DISCLAIMER: SKIP BEAT! and its associated characters are the work of Yoshiki Nakamura. This author claims no ownership of Skip Beat or any of its characters. All other rights reserved.
Thank you to Miss Miya Namariya, Mimagren, Elena5Shiho, NCISduck, and Claraowl for your unfailing support on the Discord server!
Goodtome: my apologies - I didn't get as far as I wanted, events-wise, in this chapter.
Author's Notes at bottom of the page.
Chapter IX: The Substance of Things Hoped For
For now we see through a glass, darkly;
but then face to face:
now I know in part;
but then shall I know
even as I am also known.
"I've been such an idiot," Kyoko said. Yayoi had found her in the kitchen, finishing what appeared to be a thoroughly unnecessary overhaul of the kitchen pots. Now the girl was busy sobbing into Yayoi's shoulders as the puzzled woman patted her head awkwardly.
But what happened? Yayoi thought. Last night this sobbing girl looked as if she'd truly been transformed by a fairy godmother. She was certain that Kyoko and Hizuri-san had gone their separate ways afterwards, that there hadn't been an additional scene after the one she witnessed. But still...one never knew. It was entirely possible he had found her afterwards and more had transpired between the two of them. Yayoi felt an upswell of protectiveness as Kyoko quieted and separated from her.
"I'm sorry, Yayoi-san. But I made a mistake." Kyoko raised her eyes then. "I forgot for a minute that I am the heir to this ryokan. Even after coming back from Tokyo...I thought I'd learned my lesson well. But I guess I haven't."
"You and Hizuri-san." Yayoi said, and Kyoko's eyes flew to her face, a blush staining her cheeks. Yayoi smiled ruefully. "I saw you last night, you know. When you came in. The two of you."
Kyoko turned even redder. "Ano...Yayoi-san….! I…I...understand if you're disappointed in me. I know he's a guest and I do know better than to fraternize with a guest—"
"Shhhhh, Kyoko. I'm not disappointed in you. When have you ever given me any reason not to trust you?"
"It's just...it's just…"
"That you're a young woman who's never had the chance to do the things all young girls get to do?"
Kyoko looked at Yayoi, surprised. She'd expected the woman to berate her and tell her that guests were off-limits. This oddly soft, strangely caring iteration of Yayoi-san was an anomaly. "Oh no, Yayoi-san. I could never say that. You and Etsuro-san have always been so kind to me."
"You've always been so mature. I know you never took your role here with us lightly, Kyoko—but last night was the first night I've seen you look happy since you came back."
"I've been very grateful to you," Kyoko said, "and I have been happy here."
Yayoi looked at her sadly, ruffling a stray lock that had come loose on her head. "You've been working very hard, dear. But your smiles never reach your eyes. I wish I'd said something before. When I saw you last night, I thought something had changed." She hesitated, then continued. "I felt like you should have a chance at happiness, and the way you two were standing….well, it was very sweet. I thought, perhaps...well, nevermind. But now, tell me. Why are you here? Why all this?" She gestured out to the sparkling kitchen.
A fresh round of tears clouded Kyoko's eyes but she shook her head. "I just...I just thought perhaps I haven't been as thorough in cleaning the kitchen…"
Yayoi paused. It was obvious that Kyoko didn't want to tell her something. What could it have been? Oh...oh no. Could I have misread the situation entirely? she asked herself. Out loud, she said "Did that boy take advantage of you?"
Kyoko looked abashed. "No," she said. "But I should never have gone to that stupid matsuri with him. It was..." The girl stopped and shook her head.
But if he didn't take advantage of her, then why is she so upset? Yayoi thought. "If he did something…"
"He...he only acted like all boys do." Kyoko picked up a bowl and a dish towel, drying it with a vengeance, keeping her hands busy to keep herself from lashing out in frustration.
The implication wasn't lost on the older woman. Kyoko-chan had said 'all boys,' but there was really only one boy the girl had known, and that boy was her son. The fact that she had failed to protect Kyoko from her own son rankled, and Yayoi simply wanted to do better. He acted like Sho? she thought. She remembered the look on Hizuri's face as one of tenderness and near-worship. The boy last night hadn't looked like he acted like Sho did at all. 'He acted like all boys do?' Did that mean...So he DID take advantage of her! That boy! Yayoi felt a wave of alarm crash over her and then caught Kyoko's wrist as the girl started to sidle away towards the broom closet. Taken to its logical conclusion, a man who acted like Sho was the kind of asshole who cornered women, put his hands where they weren't welcome, and then congratulated himself in the mirror for having given them "what they wanted." If he's put his hands on her, I will throw him out into the river this very morning, Yayoi thought, 50 million yen be damned. "Kyoko-chan. Please," she said, her voice rising in panic. "Tell me what's wrong? What happened?"
