Act 44 – Join Me in the Dirt

Kyoko tilted her head up with excitement as she and Kanae stood at a table in a busy ice cream parlor. Kyoko had treated Kanae to ice cream despite her own financial situation because that was something that Kyoko had always wanted to do with a female friend. The idea of sharing an ice cream or cool drink during the summer was one of the moments of two girls bonding that Kyoko wanted to experience.

"I always wanted to go shopping with a friend," she announced with a huge smile, "and eat ice cream with them." Kyoko closed her eyes as she basked in the sunlight. Today she had been happier than she had in a really long time. In fact, only Ren the liar had given her these feelings before. She ate the ice cream happily, ignoring the looks that Kanae was getting which were divided between enjoying the ice cream and wanting to keep her slim figure.

As they finished the ice cream and walked over to a fountain near the middle of the shopping area, Kyoko felt herself relax and stretched her arms out behind her. "So delicious," she smiled, "the ice cream was so delicious."

"Yeah," Kabae said although she looked like she was sinking into a strange sort of depression.

"Eating with a friend can really make a person happy," Kyoko commented as she continued to smile. She attempted to get all images of Ren out of her mind. She hadn't told anyone about his eye color and that didn't seem to be the sort of thing to tell despite how he had played around with her. "There must be a magic spell with the person you like, it'll make everything that's already delicious even more delicious."

Kanae looked at her surprised. Kyoko knew that she was alone in these thoughts and that Kanae didn't think like that and she started to get even more embarrassed. Without realizing what she was doing, Kyoko pushed Kanae away whilst laughing happily.

"Oh my gosh! What am I saying?" she asked, "this sounds like a confession."

Kyoko had pushed Kanae off balance and as the two of them stood in front of the fountain, Kyoko heard a loud splash and they both turned In unison. Erika was in the fountain as if she had just appeared out of nowhere. Had she been shopping here too? What was the likelihood of the three of them being in the same area so soon?

"Erika-san?" Kyoko asked weakly as she looked at her. Was she stalking them? Was she that desperate?

"What are you doing?" Kanae asked as she looked at her rival. This was supposed to be a time of celebration, she couldn't say that Erika stalking her hadn't been on her mind but Kyoko definitely looked shocked.

"Kotonami Kanae," Erika said very slowly before turning around with a deep and hateful glare, she looked right into Kanae's eyes. "How dare you ridicule me this way?" she asked in a low voice and Kyoko and Kanae both stared at her, blinking in surprise of what she was saying.

"Don't think you'll be safe!" she yelled as she tried to attack them and as they ran away, Kyoko paused and saw that the three bodyguards or manservants that Erika had had with her were trapping Kanae and preventing her from moving. Kyoko looked at them with wide eyes. What was going on here?

"Moko-san!" she called out, wanting nothing more than her friend's protection.

"I heard everything," Erika said proudly and Kanae and Kyoko both looked at her with a slight confusion on their faces. "You would be replaced if you get hurt, right?" she asked them and they felt the panic and alarm. Was that her plan? Was she really willing to play that dirty in order to get the role in the commercial? Was it really worth it?

Erika raised her hand in front of Kanae where there was a sharp ring on her hand. "Then, if I used this to slap your face, would you get hurt?" she asked in a superior manner and Kanae turned away, gritting her teeth but unable to get out of the hold. "Would you?"

Kanae looked at her before her eyes widened, "You would even use violence just to win!?" she accused her before feeling her heart beat in her chest and the fire within her rise, "Then no matter where you go, all you would learn is this. Why can't you understand that this is why your acting skills don't improve?"

Erika pulled back, her eyes widening in surprise as the words started to sink in. She took a step back and her hand started to shake as she had it lifted. She felt that Kanae was calling her out and standing up to her and she suddenly felt a pain in her. It was as if her ears were opening for the first time and she could really listen.

"Everytime," Kanae continued, "everything when things don't go your way, you would use deceitful means instead of your true talent. Have you ever felt that you reached your limit and felt that you lost because you really had no solutions!? Knowing that it's impossible, but still trying to think of solutions to make it possible. You never tried something like that, right!?"

Kyoko was frozen as she saw the scene in front of her. Before Kanae had started speaking the words that were in her heart, Kyoko had wanted to come up with a plan to save her friend and take care of her. She had been struggling with knowing her own body limits and strength. She had wanted to protect her but had been afraid to take action with the three men.

