Chapter Three

Kyoko and Kanae sat side by side in the President's office, gaping at the scene in front of them. It was furnished as a medieval castle this time, although they personally doubted that any castle had ever, regardless of era, been the meeting place for such an uncomfortable group. The two LoveMe girls watched as Ren awkwardly extracted himself from Mitsu's embrace. Kyoko had already been attacked by the flying blur of blond hair and apricot scarf when she'd entered the room, and Kanae had attached her most threatening glare to her face before Mitsu was able to hug her as well. Ren's Demon Lord, however, seemed to be completely ineffective in the face of Mitsu's undying adoration and quenchless need for physical contact.

Kanae folded her arms against her chest and leaned back on the plush couch. Mo! So I'm not famous enough for him to attack me too? How does this guy know Kyoko anyway? And what's the President's suit of armour? I thought he liked authenticity! That isn't even real armour. He's leaking polystyrene everywhere. The truth was, Takarada Lory was simply incapable of bearing the weight of genuine armour. Instead, he had decided on a polystyrene duplicate, which was not proving to be the most durable option.

"Ren! Come on in, hurry up. We have a fair bit to get through today, and I'd like to get started now. I've promised Maria that we'll go horse-riding together, since I'm meeting with my jousting instructor this afternoon," the President said, waving them in. He seemed unfazed by Mitsu's liveliness.

Yashiro, who was standing nervously behind Ren, (and wondering why his Curtain of the Night was not working against this fanboy) silently reprimanded his charge. Rennnnn~! Stop acting so unmanly and letting him hug you in front of Kyoko! Although she might find it endearing. But still! So unmanly. Even Kanae-chan can block Mitsunari better than you can.

"Mitsunari-san," Ren said coldly, after he had seated himself in an armchair opposite the two girls, "I would appreciate it if you could refrain from physically assaulting me every time we see one another. As you know, we will be working together, and it would be highly inconvenient for you to do that all the time on set. I'm sure you don't want to hinder production either."

"Oh, Ren-chan! Why are you so formal? We're from the same agency! And I'm sure we're going to be the best of friends anyway. Kyoko-chan and I are already getting along so well," Mitsu said.

Unfortunately, his last words only served to intensify the Demon Lord's anger. Beside her, Kanae felt Kyoko shiver involuntarily. Sensing that they were quickly speeding away from the original point of the meeting (and towards a fatal collision), she spoke up. "So, Takarada-san, you wanted to see all of us. Shouldn't we start?"

"Yes, Kanae-san, quite right. So, you are aware that I am one of the main financers for this project? Good. Director Fujishima and I have found a location in which you will live as your characters. We're gone ahead and adapted one floor of an apartment for filming purposes. For the duration of the first season, you will live together as your characters. We feel that this will help you to portray the relationships between the characters realistically, as well as give you a chance to really develop your own characters. You will be able to fulfil all your other obligations as well, so don't worry, you won't be spending too much time there except at night, and when you're filming together."

Four actors and one manager stared at the President blankly, and for once, it was not because of his outrageous costume. Well, that could've been it too. Usually knights in shining armour with evoke glorious images of princesses in Kyoko's mind; however, a slowly disintegrating slab of polystyrene was hardly effective in doing that.

Yashiro was the first to break the silence, but only to lean over and whisper in Ren's ear excitedly. "Ren! You'll be living with Kyoko!"

Ren leaned away from him, but Yashiro continued. "And you can wake up together in the morning, and have breakfast..."

"Mo!" Kanae stood up. "What do you mean; we're going to be living together? Why is that even necessary?"

"Didn't I already explain, Kanae-san? Don't worry; it's all paid for, so you don't have to worry. Now, are there any objections? It'd be a good idea to go home and prepare to move in by this evening. I'll send transport around for those of you who need it, to take you to your new home for the next few months!"

"I have no problem with it," Mitsu piped up. "But Lory-chan, have you found me a new manager yet? The last one ran away from me after two days. I don't know what I did!"

"Mitsunari-san, don't worry, I think I've found someone who might work for you. You can meet her after we've finished here. She's just down at LA Hearts at the moment, waiting for my call," Lory said swiftly, looking pleased with himself."So, everyone's fine?"

"So I really get to live with Moko-san?" Kyoko asked excitedly. The President nodded, and Kanae braced herself as her friend flung herself at her with a high-pitched squeal. "Moko-san! We can do lots of girly things and have sleepovers every night and play with make-up and dress-up!"

"Mo! Don't talk about this stuff in front of other people. How old are we?" Kanae snapped, pushing Kyoko away. Secretly, she was quite pleased to be able to spend so much time with Kyoko, and was also happy to be working with her again. She wouldn't let that blasted Tsuruga take up all of her time, and that Mitsunari was looking a bit too friendly with her too.

"Sorry Moko-san," Kyoko said, not looking sorry at all. Ren, on the other hand, was staring at her with a mixture of tolerance and exasperation. He didn't want to hurt her feelings by backing out of the drama now, but the President was going too far by making them live together. He'd been in the business for long enough to know that while directors valued realism, they rarely went to such lengths. No, this was definitely the President's fault. That, or the gods hated him.

At the moment, he wasn't sure which was worse.

/

I was originally going to make it so that they all lived in a house together, but some research told me that this is definitely not common in Japan, especially not with those who are native to the country, so I refrained. In fact, I didn't find much evidence that they even had roommates/housemates, but I imagine that in the entertainment industry, they'd be at least a little more progressive in regards to that. Either way, the coming chapters will explain the arrangement a little better.

Thanks for reading this far, and for all your reviews, especially those of you who've taken the time to provide constructive comments on various aspects of my writing. This is a relatively shorter chapter compared to the others I've written, but it felt like a good place to end it. Hope you enjoyed it!

- Interficere