Kyoko's amber eyes looked sadly into Yayoi's brown ones. WE KNOW WHO TSURUGA REN'S GIRLFRIEND IS! the headlines screamed in her mind. Kiss after kiss played out in her head in an infinite loop of pain and mockery. But Yayoi didn't know that Kuon was Ren. Kyoko wanted to tell her. But as soon as the thought to tell Yayoi crossed her mind, she dismissed it. Hurtful or not, true or not, Tsuruga Ren's true identity was not her secret to share. Even if he had played with her horribly, she would keep the story behind his Japanese stage name secret all the way to her grave because she had given her word to do so. How could she tell Yayoi? She shook her head sadly at Yayoi and turned her gaze to the floor again.
Yayoi looked at the girl impassively, crossing her arms. Her lips narrowed as Kyoko felt her stare bore down into her. It was a look that Kyoko hadn't seen since she was a child, the one Yayoi gave her whenever she was covering for Sho, when it was clear that Sho had set Kyoko up for the punishment he deserved. Back then, Yayoi had allowed Kyoko to take the fall for Sho's misdeeds. It was willful ignorance on her part, but even back then she knew that Kyoko would never do the things she covered for. But now? Well, whatever the Hizuri boy had done, she would not have Kyoko covering for him.
"Kyoko," she said, a note of warning in her voice.
Kyoko turned her amber eyes up at Yayoi, and gulped. I see you, Yayoi's eyes told her. I see that you're hiding something.
"I'm sorry, Yayoi-san. I cannot tell you. Hizuri-san should tell you himself, honestly."
Hizuri Kuon had turned her insides into a churling mass. Not a minute more, she'd been thinking just minutes ago, but now that rage was resolving into a gnarled mass of pain-rage-want. She wanted him to disappear out of her life. And she wanted him to stay forever. It made no sense. If it had been as easy as simple indignation at finding out about Tsuruga Ren's girlfriend, Kyoko may have allowed herself to rage openly. But it was the lumbering shadow of her own desire that shamed her. How could she tell Yayoi that she'd wanted him as much as he seemed to want her? Even if Yayoi were kind enough to overlook this indiscretion, how could she tell her that she'd allowed him liberties that not even Sho had taken, had allowed herself to get carried away and then just minutes later, to find out how easily Kuon had tricked her? Okami-san! Ten years ago I met a fairy in a forest but it turns out he's a playboy piece of shit that bullies strangers and cheats on his girlfriend but also I can't help but want him because I am an idiot and should be ashamed of myself and I should know better but here we are and this kitchen will never be clean enough. Stupid, lovesick, idiot girl. This was something she couldn't tell Yayoi. Even now the thought of the warmth of his skin made her flush, and that despite the fact that she had all but sworn off his company. The man was a guest, she had been at work, and she certainly knew better than to get involved with a guest. It hadn't just been a failure of judgment. She had failed as a future Okami-san.
"I swear, Kyoko, if he's done something to you…" Yayoi said.
NEVER AGAIN, Kyoko thought, and then decided on a blind alley strategy. The whiplash from the last twenty-four hours had exhausted her, but there was no way she could defend maintaining an interest in a man who belonged to someone else. She would tell Yayoi the heart of the matter, at least, in hopes that telling someone else would keep her from reneging on her resolve. "No! No...it's not like that. It's...He...he has a girlfriend," she said, helplessly. "He has a girlfriend and yet he acted...like...he acted...as if...oh god, I swore to myself I'd never do this again. He has a girlfriend, Yayoi-san, so why? Why did he do that with me?"
"Ah," Yayoi said. That piece of intelligence took her aback. Yayoi looked at the girl in front of her. No wonder she's upset, Yayoi thought. He didn't look like he was just playing with her, but then...a pretty face can hide an evil mind. I shouldn't be surprised he turned out rotten after all, Yayoi sighed, remembering the three-day absurdity of Hizuri Kuon pretending to be a grandfather. But that look of longing on his face when he put the kanzashi in her hair—there was no mistaking that gesture as platonic. Any boy acting like that left no doubt as to what his intentions were...but if he'd had a girlfriend all along! She surmised that even a girl like love-deprived Kyoko would have felt as betrayed as any girl who'd been led on in such an infamous fashion. Yayoi clenched her fists. Last night she'd felt an uncharacteristic burst of romanticism, and this morning she felt Kyoko's disappointment keenly. She almost felt personally affronted that Kyoko's prince turned out to be...just another philandering pretty boy. And it was clear that Kyoko was heartbroken. After Sho...and now after this Hizuri Kuon. Poor Kyoko hasn't had much luck, Yayoi thought. Perhaps it would be best if she met someone at an omiai after all. Perhaps maybe then we could keep her from being hurt like this.
