She braced her heart for whatever might come to her ear at that private encounter with the man she loves because he needed to tell her something privately.

She was heading toward the dressing room designated with Ren's name on it. Before she opened the door, she took a few deep breaths and slowly let them out.

He was there, facing the other way from her, by the window, gazing outdoors. He slowly turned to greet her when he heard the door open and smiled gently.

He said, "You are here, Mogami-san," with a pleasant tone in his voice.

"Ah, yeah," He seemed to be in a good state of mind, which threw her off guard. She hadn't foreseen that. Since he had an urgent matter to talk about with her that was making him troubled for some reason, she honestly assumed she would see his stern countenance.

"What did you want to discuss personally with me, Tsuruga-san?" She made a cautious approach as if she were treading on thin ice.

When she approached him, she was still decked out in Lyre's outfit and was wearing the wig. He initially made a fast visual check with his eyes rather than speaking. He explained his reason, though, before things became awkward.

"I wanted to see you so we could discuss certain risks we might run into if we aren't vigilant enough." When he raised the subject, his usually stunning features grew a bit stiff. But there was a tinge of concern mixed with fondness in his voice.

"Risks?" Kyoko enquired in surprise. "Did I do something that might have jeopardized you, Tsuruga-san?" She asked while sounding alarmed.

"Huh? No... that hasn't happened yet. Mogami-san, don't worry." He wanted to allay her concerns regarding him soon as he noticed her beginning to fear that she had mishandled her intentions. Bringing on remorse in her was the last thing he intended.

"I simply wanted to make sure you understood that we need to exert greater caution, particularly now that we have to collaborate with Murasame-kun once more. Just that. Don't stand on your feet, please; come and sit down." He motioned for them to sit on the couch with his hand.

As soon as she was told to, she was relieved.

"I apologize for causing you unnecessary anxiety." He expressed regret in his voice. "Did you think I invited you to come over so I could point out a mistake you'd made?"

She nodded in accord, "Mhm," and in response, he let out a long sigh.

"Mogami-san, you tend to think of me as a nag who only takes pleasure in disparaging you and giving you endless lectures."

"But Tsuruga-san, that's what I appreciate about you. There isn't anyone I know who would be more qualified for that job. I have learned a lot from you." She spoke in a serious manner and then she beamed a smile at him.

"You like that?" In an incredulous tone, he voiced a rhetorical question. But as soon as he caught a glimpse of her smiling, he eased up.

"Do you think Murasame-san will recognize us, Tsuruga-san?" The individual that worried him was brought up by Kyoko.

"Though I would love to say no, it'd be a lie. For the time being, it seems that we are safe, but you never know when he may start to suspect us. You in particular, Mogami-san. He seemed... to be drawn to Setsuka as a man, as I recall." He stumbled slightly and sounded uneasy as he finished.

"Oh..." She muttered as she suddenly remembered that he had once tried to make a move on her during the TraMa shooting.

She added, "I'll be more careful next time," to assuage his inquietude.

"This time, being close didn't take you two too long. Now he even addresses you as Kyoko-chan."

"Huh? He calls me that, but I don't get the impression that he has any secret motive. Murasame-san is a nice person who gets along with nearly everyone on the set. Our shared love and respect for Sensei is another factor that unites us." At the very end, when Kuu was mentioned, she started to become a little enthusiastic.

"You say that, but I still don't believe it entirely."

"I can try to understand why you don't trust Murasame-san, even when you really shouldn't because he's just a friend and colleague to me. He prefers girls like Setsu-chan over me. but why don't you also believe what I say?"

"If Murasame-kun was interested in Setsuka Heel in the past, he could become just as interested in you very fast. Given that, she is you. Also—"

He extended his arm and laid a gentle touch on the backrest of the couch, where her head was resting, in kabedon style. Only centimeters separated them at that point as he leaned in close to her face, he continued, "You never suspected either that I had ulterior motives with you until I was forced to chase after you all over the TBM building, and hollered my feelings for you." After he made his point, he displayed a fiery look into his eyes, befitting for the emperor of the night.

