"Mogami-san. Are you saying that you are Bo?"

Tsuruga Ren stood still, with a blank expression on his face. Kyouko wondered if it was what people often call the calm before the storm.

"Ano.. Tsuruga-san?"

Ren blinked, as if he didn't realize that she had been standing there in the past few minute.

"Tsuruga-san?"

"What- You won't admit the reason why you can't accept my explanation?" Bo, the guy in the chicken suit, had asked him warily.

Ren had thought that the chicken was annoyingly persistent that day. He had just begun to accept to himself that he was attracted to Mogami-san, no thanks to the chicken – he'd think he'd be happier not knowing, thank you very much – but to call that attraction love?

"That person…is still a high school student." He heard himself say, and true enough, because it was the only reason he could think of to not pursue the awkward conversation.

Ren definitely didn't expect the chicken to cry tears of joy. It was as if Ren had just admitted to overcoming a long-drawn mid-life crisis and not to liking someone much younger than himself it was nearly illegal. Ren wondered if the guy inside the suit was right in the head.

"Why aren't you happy? Isn't the character of the drama you're in also in love with a highschool student?" the chicken asked rather persistently.

"16, that's great! She can get married at age 16, even the government recognizes her as an adult!

"SEDUCE HER!"

THAT chicken… was Mogami-san?

"Tsuruga-san?"

Kyouko twisted her skirt in apprehension. Maybe being advised by his much younger kouhai struck a blow to his pride?

"Tsuruga-san?" Kyouko tried again.

This time, Ren seemed to have heard her voice.

The actor feebly made a move for his seat, hung his head, and sighed.

"I'm sooo sorry Tsuruga-san!"

"So you've been secretly laughing behind my back… How was it, was it enjoyable?"

"N-nooo Tsuruga-san, it's nothing like that-"

"A mere kouhai like you, preaching love to someone as experienced as me, the Great Tsuruga Ren. I'm disgusted. I don't want to see you ever again!"

'NWOOOOOOO' She braced herself for an explosion, her hands covering her face for fear of the wrath that have yet to made an appearance.

"So you've been secretly laughing behind my back…" Tsuruga Ren darkly muttered.

He's saying it! Kyouko's mind whirled. My imagination is coming true!

"I didn't mean to hide it from you senpai! I really didn't! I was just…."

"You were just?"

"I was just –your kouhai… You wouldn't have told your story to me" Kyouko looked down and realized she had been tangling and untangling her hands to help ease her nerve.

Kyouko was half-expecting her senpai to lash out at her, or worse, severe their senpai-kouhai relationship. Instead, Kyouko's anger antennae was strangely quiet and she was not sure what to make of it as the actor in front of her drew a long sigh yet again.

"All your secrets are safe with me! I promise, I would not tell a single soul!"

Kyouko stared at him, holding a fist to her heart.

Tsuruga Ren had always thought there was always some glittery quality about her eyes that made him think of princes and the fairy kingdom. The way she bowed her head as she greeted the king of hamburgers, made out of stone, like it was the most precious thing on earth. It was always her eyes. They make him believe he could do anything, and be anything she wants him to be. Even a fairy. Even her prince. How silly.

"Thank you. I do trust you Mogami-san"

"Then if Bo was me…"

Ren stared at her drily.

"Um! I meant-" Kyouko blushed at her wording mistake "-if it was just me sitting there, no costumes or disguises whatsoever, Tsuruga-san, would you have told me your problem?"

"I wouldn't have."

Crack.

"You're a woman Mogami-san, I couldn't possibly…"

"That is, I—… huh" He realized his hands were shaking. He schooled himself to stop. The shaking stopped.

"I—I love that highschool girl. So much. More than you could ever realize."

Stab. Right there, just a little above her heart. Kyouko could feel it, as if someone punctured her heart open with a knife and then twisted it cruelly.

"I love her, Mogami-san. I really do." He looked at her in the eyes, hoping for her to get the meaning across. Hoping against the impossible.

"I love her."

Kyouko had never had a heart attack, but if she did, she was sure it would feel like that moment. She had the irrational feeling to tear this lucky high school girl apart just to stop the pain. That girl, or herself. Why was Tsuruga-san doing that to her?

She eyed her senpai warily. He was still looking at her with that trust that always made her want to be irrational. As if she could trust her whole world to him and it would all be alright. But it wouldn't. She knew it wouldn't. She had once given up her whole world, and her world was torn to pieces. She couldn't have possibly torn herself to pieces again, because, what was there to tear if everything was already a ruin?

"That's great, Tsuruga-san." A lie. It was never something she was good at. But then she was an actress. She'd made lying her profession. What a paradox.

"You should tell that high school girl. She must be very happy."

"Is she now?" Ren looked at her with that odd look that made her think he was laughing, but his voice broke as if he had just cried.

Kyouko nodded, because she was starting to lose track of the conversation. Are they still talking about the high school girl?

"Are you?"

"What?" Kyouko shook her head as if to clear scales out of her eyes.

"Are you happy?"

She cocked her head.

"About what?"

Her senpai stood up, his long limbs reaching for her face. His spidery fingers touched her cheek and it was warm. Kyouko stared. Stared. Stared.

"About this"

She was still staring when his eyes found hers and they were smiling, like a pair of bright molten stars just for her. She was still staring when his face were just inches from hers.

He stared back at her, only because he needed to see if she would run away from him, because in that case he would need his eyes to react a second faster than her. He stared at her because he needed to know if she'd approve of this, if she would scream that she'd hate him forever. He stared at her because he's afraid that she would punch him in the face.

But she continued to stare, stare, stare at him, and he didn't know what to make of it.

So he just closed his eyes and kissed her. Kissed her long and tenderly, because he had always loved her just so.

Her eyes, her brightness, her childlike trust.

Her perseverance, her diligence, her modesty.

He loved her, and he was about to lose everything.

And yet he couldn't do a single thing about it but to kiss her.

That moment, a moment too late and completely at her mercy, Ren knew he had fallen too deep and there was no turning back.