The girl could be painfully transparent, and, right now, she needed a friend. She doubted Kyoko had ever had anyone to have 'girl talk' with, given the bullying that she was subject to. Despite the fact that Yayoi and Etsuro had known how she felt about Sho, she had never once asked Kyoko to confide in her about her feelings towards her son, either in the past or in the present...and now, she felt awkward offering Kyoko a shoulder to cry on. No, Yayoi thought. Not just a friend. She needs a mother. And she knew it was far too late to be Kyoko's mother, but she'd do her best to protect her like one.
"'Ah,'" Kyoko echoed, bitterly. "He must've thought I was such an easy mark…"
"Don't blame yourself," Yayoi said, "You didn't do anything wrong, Kyoko. You didn't." Yayoi smiled ruefully. "He had me fooled, too. I could have sworn that he...he looked like he cared. I thought he could be serious about you. I know you must be so disappointed...but Kyoko...you are young, beautiful, smart, and, frankly..." Yayoi took her hands, reddened with that night's scrubbing, "...you are rich. Or will be. You can have your pick of men, and there will be someone else who won't treat you like this." Yayoi's mind was racing with thoughts on what to do next. Takarada-san and I will have to talk, she thought, and I will have to review the contract terms to see whether or not we can rid ourselves of this...this *playboy!* Not another one, not under my roof, preying on Kyoko...I won't have it.
Kyoko shook her head. "I am a plain, boring girl, Yayoi-san. I know I can be a good Okami-san if I work hard enough, but someone like Hizuri-san would never have taken a second look at me if there had been any other options..."
Yayoi stared at Kyoko, realizing the girl meant what she'd said. So she truly has been oblivious to the way men look at her! she thought. "No, dear. I don't know who told you that you were a plain, boring girl—but perhaps you haven't noticed how people look at you? You are beautiful. Someone should have told you this a long time ago."
"But if you'd seen the others, Yayoi-san, then you'd know he'd never think of me that way. He couldn't have. I'm not...I'm not pretty enough…and they were all so glamorous. So gorgeous...like princesses..." She trailed off.
"The others? What others?" Yayoi asked. She was puzzled.
"The other wo-" Kyoko stopped, putting a hand over her mouth.
"The other women? Kyoko, what in the…" Yayoi was confused. Other WOMEN!? I know there couldn't have been others here, certainly not last night! Were there others at the matsuri somehow? I thought there was ONE girlfriend! Is he cheating on his girlfriend with multiple women?! How indecent! How heinous! This manwhore!
The girl made a strangled sound. "I saw his social media." It wasn't quite his social media, but Kyoko couldn't exactly tell Yayoi that Hizuri-san had fan pages. "I knew I shouldn't have looked but I did and I am glad I did, because otherwise I wouldn't have known...but I'm sorry, I've said too much. I told him I'd keep it confidential...even if I know he's just playing with me…"
She trailed off miserably.
Yayoi looked at Kyoko with sympathy as anger filled her. What kind of asshole is he? she thought. Playing with a girl like Kyoko and having his social media accounts filled with women! The gall! He's one hell of an actor to be able to conjure up a look like that. He's done nothing but play games with us all since he arrived. Yayoi had grown up before the age of social media and did not frequent the apps herself. She left the ryokan website and accounts up to Kyoko, who maintained them on the office workstation. "I will not have anyone treating you this way, Kyoko-chan. Not a guest, not one of the staff—no one! He will leave today. I will call Takarada-san…!"
Yayoi began to storm off, but Kyoko caught her sleeve at the last moment. She was looking down, her eyes invisible under her fringe of hair. "Ano...Yayoi-san," she said, "Please. I didn't mean to cause such trouble for us. Please don't throw him out...it wouldn't just be the loss of his booking. He could leave a bad review, or—"
"I don't care about the reviews," Yayoi responded, "I care about you."
"So long as I keep away from him, I think I'll be able to avoid him altogether," Kyoko responded, "If we can ask someone else to take his meals up to him." And if he leaves today, I'll never see him again, her traitorous heart added. The thought was barely formed before she hated herself for thinking it. She sat silent, hoping Yayoi hadn't seen through her turmoil. "It will be easy to avoid him once I start with my summer assignments."
Yayoi sighed and put her hands on Kyoko's shoulders. "Leave this in my hands. I won't let him hurt you. It's the very least I can do." Impulsively, she hugged the girl.
Kyoko leaned into her and nodded, taking comfort in the rare act of endearment. Trembling, she drew out the kanzashi that was still in her hair and held it out to Yayoi, paused, and then took Corn from her pocket. "Then, Yayoi-san, if I may ask you to do one last thing for me...please give these back to him. I cannot keep them and I cannot bear to see him again."
