AN: This chapter starts the introduction of other characters 😊 Of course people like Kanae won't be in it for a while because there's no way of Kyoko connecting with them yet but they will come. I'm going to be basing the updates of this particular fic on the amount of support per chapter so if it slows that's because support has slowed. I know it sounds mean but that's the way writers survive.

Act Three – A New Morning

Kyoko lay awake in the strange bed. Her life was different and it felt strange to be awake at three in the morning and not having to prepare Shotaro a bento or worry if he was going to be home. That kind of blissfully ignorant life was over and she had to try to take care of herself. Well, she had to take care of Corn…that was going to be interesting. She wondered if he would be open to talking about the fairy kingdom.

Kyoko looked to her watch. She wasn't sure how many of her jobs that she should keep but she wanted to make sure to work them until she knew that she didn't need them any longer and the first job started relatively soon. She stood up and took a look at the door. The bathroom was just down the hall and she wondered if Corn would be awake yet.

He had said that he would have to leave early, if she made it back here by five would she have time to make a breakfast for him, she could even check by the market to see if they had any of the flowers that you could put in salads. Corn would enjoy having something from the fairy kingdom to eat, wouldn't he? Kyoko looked around, she'd get changed and then leave him a note saying that she was going out. She hummed, she had never had a cellphone but now she was seeing the benefit of it. That might be something to save up for if she ever cleared her debt.

She went into the bathroom and started to get her skin clean. As she stood with the water covering her body, she took a look at her reflection. She had become someone unrecognizable to herself without her knowing it. She didn't want to look like this anymore. She sighed as she put some grocery store shampoo and conditioner in her hair. Who was she? Maybe she just needed to have a different appearance, maybe that was the key to finding out who she truly was.

As she dried herself and got changed, she took another look to the direction where Corn's bedroom was. She didn't want to let down her friend, not when he had offered her so much from the kindness of his heart. She'd have to do her best to help him in whatever way she could.

She checked the time on her watch and then went to leave a note for him,

Ren, I've gone to my first job. I didn't want to wake you. I'll be back in about an hour or so, that's around five. Thank you so much for everything – Kyoko

…

…

Ren got out of bed about five in the morning, he had an hour until he was to get ready to go to the modelling shoot. He was worried about the choice that he had made the previous night. Kyoko had been a childhood friend but that had been such a long time ago. Should he have been so trusting of her? He was worried about what might happen if she was a desperate blue collar worker terrified of being homeless.

He got up and looked around. It didn't seem to be that things from the apartment were stolen. He went over to where he had left his wallet. As much as he wanted to scold himself for doing so, he did have to check on this. He gave a sigh of relief. He had everything that he had had the previous night.

Of course, she was a good girl. She hadn't changed that much to becoming a thief and he was mad at himself for even questioning the possibility of that. Was she still sleeping then? He ran a hand through his hair again and heard a sound outside the front door of the apartment? He blinked before heading over there, when he opened the door he saw her sitting there with a couple of bags. One held groceries and then the other was full of flowers.

He blinked in surprise, was she into flower arranging as a hobby. His mother had once tried her hand at that but the flowers had gotten a little too creative and though his father praised it, Kuon was worried about all of the planters and vases that she had used tipping over. People had said that ikebana was a way to relieve stress. There could be worse things that she could be doing.

"Are you okay there?" he asked and she grinned up at him, her cheeks turning a little red.

"Yes. I'm sorry, did I wake you?" she asked before dropping into an apologetic bow. "I forgot that I didn't have a key to your apartment and I did knock but I didn't want to wake you up when you have work this early. It's okay though. I'm used to sitting outside places waiting for them to open," she laughed softly.

Ren raised an eyebrow before picking up the groceries and leaving the flowers for her, "That doesn't sound like something that you should be proud of, Kyoko-san" he said before raising an eyebrow as she grabbed the flowers and brought them to the kitchen. "I think there may be a vase or two that I've received as a gift in the past if you wanted to use those. Do you have your own?" he asked and Kyoko paused as she looked at the flowers.

Maybe he didn't remember how much she knew about the fairy kingdom? Of course, he wouldn't openly expect to be eating them because he had had to live as a human for five years. This meant it was even more of a surprise for him.

"I brought them for you to eat, Co-Ren," she said happily, an eager and excited grin on her face.

Ren blinked hard. He surely hadn't heard that correctly, had he?

"I'm sorry," he laughed feeling a little scared. Eating wasn't his favorite hobby and he had never tried digesting flowers before, even his mother wouldn't experiment with flowers in her very creative and unique dishes that he had been force-fed. "What did you just say?"