Now it seemed that Kanae was defending herself, standing up for herself and Kyoko was proud. There was a healthy and positive energy that was radiating from Kanae.

"You," Kanae said as Kyoko watched in wonder, "even if you tripped and fell into a pit, you only want to remain in your beautiful world. You and I live in two different worlds. People like you who live in another world, can't compete with me from the start!" Kyoko put a hand over her mouth as she felt the energy and boldness that Kanae had reflect onto her. She was proud of her friend and she could see Erika starting to wake up and face reality.

"If you want to beat me then you must leave that world and fall into the pit!" Kanae challenged her and Erika looked at her hurt, it was probably one of the first times that somebody had said this to her. "When you do…when you do…I will recognize you as my rival."

Erika turned her hand next to her leg and sighed. She wasn't going to beat Kanae by hitting her. The door had been opened for a challenge and Erika knew that one of her biggest traits was her stubbornness. Her eyes widened as if she were seeing a new world and she wanted to exist in that world and despite everything that Erika had done, Kyoko wanted to exist in that beautiful world as well.

"Can't forgive…" Erika said quietly and slowly, the hurt evident in the way she was speaking. "How dare you say something like that to me," she stated before standing with her fists at her side. She managed to concentrate on Kanae who had treated her in a way that no one else had and Erika looked like she needed this push to prove herself.

"I will definitely make you regret telling me to leave that world!" Erika declared as she pouted but left Kanae alone. She wouldn't hurt her. It wouldn't be worth hurting her and proving her right.

"I will wait for you," Kanae said. She couldn't forgive everything that the two of them had been through but she was giving Erika a chance. They would face one another on equal footing. That was how it would work and as the sun started to set, Kyoko felt the joy of spending the day with her friend.

…

…

At the end of the day, Kyoko and Kanae were riding the bus away from the shopping center together and Kyoko was looking at Kanae with super sparkly eyes. She had her hands cupped together and was acting as if someone had covered her with glitter. "You were so cool," she praised and Kanae flinched away from her.

"I was only telling her what I heard from someone else," Kanae attempted to defend herself. Kyoko continued to smile to her and then started to laugh.

"I'm really emotional," she explained as she put a hand to her heart, "but by using what I said to you before means that what I've said stirred your emotions, right?" she asked and Kanae stiffened feeling embarrassed by this human contact. She looked away, trying to avoid Kyoko's gaze. Kyoko however kept smiling.

"This makes me really happy!" she grinned still laughing as if she had been cast in a Disney channel movie. She leaned back and there was a glow around her that was reminiscent of a new spring, there were flowers blossoming and it was as if this day had cleansed Kyoko's heart, "because this makes it seem like we're good friends."

Kanae quickly looked at her. Kyoko had been saying that they were friends all day and now she had changed what she had been saying and it seemed like they were good friends? Had Kanae done something to get demoted and if so, what? Kanae turned to Kyoko before seeing that she was now in a deep sleep despite having been in the middle of a conversation. Kanae laughed as she realized that this was usually impossible. It had been about three seconds that Kyoko had used to fall asleep and falling asleep like this in public was irresponsible but at least Kanae felt that she had a purpose now. She could watch out for Kyoko as she slept.

Kyoko had really started to change her in only a short amount of time. Kanae laughed again.

"Moko-san," Kyoko said in her sleep and Kanae turned to look at her, watching her, "commercial," Kyoko said in her sleeping state again, "let's work hard."

Kanae studied Kyoko. They had beaten the audition together, they had headed towards their dreams together and Kyoko had stopped her from running away. She would be an actress in a commercial and from there she would get noticed and this was all because Kyoko had given her the confidence to be herself. Kyoko had cleared the roadblocks that were in the way between her and her dreams and Kanae wanted to show her gratitude towards that fact.

Kanae pulled Kyoko's Love Me book out from her bag and turned to a free page before placing a 100% stamp on the page. Maybe this small gesture would be enough to show her deep gratitude and her desire to be friends with her and to work hard and support one another. Kanae smiled to Kyoko again before writing:

Today is the most memorable day in my life. I hope this advertisement will help us to be one step closer to our dreams. Let's work hard! Thank you, Kanae Kotonami

Kanae smiled again. Usually she didn't want to give into this kind of emotion but Kyoko was bringing her guard down, it was only right for her to treasure this as well.

End of Act 44

Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated

Thank you to the reviewers of Act 43

H-Nala, Kaname671

AN: And now for temporary manager Kyoko!