Her hands clutched at the two gifts he'd given her. The kanzashi's silver was heavy in her hand, and Corn was still warm from her body heat. The kanzashi was new and had only been in her possession for a few hours, but Corn? Corn was an old friend, worn down by years of grief and hurt and worry. But Corn was not magic. Corn was just a rock. Just like Kuon was just a playboy. She dropped Corn like a hot coal into Yayoi's hand, feeling as if a thousand knives had been stuck into her soul to cut part of it off. She handed Yayoi the kanzashi next, feeling unmoored, unprotected, and naked like a ship that had lost its anchor. But she held her head up. I am going to be fine, Kyoko thought, I will put everything into a box and nothing will remind me of him.
Yayoi nodded, surprised to be holding Kyoko's childhood charm alongside the kanzashi Kuon had placed in her hair.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A sky lit in the orange glow of sunset. Prince Touma stood on the ruins of a once-magnificent castle, his golden hair swept back by the wind. Beside him lay his sword, thrown down after the last battle. His violet eyes gazed passionately at his lover. He had journeyed a long way to be here, had conquered valiant foes, fought monsters, endured terrible loss and hardship. But at last, he stood with the Kingdom of Antiquaria at his feet and his love by his side.
"Though the winds of war came between us," he said, "I knew that you were my destiny. You, and you alone, saved me. You are my heart. A million lifetimes would not be enough time to spend with you. Please, stay here with me. Marry me, beloved. Let us rebuild this castle and our kingdom…"
The golden-haired prince's hand came towards his lover, the music swelled and—
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!
Lory batted at his phone, frantically pausing the game on his console. Touma-kun! Wait for meeee!, he thought. He'd spent all night playing this game and wanted to savor the ending. Whoever was calling could surely leave a voicemail. Perhaps Ruto could call them back. He was just about to silence the ringing when he saw the number on the screen.
The ryokan.
Ba-dump went his heart. Zing! went that feeling. His intuition came online at high alert. A call at 7am in the morning? What had that boy done now? Lory did a silent run-down. Five days since Kuon had been packed off to Kyoto, disgruntled and cranky in his kei car. Two days since Fuwa-san had informed him of the 'grandfather plot' Kuon was perpetrating. And yesterday, the boy hadn't even wanted to leave his room.
"Moshi moshi," he said, flipping the handset open. "Fuwa-san?"
"Takarada-san." The voice on the other end of the line was terse. An angry voice, Lory decided.
"Yes, Fuwa-san. How can I help you today?"
"I am afraid I have a delicate situation to discuss."
Oh ho, Lory thought. "A delicate situation?" he repeated.
"We are a customer-focused business. We aim to provide refuge to our guests and give the utmost best in service and comfort during their stay. We have tried to accede to every single one of your requests regarding Hizuri-san, and we have acceded to all of his requests as well."
"Indeed. You and your staff have been most accommodating."
"Unfortunately, recent events have made it impossible for us to continue with this arrangement. I regret to inform you that we must cut Hizuri-san's stay short. We can no longer host him. He has not yet risen from bed, but we wanted to inform you first as the person whose card is on file. Of course, we will repay you the portion of your pre-payment for the days he will not be staying with us. Please be assured of our discretion in this matter, per the terms of the non-disclosure agreements we signed."
Lory had to hand it to the Okami-san. Her voice was polite, soft, and matter-of-fact. The formality of her statements left little room for questioning, leading the listener to believe there was no room for negotiation. It was the kind of voice that defanged deranged drunks and obnoxious foreigners alike with little fanfare and much skill. And yet Lory knew there was a veiled anger behind her words, something more than mere irritation. He HAS done something, Lory thought. Something bad enough to make this woman furious. Out loud, he said "You must understand this comes as a surprise to me. May I ask why?"
"As I said, Takarada-san, this is a most delicate matter. Perhaps you may wish to speak to Hizuri-san yourself."
"As you said, Okami-san, the boy is still asleep. May I ask you for a summary, perhaps? If he's done something, I will take it upon myself to remedy the situation as best as I am able. It is somewhat important for him to have this time away, you see. Your ryokan occupies a special place in his heart, and there is simply nowhere else that I could send him to."
"It is not so simple, I'm afraid. I do not wish to impugn anyone's reputation. We wish to protect the privacy of those involved. Hizuri-san may tell you himself, but at the moment, I am not at liberty to tell you more."
