Hello faithful readers! This is the revised edition for Of Strength & Grace, the second story of the Little Things trilogy. Enjoy!
...
Ren woke up smiling the day after his dinner date with Kyoko. The evening before had appeased many of his lingering frustrations that'd been caused by their lack of communication and interaction in the past couple weeks. Sometimes when he was around her, Ren thought the gentle affection they shared could somehow sink so deep into his bones that he could be warmed from the inside out. Just being around her soothed something buried so deep within him, that he knew that in those moments he was his truest self, no longer drowning in all his fears and worries.
As he pushed aside his sleepy thoughts of how at peace Kyoko made him feel, he found himself remembering what Director Shingai had mentioned. Mulling it over, he decided he'd go in early and check out that offer. Shingai's casual mention of it had truly ignited his curiosity. And the more he brooded over Kyoko, the more he knew he'd feel disinclined to start up the normal Tsuruga Ren lifestyle of busy professionalism.
He sighed. It'd been so nice to not be Tsuruga Ren; he knew he'd struggle trying to be the gentle and professional Tsuruga Ren Japan knew him as. But, Shingai's offer had really caught his interest. He imagined that if he really focused on that, everything else might more easily slide into place.
Ren got in early enough at LME, that he'd left himself nearly an hour until his next work meeting. He unlocked Yashiro's office, and shuffled through the pile of offers he noticed were on his manager's desk. He grabbed Shingai's once he found it, and started to peruse it. He caught sight of audition times mentioned in the first page of the offer, and checked over his schedule. If he timed it right, he could audition later in the week. Ren penciled it in on the calendar and then got down to delving into the actual story and the characters.
After ten minutes, Ren's immediate takeaway was that Shingai had undersold the scale of the production this project had the potential to be. Most period pieces had a small to mid-size cast, but this one had over twenty vital roles in the first act alone. Ren let out a soft, impressed whistle at the thought as he scanned the story for the character Shingai had him in mind for. Then he frowned as he looked through the pages. Shingai hadn't appeared to underline or highlight anything in particular for him.
Ren checked his watch for the time and then decided Shingai would probably answer if he called him up. Ren took out his phone and dialed the director's number.
"Moshi moshi. Shingai here."
"Shingai-san, hello. Sorry for the early call, but the offer you mentioned got me interested so I came in early to check it out."
"Oh excellent, good to hear. So you're accepting then?"
"Well, actually, I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to accept. Do you have a role in mind you want me to audition for?"
Ren's brow furrowed in confusion as he heard Shingai stifle a chuckle. "I'm so sorry Ren-kun. My offer was for you to pick one you'd like to audition for. My apologies for the confusion."
Ren was speechless, but Shingai continued, "Just let me know a good time, and what interests you, and I'll do the rest of the work in setting it up."
"Shingai-san, thank you very much. That's quite kind."
"Still so humble after all this time, eh Ren-kun?" Ren could still hear the faint amusement in the other man's voice. "Take it easy sometimes kid, you do great work."
"Thank you sir."
"Ah, before I forget. I'm still trying to wrangle the second act out of the screenwriter. So we're doing closed auditions as of now, as the screenwriter and I discuss who we're casting as they go through the auditioning process. We will definitely need several rounds of closed and open auditions as we work out initial and vital cast positions, as opposed to the occasional and one-off roles. So, try not to get attached to a particular role if you can."
"Yes, sir." He tapped the script thoughtfully after they said their goodbyes, and settled in to read through it more closely.
The cast was varied, with diplomats, soldiers, traditional innkeepers and every position that a traditional inn would have to keep running. There were also tea-house staff, storekeepers, students and miscellaneous townsfolk. Ren more thoroughly checked out the main setting of the act. It appeared to be revolving around a small town at the base of a mountain in the early 1950s. The premise of the piece seemed to focus primarily on the Yoneda family, their inn, their teahouse, and how interactions between that group, the other town natives, and the American troops from the naval base all interrelated. Even though the backdrop of these interactions were ongoing diplomatic outreach efforts, what Ren skimmed of the first act showed moments of character-specific highlights, so he believed it'd be safe to assume that this mini-series would be more character-driven than anything else.
Ren pondered the implications of this. He knew of some of the strife that came from the American occupation of Japan post-The Second World War. It had been of… particular interest to him simply because of the household he'd grown up in. It wasn't typically shown in Japanese media however, as most old laws in place had gotten the industry into the habit of censoring itself on the topic. Spring at Mt Oguso might cause quite the debate when it aired. It was smart of the screenwriter to then make sure it was seen through the lens of the primary characters, rather than try to take a specific stance on the politics of the period. It would also explain the expansive cast.
Shingai wasn't typically a risk-taker when it came to the work he produced, and Ren was curious for a brief moment why this would be something Shingai would take on. For that matter, Boss might nay-say this for me if he finds out I'm interested in such a risky proposal. Ren hurriedly erased the note he made on Yashiro's desk calendar. He knew the man would admit it to Lory if asked. Lory was ultimately his boss over Ren.