She couldn't believe it. Her heart could not resist it and her brain could not absorb it the same way as the previous time when he pulled this kind of a blow on her out of the blue. Due to the abrupt shock, she was internally melting. Now she was looking at his face from the perspective of a lover. To act in this manner, however, was inappropriate given the circumstances. She wanted to make sure he knew where they were so he would be able to remember that they were at work.

"Tsu-Tsuruga-san!" She stammered and made an effort to look away from his lips so she could focus and collect herself.

"You're right. Now I understand why I'm not trustworthy either. I'm obviously not the best judge for things like this, but I think we should sit down and discuss this over. What do you say? Hmm?" She was frantic to get him to agree.

"But aren't we doing it right now?" He asked, pretending he was unaware of her nervous breakdown, while maintaining a straight face.

"What!? Oh, we do, I mean. Wouldn't it be better to discuss it while sitting down comfortably?"

"I'm currently in a pretty cozy position. You are not?" He asked in an unbridled manner.

"I..." As he drew nearer to her lips, she was gasping for air when—

"I'm not! Tsuruga-san, I'm at my limit now. Forgive me, please!" She cried out.

She flinched when he rested his head on her shoulder, but she bounced right back when she heard the sound of suppressed laughing.

"Huh?" She looked over her shoulder and saw him trying to control his laughter. "What? Are you making fun of me, Tsuruga-san?" In a sorrowful voice, she asked.

"I can't believe it... You really are a player! How are these tactics to be used on a young maiden who has never been in a relationship before?" She complained.

"I apologize; I just couldn't help myself." After getting up and holding her cheek in his palm with such tenderness, he apologized.

"By the way, you never cease to astound me when you enter character; I have no idea how you manage it. You did a great job portraying Lyre." He showed a gentle smile.

"Oh... that means a lot coming from you, Tsuruga-san." Her features grew softer in a fleeting smile as her eyes started to become moist.

He stroked her cheek one more time before returning to his original seating position.

"I'm aware of your new job." He spoke up. "You must be overjoyed right now."

"Personally, I don't consider it a job offer. I wanted to be here to assist her during her most difficult times." She replied.

"Kotonami-san is very lucky to have you..."

"Despite her image, she would have done the same for me. We're each other's first best friend." It was clear from her tone that she was proud of it.

"Is it only because of Kotonami-san that you accepted the position of personal assistant?"

"Hm? Mhm..." She responded immediately.

"I find myself feeling sorry for me..." He murmured.

"I'm sorry, Tsuruga-san, what did you say?"

"That... Kotonami-san is really fortunate to have you by her side. And I'm currently envious of her..." He mumbled the final part once again.

"I'm also excited to work on this project with her." She had a warm smile on her face.

"Of course you are." Ren added, flashing an elegant business smile back at her.

Thud, thud.

Someone had knocked on their door.

"Come on in." Kanae was the one who received permission to enter from Ren.

"I apologize for disturbing you, but may I borrow Kyo...Mogami-san?" We require her presence at the next rehearsal.

"I thought you'd already rehearsed all of your scenes together?" He stated.

"That's correct. But Kuresaki-san is eager and wants to see more scenarios with us clashing together. That's why I've come to get her."

"I see. Alright. You are free to go, Mogami-san. I said everything I needed to say."

"Oh, in that case I will excuse myself Tsuruga-san."

"Yeah..." He nodded with a smile.

They both bowed respectfully before exiting the room.

He leaned forward and covered his eyes with his hand as soon as they left.

It was one of those difficult temptation days when he had to fight himself in order to maintain himself in check. He had a good mood with Kyoko, and things could have progressed further in their "relationship," but it never happened.

The end.

A/N: I'm not convinced that something like this will happen with the real deal, I just chose an idea and went along with it. I haven't written a fiction for Skip Beat for a while, so I hope I wrote interesting enough one-shot, something that you will like to read about. Thank you for reading, and feel free to share your opinions about it.