I apologize for how long I made everyone wait for the final chapter of this fic. I had originally planned on finishing this fic before the new chapter release, but that didn't happen at all. I had a bit of difficulty deciding exactly how to end it, and I ended up also putting the writing of it off too long. Thank you for supporting me, and I can't thank those who reviewed last chapter enough. I hope you enjoy the final chapter of Kimiko's Bet.
"WHAT?!" Sho yelled, shocked at what he had just heard on the news.
When he had seen that leaked video of Ren proposing to Kimiko on the news, Sho had felt victorious. He hadn't known that Ren would change targets so quickly, but Sho was just glad the actor wasn't after Kyoko anymore. She was still Sho's, and now the only threat to his control over her was gone!
But watching the television now, Sho felt his blood boil. Headlines everywhere were talking about Ren Tsuruga's sudden interview where he came clean about having no relationship with Kimiko, portraying her almost as a stalker, and how Ren basically confessed his undying love for the unbelievably talented actress Kyoko.
Sho growled and took out his phone, pressing speed dial for Kyoko. He had to make sure her affections hadn't been swayed by the sudden confession. When he got her voicemail message, Sho threw his phone across the room in anger and furiously got up. If she wasn't answering his calls, then he would just have to pay her a little visit to remind her of her place!
...
Kimiko's reputation was ruined. Kimiko Morizumi was now painted as a Ren Tsuruga super-fan and stalker. Words could not express her anger towards the auburn-haired actress who had caused her reputation to plummet and who had stolen the role that was rightfully hers. Kimiko would get that role no matter what. She should have just faked a little "accident" from the start. Kyoko's call had infuriated Kimiko to no end, and she couldn't wait to wipe that smirk off her face. Kyoko had gotten everything! It just wasn't fair! She had to be knocked off her pedestal, and Kimiko was all too happy to do just that.
It was easy to get her manager as an accomplice. The woman would do anything Kimiko said.
The two trailed Kyoko after she finished her Box R shooting until she was alone at a street corner. They then got out of the car and grabbed her, holding up a drug to her nose to restrict her movement, and blindfolded her. She struggled to escape their grasp as they pulled her towards an open rail and prepared to drop her off.
'Help!' Kyoko wanted to yell, but she didn't have the strength. She sensed her impending doom as her grip on the handrail keeping her up slackened.
Suddenly, flashes of light assaulted Kimiko and her manager, causing them to panic at suddenly being caught. The next thing Kyoko knew, she had been put back on the ground. She shook off her blindfold to see someone running towards the group.
"What are you two doing?!" Yashiro exclaimed as Kimiko and her manager loosened their grips on Kyoko. He had been pulling the car around to drive her home, but he had immediately jumped out after seeing her get assaulted.
"Ah! Yashiro-san, it's good that you're here! We were just bringing Kyoko-san out for some fresh air!" Kimiko exclaimed, quickly putting on her usual act of sweet and innocent teenage girl.
"Now that you're here-" Kimiko began.
"I'm going to stop you right there, so just save your act."
Everyone turned to see Erika Koenji being wheeled to the scene by her servant. Kimiko couldn't help the scowl that immediately crossed her face upon seeing Erika.
"You..." Kimiko muttered. Yashiro looked at Erika in surprise, recognizing her from the audition.
"I'm honored you remember me."
"Why are you here?!" Kimiko shouted.
"I've had you followed ever since you tricked her into taking on your bet," Erika said, motioning to Kyoko who was still on the floor, starting to regain some control over her body since the drug was staring to wear off. Yashiro looked at Kyoko in confusion, noticing her condition for the first time and wondering why she was unable to get up off the ground. Could she have been drugged?
"After your true self was revealed to Japan and your reputation plummeted, I knew you would try to do this again. In your desperation, you did exactly as I predicted, so thank you for staying faithful to your greed. It's thanks to it that I was able to catch you in the act," Erika smirked.
"Catch us? Is that what those flashes were? You took pictures? You know they wouldn't work in this day and age where people alter pictures like crazy," Kimiko's manager frowned.
"Did you really think that my plan to corner and trap you would end just at pictures? We've recorded everything from your little stunt with that fake letter to today's failed attempt. If we wished, I could even have everything uploaded to a video site this very moment. Perhaps it might catch the eye of that man you love so much. I'm sure he's been wondering why you've been portrayed by the media as a Ren Tsuruga stalker."
For the first time ever, Kyoko watched as Kimiko's face blanched and as a true look of fear crossed her features.
"He might believe now that these are only rumors, but I'm sure his opinion would be swayed were he to see the truth about your character. So, whether or not I give the go ahead to release the evidence depends on your answer. You must make a decision now," Erika narrowed her eyes at Kimiko.