"Hmpf," Lory said. Kuon, the wild boy who he'd accused of growing too mild, now in a 'delicate' and 'private' predicament? Again, he took stock of the situation. Kuon knows better than to trash the room, Lory mused, he's bored, but he's not that bored. He's been rude to the staff, but he promised he'd be better, and that alone wouldn't have caused Fuwa-san to want to throw him out. It was certainly possible that there could be another factor that Lory did not know of, but given the facts he did have at hand, there was only one logical conclusion. Lory grinned, recalling a cheerful voice promising to make sure Kuon ate during his first call to the ryokan. The same voice, incidentally, that apparently belonged to Kuon's concierge. The one he was supposed to go to the matsuri with. Miss Breakfast-helps-you-win-the-day, he mused, is it you? Inwardly, he squealed. This was better than an otome game. Fuwa-san was on the other end of the call, a side character who was likely integral to success on this particular route. He could see the menu of choices before him. Should he tell her the real story? Should he accept her dismissal of Kuon from her ryokan? Should he fool her and tell her something to placate her? What would be the correct decision? Allowing Kuon to depart the ryokan would certainly be a dead-end path. He dismissed it outright. He had a feeling that she was too perceptive to be placated, particularly when she was so set on Kuon leaving. One option left.
Out loud, he said "Fuwa-san, I wish to remind you that the non-disclosure you signed was mutual, covering your disclosures as well as ours. Given what I know about Hizuri-san, I am sure you have questions. Let us level with one another. As an added inducement, I will remit payment for the full reservation period at your ryokan, regardless of whether or not Hizuri-san completes his stay there. Only tell me what he did last night, and I will keep it confidential between us."
"How did you know it was last night?" Yayoi asked.
"It could only have been last night, and likely late. I spoke to him yesterday morning, and nothing seemed amiss. And I would have received a call from you yesterday if he'd done something earlier."
Yayoi couldn't argue with the man's logic. He had the timeline down. And it was true, she had questions. Questions about who Hizuri-san was, questions about why he was there, why secrecy was so important...where all the money was coming from. And she'd begun to question what had truly happened between him and Kyoko. There was the small matter of Kyoko's request that she give Hizuri-san his 'gifts' back. She had seen the boy place the kanzashi in Kyoko's hair last night. But the stone? Kyoko had been clutching that stone since she was a child. It was her good-luck charm. "I admit I have questions, Takarada-san. Our guest has been an enigma. But the payment in full is not necessary. You need not buy our silence. We will abide under the terms of the non-disclosure agreement."
"Nevertheless, Yayoi-san, you shall have the full payment. I am aware that the stay at your ryokan is unusually long. No doubt there would have been additional bookings had we not reserved such a long time, and if our stay were to be cancelled, you would have trouble filling the vacancies on such short notice….So tell me. What happened?"
"Takarada-san…" For the first time during their call, Lory heard a hint of hesitation in Yayoi's voice. The feeling gathered some strength, filling him with butterflies. "You...you should be aware that we maintain a strict policy of no fraternization between our hotel staff and our guests."
"Indeed. I would expect no less from an establishment like yours."
Lory heard Yayoi sigh. "Last night, Hizuri-san attended the Gion Matsuri with one of our employees. No...not an employee. Our Okami-san-in-training. She was acting as his concierge and guide."
She trailed off into silence, not knowing how much to say—or even how to say it.
"And you believe Hizuri-san has formed a tendre for his concierge," Lory flatly stated. It wasn't a question.
"Ha! Hardly. I believe Hizuri-san is a shameless playboy and a cheat, sir, who is playing with a young girl's feelings shamelessly."
"Excuse me...Kuon? A cheat?"
"How else would you describe a man who flirts shamelessly with someone while in a serious relationship with another woman?"
"A serious relationship?!...I'm sorry, Fuwa-san, but I don't know what you're talking about. Did Kuon tell you he was dating someone?"
"No...our...Kyoko-chan found it on his social media."
"Did you see it yourself?"
"No, but I trust her implicitly. Her judgment is solid. She would not have told me so if it weren't true."
Lory sighed. "...Kuon doesn't have any social media accounts."
"Impossible. Kyoko wouldn't have said she found his girlfriend and his dalliances with other women if there had been no social media accounts!"
"Do you know who Hizuri Kuon is?"
Yayoi paused. "I know that he is our guest. I know that he is eccentric, picky with his food, charming when he wants to be. Apparently he's rich. That's all."
"Are you by a computer, by any chance?"
"I am in my office, Takarada-san." Yayoi huffed. "Where are you going with this? You stated you wanted to 'level with me.' This cryptic stalling isn't convincing me that Hizuri-san should stay on the premises."
"Fuwa-san, please. Have you gotten a look—a really good look—at Hizuri-san's fce?"
"I...suppose I have. Why does this matter?"
"Then, if you remember his face, won't you please pull up a picture of Dark Moon's Katsuki?"
Yayoi moved to oblige, but the browser she accessed gave her an error and informed her that it had been improperly closed, asking if she'd like to restore the tabs instead. Not knowing whether Kyoko had been working on something important, she clicked 'Yes.'