He looked over the cast and their individual summaries again, and nixed the older roles and the American ones. They would most likely have to cast from foreign immigrants-or international students, for the American parts. And he could only pull off a certain age. Looking through it with that lens, a diplomatic interpreter role popped out at him, and so did the younger officer in the diplomatic protective detail. Both roles seemed versatile on the surface and rather unique for him. The interpreter was bookish, and the officer soft-spoken. He sent an email off to Shingai with his decision and was happily perusing other offers, Shingai's safely hidden in his bag, when Yashiro finally stepped into the office.
"Well, you're early. Have a nice night?" Yashiro smirked at him and Ren suppressed the urge to sigh in exasperation.
"Good morning Yashiro-san. What do I need to look over for my next meeting?"
Yashiro sulked, but pointed out the right paperwork. Ren just sent him a sunny smile and a thank you in response. Hopefully, Shingai could get back to him later in the day with times, and then Yashiro and Lory could just be told when absolutely necessary.
Ren thought he might manage to make it to the afternoon without running into Lory, but his luck ran out at lunch. Lory cornered him while he was eating at the LME Café, and shot him a teasing smirk that made Ren silently curse his conveniently absent manager, and his gossip.
"Have you settled in alright Ren? I know you must not have gotten much rest, what with just returning from Guam." Ren sincerely hoped his irritation didn't show on his face.
"Yes. I'm certainly more well-rested than I have been recently, thanks for asking president. Can I help you at all? I think I might have some free time after I'm done with lunch."
Ren's pleasantness caused Lory to slump as he internally despaired at his teasing falling short. "No, just wanted to see how you were. Gossip around the office was that you and Mogami-san were out and about last night."
Ren wondered if that information came from Jelly Woods, or Yashiro.
"Did a certain picture come up in whatever discussion you two had?" Lory probed, carefully watching Ren's reaction.
Ren stiffened as he was reminded of it. His voice was tight with frustration as he replied, "Sorry, it sure didn't. If it was at all important, it might have. But it's not, so it didn't."
Lory eyed Ren's down-turned face as he ate a couple more quick bites of his lunch, and decided to stop pressing the issue.
"Well, in any case, I'd been worried how her issues with her mother would affect her. But, she seems to be doing well. I'm looking forward to seeing her work in Director Kurosaki's commercial series. And playing with the emotion of unrequited love with her Momiji role… that'll be quite interesting indeed." Lory stroked his chin in thought as he talked. Ren remained frustratingly silent on the matter however, and Lory was left with only the option of sighing despondently as none of his arrows hit their mark.
The mention of Kyoko's mother, however, made Ren pause and reflect on said incident. He'd been relieved that he'd been able to make Kyoko feel better that night, if only for a bit, but it still made him wonder. And that picture just exacerbated his concern. Fuwa's presence throughout the conversation he'd had that night with Kyoko was suspicious in its absence.
Before he was able to ponder that train of thought further, Lory spoke again. "You know Ren, you were much more relaxed on your previous trip back here. Yet here you are, stiff as ever. Something on your mind?"
Ren, almost reflexively, suppressed the irritation that flared within him, when Lory's line of questioning turned more personal. Instead, he replied with a shrug, "Just been going over proposals and offers all day. Haven't had the chance to really relax yet."
Lory tapped a finger in thought on his chin, "You know Ren, if I recall correctly, you have an interview with Yappa Kimagure Rock next week. Is that right?" Ren nodded hesitantly.
"You know, you've spent all this time building up this gentlemanly, mature facade...it makes one wonder. Would this not be a good time to try to act somewhat more lightheartedly for your fans? Serious roles can take their toll. Keeping yourself aloof and not letting anyone in… I'm sure that's been stressful, hm? It might help relieve your stress over that if you're somehwat more open and easygoing."
Ren considered that for a moment, "Are you getting at something in particular? Like, oh I don't know, telling me to relax a little while doing this show?"
Lory smiled brightly, "Exactly! Bridge Rock is about your age, roughly. It might do you some good to not look so serious and mature next to those three."
Ren was nodding along in agreement, slightly relieved that Lory was just telling him to relax on occasion, when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
"Excuse me president, I think Yashiro-san might be calling me to my next meeting." Lory waved him away. Ren made sure to toss out what was left of his lunch as he looked at his phone. It hadn't been Yashiro. It'd been an email. Friday, 1 sharp, was Shingai's reply. Ren shook his head at the abruptness, but smiled. It seemed he'd gotten himself into something interesting.
He felt the offer weighing on the back of his mind throughout the rest of the day and found himself feeling more excited for an audition than he'd been in a while. Later that night at LME's café, he was skimming through it again while sipping on a small coffee. As he waited for Yashiro to collect his things from his office, he was once again interrupted.
"Tsuruga-san, I'm glad I caught you again!" Ren glanced away from his script in surprise at the voice. Ah, Kurosaki, not Lory. That… may not be so great either, shit.
"What can I do for you, Director?" Ren asked coolly, trying to appear unfazed if the subject of Kyoko's gifts came up again.
