Consequences
He never believed he would see the day when Mio Hongo would come to make her home in the LoveME room or Natsu Kitagawa. He also never believed he would be opening a bento full of spiders and other delightful creepy crawlies, but here he was and he knew he completely deserved it. Lory had warned him that the scandal would break and what it would be about. However, he did not warn him of the fallout.
Her words to his apology? "I don't understand why you feel you have to apologize to me Tsuruga-san. It was never any of my business who you love. I hope she makes you very happy." The way she had said it with unshed tears forming and a shaking voice, but with a fake smile that spoke volumes, broke his heart. He screwed up in a moment of weakness and he knew it. It was something he quite possibly couldn't repair. He realized too late that if he had only told her he loved her the night she ran to him, she would have returned that feeling in spades. Instead he had to find comfort in a woman that would shout his discretion to the world to advance her own career, leaving his personal life in a shambles.
The thing that hurt the most, was when Sho Fuwa approached him with a wide smile and congratulated him on doing what he was never able to do, completely break her. He told him he was impressed with the way he had tossed her aside and never thought Ren had it in him to do it. He had asked if she had gotten too clingy with him and sympathized. He told him that he wished he had thought of the idea first, perhaps she would have actually gone home in the beginning and not been such a thorn in his side for these past years. That, other than her own mother, no one had ever been able to make her look so pathetic.
The next hit was from Hikaru Ishibashi. Well known to be friendly and gentle. "I'm only being cordial to you because it's my job, Tsuruga. You will find no friends in Bridge Rock after what you did to her." He quietly informed him in a very uncharacteristic caustic tone when he had asked about Bo the Chicken before he was set to be interviewed. He wanted to be indignant for being lied to, but she didn't really lie. Did she? More than anything, she helped him and at the time she still didn't see that she was the one he was talking about. Who else could he be talking about? An image of the girl whose mugshot was on the entertainment news, the morning after his mistake, flashed into his mind. There was another mistake he had made. He wanted to blame the fates and destiny, but could he really blame that for his own screw-ups? He realized at that moment that her being forced to kiss someone was nothing compared to kissing back and taking it a bit further because of jealousy and self-pity.