Chapter 22

DING…

Kyoko still sat on the sofa as Lory sat at his desk, pretending to be busy. He glanced up and saw the surprised look on her face as she read the text message. The message was from Yukihito, informing her that he'd received a text from Aki Shoko stating that her and Kuon's secrets were safe with Sho and not to worry about him causing trouble for them anymore.

Her brow furrowed at the out of character behavior of the boy she'd shared her childhood with.

"Something wrong, Kyoko-chan?" Lory asked. She had grown so much over these past months, he no longer felt comfortable calling her Mogami-kun. Not that it was a bad thing, it was just she wasn't the same girl anymore.

She looked up at him a with a very nonplussed look. "Yashiro-san got a text message from Fuwa-san's manager, telling me not to worry about our secret… that he wouldn't tell anyone and he wouldn't cause trouble anymore." She relayed the message to him.

Lory gave a light chuckle. "Well, that's a good thing. Isn't it?"

She nodded with a small, confused smile. She wasn't sure how to respond to something like that. She more than expected Sho to explode on her and try and drag her back to Kyoto or at least throw one of his infamous temper tantrums, not leave the room so calm and looking like some lost little kitten looking for a new home.

"Now… about your little soul-searching trip…" He started in a grim tone.

"I am so sorry I didn't contact you Shachou…" She fought hard not to dogeza for that one, but that was one of the first of her habits that Juli had broken her of.

He shook his head then smiled. "No, you did well and… you needed it. I doubt I would have been able to do a better job than Juli. Although, I am a bit envious that I didn't get to help." He sent a pouting look her way. "But I don't believe it would be proper for you to think of me as a mother." He chuckled playfully.

"I'm truly sorry that I wasn't able to call you, but my phone fell into the toilet, and flushed down on the flight there, at the beginning." She told him, embarrassed.

Lory laughed. "Don't worry about it. I'll make sure that you get a new one."

"Umm, I have a personal phone already… Mom got it for me." She flashed the phone that she'd just received the message on. "Could all my business calls just be forwarded to Yashiro-san?"

Lory smiled and nodded in agreement. "Of course, it's better that way. You shouldn't be giving out your personal number to your business contacts anyway."

Kyoko groaned. "Mom already lectured me on a celebrity's phone safety and privacy."

Lory could tell that Juli had branded that particular subject into her brain. "She's right. You don't need any more of those pesky calls at all hours." He reminded. "Although, I don't think you'll have that problem judging by what just happened. Just be sure to only give your information to those you completely trust." He warned in the end.

"Only Maria, Kanae, Chiori, Yashiro-san, Mom, Daddy, and Kuon have my new number." She informed him.

He nodded in approval. "Good, good. I'll have HR print up some business cards for you with Yashiro's information on them for you. Do you have anything special you want on them?…" He smirked. "Like fairies or butterflies?"

Her eyes glowed with happiness. "Can I really?"

He chuckled. "Of course… They're yours. They need your own special flair on them."

"Thank you, Shachou… for all you've done and will do for me." She gave a slight bow, not the old exaggerated bow she would have given even six months ago.

He waved it off. "It is my pleasure. Now, I believe this belongs to you." He held up her new key for her apartment and an envelope that contained a security code.

"Thank you." She took it without protest. It was all for the best and it would remove the paparazzi that had been camping at the Darumaya for the past months.

"You may want to go and retrieve your belongings from your old residence." He suggested.

She shook her head. "I put everything in storage before I left." That day before she'd left had been a whirlwind of activity for her. She'd almost missed her flight because of it. Not that she had a lot to store anyway. It had only been two medium sized moving boxes. She had taken a few of Natsu's clothes, a couple of her own blouses, and all of Setsu's things with her on the trip. Needless to say, those leather pants were still being used by her now.

"Good, good. I will need to see you Monday morning. You have quite a few offers that need to be sorted. Once you got your image out there, there were many that delved a little deeper and requested your works… Now don't be discouraged, but there are more than a few for villains and femme fatales, also quite a few action roles." He explained, bracing himself for a negative reaction. He was fully aware that she'd wanted a sweet princess-like part, but it seemed as though it just wasn't in the cards. Besides, something like that would not display her full capabilities.

She smirked and gave a little giggle. "I'm not sure that's so bad, Shachou. Good girl roles are too easy. I've grown to like the challenge of being something I'm not." She gave him a beautiful smile, and he sighed inwardly in relief. She was correct on that part. Good girls were a lot easier to act than something she was completely opposite of.

He chuckled. "Well, all things considered… I do believe that the world just may be your oyster, Kyoko-chan." He opened the big pink file. "Now… Why didn't you tell me you're fluent in so many languages…" He cocked his eyebrow. "Or that you could sing… or dance… your martial arts skills, and lest we forget the little subject of you being able to play the guitar and violin?" He gave her a sly look. "Is there anything else you haven't told me?" Well, he was told by Nakazawa about the violin and guitar, but he didn't know about the singing until it had been posted by one of her fans when she was traveling with Juli. The dancing was caught on the sly in one of the empty studios as she cleaned up after her acting classes. She was just a wonderful little box of surprises.

She sighed out. "I wasn't aware that I could actually sing until Mom encouraged it at that karaoke bar in Greece and I'd always been told by Sho and his parents that my voice wasn't suited for it." She confessed candidly. "I learned the violin and guitar in secret when Shotaro was taking lessons. Yayoi-san didn't believe it was appropriate for me to take lessons with Sho, so she enrolled me in ballet classes when she found out. As far as martial arts I only know a bit of Jujutsu and Kenjutsu, because I snuck it after school when Sho wanted me to cover for him while he was working on his music. He used the classes as an excuse to sneak out and play with his band. I felt that someone had to attend, because they were paying for it… so…" She explained like a child that had gotten caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

Lory chuckled and shook his head. "His loss, your gain. I admire your resourcefulness, Kyoko-chan. Then… I believe we'll need to update your portfolio." Even though she was so completely oppressed, she still found a way. He chuckled inwardly at how Sho's selfish parents still weren't able to get what they wanted from her.

"Um… Mom had her photographer in New York take some new head and body shots." She told him a little nervously. She didn't want to upset him by how everything had been taken out of his hands on the matter.

He was highly pleased. "Very good. Be sure to bring everything with you on Monday, we'll update your profile and add everything to your file for future prospects." She was making it a lot easier for him. Initially, he thought for sure he would have to contact HR, a photographer, and Yashiro to gather everything floating around the internet and at the magazine companies to put together a proper collection of her works. "During that time, I would also like to discuss how you and Kuon would like to proceed in regards to your relationship, and how you would like it released to the public."

She groaned inwardly, hoping that he wasn't going to make a big production of it with dancing girls and circus animals. His usual flair.
"Not to worry, Dear. Most of the fans have already accepted it and are just waiting for the confirmation. I just want to know what you and Kuon would like to do." He chuckled, noticing her clearly horrified look. His little birds needed to be pushed out of the nest before they could fly, but he certainly wasn't going to allow the dogs eat them in the process.