Kurosaki plopped himself in the chair opposite him, folded his hands, and subjected him to some scrutiny long enough for Ren's eyebrow to twitch in aggravation. He stuffed his script back into his satchel and sighed.
"Director?" He asked again.
Kurosaki offered him a smirk and said, "I was actually just curious Tsuruga-san. When was the last time you were in a commercial?"
Ren blinked in surprise, "I couldn't say I recall exactly. Why?"
"I'm interested in doing one with Mogami-san that's a bit different from what we're working on now. Saishi Style is going for a universally dependable branding set. But, their team might want her long term. Would you be interested in undertaking a commercial project with her in possible conjunction with Saishi?"
Ren wanted to leap without thinking when it came to working with Kyoko, so naturally, he quelled his immediate response of yes, definitely. He gazed thoughtfully at Kurosaki for a moment. "I think I would need to be given a good project proposal and then I could let you know."
"You're just as astute as they say. Keep it in mind will you?" Ren nodded. Amusement swept over Ren as the other man nodded abruptly in return, departing as quickly as he'd come.
Before he could ponder Kurosaki's proposal much further, he caught sight of Yashiro coming his way and stood so they could leave.
A few days after Kyoko's dinner with Ren, Director Kurosaki confirmed the scheduling for the principal shooting days for the Saishi Style commercial. Kyoko honestly couldn't wait to begin. Director Kurosaki loved his work, and it showed in how much the rest of the production team seemed just as enthusiastic about the project. As she studied the details within the email, she absently tangled her fingers in the necklace chain of her Princess Rosa.
Even though it'd been days after she and Ren had stumbled upon the two directors as they were leaving Narisawa's, she still couldn't get over how weirdly she'd responded to Kurosaki's inquiry. Shouldn't it have been easy to explain away matching jewelry as simple gifts, or even to just leave it with a simple statement of making her own necklace? She looked at the bracelet on her wrist, struck again by how closely the delicate design matched her necklace. How foolish had it been, to have gotten so flustered by that simple question?
Her teeth worried at her lip as she looked between her bracelet, and the confirmation email she'd received from Kurosaki, and the director's particular instructions. She pondered all this while waiting backstage for Bridge Rock's weekly taping, and it was this odd sight that Hikaru stumbled upon as he joined her in the waiting area. He cocked his head to the side as curiosity overtook him.
"Did something happen Kyoko-chan? Don't you need to get ready soon?"
Startled from her musings, Kyoko quickly stuffed her phone in her pocket as she went to step into the Bo costume. "Ah, absolutely! Let me just do that." Hikaru chuckled.
"You're so funny Kyoko-chan. Do you have some good news? You were looking pretty intently at that phone."
Kyoko smiled brightly, distracted from her pondering for a moment, "I start shooting on a commercial tomorrow!"
Hikaru congratulated her quickly as the rest of the group came together so they could get onto the stage in time.
"Hey, did you guys hear who we got next week?" Yuusei asked excitedly, while the rest shook their heads. "Some Dark Moon actors! They're doing promo work for the DVD releases!"
Horror slowly came over Kyoko as she thought over the possible guest appearances, "You don't mean like, Tsuruga-san or Kijima-san do you?"
Shinichi nodded, "Oh yes, I think it's Tsuruga and maybe another. Isn't that great?! We're so curious about how he trained for Katsuki, as the role is so different from how he normally is. I hope he'll tell us."
Kyoko tried to control her internal screeches of fear as she prayed to any higher power out there that no one ever found out how Ren had found the solution to his Katsuki portrayal. Can this get any worse? I'm positive this can't get worse. Please don't let this get worse.
The higher powers weren't listening. Just as she was hoping for better news, Yuusei looked up from his phone with an excited grin, "It seems like Momose-san will be with him. Awesome! I bet she has more great stories from behind the scenes!"
An uneasy sense of foreboding weighed on Kyoko and she struggled to pull herself together in order to go on stage. No, it'll be fine. I just have to not break character. Tsuruga-san and Momose-san don't need to find out. I can make this work. As she and the Ishibashis started taping, she stuffed all her doom-prophesying grudges into a box so she could focus on Bo and Bo's work. She desperately didn't think about next week's taping all through the current one. She was exhausted by the end of it, but more certain that she could manage it. I mean it's only an hour long taping, if I can't manage that, I shouldn't call myself an actress.
It was this determined resolve that propelled her forward to the commercial shooting that had been confirmed for the following day. The Saishi Style team were so fun to work with, and Director Kurosaki was as thorough and detailed as ever. Kyoko shook off the rest of her doom and gloom, and fell right into working with Kurosaki and the Saishi team as if they'd all worked together many times before.
Kyoko's role was a sort of revolving one, from student to student tutor, to an after school internship, to a night out with friends. The plan was to do enough shooting that the commercial could be spliced seamlessly together. And this was to showcase the universal appeal and dependability of the Saishi products, like their shoes, makeup, various hair care products and hair styling items. The tagline that would be narrated over the commercial was to be, "No matter if you're in class, or working, or hanging with friends, Saishi guarantees you'll look good."