Instantly the screen filled with a plethora of Tsuruga Ren's pictures. Ten different tabs on one browser window, all pointing to articles, videos, and fansites covering Tsuruga Ren. Why was Kyoko looking up pictures of Tsuruga Ren? Yayoi asked herself. It wasn't like her. After having known Sho, Kyoko assiduously eschewed celebrity news and celebrity worship. A poster for Dark Moon stood at the top of the image search that formed the active tab, and she stared at Tsuruga's Katsuki character. "That's odd, Takarada-san. It looks like perhaps Kyoko-chan also did a web search of Tsuruga Ren. I have a picture of Katsuki on the screen. Why…?"
Lory waited for the pieces to fall in place for her. The fact that the girl had done a search for Tsuruga Ren meant that Kuon had likely told the girl his true identity. For years that had been a secret so closely guarded that Kuon had not even contacted Kuu or Julienna, living so deeply as Tsuruga Ren that even Lory almost forgot who he was. And yet just a few days into his stay in Kyoto, he revealed himself to a complete stranger. Of course, it was possible that the girl had recognized him, but then...surely Kuon could have acted his way out of that inconvenient truth? She also hadn't told Fuwa-san about Kuon's identity. How curious, he thought. He found himself wanting to know more about this Kyoko-chan.
His musings were interrupted by a small gasp from Yayoi. "Fuwa-san?" he asked.
"Ano...is Hizuri Kuon related to Tsuruga Ren? The resemblance is remarkable."
"They are related, in a manner of speaking." Lory paused. "In fact, they are the same person. You are one of a very small handful of people in the world with this information. I suspect Kuon has also told your Kyoko-chan. I must impress upon you how vital it is that you keep this information confidential."
"Tsuruga Ren is in this ryokan right now? THE Tsuruga Ren?"
"Yes. And while Tsuruga Ren does have official social media accounts, I can tell you he doesn't manage them himself. Moreover, as the head of the agency that represents him, I promise you there are no representations regarding his dalliances with any women on any of them."
"Of course we will keep this information confidential, Takarada-san. But I thought that Hizuri-san came to the ryokan because he'd stayed there in the past. I have no recollection or record of Tsuruga Ren or his family ever staying here."
"Tsuruga Ren isn't a real name, you know. Hizuri Kuon is his real name. You don't remember a Hizuri family staying in your ryokan, Fuwa-kun?"
"Yes...Of course I remember...but...surely not. I thought perhaps they simply had the same surname. Hizuri Kuu? And family? Having them stay here was such an exciting time for us."
"Yes."
"Then...Tsuruga Ren is...related to Hizuri Kuu?"
"I'm surprised you didn't make the connection beforehand. Kuon is his son. They stayed there ten years ago when Kuon was just a child. He told me that it was the last time in his life he felt happiness. That's why I sent him there, you know." Lory told her the story. How Ren's recent roles had been failures. How his romance scenes were so wooden they made more observant viewers cringe.
"I did not think his Katsuki was a particularly good performance, but that last kiss looked convincing enough to me."
"Ha! You're kind, Fuwa-san. Too kind. More forgiving than the reviewers. Ogata had Ren repeat that scene at least twenty times before he was satisfied with it. And even then, he had to use a camera angle to obscure Ren's face. We seriously considered dismissing him from the role more than once. Perhaps you noticed that the camera focused on Momose-san instead of Ren? I believe she complained to the cast afterwards. Said it was like 'kissing a dead fish.'"
"But...I'm afraid this doesn't help your case," Yayoi countered. "He's an incredibly popular actor. He's so good-looking people don't care if he can't act. A man like Tsuruga-kun...with a face like that...he must have dozens of women throwing themselves at him. A man like him has no need of a girl like Kyoko-chan. My sole purpose in asking him to remove himself from our establishment is to protect her, you know. She's been through a lot. She deserves someone who will treasure her. And someone like Hizuri-san..." Lory heard Yayoi sigh before she continued. "Someone like Hizuri san may talk and act like a Romeo. He even had me fooled. But she deserves better than being his plaything."
Curiouser and curiouser, Lory thought. 'Had me fooled'? Lory was getting excited. That feeling was telling him he was on the right track, that all he needed to do was pull a thread and the path would come clear. Yayoi sounded as if she'd seen something. "I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss him. Have you never heard the English phrase 'Don't judge a book by its cover'? Kuon is immensely talented, Fuwa-san. He just hasn't known what to do with himself lately. He's lost, professionally and personally. And I happen to know there is no one special in Tsuruga-kun's life right now."
"Ehhh? Impossible. It says so right here. 'WE KNOW WHO TSURUGA REN'S GIRLFRIEND IS.' Kusunoki Kana-san. Even I know who she is."
"Would you believe me if I told you that was a publicity stunt on Kusunoki-san's part?"
"No."
Lory groaned inwardly. The woman was like a brick wall. "I swear it," he said. "Kusunoki-san has had a partner for years. She only wished to deflect attention from that partner by ambushing Tsuruga Ren. And I can vouch for the fact that not only is he not dating Kusunoki-san, he's been celibate for the last six years."
