Disclaimer: Have negotiated a deal with Watsuki-sensei. I got to keep Enishi.
Chapter VII
Final Night - First Round
Guessing game..
Kaoru should have known better.. There will be three questions for each finalist, whenever the answer is considered right or wrong, each finalist would gain a number of points. At the end of the round, the two players accumulating the most points will go to the second round. Simple enough. The only thing that irked her was the fact that the score board was placed with its back facing them.
A deep, sensuous voice was heard through the speaker:
"Finalist number 1, what do you think my ideal date is like?
Takani Megumi answered confidently, "Honestly? Beautiful, slim and with a sexual appeal, of course..", she grinned, making sure that the implication is clear. The score panel beeped. The audience chuckled hearing her answer as Kaoru fought the urge to roll her eyes.
"Finalist number 2.. If you could describe me in three choice words, what would it be?" "mm… I'd guess kind, handsome and understanding", the chocolate-eyed girl responded somewhat shyly.
"Finalist number 3.."What kind of song do I like to listen to?"
Kaoru rolled her eyes. How am I supposed to guess? "..it'll be theboring jazz", she answered thoughtlessly.
"Finalist number 2, where do you think is my favorite dating place?"
Sayo thought carefully, "cafés and popular night clubs".
"Finalist number 1, describe the way I kiss"
Megumi smirked, obviously liking the kind of question thrown at her. "mm. sizzling hot and explosive"…
"Finalist number 3, What is my occupation?"
He's really making it difficult for me… "I'd say you must be in trade… an heir to a wealthy businessman", she shrugged casually, letting her imagination wander off.
"Finalist number 2, what do I do in my past time".
" Erm.. playing chess..", she answered reluctantly.
"Finalist number 1, describe my ideal type of relationship"
"A flexible, open-relationship..", the foxy witch replied confidently.
"Finalist number 3, what is my favorite perfume?"
Suddenly a certain face with disheveled platinum bangs came across her mind. Without preamble, she blurted out, " Aqua.. by Hugo Boss"
The score board beeped loudly, totaling the three finalist's points. Holding her breath, Kaoru waited. She never wanted to be first prize winner, but she didn't want to be a loser either… Please Kami, let me just win the money and I'll run away from here without as much as a second glance!
Okina announced soon after, "Finalist number 1.. 25 points!
Finalist number 2..18 points!
And finalist number 3… 25 points! Oh, we have a tie here!
..Unfortunately, we have to say goodbye to finalist number two… ", Okina said dramatically. Before Kaoru could say anything, the red curtain was drawn in front of Amakusa Sayo.
Sayo-san? Drat… it means I'll be competing with the bitchy lady!
Final Night -Second Round
"Ladies and gentlemen, as our usual custom, we'll now cover our finalists, and will rotate their places randomly. When our Extraordinary Joe came up to the stage, he himself will throw questions at these two lovely finalists. His questions will be of those that you, dear audience, suggested. You'll now be given two minutes during our commercial break to list as many questions you could think of. Now, please pick up the electronic device next to your seat and write your questions. We will randomly select a few and throw it to the screen. Then, our man will read it to the two finalists. The finalists aren't allowed to speak this time, they have to type their answer down instead. The one who answers all questions most accurately will win the hands of our Extraordinary Joe!
Anyway… we'll be back after this! Those of you at home, don't leave your seats just yet! It's getting hot in here!"
The red curtain dropped before Kaoru's eyes, and the same happened to Takani Megumi. Immediately the room dimmed significantly, concealing the stage floor. Kaoru gulped down her glass of water, feeling uncomfortable being wrapped in such a skimpy dress.. "Keep your cool, Kaoru… you manage to climb up to this point.. you have to bring back the prize money", she chanted quietly.
Then she eyed the computer screen before her. 'By the way, how do you use this thing?', she cringed inwardly.
The floor beneath her seemed to slowly rotate as she suddenly heard a soft voice. "What do you hope to accomplish, Miss Kamiya?", Takani Megumi said in a deceptively sweet tone.
"Uh, nothing really..", she shrugged lightly.
"Don't you dare joke around with me.. I assure you that I'll be tonight's first prize winner", she hissed somewhat threateningly.