Throughout the day, Kyoko had a blast trying everything on and experimenting with the style and makeup teams. Director Kurosaki, in his last email, had requested that she keep her necklace and bracelet as the one focal item that fit all the looks together, as a sort of easter egg for those with a detailed enough eye to notice that all these different looks were the same person. Kyoko was pleased to be able to keep them with her. They really gave her an extra confidence boost that made her feel if not pretty, at least appealing. Regardless of her lingering conflicted feelings about them, Kyoko definitely reaped the benefits of that side-effect.
The first day was the costume fittings, and style testing. They would also do some interior studio shots of her getting ready, and then the rest of the shooting would be done with some extras at a college location. It had apparently been Kurosaki's alma mater, and he did enough outreach there in the program that he was allowed to reserve areas of the campus at relatively short notice. It was also a great place to scout extras according to Kyoko's current stylist.
"Their arts program is wonderful and so well-developed! My younger sister is actually applying since she's graduating high school soon and her school just didn't have that great of an arts program." Her stylist cheerfully chatted about it as they tried to decide whether or not to twist her hair up for the night out scene.
Hearing about how well developed the college program was, actually made Kyoko pause for a moment to wonder if it'd be worth it to pursue her own education past high school. It'd be worth it to learn more for myself, wouldn't it? Kyoko pursed her lips in thought. She hadn't really ever thought she might go further than high school. But, it was a seed of a thought. She refocused her attention on her makeup artist as they began applying a face cream. That seed of a thought stayed in the back of her mind, and for the first time in a while, she wondered about there being something other than acting in her future.
Friday at 1 sharp, Ren was being introduced to one Takashi-san, scriptwriter for Spring at Mt Oguso. She was an older woman, and elegantly dressed. At the moment however, she appeared more dissatisfied than welcoming.
"Shingai-san, I know you and Tsuruga-san have worked well together before, but I have never really considered him for a period piece. His height alone breaks the suspension of disbelief."
"Well that's what my directing tricks are for. To overcome those pesky obstacles." Shingai tried to placate her. Ren gauged her mood and judged that it might be working. Slightly.
"Nothing says he'll for sure pass every round right? But if you want this to have such a large cast, we do need people that are solid, hard-working acts to anchor the whole production. I know that just from my personal experience. And this guy is one of the best in the business." Shingai continued trying to assure her.
"Thank you sir," Ren murmured. Shingai shot him a quick smile before continuing.
"We already set up an audition today so the casting director, along with you and I, can check out what he's interested in doing. What will it hurt to go through with it?"
Takashi sighed, but seemed to thaw, "As you say Director-san."
Shingai sent them a small, pleased smile, and then had them follow him into a room a little further away down the corridor.
"Ren, this is our casting director Nanaka-san. Please, begin whenever you'd like." The three settled in across from Ren as he bowed to the casting director in greeting.
He sincerely hoped he could win over the screenwriter. A familiar determination settled into his bones as he began the brief excerpt from the first episode: Officer Yamamoto's monologue to the Head Diplomat, Yoneda Michitada. About halfway through said monologue, Takashi interrupted him, a couple fingers pressed to the bridge of her nose, an evident sign of frustration that Ren immediately picked up on.
"Look, I do not want to be troublesome, but Officer Yamamoto is not nearly as intense as how you are playing him. I get that this was a good place to start from with you, what with other roles you have played, but I would like to see a different side to you. Was there another character that caught your eye by chance?"
Ren wasn't surprised, he hadn't been sure if Officer Yamamoto would be the right fit for the type of presence he brought to the screen. He forced his face into a neutral expression, trying to hide the intimidation he felt at the expectation on the writer's face, "Ah, certainly Takashi-san. Interpreter Tanaka, I thought I might also try that role."
"Huh. That's not one I thought of. Are you well versed in English Ren-kun?" Shingai asked, somewhat mystified.
Ren nodded swiftly, then said in English, "I certainly am sir. The interactions between the Japanese diplomats and American soldiers as written here in the dialogue, reference a fascinating discussion about the intermingling between these two peoples, their cultures both then and now, and the consequences of Japan being held under American control for so long." Shingai sat and stared, flummoxed at the words spilling out of Ren's mouth. Takashi-san, however, smiled. Ren had to swallow back a relieved sigh as she spoke again.
"Well done, Tsuruga-kun. You hit on an issue immensely pertinent to this series. That sort of thinking inspires in me enough confidence to move you ahead to the next round of auditions." Ren felt relief flow through him at that. Both more difficult and easier than I thought. "I would be pleased to discuss these issues with you further at a later date, Tsuruga-kun, if you are so inclined." Ren nodded his head in agreement, feeling like he had passed a test he hadn't studied for.
