Kuon opened the door to find a hesitating Yashiro going up and down the corridor "Good Morning" he said with a wide smile. Yashiro stopped his wandering to watch him from close. He looked like a puppy who's trying to smell what you are hiding.

"You surely had a good birthday evening" his eyes were sparkling. Yashiro was Kyoko-for-Ren fan number one "Where is she?" he started looking behind Kuon's back, hoping to find Kyoko in there.

"She left early in the morning" he was still showing his happiness, something that was dazzling Yashiro so much.

"Isn't way too risky?" Yashiro was worried, Kuon closed the door of his apartment and they started heading to the garage.

"She came in well disguised, and she just left the same way" he replied. He had been worried too, but after seeing Kyoko's disguise, he felt some relief. Also, Kyoko was careful enough to leave from the building's back door "I've wouldn't recognized her myself" he tried calming Yashiro.

They went to his current drama's set, as he would be shooting his last scenes that week. Afterwards, he'd got a week off, and then he'd go to Taipei, where he would start recording a new drama "It seems that you and Kyoko got the same idea for my birthday" Kuon told Yashiro while he was waiting at the dressing room "You gave me the novel's English version with some annotations and she just got me a book about the Heian period" Yashiro hadn't asked too much about his evening with Kyoko, but Kuon thought he'd like to know "That was the present she didn't want anyone else to see"

"She really treasures your acting" he said "But I thought it would be something more personal and intimate, judging by her embarrassment" Yashiro hadn't been present when she went to find Ren at the set, but he had heard the whole story.

"Well" he smiled "She can't afford certain things" Kuon hadn't even thought about a more personal gift, since he'd already had the most intimate present he could've ever had "But to me this has even more personal meaning" he looked at Yashiro's eyes with a serious gaze "This means she wants me to succeed, even if this can bring me far away from where she is, she still wishes to see me fulfill my goals" Yashiro's face froze. Of course, he hadn't thought about it, Kuon knew that. Yashiro was still clinging into the joy of knowing they were together, after all, that he had missed the fact that they might end up separated for a while in the future.

Kuon was determined to put all his hard work into making the best Hikaru Genji performance that anyone could ever see. He had to wrap that drama first, thought, so he also decided to focus on that day's scenes.

"I heard that Mogami-san came here yesterday" Itsumi Momose came while he was waiting to be called by the director "It's a shame I missed her" Kuon analyzed her facial expression carefully. He knew that Momose-san liked Kyoko, but he also suspected that she might have other feelings for him. Judging by their last conversation regarding Kyoko and their relationship, he was sure that she might be trying to get some answers.

"I bet the president pestered her to come, so the rest of the Love Me members came here too" he said, trying to make it less meaningful that it had been.

"The Love Me members?" Itsumi seemed confused.

"Don't you know Momose-san?" he tried to keep that Ren Tsuruga calm and cool pose that distinguished him "Kyoko is still in a special section. She might be a debuted actress, and so are the other Love Me girls, but in the agency, she's like another trainee" he said hoping she would forget to look for any more hints that linked them as more than just a senpai and a kouhai who got along well.

"Is it why she's always that humble?" Momose-san seemed interested in Kyoko's story more than asking anything concerning her visit.

"Well" he smiled with that gentle fake smile of his "She's humble by nature" he replied "the other Love Me members aren't as humble as she is, although that Chiori Amamiya has toned down her arrogance a little bit since she became that fond of Mogami-san's acting skills" his eyes tried to be kind with her "Let's say that they are trying to gain the love of their audience and their seniors, so they can surpass their handicap of not conveying some emotions" he said.

"Some emotions? What type of emotions?" Kuon looked impatiently at the director, hoping he would call them to record soon.

"Let's say they all have their own issues with love" Kuon wasn't sure whether that was right to say or not. If Momose-san assumed that Kyoko wasn't aware to love, perhaps she'd think she could progress with whatever her hopes were with him. Also, he still remembered what would be Kyoko's next role "They lack of the ability of reaching other people's hearts expressing that emotion, but during this last year, the three of them have improved so much on this matter" he was starting to regret having revealed such information. If Momose-san started doubting of Kyoko's skills, that might cause her troubles on her new drama "I think it's thanks to people like you Momose-san, who've given Mogami-san your care and attention, that she also started overcoming this issue" he had found a good end to his own mess.

Momose-san smiled instantly, Kuon had provoked a feeling of satisfaction and gratitude. His words made her believe that she had truly helped Kyoko and also she felt glad that Ren Tsuruga praised her this way. Well, Kuon knew that it wasn't that much of a lie. Momose-san had been kind enough with Kyoko to consider her another key to her achievement of overcoming her hatred for love. But Kuon liked to believe he was the only responsible for that.

"Well, you get to see her a lot these days, don't you, Momose-san?" he added. Her gaze relaxed a little. Kuon felt less tense too.

"The training for the new drama is a bit exhausting" she told "but lately it seems we're both catching up" she laughed.

When the director finally called them, Kuon sighed. Thankfully, the drama recording would be over in a week, and he wouldn't have to deal with Momose-san's conversations. He didn't dislike her, but hiding his real relationship with Kyoko was making it too awkward whenever he found female actresses that knew them both, especially if they seemed to be attracted to him. It wasn't fair that Kyoko had an ally with her and he didn't. Kyoko had detailed how much Yuusei Ishibashi got her back whenever a conversation got complicated in that matter. It seemed that lately she had been gaining some admirers.

"Good job" Yashiro picked him up at the end of the recording "Kyoko-chan called" he said with a mischievous smile. Kuon's face suddenly changed to anxiety. He wanted to know if something had happened "Relax, she wanted to speak with me" Yashiro laughed, he was just teasing him "I think you're getting chocolates this year" he put on that twisted smile.

"Oh" of course, Kuon had forgotten that in three days it would be Valentine's "But I don't think she'll give me chocolates" he also had a nasty smile.

"What do you mean?" Yashiro was intrigued.

"Kyoko knows that everyone gets me chocolates on the 14th, that's why she didn't give any last year" he looked directly at Yashiro, just to feel some satisfaction "I got a special dessert instead" Yashiro went pale.

"At that time… really?" he seemed impressed "Didn't she end up spacing out all the time on the set that day?" Yashiro had a good memory "What did you exactly do to her?"

"Nothing I wouldn't do now" he said with another nasty smile. Yashiro was too naïve, Kuon was sure his idea of a birthday evening with Kyoko had been just spending a nice time eating dessert and, perhaps, cuddling while watching some TV. Poor Yashiro, only if he knew how far he had already gone with Kyoko…

So… Valentine's, Huh?