"What do you want?" Kimiko sneered.
"Leave the entertainment industry in Japan forever," Erika ordered, a smirk forming on her lips. Kimiko stood her ground and glared at the girl in the wheelchair, trying to figure out any way to get out of this predicament, but she slumped her shoulders in defeat when she realized there really was no way out. She had been cornered.
"Koenji-san, isn't that a bit too harsh?" Yashiro wondered.
"It's not. I never said anything about the entertainment industries in other countries, but she's going to have to use her own skill to make it without her family's connections. So will you accept this condition?" Erika asked again.
"Fine. I'll leave the entertainment industry," Kimiko scowled, admitting her loss.
"There's one more condition. You have to vow to never willingly try to engage with me or Kyoko-san. No more insinuating rumors, no mention that you know us in public, and no talking about everything that's transpired here," Erika said.
"And that includes Ren too," Kyoko added in a small voice, finally able to have some control over her body. Yashiro looked at her incredulously for her informal address of Japan's number one actor.
"Fine!" Kimiko shouted back. Erika smiled as Kimiko trudged away irately with her manager following behind. Kyoko finally rose up from the ground, her strength finally back as one of Erika's servants headed off to the side to make a phone call to report on what had happened. Kyoko put her hands on the railing to look at how high she had been.
"I probably wouldn't have died if I had fallen. I wasn't as high up as a I thought I was," Kyoko speculated, causing Yashiro's jaw to drop.
"No, you definitely would have if you landed on a fatal spot!" Yashiro argued.
"I'm thinking I probably would have just broken a bone," Kyoko laughed, Yashiro immediately remembering Kyoko's comment about how broken bones could heal when she had broken her ankle for Ring Doh. Kyoko turned to Erika who had been watching them curiously, although she turned away immediately at being caught staring.
"Thank you for everything, Koenji-san," Kyoko bowed.
"If you're referring to how you're completely unharmed, then you don't have to thank me. I actually would have rather you had fallen. It would have given the video more power over her," Erika replied, causing Yashiro to look at her in shock. Hadn't she been on their side?
"I was blindfolded, but I heard them get scared by some camera flashes. I know you were filming this whole time, so there's no reason why you would need photos as evidence. Cameras nowadays are also advanced enough to take clear photos without flash, so you could have secretly taken the photos without flash. And yet you used the flashes on purpose to slow them down so that Yashiro-san could come in time. That's the truth, isn't it?" Kyoko asked. Erika looked at her, stunned that Kyoko had seen right through her.
"I just didn't want her to have her way. She's messed with you and me enough just to get some part in a drama. Who knows how many others have gone through this?" Erika frowned.
"Messed with me? Are you talking about the bet?" Kyoko wondered.
"She wanted to manipulate your state of mind so that you would be unable to play the part of Momiji. When it didn't work, she resorted to physicality to get what she wanted," Erika explained.
"So you saved me because you didn't want her getting the part?"
"That's not the only reason. I also did it because I don't want to owe one of you LoveMe members anything!" Erika frowned.
"Ehhh?"
"It's bad enough that I had to ask that section for help, but then you tried to get justice for me with that bet! I won't let myself owe the LoveMe section anything, so consider my debt repaid! I don't want to remotely owe that girl anything!" Erika exclaimed. Kyoko couldn't help but smile knowingly since she knew Erika was speaking about Kanae. Erika would never admit it, but her liveliness came out in full force when it came to Kanae.
"I had all the confidence that your Momiji could never amount to mine up until I witnessed you at the audition," Erika sighed in defeat, thinking back to the liveliness, spirit, and skill that Kyoko's Momiji had surpassed hers with.
"Your Momiji seems to differ from mine, so I'll let you act it out. Do your best to make me say it was wonderful," Erika said, motioning for her servant to wheel her wheelchair away.
"Don't worry, Koenji-san! I'll show you a Momiji even more spirited and skilled than today!" Kyoko chirped with a smile.
"That's not what I said! Don't go around twisting my words like that! You're only able to act out an uncouth and dirt-smattered Momiji!" Erika rebutted.
"Even if I perfected that aesthetic, a haugh-refined person like you wouldn't call it wonderful."
"You were just about to say haughty, weren't
you! Are you trying to group me together with that awful woman?!"
"I'm sorry. Would you have preferred condescending?" Kyoko joked.
"EXCUSE ME?! How rude! This is why I hate small-minded commoners! Is this any way to treat a person who saved your life?!" Erika yelled back. Kyoko's smile only widened, irritating Erika even further.
