Act 103 – The Hard Answers

103.1

Kyoko allowed herself to find relief in the fact that Director Ogata had calmed down but that only lasted until Ilzuka-san turned to her with another stern expression over her face. She took a few steps backwards in shock, "Well? So About Mio's personality?" she asked as if the situation with Director Ogata had never taken place.

Kyoko looked at her and attempted to keep herself calm but she wondered if she could have prepared more for this role. She had already read the script over many times and seen the majority of the original work but were those things that could help her now or was more needed.

"M-Mio's personality," Kyoko said as she attempted to do her best to be confident, "She's very…very shy, quiet, and…emotionless," she said before hearing to the side of her that the director wanted to get involved but instead Ren just signaled to be quiet. "Ever since she was little she has never laughed from her heart."

"Why didn't she ever laugh?" Ilzuka-san said and Kyoko's mind started racing until it appeared to her that only she and Ilzuka-san were there.

"Because she felt inferior compared to her beautiful sister."

"What are her interests?"

"She used to enjoy playing the violin."

"How did she get that scar on her head?"

Kyoko felt her hands at her sides as she mentally willed herself to not show any sign of weakness or any way to give Ilzuka-san the upper hand. She didn't want to lose this role and she especially didn't want to be bullied out of it. She wanted to see for herself Kuon's abilities and spend all this time with him. Maybe he would be Ren but Ren was someone created by Kuon so he had to have things that were still Kuon about him.

"It happened while she was at the villa in the mountains. She had been playing with her sister. She accidentally fell down a hill full of broken glass. However, that was only the story that Mio told everyone. Not even her parents know this but the truth is that Mio's older sister was jealous of Mio's ability to play violin and she purposely pushed Mio down that steep hill."

Kyoko looked up at Ilzuka-san feeling confident in that answer and the woman nodded.

"That's correct," she said but she was far from stopping in her probing, "Next, what does Mio hate?"

"Of course, she hates her sister," Kyoko replied as the rest of the actors started to gather around wondering what was keeping everyone from filming. Kyoko tried to ignore them, the pressure of having an audience wasn't one that she wanted to face. "Other than that, she dislikes her mother who often compares Mio to her sister. And there's her father, Katsuki, and her cousin Mitsuki."

Ilzuka-san took a deep breath in before challenging Kyoko once again, "Why does she hate her father even though he doesn't compare Mio to her sister?"

"This is because she knows her father, in order to fulfill his own selfish desires, he did something unforgiveable to his own blood brother, his wife, and their daughter, Mitsuki," Kyoko said before being told she was right. She pictured the car accident in her mind, the one that had taken the lives of Mitsuki's parents.

"Then," Ilzuka continued, "What are her reasons for disliking Katsuki?"

"Because he is her sister's fiancé, a person that her sister loves deeply,"

"So," Ilzuka-san with a glint in her eye as she asked the next question, "So, why does she hate Mitsuki?"

Kyoko straightened her back as she prepared herself to respond. "Because…Katsuki…" she began but then stopped herself. She saw Ren move slightly as she had said that and she realized that she didn't know how to continue with that thought. She felt a little sweat on her brow and Ilzuka-san raised an eyebrow.

"What about Katsuki?" she challenged her and Kyoko stopped.

She had answered that one wrong. The hatred that Mio had held against Mitsuki wasn't anything to do with Katsuki because even though Katsuki had fallen in love with Mitsuki behind her sister's back, Mio didn't know that and how could one be angry at something they weren't aware of. Katsuki and Mitsuki had only met one another three months earlier and that was far later than Mio had started bullying Mitsuki. Why had Mio been bullying Mitsuki since they were young? It was soon after Mitsuki had come to live with them that it had happened but there had to be some reason for it deep down.

What wasn't she considering? Why? Even though her parents had adopted Mitsuki since she was six years-old they have never cared for her. So even though Mitsuki was the opposite to Mio, even though Mitsuki was bright and pure, Mio's parents never compared her to Mio so Mio didn't have any right to hate Mitsuki. There was something she wasn't grasping here, something that was confusing her.

Mio even knew what the truth was behind Mitsuki's parents' death but that would mean that Mio might pity Mitsuki but she had no reason to hate her. Mio had nothing to do with Mitsuki other than being cousins and even then it wasn't as if Mitsuki was anything more than a servant or even a slave to the Hongo family. There was something she wasn't understanding.

Ilzuki-san coughed, her arms folded over her chest, "You don't know? You really don't know the answer?" she asked and Kyoko felt herself shiver inside. She had been put on the spot and she really couldn't figure this out. "If so, then there's no other way. It's like I said. You are not fit to play Mio."