Takashi-san is fiercely protective of this. Ren mused to himself as they set up another audition time, one with someone else to test for chemistry. He said his goodbyes to the team leading the auditions, and thought it over more as he walked out to where he'd parked. This production could be a groundbreaking series if done right; especially when considering the issues that plagued both cultures then, and whose consequences were still felt in the present day. Ren could definitely understand why Takashi-san would be protective. Ren's determination to see it through only grew as he thought about all the aspects of its potential.
Kyoko had briefly forgotten, due to her very successfully completed commercial shooting, about the problem she potentially had for the day ahead with Kimagure's shoot. She was sitting, just like the week before, in a mostly out of the way area, avoiding the stage hands, and was currently bemoaning her fate. That night's shooting with her Dark Moon co-stars presented quite the obstacle, and she was quietly praying that she could stay as incognito as a chicken could, when she saw Chiori coming by with a storm-cloud of an expression on her face. As her own worries flitted away in the face of this potentially new (and different) problem, Kyoko stood and got her attention by waving her over.
After some slight pressure from Kyoko about what was bothering her, Chiori soon released her pent-up frustration, "That stupidly irresponsible assistant director is behind this! That Box'R' wrap party we were all excited about, he invited that infuriating Aoki!"
Kyoko gasped, appalled and disbelieving, "How dare he? Stupid AD!" Their mutual disdain for this development, yet another in a long line of ones caused by that irritating insect of a coworker, went on in this vein for a bit before Kyoko sighed in aggravation, then said:
"Chiori-chan, if you have any other ideas, any at all, about how to handle the issues Aoki causes, just let me or Moko-san know. I've tried a few things to handle this quietly but I just… " Kyoko let the thought trail off as she rubbed at her forehead. Chiori nodded, and murmured a similar thought of solidarity.
Ren, on the other hand, had been meandering backstage to check out where Bo might be before shooting began. Yashiro and he had done some snooping, and between the two of them, they were positive Bo was the mascot for the show he was about to interview with. He was instead surprised to overhear some angry conversation near Yappa Kimagure's backstage area. He'd heard that this was a pretty welcoming group to be around.
He rounded a corner, following where he'd heard the faintly familiar voices, but then stopped dead. He'd thought he'd heard Kyoko, briefly wondered if maybe LoveMe had a task in the studio tonight but this, he had not been prepared for this. He tried to speak but he couldn't quite get past the shock of seeing her in a very familiar costume while holding a very, very familiar chicken head.
Amamiya-san was already looking in his direction over Kyoko's turned away shoulder and her eyes widened in surprise as she saw him standing there speechless.
"Ummm… Kyoko-chan…" Chiori muttered weakly while pointing him out. Ren saw Kyoko cock her head in confusion, before Kyoko followed the other girl's gaze and turned around.
She dropped Bo's head as she let out an unholy screech, "WHY ARE YOU HERE EARLY?"
Ren's mood quickly soured. With that response… there was no doubt. She wasn't just substituting for someone else. Goddamn it. I wanted advice from someone who didn't know all my secrets. There was no doubt, as he thought back to what he'd previously revealed to Bo, that Kyoko had most likely guessed some issues Ren had been hoping she wouldn't. He stifled a scowl at the thought.
Kyoko aptly gauged his mood and her terrified face grew ever guiltier as she fell to the floor into a dogeza and apologized as best she could while still in the suit. Ren noticed Amamiya-san melting away, out of sight of the confrontation. Ren crossed his arms and frowned, struggling to find the right way to discuss this, while the spectacle caught the attention of random stagehands.
"Mogami-san, please, get off the floor. You're causing a scene. We go on in twenty minutes. Come on. Be reasonable."
Even as she stood back up, the apologies gained strength in numbers:
"Tsuuuruuuga-san! I'm so sorry! You just wanted to talk to someone! I'm sorry! But I knew you didn't like me back then! I had no idea how to even let you know when we did become friends! Please! I feel so bad about this! Punish me for my insolence, but don't hate me forever!" Ren's eyebrow twitched as he tried to smother his frustration as her wails grew louder.
"Mogami-san, that's quite enough," His stern voice seemed to break through the stream of apologies long enough to make her quiet down.
"You do have a point here in that we didn't exactly start off the best of friends. But you are also correct in that I tend to be very private. What I have told you while you've worn that costume, I most certainly would have never said if I'd known it was you." Ren stopped there, and held back more snappish words. He felt so off-balance, and he struggled to think of a solution to this that could lead to a discussion instead of a fight.
Blessedly, she quieted long enough for his initial reaction to become less explosive. "I appreciate these apologies, I do, but what I've said was very private. Did you ever tell anyone else?"
Kyoko shook her head fervently to the negative, "I would never! You were so troubled that I just had to see if I could help. It seemed as if you didn't have anyone else to turn to, if you were that troubled all on your lonesome. I thought maybe if it was some silly mascot, maybe you would be comfortable speaking about what troubled you. Truly, that's all I wanted. To try to help."
