MAKING CHOCOLATES.
After almost a forever long recording session, Sho Fuwa slumped lazily on the comfy chaise longue, chugging a whole jug of water to take care of his sore throat, which was tired from singing all day long. It helped. He was so relaxed that he would've dozed off right then and there if Mimori hadn't knocked on the door.
"Sho! There you are!" She squealed in her usual delighted tone.
Sho was now wide awake after listening to her piercingly shrill voice. "What do you want?" He demanded, his tone slightly irritated.
"Why are being so mean? I specially came here so I could see you before I've to leave for my shoot. I wouldn't be back for two weeks, you know."
"Great," Sho muttered under his breath.
"What did you say?"
Plastering a polite smile, he shook his head. "Nothing."
"Anyway, I've got something for you," she blushed as she offered him a heart shaped box of chocolates. "I wouldn't be back until Valentine's Day is over, that's why I'm giving it you early. I made these myself."
"Thanks." Sho, genuinely touched by the kind gesture, took it from her with a smile and put it on the huge pile of other gifts and chocolates in the corner of the room.
"Woah!" Mimori was surprised. "There are still four more days left in Valentine's Day, and you already got so many presents!"
"These are from the staff," he answered, with gratitude for having the support of so many people. Before the Karuizawa incident, he used to take his popularity for granted, but after nearly losing it all, he had been working non-stop to maintain his position and stay at the top.
Even though he would never admit it out loud, it had all been because of Kyoko. If she hadn't provoked him he would've never fought the Vie Ghouls for the top spot.
Since Karuizawa, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her. Looking at the pile of presents, he reminisced about all those years when Kyoko used to make chocolates for him. Though he had a lot of female admirers in school even when he wasn't a star, she was always the first one to give him chocolates. The memories almost made him miss her.
"What's wrong, Sho?" Mimori asked with concern. "You had that faraway look in your eyes again."
He had been so lost in his thoughts that he almost forgot about her being there. "Um, nothing."
"You were thinking about Kyoko, weren't you?" She couldn't keep the hurt from her voice.
Sho's eyes widened with amazement at how well Mimori knew him. They were in the same agency so he couldn't avoid her like the other clingy fangirls. But turned out, Mimori was quite perceptive when it came to these things. Even though she had no clue of the specific details about his past relationship with Kyoko, she would still get it right whenever he did think of her. Which was a lot since Karuizawa.
"I wasn't," he lied. "And why do you keep bringing her up? For the hundredth time, we don't mean anything to each other!"
"Whenever you have that look, I can tell that you're thinking about her." She had to force the words out because of the lump in her throat. "I don't know what happened between you two, but I do know that it's a lie when you say that she doesn't mean anything to you."
"Why would I think about her, huh?" He snapped. Everytime Mimori spoke the truth, his nerves were struck. "I was just looking at the chocolates!"
"I know. That's why I thought you must be thinking about Kyoko. It's Valentine's Day, so she might make chocolates for that guy you hate so much. That actor, Ren Tsuruga. It's possible since they work at the same agency."
"I'm so sorry!" Kyoko wailed, seeming the most upset they had ever seen her as she apologized to Ren over and over again for mixing up his birthdate. She had been at it since the minute he walked inside the studio with Yashiro.
"I'm pretty sure Ren dosen't mind, Kyoko," Itsumi patted her shoulders sympathetically. She had joined them along with Airi, who also tried consoling Kyoko.
"He knows it's not your fault," she said. "There was a misprint."
"I should've crossed checked the date. I shouldn't have picked such an old copy of the directory in the first place. God, I'm so sorry!" Kyoko cupped her face in embarrassment while she apologized to Ren for the umpteenth time. "And after you gave me such a beautiful present, I'm such a terrible person!"
Ren said, "Kyoko, it's really not that big of a deal."
Yashiro cleared his throat. "It was just an unlucky coincidence that you happened to pick up the oldest directory. You shouldn't feel so bad."
Before Kyoko could apologize one more time, they were interrupted by a gofer, who took Airi and Itsumi with him to start the rehearsal scene.
The manager also used this opportunity to slip away quietly in order to leave those two so they could talk it out among themselves.
