Four regular sized Kyoko angels sit on small box seats around a makeshift conference table made of a larger appliance box. On the table, sitting cross-legged is the littlest angel who appears to have grown yet again. At the table, a lone grudge sits staring in fascination at the small angel. Unconsciously, the grudge reaches towards the small sprite as if to confirm that she is actually there.
"No touching," warns Determination as she gently places her hand on her previous leader's arm.
"I don't want to hurt her," counters Cunning. "I just wanted to see if she is real. Given our life, I never expected to meet Self Worth in the flesh, so to speak."
Self Worth flutters to stand on the cardboard table top before marching into place in front of the amazed grudge. She puts out her hand and greets the grudge who can't help but smile. The grudge offers her own hand and the little angel wraps her entire hands around Cunning's pointer fingertip and shakes it in greeting.
"What brings you to our dark corner of the realm?" questions Self Worth in a surprisingly strong voice for such a small angel.
Cunning scans the faces at the table before she sighs.
"I need help. The kind of help that only your kind can give."
Compassion reaches over and pats the grudge on the arm and asks what they can do for her.
"I need you to sift through all the different experiences the master has had with these young men in her life. We need a clear picture of the situation. This is not the kind of work a grudge can really do."
Surprisingly suspicious for an angel, Humor, the angel who had been held captive not too long ago, turns towards the grudge and asks why they should help her.
"Oh, I didn't realize that you angels were so prejudiced against grudges. Here I was assuming you would want to help the master no matter what side proposed the idea." She sighs dramatically. "But it seems I was wrong."
The sneaky grudge stands up and bows as if to leave.
"Wait," calls Compassion as she frowns gently at Humor. "We are always interested in helping those in need whether they are grudges or angels. We are, after all, all on team Kyoko."
"Yes, we just have different ways of approaching our goals," states Self Worth firmly. "So how can we help you?"
"I need you to physically go through all the memories that Stubbornness," the grudge waves her hands towards the newest angel. "No, sorry, Determination dug up previously. The thoughts are all strewn throughout the area. Especially since the whole upheaval thing. The thoughts need sifted and sorted and then cataloged for review."
"But how can we be sure that we won't be captured snooping around the Mind's Eye?" questions Humor.
Smelling victory, Cunning replies "I can't guarantee that no one will find you but I have just convinced Revenge and Malice to take an expedition into a newly exposed fissure related to that damn blond singer. I convinced them to do it as soon as possible in preparation for the upcoming PV shoot. Anyway, they will be out of the way for a while. I should be able to get everyone else occupied with emergency maneuvers or something. Well, everyone but Despair but she mostly just sits in the corner and cries anyway so you don't have to worry about her. She's only real active if Revenge gets her wound up."
Cunning puts her empty hands face up on the cardboard table. "So can you help the master with this request?"
The Kyoko angels gather in a tight circle across the table and mumble among themselves. Finally, they turn back to the calm, patient grudge who is watching them with a calculated expression of hope on her face.
Self Worth steps forward on the table and gives their assent to the plan along with another hand-to-fingershake.
At the table in the LoveMe room, Kyoko sits scribbling on a pile of papers. She is startled from her task as the door slams open. Her papers scatter and her chair tips at the frightening extravaganza that assaults her.
President Takarada marches into the small room followed by a seven member Scottish pipe band complete with three bag pipers, three side drummers on snares, and a bass section with two tenor drummers and one bass drum. All the musicians wear full Scottish pipe regalia from the tops of their Highland doublets, to their kilts complete with matching sporrans, to end with their polished ghillie brogues. Lory completes the ensemble as the pipe major with his own golden mace to lead the band. The band cuts quite a figure and the noise is enough to wake the dead.
With a flourish, The president swings the large staff down and the the music suddenly stops.
In the ensuing silence, Kyoko slowly peals herself off the back wall of the lounge where her startled flight had been impeded only by the sturdy construction of the LME office building.