"I wanted to make you a meal that would remind you of the kingdom you left behind," Kyoko said and Ren froze. How did he find her cute? This was insanity. She was really going to try to feed someone like him flowers. He didn't know how but it made him think that she was a sweet and innocent girl but someone so kind needed to get toughened up in this world or they might not survive.

"I'm sorry," he said dramatically, "I no longer have the stomach to eat these flowers. The human stomach works different than a fairy stomach," he told her sadly. He bowed his head as if he was bringing up a traumatic memory, most people would stop and want to hug him and tell him it was going to be okay.

Kyoko shivered before smiling. "I did think about that. That's why I chose these flowers, these are flowers that even a human stomach can digest. I thought that you might want to be reminded of home. Now, these aren't all of the flowers that a human can eat but these are the ones that they had. I even managed to get a nice recipe for a salad."

Ren froze as he looked at her. She was absolutely serious. She would be feeding him flowers and if he wanted to keep up the disguise of the fairy prince then he was going to have to eat these flowers. He sighed as he looked them over. At least they were fresh.

"Would you say that you're a pretty good cook?" he asked her as he studied the flowers further, "That you can make anything taste good?"

"Absolutely," Kyoko nodded and Ren sighed.

"Then I'll try the salad that you make for me. I wonder if any human would have the culinary skills to make these flowers taste like home because in the fairy kingdom we use different herbs and spices, things that mortal humans don't grow on this planet. I'll definitely try some though," he told her and Kyoko smiled. "As for right now, I think that I have to get ready. Could you prepare me a simple soup?" he asked and saw her face light up as he requested this. This was something that she was more than happy to do. "I want you to spend time on the flowers and I don't think there's time before I have to get to work so please leave the petals out of the soup…and any other part of the flower as well."

"How about miso soup? Can your kind eat that?" Kyoko asked and Ren stared at her before nodding.

"I'd love to try some of your miso soup," he replied before going to his private bathroom in the apartment. He took a huge gulp. How was he going to keep up this lie? He never would have thought that somebody would try to serve him flowers as a meal.

….

….

Ren looked forward as he drove towards the location for the modelling shoot. He didn't know how to explain this situation to his manager, it being such a strange situation, but he felt that it would be better to do so. He looked at him. "I hired help last night, a live in maid," he said and Yashiro looked at him curiously, he had a sly smile on his face.

"Is this your way of saying that you're dating a real woman. If so, I'm glad that your bachelor days are over," Yashiro sighed. He looked forward and into the sky as he tried to imagine the type of woman that Ren would be with. He hoped it was some beautiful and philanthropic model who he could talk the media into showcasing as a power couple. It should be someone well-liked or there might be some backlash against his career.

"I'm not dating anybody," he told him, "I just needed someone to help cook and clean and…"

"And this is through the president I assume because I have never once heard you talking favorably about food or having a desire to form better eating habits. I bet a scoundrel like you just wants a beautiful woman around to know what it's like to be in a relationship," Yashiro teased playfully and Ren shook his head.

"It's not like that, there's a significant age gap between the two of us," he told him and Yashiro sighed.

"Many men are attracted to older women, Ren, it's nothing for you to be shy about," he said before looking out of the window. "In fact, I'd much rather you be with a cougar than with a child. It'll be a lot easier for me to deliver to your fans when you do announce your relationship."

"I wouldn't be shy about it," Ren shrugged, "But there really is no attraction between us," he lied, more to himself than to Yashiro, "She really is just a maid that I have living with me. Meaning that it would be good for me to look into getting her a cellphone. What kind of phones do women like?"

Yashiro sighed, "Why not get her a catalog of them? SoftBank has them available if you want me to grab you one," he said and Ren nodded.

"I'd very much appreciate that," he replied before smiling. He wondered if he could get her to choose a cell phone. What kind of cell phone would she want anyway? Probably one that was covered in flower petals.

He really wasn't looking forward to coming back to that salad but he would force himself to eat it regardless. Maybe it would make her happy enough that she wouldn't have that hate in her heart any longer.

End of Act Three

Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated

Thank you to the reviewers of Act Two

Blue Sky of Love, Grayladywoolf, H-Nala, Kaname671, Kotoko-98, Megumitasama, MWEH

Author Reaction:

It shouldn't be a surprise that they'll fall in love with one another, this fic is listed as romance after all 😉 Ren wants what is best for her and he has the money to support her but this is going to get people who care about him concerned (mainly Lory and Yashiro) until they really meet Kyoko and she starts acting 😉 but what's going to spark the acting desire in her 😉