Now that they were alone, Kyoko fixated her big, regret-filled eyes at Ren with a silent pleading. "It's gonna be here on the 13th."
"What?" He frowned.
"Your birthday present. I know I'm late, but will you still accept it?" Her cheeks flushed. "I ordered it, and it was supposed to arrive on the 13th."
"You ordered something for me?" Ren was genuinely surprised, his heartstrings struck with the nice gesture. "I- um, thanks. And of course I'll accept it." Before he could help it, a slight blush turned his face pink. "I'm, ah, really happy that you went out of your way to get me a present. However, there is something else I want from you, and I want it right now."
It was her turn to be surprised. She looked at him questioningly.
"It's my birthday, and I hate to see you so upset," He allowed his hand to carefully roam up to the side of her face, where a loose strand of hair from her dark wig was hanging on her cheek. He gently pressed it between his fingers and tucked it behind her ear. "I know you feel bad so you've been apologizing, but I don't wanna spend today like this. What I want is to see your smile."
Locking herself inside her dressing room, Kyoko slumped down on a chair, her cheeks highly flushed as Ren's words echoed in her mind over and over again.
What I want is to see your smile.
No matter how much she tried to forget about it, her rapid heartbeat refused to take pity on her. It's pace remained the same.
She replayed the scene from before in her head for the umpteenth time, wondering if it was just her or if Ren treated all the other girls like that. Because if he did, Kyoko felt bad for them since they would have interpreted his nice behaviour as something more, instantly falling for him in the process.
Kyoko knew that she herself would've fallen for him if she had been blinded by love like the other girls as she once was.
Ren should watch himself more closely, she decided. Because with his chiseled face, his heavenly smile and his amiable attitude, he must be breaking the hearts of so many girls on a daily basis. It should have been illegal for someone to look so handsome while also being so nice and cordial.
Kyoko considered herself lucky to not be one of those people who read too much from a situation. If it had been any other girl in her place when Ren had tucked her hair, she would have instantly assumed his actions to be "flirty". That poor girl would have started feeling special because of him. Fortunately, Kyoko knew better.
Since Valentine's Day was coming up, it would be finally revealed exactly how many girls had fallen prey to his charms. She did not have to guess how many chocolates he must be getting. But now that Kyoko thought about it, she realized the Ren wasn't the type of person who'd enjoy eating something so sweet like chocolate. She wondered if he even bothered to try a single piece of the ones he received. It seemed unlikely, judging from his appetite. Or the lack of it.
Once again, Kyoko found herself sympathizing with all those poor girls who put so much of their effort into making chocolates for him when he didn't even eat them.
She screeched her thoughts to a halt when she heard her phone buzzing. This call, like the one from yesterday, was again from a private number.
Anger flared up inside her. She had no doubt who it was from. After being so unreasonable as to demand chocolates from her on the stupid Valentine's Day, that creepy stalker was now bugging her by calling her.
Groaning, she pressed the phone to her ear and waited for him to speak. When she didn't hear him say anything at all, she just lost it. "What the hell is your problem? I said I'll give you the chocolates on Valentine's Day, you Beagle! There are still four more days left! Have some patience or you're not getting anything from me!"
Once again, without her getting any answer from him, the call was cut the instant she was done talking.
"Creep!" she muttered angrily, glaring at her phone as if it was Reino himself she was looking at, before she tossed it back on the dresser table.
Barely five minutes had passed when her phone started ringing again. Overtaken with an unshakable fury, Kyoko grabbed her phone to give a peace of her mind to her stalker, but turned out that this time the call was from her best friend. All of her previous anger forgotten, an easy smile formed on her face when she read Moko's name pop up on the screen.
The girls were happy to chat with each other after such a long while, even though the gist of their conversation was of their least favourite topic, the Valentine's Day, as Moko broke the news to Kyoko about them being obligated to give away chocolates on Valentine's Day as members of the cursed Love Me Division, since the President would ask them about it.
Kyoko was first infuriated for being forced to take any part in the "Vain Day" but later agreed since she had no other choice.