"Celibate? A young man of his age? Looking the way he does? With his money? Somehow it seems implausible, Takarada-san," Yayoi said sarcastically. "And I only have your word against the proof I see with my own eyes."
Being the head of the largest and most prestigious entertainment agency in Japan meant one was not questioned terribly often. Lory was used to making the most irrational and bizarre commands and having them executed without question. But he was finding no such complaisance in Yayoi. "I do admit it sounds implausible," he said, "but it's the truth. At the very least, I can tell you he isn't cheating on anybody. You're a shrewd woman, Fuwa-kun. Read the articles, then. Tell me. I'll wait while you read through them. Do they seem credible?"
Yayoi looked through the same search results Kyoko had found in the wee hours of that morning, reading through the articles impassively as Lory interjected with his commentary. The first, of course, was the article detailing the kiss with Kusunoki Kana. Yayoi read it through but could find no confirmation of either star validating its assertions. "Because it was a stunt," Lory reiterated. "I had dinner with Kana-san and her partner Sakura-san just recently." Yayoi had raised an eyebrow at the implied revelation, but filed away the knowledge. Such a secret could destroy someone's career, she thought. And I suppose Tsuruga Ren would definitely be a good foil to keep people's attention away from the truth.
She continued her perusal of the open tabs. "Is he really a co-star killer?" the second asked. Momose-san complimented Ren as a consummate professional, but the article ended with her revealing her new romance with Kijima Hidehito. "So it couldn't have been that article that upset her so," Yayoi told the attentive Lory.
The next tab was a blog post, titled "My Date with Ren!"...but a brief look revealed that the starlet Morizumi Kimiko had merely been attending a wrap party where Ren also happened to be in attendance. "Hmm. Not that one either," Yayoi muttered. "She's a psychopath," Lory replied, "In the clinical sense of the word. Ren can't stand her." The subsequent tabs were Ren fansites, nothing Yayoi found terribly earth-shattering. She never quite understood the fanatical obsession that forced otherwise reasonable women into spending hours discussing people they'd never know in real life. Tsuruga Ren was one of the biggest stars in Japan. It only stood to reason that there would be fans.
The last open tab was a video-sharing site, open to a video titled "Ren's Cutest Moments." Yayoi toggled through the video as it cut through scene after scene of Ren kissing glamorous actresses. Kyoko-chan...are these the other women you were talking about? she thought. There hadn't been any real-life photographs linking him with other women besides the one with Kana-san. If Takarada says he hasn't been with anyone in six years, then does he mean Hizuri-san was never involved with these co-actors?
But it was when she saw the matsuri scene that she really understood what had upset her ward. She could not know what had happened while they were at the matsuri, but having seen them enter the ryokan holding hands, she could only surmise that the sequence of events mirrored those in the scene she was watching. That gesture, she thought as movie-Ren moved to caress the actress's face. He did the same thing in the lobby. Lory's commentary made it easy to see the flaws in Kuon's acting, but it wasn't until she saw this scene that things became clear to her. Yayoi did not need to be a professional to note the chasm of difference between the scene she had seen in the lobby and the one in the clip. Kuon had moved as if every cell in his body was gravitating towards Kyoko, as if she were the source of life itself. The feeling of electricity in the air had been palpable. But though the Ren in the movie moved in the same way, he moved self-consciously—like an actor with a set of instructions, moving like an automaton making prescribed motions in order to accomplish a task. If she hadn't been observing him so closely, the scene would have looked fine. But she'd seen Kuon in the lobby, and she had to admit that the difference between what was real and what was fake was very very clear, indeed. But she was an impartial observer. To an inexperienced girl like Kyoko-san, he must've looked like he'd simply rehearsed that act. Could it have been a misunderstanding twice over? On her part? On mine?
"Ah," she said out loud. "Takarada-san."
Lory heard the change in Yayoi's voice. Yessss, he thought. We are getting somewhere. "Yes, Fuwa-san?"
"I think I understand something a little better now."
"The articles you've been reading...would you say they've at least introduced some reasonable doubt as to Kuon-kun's playboy nature?"
"I concede the point," she said. "Kyoko-chan did say that she hadn't spoken to him about them, that she'd only seen his social media. And I suppose what she really meant were these search results, because there's nothing on his official pages that would have upset her so much."
"So what do you think?"
"I don't quite know what to think. Last night when I saw them…"
"What did you see?" Lory's excitement rose. Here it is! he thought.
"It was a scene very much like the end of that fan video. The matsuri."
Lory couldn't help himself. He squealed. The thing he called the feeling was doing somersaults internally. On the other side of the call, Yayoi held the phone away from her ear. "Ah, sorry. I couldn't help myself. Yes. The matsuri scene from Tanabata Ai. It's a fan favorite, you know. But Ren was as wooden in it as always. Thankfully his fan base didn't realize. So...a scene. That was a lot like the movie?"