Kyoko found her breath caught in her chest. She needed the answer and she needed it now or she would get fired from this job and despite what Ren had told her about his failed attempts, being replaced in a movie would be horrific for her career. She really needed to figure this out.

Ren stood up and walked forwards as he looked at Ilzuka-san. He knew that Kyoko didn't know quite yet what the complications were within the family but she was smart and he knew that if she had time to think about it, she'd be able to come up with the answer but that also meant he had to find her that time. Maybe he couldn't be public with their friendship but he could still look over her as a senior actor.

"Ilzuka-san, please let me speak," he said as he came towards her. "We don't have time to let you find a new actress to play Mio who can satisfy you. Please give her a little more time. Don't worry, the Mio that this girl will bring will definitely satisfy you." Ren took a deep breath in and straightened his spine so that even Kyoko could see how much confidence and command over the situation he had.

"I give you my word," he assured her and Ilzuka-san looked at the impressive Tsuruga Ren and huffed, walking off to the side. Ren gestured with his head for Kyoko to join him somewhere where they could just be the two of them.

As he stopped them he looked at her with a weak smile, "Tell me honestly, what do you think of the character, Mio."

Kyoko frowned, "She's shy, quiet, it's like she's always in the background. To be honest, I don't like this kind of rich young lady but for someone to grow up in this kind of family, it's very likely for that kind of personality to develop," she told him bluntly.

Ren laughed, acknowledging how blunt she was being, "You are very honest but…you are right," he laughed before inhaling and proceeding, "So then, what do you think of Mio being raised with this family background?"

Kyoko looked down, she really didn't like this type of person. Mio had a wealthy lifestyle and yet she still had so much anger that she took out on everyone else. "I think she's a pitiful person."

Ren smiled, "If you think that then I don't have to worry anymore," he smiled to her and for just a moment placed his hand on her shoulder, "Soon enough you'll understand why Mio hates Mitsuki."

103.2

Ren kept looking up at the direction where Kyoko had left. He had asked Yashiro to make sure that she was doing okay since he didn't feel that it was possible for him to do it himself without further questions being raised. He did care for her deeply after all. He walked away with his phone and decided to look through his dictionaries. He didn't' think he needed it for what they were shooting today but it was always good to keep his mind refreshed.

As he got to a hallway where he could be alone, he sighed and closed his eyes. The discussion about Mio and her family and the way that Director Ogata was suffering under his own father's shadow only reminded him of how his parents had given up on him and how they couldn't even love him any longer.

He didn't want to show how much sadness existed in him. He didn't want to be that crying little boy. His family had given up on him a long time ago and he just had to accept that. As he was looking on a site that gave tips on acting in this kind of a drama he saw an ad pop up with a link redirecting him to a Japanese-American magazine, a different one than he had seen.

He read the article on the page and saw that it was another interview with Hizuri Kuu on his career. Why did his father have to be so damn famous? He should stop reading it but then there came the question about his role in Tsukigo Mori and how he felt that Tsuruga Ren would do in the role.

I consider Katsuki one of my best and most iconic roles. I think it's going to be a hard challenge for the whole cast and crew to remake the drama but I'm not worried. I don't really have an opinion on Tsuruga Ren who will be acting the role of Katsuki for Dark Moon

I assure you that Tsuruga Ren is said to be the hottest actor in Japan for the past few years. It would be hard to not have an opinion on his acting, right?

Well, ah, I don't watch his work. I um, it's hard to find time to find time to watch everything and I have no interest in him. No disrespect to the actor but he's of zero interest to me, I don't know what kind of situation I'd be in where I'd need to hear of him.

Even with his movies being huge hits in Japan?

Could we move onto a less insignificant question, please

Ren stared at those words. Insignificant? Of zero interest? Did his father really hate him that much for what he had done. His father didn't even pretend that he was some other actor but that he had no connection at all and possibly no need for him? That wasn't something that should have been said.

Acting very unlike himself, Ren set his username to a false one that he used and sent an email to Kuu Hizuri's fan mail.

Great to hear you hate Tsuruga Ren. I never much cared for him. Actors like that shouldn't be able to act and should just make way for the true actors. I wonder who your heir would be now.

After he had sent it, Ren's eyes widened and he looked at the phone completely shocked. What had he just done? Why had he just done that? He had allowed his personal life to seep out and he just hoped that nobody linked him to that message. They would most likely delete the email or it would be sent to spam. Yes, there wasn't any chance of his father actually reading that himself.

End of Act 103

Thank you for reading

Thank you to the reviewers of Act 102

Kaname671