By the end of their conversation, both girls decided whom they would be making chocolates for. Moko was making them for one of her costars who had earlier helped her out. She decided that she could used Valentine's Day as an excuse to repay him.
For Kyoko, however, it wasn't an easy decision to make. She couldn't exactly tell others about Reino. After some serious pondering on the subject, she decided to follow Moko's example and do the same by giving chocolates to everyone who had helped her out recently. This way Reino wouldn't be the only person she'd be giving chocolates to.
Moko later invited her to her apartment on the evening of the twelfth, two days beforehand, so they could make their chocolates together for Valentine's Day. Firstly, because Moko had no experience in any of this and secondly, since Kyoko was more than eager to help her make the chocolates and also spend some quality time with her while they were at it.
After Kyoko hung up the phone her mind wandered back to Reino. Despite knowing that it was a stupid idea to give in to his demand, she decided to go with it, because a devious had plan formed in her mind to show Reino exactly how she thought of him.
Kyoko's bad mood was immediately recovered after her conversation with Moko. Infact, she was on cloud nine when it finally occurred to her that it was the first time she would be staying over at Moko's place. It almost felt like having a slumber party. She couldn't help but grin imagining all sorts of best friend shenanigans they would be doing together.
By the time she went out to the cafeteria for lunch, the part where Ren had tucked her hair had totally slipped from her mind, and she wasn't at all embarrassed to see him again.
Instead, she joined him and Yashiro at their usual table where she giggled excitedly while narrating to them her talk with Moko, telling them how the two of them were making chocolates together for Valentine's Day. Yashiro wished her luck while giving Ren a discreet and expectant smirk.
After lunch Kyoko left those two alone, when Yashiro asked, "did you hear that, Ren?" The manager winked discreetly, as he spoke in a sing-along voice. "She said she's gonna make you chocolates for Valentine's Day."
"Cut it out, Yashiro," Ren snapped, his tone harsher than he had intended. With a sigh, he regained his composure. "She never said she is making some for me."
"Don't be so modest. She said she's making them for people who've helped her out. Who else would be that if not you?"
"Don't do that," Ren said, only half-jokingly. "You know how she's in these matters. Don't give me false hope."
Realising his blunder, Yashiro gave in. Judging from all the past experiences in which Kyoko had so naively missed Ren's attempts to show her his intentions, it was best not to get his hopes high. "Sorry."
But Ren wasn't even paying attention. A soft smile was tugging on his lips as he watched Kyoko from afar laughing with Itsumi on the other side of the cafeteria. He had such a satisfied expression as he gazed at her that it seemed like he wanted nothing more than he already had.
"How long am I supposed to keep doing this?" Moko complained, sighing for the umpteenth time as she stirred the chocolate batter.
Kyoko glanced at her smallbowl before turning back to her own large dish which had ten times more the amount of chocolate batter than the former. "It's not done yet, but if you are tired you can leave it to me."
"No, you already have so much of it."
"I had been wondering, who is this costar of yours who's getting these chocolates? I thought you hated Valentine's day as much as me."
"I do," Moko protested, "don't get the wrong impression. He's twelve. And I'm only making him these so I can thank him because he helped me out the other day."
"Are you talking about Hiou?" Moko had already told Kyoko about Hiou Uesugi before. The twelve-year-old actor prodigy who also happened to be the lead star of the drama in which she was starring. The young boy had come from a line of actors and directors, and on top of that he had proved his skills to be quiet promising during his debut two years ago. This fact gave him an extremely commanding presence despite his young age.
"There is this new guy at my set," Moko explained. "He is an extra actor and he has a crush on me. So he had been pestering me to go out with him ever since he had arrived. Even though I flat-out rejected him so many times, he refuses to take a hint. He was so persistent that I thought he wouldn't leave me alone unless I went out with him at least once. Just when I almost gave in, Hiou saw us."
"Then what?"
"He asked that guy to take a hint and stop disturbing me. He only told him that once, and that guy never showed me his stupid face again."
"So you are giving these chocolates to Hiou?"
"Yeah. As a thank you gesture."
By the time they were done stirring, Kyoko, after tasting the batter from both bowls, spread it onto a tray and put in inside the freezer to let it cool.