"I'm leaving. Just talking to a Love Me member with your lack of common sense is making me feel sick," Erika complained, motioning for her servant to wheel her away for real this time.
"Kyoko-chan? Weren't you a bit too harsh to Koenji-san there?" Yashiro asked, surprised that kind Kyoko had almost called the girl haughty.
"I don't think so," Kyoko replied with a smile. Erika looked like she had regained her fiery attitude, and Kyoko couldn't be happier for her.
…
"Kyoko-chan, are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital to get checked up on?" Yashiro turned backwards to ask as he stopped the car at a red light.
"I'm sure. Thank you for taking the time to drive me home, Yashiro-san," Kyoko smiled.
"After what happened, I wouldn't want you to walk home by yourself. I'm pretty sure Ren would skin me alive if something were to happen to you on my watch," Yashiro shivered in fear.
"That's not a nice way to speak about Ren, Yashiro-san," Kyoko laughed. Yashiro gasped at her informal address of Ren again.
"I wasn't hallucinating earlier! You really did call him by his first name without honorifics! Did something happen between you two? There's no way he could have seen you sometime between that interview and now, though! I would have known!" Yashiro exclaimed. Kyoko couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm.
"You did see the interview right? Is that why you're like this? You know that he loves you back?"
"I do. I've never been happier," Kyoko smiled brightly. Yashiro squealed in delight at his OTP finally getting together, causing Kyoko to giggle from her manager's secret fanboy side coming out.
...
"You finally had the guts, huh?"
"Must you always be like this towards my love life, Boss?" Ren sighed as Lory cocked an amused grin at him.
"I can't help it since this is the first time you've ever truly fallen in love. I'm happy for you, Ren."
"So you're not angry that I've ruined my image? I thought my boss would be more concerned at my sudden announcement affecting my fan base," Ren asked.
"I'm concerned, but not about your fan base. After the rumors about you dating Kimiko Morizumi surfaced, your fans were angry that you were off the market. But those rumors were squashed with your confession this morning, and you charmed them with your words and vulnerability in your confession. You handled it pretty well from a business standpoint. The only thing I'm worried about is what this means for Mogami-kun," Lory said, taking a cup of coffee from the tray that Ruto had brought in.
"I know. I'm worried about that too. I don't want Kyoko to only be known as my girlfriend. She needs to be seen for her own talent."
"I agree," Lory nodded, taking a sip from his coffee.
"I'm think I'm going to reveal my identity."
Lory spit out his coffee in shock. His mouth gaped at Ren, stunned by his sudden announcement.
"I think with that announcement and with Tragic Marker being released soon after, this whole confession might die down. Hopefully A Lotus in the Mire will also begin to broadcast by then, and she'll be able to show the range of her acting skills," Ren continued.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Lory asked.
"With Kyoko by my side, I am," Ren said, determined.
"Then I'll support you as you finally face the world again, Kuon," Lory grinned.
...
Kyoko waved goodbye to Yashiro after he dropped her off at the Darumaya and reached into her bag for her key. At that moment, the person who had been waiting for her in the shadows decided to come out of their hiding place.
"Hey."
Kyoko turned around to see Sho approaching her with a frown on his face. She could only guess what had made him angry for him to come visit her in person.
"What do you want, Shotaro?" Kyoko asked, surprised at the almost nonexistent amount of malice in her voice. It seemed that her demons had almost all been killed off completely by Ren. Talking to Sho now, Kyoko only felt annoyed, but not that angry.
"Why do you never answer your phone?" Sho asked, irritated by her lack of response to him.
"I do answer it. I just don't answer any of your calls," Kyoko responded, fueling Sho's rage even more.
"You saw that interview today, correct?" Sho asked.
"I did."
"And you remember our bet?" Sho smirked.
"What are you talking about?"
"If you fell for Ren Tsuruga, then you would go back to Kyoto to work in my parents' ryokan for the rest of your life," Sho explained.
"If that's the case, then I'm calling the bet off," Kyoko replied calmly.
"Y-you can't just do that! If you're calling if off, then that means you must be the same stupid love-obsessed girl from before!" Sho growled.
"That girl was blinded by love, but I'm not that girl anymore. I know what it means to truly be in love with someone now."
"So you're admitting defeat! You really did fall for that platform-wearing actor with no talent!" Sho frowned. For the first time in their conversation, a true expression of fury came upon Kyoko's face.
"Don't call Ren an actor with no talent! He's the most talented actor that I've ever seen, and I only wish I had an ounce of the talent that he has!" Kyoko refuted.
"You fell in love with him! That means you lost the bet! You have to go back to Kyoto!" Sho ordered.
