko for making the bet because he probably would have done the same based on the conditions, but he decided that he would get a little revenge on Kyoko for jeopardizing their relationship. Even if the bet did prompt them to confess to each other.
"Wh-what was that sigh for, Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko asked, nervous that he was mad since he had sighed just like when he gave her an NG. When Ren shook his head and sighed again, Kyoko began to worry that he would never forgive her for the bet.
"I have to say, I'm disappointed that you put our relationship on the line for a bet, Kyoko. A sorry just doesn't make up for it. I'm afraid you'll have to do more to make up for this," Ren said, trying not to smile and ruin his plan.
"I'll do anything if you can forgive me, Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko exclaimed.
"Anything?" Ren wondered, stepping closer to her.
"Yes!" Kyoko affirmed, closing the distance between them, the determination clear in her eyes.
"There's actually two things I need you to do before I forgive you, Kyoko," Ren smiled.
"What should I do?"
"Well first, I would like it if since I call you Kyoko now, you call me by my given name too," Ren said. Kyoko's jaw dropped.
"I-I'm not worthy to call you by your given name!" Kyoko exclaimed.
"Please, Kyoko? I really do want you to," Ren said, using his puppy dog eyes. Kyoko couldn't help but say yes when looking at his puppy dog eyes.
"F-Fine, R-Ren-san," Kyoko struggled to say, relieved when she finally finished saying his name.
"Kyoko, you don't have to use the honorifics," Ren scolded her.
"But-"
"Kyoko."
"Fine, Ren!" Kyoko quickly said.
"I'm sorry, Kyoko, but what did you say?" Ren asked even though he had heard clearly. Kyoko frowned as she realized he was messing with her. Two could play at that game.
"REN!" Kyoko shouted as she pulled his ear down to her mouth. He coiled back at her outburst, and she burst out in laughter.
"Now what's the second thing?" Kyoko smiled, pleased that she had gotten back at him. She paused in her laughter when he suddenly looked at her seriously, taking one of her hands in his own.
"Actually, you don't have to force yourself to do this next thing. I already forgive you, Kyoko, so you don't have to say yes to my question if you don't want to."
"What is it you want to ask, Ren?" Kyoko wondered.
"Would you be my girlfriend, Kyoko?"
"What? You want me to be your g-girlfriend? But you can't be seen d-dating someone like me," Kyoko reasoned.
"I don't care what others say about me, but I don't want to hurt your career either by having the media see you only as my girlfriend rather than the brilliant actress that you are. You don't have to answer right away, but-"
"I guess I can," Kyoko smiled with a faint blush on her cheeks, interrupting him.
"Y-You will? Are you sure about this, Kyoko?" Ren asked for confirmation, stunned that she had agreed almost immediately.
"I would much rather have the media know the truth rather than let them believe you're d-dating Morizumi-san. What happened in the lobby earlier is probably already on the news. We l-love each other, and I think people who l-love each other usually d-date," Kyoko smiled, stumbling through her explanation as she was still not used to using such words to describe her relationship with Ren.
"I love you, Kyoko," Ren beamed at her, leaning down to finish the kiss he had started earlier and giving Kyoko no time to back away like last time. As he pressed his lips against her own, she froze at the sudden kiss but soon found herself kissing him back, although she was embarrassed at how inexperienced he must have thought she was. Those worries only metled away however as she found her mind going blank, the only emotions she could feel being complete and utter happiness and love for the man before her.
She had been scared of loving another before, but in Ren's arms she felt safe and able to let herself love again. He had broken down her barriers, her locks, and opened the box to her heart. She had regained that sacred emotion, and it was all because of him. Kyoko Mogami had finally learned to love again.
So happy that the angst is over. When you have two ongoing fics that both just had really angsty chapters, it takes a toll on you, and you want to write fluff and humor. I'm so happy the angsty bit is over for this fic. One more chapter to go, guys! Thank you to everyone who favorited or followed this fic, and a special thanks to all who take time to review! The reviews encouraged me to post this chapter ASAP! I'll see you all soon for the final chapter!
Edit: While rereading this chapter to write next chapter, I realized there were many areas of this chapter that felt rushed and OOC, so I edited this chapter again. No major plot points were changed, only descriptions of character's emotions and making Kyoko a little more shy and timid than I had originally written her here to fit more with canon.
