Chapter 3

Koga knew he shouldn't have pushed her like that. He made bold assumptions about who she was and what kind of relationships she had. Really, he had let his hatred of Tsuruga Ren get the better of him.

Just over a week ago he had seen Kyoko and Ren talking, and he had thought nothing of it. Of course they talked to each other, they were colleagues, and they had the same manager, after all.

And when he saw the spark in Kyoko's eyes when Ren had something particularly clever (at least, he assumed, as he was entirely out of earshot) he knew that she was lying about not being in love with him anymore. And that was okay. Koga knew it was none of his business, and he understood why Kyoko had felt pressured to say she changed her mind about him. Although he was disappointed that she was still so obviously head over heels for Ren, Koga really couldn't hold it against her.

Until she broke his gaze, and he saw Tsuruga Ren return the exact same look that she had given him. His usually fake, plastic smile was soft, and warm, and loving, and directed at her. Kyoko wasn't just some girl who had a crush on a celebrity, he loved her back. She wasn't in love with him. They were in love.

And that was the part that made him sick. Kyoko who, as much as she pushed his buttons, was full of personality, was with Mr. Painted-on. The one expression Ken-doll who only broke his facade for the stage. The man who managed to fit every girls fantasy by being so bland, so uninteresting, that they could project whoever they wanted onto him.

So he cornered her, hoping that she would vehemently deny his claims, and he could go on pretending she was the type who would never fall for that. But the more he prodded, the more he insinuated, the more she gave away.

Koga briefly wondered what image Kyoko was projecting onto Ren to get her to stand by him, but he shook it from his head. It was a dangerous road to go down. Still, he couldn't help but feel that they couldn't be more opposite. Kyoko, who sometimes struggled to keep her raw emotions in check, and Ren, who only displayed emotions as an accessory to his already perfectly coifed image.

He found himself musing that Kyoko really did deserve better. She deserved someone like her, someone passionate, and open, even if he sometimes put his own foot in his mouth, someone like him who–

He stopped himself again. This was a dangerous path to go down.

Besides, he had already drawn the only conclusion he needed: he owed Kyoko a huge apology.