Ren blew out a sigh as Kyoko darted a glance over at him, then quickly looked away again. What a damned inconvenient turn of events. Really it was far more than just inconvenient; he only distantly grasped at the fact that he was underplaying the enormity of the situation simply to avoid further panic. Truly, it was as if karma was laughing in his face for all the many times he'd taken advantage of Kyoko's childish love for her fairy prince.
But even as there was a cold, studied silence that fell between them, there was a seed of an idea blossoming in Ren's brain in which both of them could make out for the better in this rather ridiculous situation. If I never actually act upon the urge to be open and honest with her, how cruel of a man does that make me? And if he was, he thought with a flash of burgeoning hope, perhaps she would repay that in kind.
Ren studied her downturned face. The last thing I want is for her to be miserable. In the past couple months, Ren had tried and tried to not further aggravate their communication troubles. His own issues had often caused him to fail in that regard. And certainly, a lack of communication was not something Ren had expected to throw a wrench in his life, but undoubtedly, that was what had happened...Boss might have had a point. Being more forthright, or even less closed off, might give me a little inner peace… His resolve strengthened as he decided on a course of action. Why not try for the best of both situations at once?
"Mogami-san, you said you felt bad right?" Kyoko drooped further at his words, but nodded in agreement. Ren took a deep breath, it's now or never I suppose.
"If I tell you that you can learn something new about me, that you've never been able to learn before while we do this taping, what would you say?" He leveled a steady gaze at her that she returned, looking somewhat wary and befuddled. He'd gone into this thinking he could be more open, less reserved when asked questions, like Lory had mentioned. But, with Kyoko here as a witness, and with her knowing as much as she would already, Ren would have to push himself far outside his comfort zone to actually keep to the challenge Lory had given him.
"I think I would first ask if you're comfortable with that. A lot of people want to know all sorts of things about you. It could be dangerous," said Kyoko, worry clear on her face.
Ren smiled, almost giddy with relief. She's truly concerned about me. I'm sorry Mogami-san, but I had to be sure.
"No worries Mogami-san, I was told to be light-hearted this evening. This would just be an unusual fact I would let people know of."
Kyoko groped for the chicken head and tried to re-situate herself for her role as they only had a few minutes left. She pondered the comment more and finally said, "If you think it's ok Tsuruga-san, I trust your wisdom."
Ren shot her a fond look, and then found himself smirking playfully, "Then, in the case of you feeling bad and requesting some sort of punishment, if my unusual fact forces Bo to show shock or surprise while shooting, then I dare you to let me ask you any question I like. You'll answer wholeheartedly, and with complete honesty."
Kyoko shrank in terror at the smirk and the challenge. A second later, she sent him a suspicious look. "That depends, Tsuruga-san. Will you use that opportunity, or the answer I may give you, to manipulate me in some fashion?"
Ren just blinked at her, stunned at the accusation. With enormous effort, he pushed down his shock at her boldness, keeping it from showing in his face. Clearing his throat and fighting down an embarrassed blush, he replied, "That's ah, a um, fair point to make, I know I've been… pushy recently. This is really just an effort on my part for some sincerity and transparency between us."
Relief washed over Kyoko at his earnest tone, and the honesty clear on his face. She then found herself rising to the competitiveness of his earlier challenge. She held out a chicken wing to him after plopping Bo's head on her own, "It's a deal Tsuruga-san." After chuckling for a second, Ren took the wing and shook it.
"Deal."
They had a short wait after that, until the Ishibashis, Yashiro, and Momose-san joined them. The others chatted quietly while waiting to be called onto stage, and Yashiro snuck an interested glance their way.
I'm sure Yashiro-san will be a tad surprised as well at what may come up this evening, Ren thought to himself, amused. Nodding slightly at his manager in greeting, Ren moved in closer to the chicken to murmur unobtrusively to Kyoko, "Are you actually free this evening after this?"
Kyoko nodded inside of the chicken suit and hoped the suit communicated the same.
"Oh good. How about we settle everything this evening then?" Ren smiled down at her and she ruffled her feathers menacingly.
"Don't be so certain you'll win. I'm gonna give it all I've got." He let out a small laugh at the challenge in Kyoko's voice, and inclined his head in agreement.
He caught the interested side glance Yashiro shot them as he heard the quiet voices. Ren was suddenly very glad that Kyoko was not universally known as Bo. He was sure the Ishibashis and LoveMe members knew, and probably a couple others that had to, but at least her secret was fairly well-kept. He faintly heard the speaker calling in the Ishibashis to the stage, then shortly after, for Momose-san to join the trio on stage.
He shot another amused look down at Bo-Kyoko, "As you wish. But just remember this conversation later, will you?"
Kyoko huffed at that but nodded again. She then promptly pushed Ren out on the stage as she heard the Ishibashis call him out. Yashiro shot her a scandalized look. Kyoko didn't pay it much mind as she was trying to stifle laughter as Ren stumbled, righted himself, and then glared over his shoulder at her. Already in Bo's persona, she waved cheerily as the audience laughed at the byplay. In the same amused manner, he pointed at himself, then at her, inviting a challenge. The audience laughed again as they saw it.