"Okay," she announced. "Now we just have to wait for it to harden."
"You didn't tell me either who you're giving these to?" Moko wondered aloud, stroking her chin.
"Lets see," Kyoko counted on her fingers. "You, of course," she smiled, "Itsumi, Airi, Director Ogata, Mr Yashiro and a few more friends from Dark Moon, especially those who have helped me along the way."
"You forgot to count Tsuruga."
"I didn't."
"What do you mean?" Moko was astonished. "Are you say you're not giving him chocolates?"
"No, I'm not."
"But why? Isn't he the one who had helped you the most?"
"Yes but," she hesitated, "Ren doesn't seem like the type of person who'd enjoy eating chocolates. He had already received so many from the staff and from the fans, but I can't still picture him eating any. And what's the point of giving some to him if he isn't even gonna try those anyway?"
Moko looked like she wanted to protest, especially because she had always suspected of Ren having feelings for Kyoko. Since Kyoko had explained to her the whole deal with that ridiculously expensive crystal she found inside Queen Rosa, her suspicions had only grows stronger. She was now almost sure that the crystal was placed inside the rose by Ren himself so Kyoko wouldn't refuse his actual gift. The whole thing was kinda cheesy for Moko's taste but it was clear as day that it was Ren's attempt to make his intentions known.
Knowing how awful Ren would feel if Kyoko brought chocolates for everyone at the set only excluding him, she almost spilled the beans to Kyoko, but then she held herself back just in time.
Judging from Kyoko's experience with Sho, it was evident she was not remotely ready to be anywhere near love. And besides, there was still a small chance that she could be wrong in all this. So she decided to keep her mouth shut and not say anything, leaving Kyoko be.
All day long, Sho had been consumed with insurmountable rage. His manager Shouko tried to discern the reason, only to end up being the victim of his fury.
The source of his anger was Kyoko. He had been so consumed with her thoughts lately, that without realizing he had called her on her cellphone. His mood only worsened when she mistook him for Ren, so he immediately disconnected the call before he said anything he would later regret.
Mimori suggesting that she might be giving chocolates to Ren didn't help ease his frustration. So he tried calling her again. But to make matters worse, this time she mistook him for none other that his nemesis, the lead singer of the Vie Ghouls. And turned out, she was making chocolates for that pervert.
The nerve of that girl! After Sho had put his career on the line to help save her from that creepy stalker, she was out making chocolates for him!
A very disturbing mental image of Kyoko and that Beagle popped into Sho's mind and he shuddered with disgust. He kicked the small table in his dressing room which crashed on the floor.
"Sho, what on Earth is up with you?" Shouko scolded him.
Without bothering to answer her, he stormed out.
The following evening, Kyoko was supposed to join the Box R cast on a TV station for an interview. On her way, she called Reino there while bringing the special batch of chocolates she had made for him.
Once she arrived there, she waited for him by the back entrance since it was almost empty. She had left her belongings in her dressing room, only taking the small decorative box of chocolates she had specially prepared for him.
Imagining Reino's bitter face when he would eat these spicy chocolates was almost worth it to make up for the time she had wasted on this. Glancing inside, she smirked deviously.
On top of the square truffle, she had used white vanilla cream to draw a small heart.
But upon much careful inspection, the full picture was revealed in which she had also used brown chocolate cream to write the words GO TO HELL and draw the face of a beagle. The heart was actually the nose of the dog.
She had crafted this image thinking that Reino will first get the wrong impression that she had drawn a heart for him, only to later realise that it was a picture of a beagle dog with the words GO TO HELL written above it.
After all this, if he still dared to eat this, he'll have another spicy surprise. Literally spicy. If this didn't show him she wasn't interested, she didn't know what will.
Since she was being late for her interview, Kyoko glanced at the her wrist watch. Reino was still not here. She looked around for him, but there was no one to be seen.
Suddenly remembering the way he had shown himself the first two times, she instinctively covered her ears and jerked back, literally bumping into someone.
"Sorry-" she was saying, before her eyes widened with recognition at the sight of his dirty blond hair and sharp brown eyes. It was Sho.