In a voice even more boisterous than normal, the President demands to know where Kotonami-san is hiding. When Kyoko tells him that she had to cancel her LoveMe work today because of problems with her current drama shoot, Lory's face falls like a child having just found the remains of the Easter bunny that had been partially eaten by the family cat instead of the brightly colored eggs he was expecting in his yard.
A bagpipe slowly deflates with a drawn out whine as the President deflates himself and lands on the couch. With his eyes rimmed with tears, he waves his entourage out the door. Significantly quieter than their arrival, the band withdrawals.
Without thinking about it, Lory picks up one of Kyoko's scattered papers. As he reads down the scribbled list, a light returns to his eyes.
"Kyoko-chan," he inquires as he holds out the list strangely titled 'Romantic Encounters with Tsuruga-san?'.
"What is this?"
Blushing, Kyoko bows and apologizes for scattering her things all over her work space. She then quickly drops to the ground to pick up the other papers. As she shuffles them back into a semblance of order, Lory can see another page with the title 'Romantic Encounters with Yuudai?'.
Kyoko holds her hand out for the lone sheet still grasped in the president's hand. Takarada gives LoveMe number one a stern look as he once again glances at the paper.
"You have not answered me, Kyoko-chan. What are these lists?"
Kyoko pleads with the LME president with her eyes but Takarada Lory did not become the head of the largest entertainment company in Japan by being susceptible to the whims of his talents, no matter how naturally skilled and expressive said talent may be. Standing to his full height, he sets aside his mace and holds his now empty hand towards the currently cringing teen actress. Bowing her head in submission, Kyoko hands the rest of the pile to her President.
Lory takes them and walks to the table where Kyoko had previously been working. He picks up the fallen chair and holds it out to the actress. Timidly, Kyoko perches on the seat as Takarada pulls out the chair across the table. Settling into the seat after properly adjusting his kilt, Lory spreads the sheets across the table so that he can see all of them. A quick glance at LoveMe number one reveals her staring at her clasped hands resting on her lap. Her blush has spread across her cheeks to kiss her neck and ears.
"Hmmmmmm," Lory utters as he shuffles the papers into a different order. His eyes run down the list of things that Kyoko has constructed as possibly romantic interactions in regards to Ren: carried her princess style when injured, offered a seat when standing, found the most precious Corn when it was lost on the steps, called her Kyoko-chan when ill, hugged her when she was distressed, protected her from the Beagle, kissed her thank you, rested his head on her lap to nap, resting his legs in her lap after swimming, took her for dinner, drives her home, hugged and kissed her after dinner, his WGD smiles. This final item intrigues Lory since he has no idea what a WGD smile is but he rightfully guesses it has something to do with when Ren's face slips.
He then looks at the list for Yuudai and frowns when he notices a comment about underwear in the dressing room but finds the rest of the list quite sweet too. Lory especially likes the sitting on the boy's lap not once but twice comment and about meeting his parents.
The next list has a heading of Cain Heel and a list of interactions between Setsu and Cain. Another list has interactions between Aya and Ryuu. A third page has a title of Katsuki but it only has one line on it and it reads "The Emperor of the Night".
"So why are you making a list of your romantic interactions with Tsuruga-san and Oshiro-san?" inquires the President once he has read all the lists.
When Kyoko does not respond, Lory taps on the table. She jumps and looks at the eccentric older man.
"Well?" he prompts again.
"I was making an inventory to see if I could find other parts of my outfit to share with them, but before I can find new parts of the clothes for them, I needed to see what they had already tried on with me."
Takarada glances at the lists and then back to LoveMe number one and admits that he does not understand what she means. After sighing in defeat, Kyoko explains that she is trying to see if either man is a good fit for her outfit.
"What outfit?" Lory asks, slightly exasperated.
"My love outfit."
Lory's first image of a love outfit involves small scraps of lace, satin and fur but he quickly shakes this image away. This is LoveMe girl number one and she would not be thinking such things. He decides that he must still not be understanding properly so asks what a love outfit is. As he listens to the explanation, he has the sinking feeling that he knows how this idea germinated. He curses in his mind that his information network must be slipping. He wonders how his first LoveMe girl could have progressed far enough that she is actually thinking about romantic love once more. On top of that, he is wondering how his sneaky number one actor got her in touch with his estranged parents without him as an intermediary.