"I'm not going, Shotaro. That bet was made out of anger when you riled me up, and it wasn't fair in the first place. I'm done with bets," Kyoko declared, turning around to put her key in the door.
"Wait! We're not done here!" Sho growled, grabbing her arm to force her back to face him.
"Let go of me, Shotaro!" Kyoko demanded.
"No! You're coming back with me to Kyoto! You have to honor the bet!" Sho yelled.
"I'm not going. Let go of me, Sho," Kyoko glared at him, releasing the few demons she had left in full force. Sho felt his grip slacken and couldn't do anything as he watched Kyoko quickly open the door and enter, locking it behind her. After a few moments, Sho regained control of his body and started to bang on the door, enraged at how Kyoko had just left.
"Come back out, Kyoko!" Sho demanded. When he heard the door unlock, Sho got ready to yell to her face. He froze in place though as he came face to face with a very angry Taisho sharpening a knife.
"Stop bothering her," Taisho pointed the tip of his blade towards Sho's throat. Sho gulped audibly before Taisho shut the door in Sho's face.
...
When Kyoko arrived at her room, she sat down on her futon and started to get ready for bed until she was interrupted by her phone ringing.
"Hello?" Kyoko answered her phone immediately after seeing the caller ID.
"Good evening, Kyoko."
Kyoko instantly felt a smile bloom on her face at hearing the deep and melodic voice on the other end.
"Good evening, Ren," Kyoko replied, hoping the excitement she felt at his call wasn't too evident in her voice.
"I was calling to ask if you saw the news recently?"
"I saw it this morning, but is it really true?" Kyoko wondered.
"Of course it's true. How many times do I have to tell you that I'm head over heels in love with you for you to believe me?"
"Not that part. I already know that you l-love me, but has it really been that long? You said that you realized it when I was your substitute manager! That was almost a year ago! And you hated me back then!" Kyoko exclaimed.
"I didn't hate you. I only didn't like your reasons for joining the entertainment industry, and I didn't like how you were still giving him so much power over your life even after he threw you away. I thought you were only acting to exact revenge on him without actually enjoying the job, but when I knew you were truly happy when pursuing acting, I fell in love with you," Ren explained.
"But if it's really been that long, then I should have noticed sooner! I think I f-fell in l-love with you during your acting test as Katsuki, so we could have been t-together much sooner!" Kyoko complained. Ren's jaw dropped.
"You've been in love with me since Katsuki?! All this time..."
"We really were dense, weren't we?" Kyoko laughed, causing Ren to laugh along with her.
"But all that matters is that we're finally together now, right?"
"Yeah," Kyoko smiled softly.
"And since we're together now, I think that means I can ask you out on a date tomorrow as my girlfriend? I already checked with Yashiro, and it seems we both have a free day since you're starting filming for Momiji the day after tomorrow," Ren grinned.
"I guess I could go out with you tomorrow then," Kyoko replied coolly, hiding the excitement in her voice at getting to see the man she loved tomorrow.
"Great. I actually have something to give you tomorrow, and there's something important I need to tell you. I'll pick you up tomorrow at 9? I'll make sure to ask Woods-san to give us the necessary disguises."
"Where will we be going?" Kyoko asked.
"It's a surprise."
"I can't wait to see where we're going then. I'll see you tomorrow, Ren," Kyoko smiled lovingly.
"Me too, Kyoko," Ren replied before ending the call. As he set his phone down, Ren ran his hand through his freshly-done natural blonde hair and sighed in relief that she had accepted his invitation. Tomorrow would surely be a test to his resolve, but Kuon was ready to face it head on. But that would all have to wait until tomorrow. For now he could rest easy knowing that he finally had the love of his life to himself albeit for at least one day before he revealed everything to her. Hopefully she would accept him.
At the Darumaya, Kyoko smiled as she put down her phone and looked at her wall to see her posters of Sho and Ren. She immediately got up and took out the thumbtacks holding Sho's poster up, throwing the paper immediately into the trash can by her desk. She smiled lovingly at the remaining Ren poster. The joy she felt at finally having her feelings truly returned was unbelievable. Funny how it had only taken Kimiko's bet to ultimately bring their hearts together.
Thank you for choosing to give my fic a read and finishing it to the end! I hope the ending tied up all the loose ends in the story. I could possibly make a sequel to this fic, but I think I'll leave what happens after this to your imaginations.
I did pretty much copy the scene where Kyoko was pushed off, but it was altered slightly. I don't know if I am the only one, but I just don't see Kimiko backing off so easily. Her defeat wasn't satisfying enough to me, so that was a big reason why I wrote this story. I hope you enjoyed reading this fic as much as I did writing it!