'Foxes don't hiss!' Kaoru almost laughed out loud, hearing her. "Well, I sincerely hope that you will be the first prize winner, Takani-san..for I'm not interested", she said nonchalantly, causing the lady in lavender to clench her teeth in irritation. It was a good thing they were both concealed from the audience, because Kaoru was trying hard to cover her snicker.
"Ah, the long awaited second round..", Kamatari cheerfully voiced out from behind the stage. She looked attractive in her revealing shimmering coral dress with deeply scooped neckline. Too bad Okina warned her not to come out from behind the stage. "Huh, Okina wants the limelight for himself, that selfish old-pervert!"
Hiko snickered next to her. "Well, let him be, we're too good for the audience anyway", he commented, an ever-present jug of sake was glued to his hand.
"Hiko-san.. you can't be bringing along sake.. the boss will really kick you out of the show if he knew", Kamatari giggled.
"Oh, he knew alright.. ", a dry voice was heard, causing both Kamatari and Hiko toturn around. "Good evening, Yukishiro-sama", Hiko said, not in the least bit guilty. "Enjoying the show?", the older man asked his employees with a smile
"It's been fascinating… we have a tie between Takani-san and Kamiya-san", Kamatari supplied resourcefully.
"So I've noticed..", he grinned in satisfaction.
"By the way, Yukishiro-sama.. you haven't even told us who's going to be the catch for this episode.. is he another celebrity? Mm.. perhaps Shinomori Aoshi-kun..?", Kamatari's eyes twinkled dreamily.
Hiko rolled his eyes in disgust as Yukishiro laughed heartily. "Mm.. no, not a celebrity.. better than that".. he replied mysteriously "Besides, Shinomori-san is overseas, filming his latest action flick", he added in a lighter tone.
"Ohh, I love this kind of budding anticipation…", Kamatari cooed dramatically.
Final Night - Final Round
"We're back for the best part of the show! … who will be the final suitor of our "Extraordinary Joe"? " The audience whistled and clapped noisily, especially after seeing the outline of a masculine figure stepping onto the stage. He proceeded to casually sit on a large chair in the middle of the stage, facing away from the audience. The studio's lighting was still dimmed to the point of an almost-pitch-dark.
"Let us have a look at the randomly selected questions then.. we have five minutes to get as much questions answered. Now, show us the screen!", Okina yelled out enthusiastically. Immediately, a huge screen unfolded next to the stage, highlighting the selected questions. "Your time starts…now!", Okina announced.
"Describe how you feel now", he read the displayed question in a clear voice.
Kaoru scowled at hearing it. Such a stupid question..
But.. strange, his voice sounded familiar somehow.. Kaoru typed with a snicker. After all, she'd be her nice self and let Takani-san win the first prize, right?
oh, she has an idea..
"Quite nervous" was displayed on the huge screen, followed by
"Bad case of nervousness.. will be passing out soon".
The audience chuckled at seeing the honest answers on the screen.
The mystery man smirked, deciding on their score
"What would you do the minute you see me?", the second question was out.
"Grab your hand and shake it, what else..oh, and I'll be flashing you with a dazzling smile, don't you worry"
"Kiss you senseless"
The score panel beeped again.
"Do you believe in love at the first sight?"
"Maybe, depends on how good looking the guy is.."
".. No, it's more like crush at the first sight.."
The audience was spellbound at looking at the accumulated scores in anticipation.
"Next one, when do you think we should go on a first date?"
"Gee, isn't the guy supposed to be the one deciding?.. "
"Why, as soon as possible.. tomorrow night at 7. Pick me up"
"Make a pet-name for me"
"Chibi ko-inu"
"Err.. fugu-chan"
The audience roared in laughter.
"Time's up!", Okina's cheerily announced. "Oh, would you look at the scores! We've clearly got a smiling winner tonight! Let's find out, draw the curtain for the first prize winner, please! With his theatrical exclamation, the curtain hiked up, unveiling a very much astounded looking...Kaoru.
"Ah.. I.. I..? How.."
Ignoring her stutter, Okina went on, "And now let's reveal our mystery man!" With that, the studio's light came back to life, revealing a particularly fine specimen seated down comfortably on the over-sized leather chair. The audience gasped in combination of surprise and disbelief.
VOCAB
Chibi ko-inu: small puppy
Fugu-chan: er.. literally? a little blow-fish.