After the various introductions were said, a small clip of some scenes from Dark Moon played overhead on the Ishibashi's big screen. Ren briefly answered some questions about his method and got a sinking feeling in his gut as Ishibashi Shinichi turned towards Momose-san with a glint in his eye.
"Momose-san, we love that you're one of the few people that will talk about behind the scenes antics. I know that you guys always get the chance to have commentary tracks on DVD releases, can you say whether or not there's more of those stories to look forward to on that commentary?"
"Oh yes, there's definitely a couple!"
"Excellent, would you by chance tell us one?" Shinichi asked eagerly, nearly elbowing Hikaru and Yuusei in his excitement.
Momose-san laughed and Ren face-palmed. He didn't know if it was Momose-san's competitive spirit or what, but he came off terribly in these stories. He winced as he heard her start talking about the Episode Seven Incident. So named, due to it happening while shooting for episode seven (Dark Moon's cast and crew were just so creative). Ren groaned quietly, but his mic, attached to his collar, picked up on the faint noise and it had the audience tittering in amusement.
Momose-san glanced at him, also amused.
"So later in the series, as you may already know, the students are preparing for this music festival, and my character is depressed over it, as she won't have what family she has left in the audience to listen to her, and etcetera. So Katsuki is supposed to notice this, and approach her as she's helping make this banner and ask what's wrong and what have you." She paused for effect, the Ishibashis on the edge of their seats.
Kyoko, as Bo, watched them in horrified fascination in the wings off stage, much as she would a train wreck. She'd had no idea Momose-san had such a good memory that she could rehash their behind the scenes mess-ups for everyone else's enjoyment. Voice cracking with remembered humor, Momose-san continued,
"In case there are people here who don't know, our Kyoko-san has chestnut colored hair normally. She also appears quite different just in general appearance from Mio. You may spot her in the background of scenes as a filler extra, as she appears so very different from Mio when she's not done up in her Mio costume."
The Ishibashis slowly began to grin as they cottoned on to where this could be going. They knew Kyoko's antics well. Ren sunk further into his chair in dismay, who knew Momose-san had such great comedic pacing?
"So here I am, waiting to be approached, Kyoko-san is on a step stool putting the finishing touches of paint to a wooden sign in a doorway. And why there I am, with an excellent front row seat to what happened next."
Ren's very audible groan could be heard amidst various snickering and giggling. Momose-san's grin grew wider as she continued, "So an extra tripped and stumbled into the step-stool, and poor Kyoko-san just started tumbling down, pint of paint, paintbrush and all and Tsuruga-san here promptly decided to step on said extra that tripped and the extra just let him do it! And all so Kyoko-san could be safely caught. Which, of course, Tsuruga-san did, in the most perfect princess hold you could possibly imagine." At this point, nearly every individual in the studio was outright chuckling at such a spectacular mental image.
Momose-san just shook her head at them and cracked a wicked grin, "Oh, it gets better." The Ishibashis were now listening in rapt fascination while Ren hoped to God, and whoever else might be listening, that if he could disappear within the next thirty seconds that'd be swell please and thank you. Kyoko was utterly relieved to be in a chicken suit and not undergoing the same torture Ren currently was.
"Kyoko-san just gave Tsuruga-san this astonished look, and they were still covered in wet, pink paint that somehow was still dripping onto the tripped extra on the floor, and poor Kyoko-san was just horrified. But somehow! Somehow! What popped out of her mouth was, 'Why does even pastel pink look good on you?'"
Fighting now to be heard over the studio's uproarious laughter, Momose-san said, "To which-to which! Tsuruga-san replied," Here Momose-san paused and dropped to a lower tenor to mock Ren's voice, "'Have no fear Mogami-san, I too found this garish coat to be in need of a change in color. I'm so glad you approve'."
Momose-san struggled to say her next words through a fit of giggles while the Ishibashis did their best to control their own snorts of laughter.
"Absolutely everyone stopped what they were doing just to process what had been said, but then the tripped extra started losing it, every other extra around also started losing it, and I start losing it and the director is laughing so hard he can't even call cut and absolutely nothing got done for about ten minutes... Which in terms you all may understand, means that this was aaallll caught on tape." Momose-san settled back against the couch with an air of great satisfaction as she delivered her punch line. Her smirk didn't fade even as the studio's rowdy laughter slowly calmed.
Kyoko watched with great sympathy as Ren struggled to bring his face back to a calmer, less embarrassed façade.
"I gotta say Tsuruga-kun, that's a heck of a line," Hikaru addressed Ren as he stifled the last snorts of his laughter.
Ren held up a hand to signal a pause in fielding more questions and comments being thrown in from the audience, "I'm sorry I don't know if you all know Mogami-san well, but when things like that happen, she has a tendency to freak a little." He adjusted his position on the couch so as to address not just the audience, but his fellow individuals with him on the stage, "She's young and kinda self-conscious. I feel I gotta defend myself here. I was just trying to defuse the situation as we were in the middle of the scene, and I was hoping to avoid it becoming, you know, like a bigger deal than it needed to be."