"In my lobby. He gave Kyoko-chan a kanzashi, put it in her hair. To be perfectly honest with you, I was completely taken in. He looked as if...as if…"
"As if?"
"Like he couldn't live without her."
It was just as well that Yayoi couldn't see Lory doing a pantsless dance on his divan. "And your Kyoko-chan?"
"She looked like a garden come alive after the winter."
"I never would have taken you for a poet, Fuwa-san."
"I confess I was surprised. Kyoko-chan isn't the type to encourage any...intimacies. She's actively avoided them, actually. It truly was like a scene from a movie. A better movie than Tanabata Ai."
Lory was glad Fuwa-san had dropped her extreme formality. But he still hadn't secured the 'route' for Kuon. "But then something must've made her do this search on Ren."
"Yes. I found her crying this morning while she scrubbed pots in the kitchen."
"Your Okami-san-in-training scrubs pots in the kitchen?"
"She's...always been very diligent. I'm not sure I could stop her if I tried."
"And Kuon likes to eat the food she cooks. That's quite unusual, you know. He doesn't like to eat at all."
"Kyoko-chan has been training in our kitchen since she was a child." She started learning the katsuramuki at the age of 7! Yayoi thought. "She takes great pride in making sure our guests eat well."
"You sound very proud of her."
"I am very proud of her. She's extraordinary. Someone even Tsuruga Ren should treasure. If he even deserves her."
"What now, then? Will you let him stay?"
"I can't very well let him stay if Kyoko-chan is upset by his presence."
"But what if she's wrong? What if she misunderstood what she saw? Jumped to conclusions, perhaps?"
"I suppose it's possible. She's generally very observant, but it's not outside the realm of possibility for her to have been deeply upset by the picture of Tsuruga with Kana-san. Not to mention his little matsuri-re-enactment. And she's quite set on never seeing him again. She asked me to return the kanzashi he placed in her hair to him." Yayoi sighed. "It doesn't surprise me, knowing her. Kyoko is uncomfortable around extravagance and this kanzashi doesn't look cheap. She never spends money on herself. This must've shocked her."
"You know, I've known Kuon since he was an infant and he's never once given a gift to a girl like that."
"It's odd, though...she asked me to return the kanzashi and her childhood lucky charm to him…"
Lory's intuition, on alert this entire time, blazed. "Her childhood lucky charm?"
"Oh yes. It's odd. She wants me to give it to Hizuri-san, but she's had this since she was a child. At least since she started living with us. Talks to it like it can talk back. She said a fairy prince had given it to her. A fairy prince named…" Yayoi gasped. "...Corn."
Yayoi and Lory's eyes widened at the same time. Corn...Kuon...could it be? Yayoi thought.
"Yayoi-kun…" Lory said. "When did you say the Hizuris visited?"
"Eleven years ago, I think?"
"And Kyoko-chan was…"
"A child of six."
"Do you think…"
"...it's possible. It's possible that they could have met."
"He would have been ten at the time. And back then, he was as fairy-like as any boy-child could be."
Yayoi threw her head back and laughed. "What is this? A manga!?"
Lory couldn't stop grinning. He could sense Yayoi coming around to his way of thinking. "It makes sense, though. I thought it was incredibly unusual that he'd tell a complete stranger who he was. You know, when I sent him over there, I had the feeling that there was something important he wasn't telling me about Kyoto." Conspiratorially, he asked, "So...Will you throw him out? Admit it, Fuwa-kun, you want to see what will happen."
"Kyoko-chan deserves someone who will treasure her. I can't deny that seeing those two children last night made me think that perhaps she might have found someone who would do that...But Takarada-san?"
"Hmm?"
"I just can't trust Hizuri-san immediately like that."
A devious look came over Lory's face as he heard her over the phone. "Then don't. Let's put him to the test...Why don't you…"
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A few minutes later, Yayoi ended her call with Lory and readied herself to take Kuon's breakfast up to his room. She was grinning deviously, too.
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Phew. Thank you so much for reading, you guys (if you're still out there!) Please let me know what you think. Seriously. I live for reviews. Reviews are like crack. I had initially meant to cover more ground in this chapter, but it was already quite long and I wanted to get it out there. Rest assured I'm working on the next one! Yes, they will absolutely talk in the next installment. Arrrrghhh!
Author's notes:
1. Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." The verse is biblical, but let's be honest: I took the chapter name from L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Avonlea. I've always thought it was a great chapter title and have wanted to use it for a while.
2. 1 Corinthians 13:12 - "For now we see through a glass darkly…" I don't know why I have so much Bible going on here, I'm as irreligious as they come.
3. "A pretty face can hide an evil mind." - From the song "Secret Agent Man," performed by Johnny Rivers.