"So why did you list interactions between you and characters played by both men?"
Kyoko licks her lips nervously before admitting that she isn't really sure. She says that some of the things that she did as Aya and Setsu keep popping into her mind like when she compared Yuudai's puppy-dog look to Cain's even more devastating puppy-dog look or how much she enjoyed holding Cain's hand not just as Setsu but also possibly as Kyoko too.
Lory grins at the young teen as he points to the final page. "So who is The Emperor of the Night?"
Kyoko shudders for a moment before she stutters "Uh, he was, um, he was someone I met, uh, when he was on top of me on the floor of Tsuruga-san's kitchen one night."
"Good lord, what did that idiot boy do now?" thinks Lory as he stares at the almost beet colored teen. His hands clench a bit as his worry for the innocent girl who he truly has come to think of as family wars with his desire for his favorite kidnap victim to finally have a true love relationship. He decides that patience is truly the better part of valor and vows to investigate at a later time. In the mean time, he asks Kyoko-chan what she has discovered from her lists.
"Well, first, I found that a lot of the things that are supposed to be romantic are actually things that Tsuruga-san did just because he is a gentleman and it makes me wonder if I am just being vain to think that he might have any interest in me after all."
The president taps his mustached lip in thought then proposes "let's, for arguments sake, just assume that Ren really does have an interest in your... ah... clothes. What else have you discovered from your lists to spread light on this sticky situation?"
"Well, I found that Yuudai seems to be a lot more comfortable with me than Tsuruga-san seems." Kyoko sighs.
"Which doesn't make any sense. I mean, he's been in a relationship before. After all, he told the chicken that he had feelings for some schoolgirl about a year ago and I can't imagine anyone turning my senpai down if he told her his true feelings."
Lory snorts and Kyoko glares at him offended on behalf of her esteemed senior. She starts a lively tirade about how wonderful Tsuruga-san truly is and Lory waves his hands in defeat as he verbally agrees with her while he realizes that it is no wonder LoveMe number one fits so well with the Hizuris. She's the idiot-lover to Kuu's idiot-parent. They balance each other perfectly. With a quick prayer for patience, Lory reels in Kyoko's rambling by asking if she thinks so much of Ren why is she thinking about Oshiro Yuudai. This then leads to another animated rambling about all the fine virtues that her newest co-star possesses. Lory begins to wonder if Kyoko would have an enthusiastic verbal descriptions for him too since he has already witnessed a similar reaction to discussing both Kuu and LoveMe number two. Shaking his head, the president interrupts the teen and asks if she learned anything else.
She nods and replies, "I found that I have never really been on a real date with either actor so I was thinking that might be a good step to see how it makes me feel."
She reaches over and flips the lists for both Yuudai and for Tsuruga. On the back are a couple ideas of things to do with them.
"I was trying to come up with something to do with Tsuruga-san tomorrow afternoon because Yashiro-san was kind enough to schedule me some time to meet with my senpai as a thank you for him helping me last week when I found out that my fairy prince Corn and Hizuri Kuon were really the same people. I thought that Corn had died and so I was grieving and Tsuruga-san came to my house to comfort me. I had planned on cooking him dinner at his home but that is something I have done before and, well, I was told that I need to try different things to be able to get a better picture of my feelings."
At the mention of Kuon, President Takarada has stiffened and his eyes widen in shock. It is a good thing Kyoko is still staring at her tightly clasped hands or she would have known that something was amiss with him. Adding this worry to his list of things to investigate about LoveMe number one and his number one idiot-in-love actor, Lory covers his reaction with an evil grin.
"I think I can help you with what to do for your date."
Kyoko looks at the president with a slightly worried expression.
"Don't worry," he soothes. "It won't be anything too over the top."
As Kyoko listens to the LME self-styled Love Expert, she develops a matching grin as she is happily swept into the plans.