Momose-san rolled her eyes and decided to poke fun at him a bit. She leaned closer to the Ishibashis for an offhand stage sidebar that naturally, everyone could hear, "So he says, but really, one of his favorite pastimes was to just tease her mercilessly."
The Ishibashis exchanged surprised glances with each other, then redirected their attention back to Ren, who had face-palmed in exasperation again.
"That's quite surprising behavior from you Tsuruga-kun, isn't that right? Aren't you purportedly one of the most polite people to work with?" Yuusei asked.
Ren shrugged, keeping in mind Lory's advice, "I don't see why I can't be both. After all, if anyone here knows Mogami-san, they'll soon understand-if they don't already, how much fun she is to tease."
Kyoko glared at him from behind the couch, where she was currently positioned to walk onto the stage. One of these days, I'll get you back for that! She overheard a sigh and noticed a shake of the head from an exasperated looking Yashiro. She smiled slightly inside her suit at it before she refocused on the events on stage
"Sometimes, that boy I swear." Momose-san's manager chuckled as they heard the other manager sound so ruffled.
The Ishibashis on stage exchanged another glance before Hikaru caught their AD making the motion to continue with their next variety section.
"Well thank you very much Momose-san, we definitely can't wait to hear this DVD commentary." Hikaru shot her a smile. "Now, our next section is slightly unusual, as we usually only do it with our non-musician guests, so you two are in luck! This is called Test Your Taste! As in, those music playlists we had you submit beforehand, that's what those were for."
Momose-san looked enthralled. "What exactly do we do?"
Yuusei smiled back at her, "We, and the audience, get to test our music knowledge against what your music tastes are like!"
Shinichi spoke up next, "So we break into teams, and we have Bo come out and join us so it's an even number of people if necessary, which it is tonight." Bo bowed and waved to the audience as they stepped on the stage.
Ren made the same challenging hand motion he did to Bo earlier, much to the audience's amusement, but Bo just turned their beak up haughtily and went to greet Momose-san with great chivalry. Momose-san giggled delightedly, right on cue, as Bo placed their beak on her hand in a mockery of a kiss and helped Momose-san up off the couch.
Bo then presented her to Hikaru, and the three of them stepped to another part of the stage, with the other three following close behind. Crew followed them as they handed off their wired mics for better freedom of movement for this sequence. This section of the stage had two mics set up with some whiteboards and markers on a table near it. Yuusei, Shinichi and Ren stepped up to one mic, while Bo, Hikaru and Momose-san went to the other. Shinichi tapped on their mic to check that it was on.
"Ok then! Let me explain this a bit more. Our guests here have five songs being handed to them. Our tech crew will play the music from each without the vocals. Our guests have to provide their own vocals, as best they can, and the rest of us on the teams here, will try our best to back them up as best we can."
Across the stage from that trio, Momose-san grabbed the mic as Hikaru was about to use it to speak, "Ohmygosh, let me guess, the opposing team has to guess what it is we're singing!"
Yuusei laughed, grabbed the mic from Shinichi, and nodded, "You got it! Now who's ready to go? It's best out of five! The songs will get increasingly harder to guess, as best we're able to figure that out, as we can't know like every song that's ever been released. Winner takes home a prize!"
Momose-san fist pumped excitedly, "Yes! Let's do this! Me first!"
Hikaru chuckled and motioned for the tech to roll the song. Bo started tapping their foot as a heavy beat came across the speakers and surprisingly, Momose-san started belting out a wicked fast rap almost immediately. The guys across from them burst out laughing as soon as they saw it, and saw the quick switch from her normally sweet faced appearance. You almost couldn't hear Momose-san once the audience let out a jubilant cheer as they recognized a top 40 song that had been real popular with the younger crowd in the past month.
Yuusei and Shinichi had to hold onto each other as they were giggling too much to write on the whiteboard. Ren took care of it for them, though he had to ask for the title. He had to shrug inwardly as he wrote it out and held up the sign. He just really didn't keep up with Japanese pop music.
The tech crew stopped the song as Hikaru applauded in congratulations for the other team guessing right. Momose-san wiped her brow clean of the sweat of the exertion and waved cheerfully to her supporters in the audience. Shinichi and Yuusei looked inquisitively at the placard Ren held as they waited for the tech crew to change up the song.
Hikaru glanced at the trio across from them, gauging the slight smirk on Tsuruga's face. It made Hikaru wonder what the other man was up to, and he couldn't resist calling out to him from across the way.
"You were definitely a tad tricky, Tsuruga-san. I have to say, I'm looking forward to this one."
Bo stepped forward and challenged Ren with some rapid wing-flapping. Even as Tsuruga's smirk ratcheted up another notch, Hikaru's gaze darted between their mascot and the celebrity across from them as he sensed the deepening tension. If Hikaru wasn't entirely mistaken, there was something else at play here, and damned if he wasn't intrigued.
...
This is the revised S&G. Edited for clarity, story flow, and the redundancies I've discovered as I've edited.