Kyoko's problem was threefold. First, she no longer had a solid idea of how to get a husband. She couldn't pretend to be someone else, nor could she pick a man based on his attributes alone. The past two dates had taught her those disappointing truths.
Second, Ren was still trying to corner her. If he managed to win a date, they'd talk all about the whole "Ren and Corn being the same person". That was a can of worms she had no desire opening as it was spring loaded and likely to be a bigger mess than the current situation.
The last problem had nothing to do with her love life and everything to do with her physical safety.
"This time, I'm positive Maria is trying to kill someone."
Day two of Crimson Threads (was it really only day two?) started with an outdoor group game. The game being an enormous obstacle course relay race. From what Kyoko could see, it started normal enough. A climbing wall, mud pit and long wooden planks curved around and out of sight. But just beyond the trees, she could make out what appeared to be medieval torcher devices swinging across the track from ropes.
Ryou stood before them wearing a button-down shirt and brown khaki shorts. He looked like the guy from that survivor show that used to play in America. At least he wasn't wearing another ridiculous leisure suit. Cameras roamed around them, zooming in on expectant faces and nervous glances. The show was in full swing, and Kyoko was already wishing she could run.
"Welcome, to the obstacle race," said Ryou, arms wide to take in the deceptively normal course behind him. "You will be divided into groups of four, each taking turns going through different parts of the course. But before I tell you more about what's behind me, let me tell you a little about what's at stake today."
My life, thought Kyoko. My dignity, respect, and possibly several limbs.
"The team that wins today will get the chance to choose their date for the rest of the evening," continued Ryou. "You'll spend the rest of the day with them, and only that person."
And thank you for making problem number two, AKA problem Ren, that much harder.
"But that's not all. Today's winners will win two tickets for an Alaskan Cruise. With all expenses paid, you can enjoy the picturesque scenery on your—"
Kyoko tuned out the advertisement pitch, leaning out of line to peer farther down the obstacle course. Yup. Those looked like rotating saw blades to her. And how were they going to split into groups of four? Thirty did not comfortably divide into four. Maybe Kyoko could volunteer out of this game.
Hime, who stood beside Kyoko, gave a maddening giggle. The woman wore gray leggings and a too big T-shirt that drowns her petite form. Her mass of blonde hair was assembled into a fluffy bun perched on the top of her head.
"I've always wanted to go on a cruise," she said. "Let's be on the same team Kyoko-san."
"What?" said Kyoko, taken aback. "Why?"
"I saw you do that cool flip on the ice. You're athletic. We'll win, easy."
"Why not be on a team with Suzuki-san?" She jerked her thumb toward the boys. "He's kind of your fiancé. Plus, he's a guy. They'll have the advantage in this."
Hime gave a sheepish smile. "We, uh, neither of us has won an event, and so we decided to be on different teams from now on. You know, to double the chance of winning."
"Well…"
It wasn't that Kyoko disliked Hime. She disliked the woman's overall klutzy nature when on solid or frozen ground. Hime may benefit from this partnership, but Kyoko certainly wouldn't.
"You still have a week and a half to win other games," said Kyoko.
Hime shook her head. "At the end of the week, the engaged couples have a farewell party and leave Crimson Threads. There aren't any competitions on that day so we've only got four more days to win a prize. Oh, it would be so embarrassing to leave without winning a single thing."
That tugged on Kyoko's heartstrings a little. Before she could summon the courage to answer, Sakura approached. She also wore athletic attire, long black leggings and hair pulled into twin tails down her back.
"Kyoko-san, want to be on the same team?" she said. "I feel like it will be a lot of fun."
Kyoko meant to answer but was stopped by the sudden presence of Eri bulldozing over. Though drastically shorter without her signature 6-inch pumps, Eri was still an unstoppable force. She'd boldly chosen to wear an almost see-through white thank top allowing Kyoko and everyone else to see the floral sports bra she wore underneath.
"You're on my team," she said. "I've seen your work. With you, winning this will be a cinch."
Kyoko was befuddled. "You don't even like me. And what do you mean by 'my work'?"
"Your Momiji in that one ninja period show," said Eri dismissively, as if Kyoko were stupid for asking. "Daichi wouldn't shut up about how you did all your own stunts and fight scenes and yada yada. I can't tell you how many times he made me watch that one showdown with the big bad in the final of season two. I want to rub it in his face when I beat him together with his precious 'Kyoko-sama'," she simpered the last words, breaking out into a cackle as she turned to yell at Daichi from across the grass. Daichi returned in kind, the two exchanging several inappropriate hand gestures.
The distraction brought Kyoko's attention to Ren. He stood together with Suzuki, Daichi, and a man called Watanabe Akane. They were probably forming a team.
Eri stopped the verbal abuse of her friend, waving a hand instead at Hime. "Get out of here Blondie-locks. We don't want you on our team."
"Excuse me?" said Hime, her voice pitching to that octave women used when they were about to put another woman in their place. "I asked to be on Kyoko's team first."
"I don't care, you're going to make us lose. I've seen you run. You look more like a baby deer trying to walk for the first time." Eri stuck out of limbs awkwardly, making a show of bumbling into imaginary obstacles.
Hime was not amused.
"It doesn't matter," said Sakura, eyeing the other participants. "I think the other teams have already been formed."
Sure enough, everyone was segregated into groups of four. With mounting horror, Kyoko realized that Ren's group was the only one with all males in it. And now problem two was that much worse.
Daichi, who was in Ren's group, caught her eye. He pursed his lips, sending an air kiss in her direction with great enthusiasm. Oh, Kyoko wished the ground would open and swallow her whole. Ren caught the exchange, watching with a front row seat as Daichi curled his fingers into a heart shape and winked. He sent another air kiss for good measure.
"I thought you said you weren't after Daichi?!" said Eri, horrified.
Kyoko gave the only reasonable response to such a situation. Facing the group of men, her thumb jutted out from her fist pointed toward the ground. She slowly drew it across her throat, her face promising murder.
If you make one more kissy face, I'm going to kill you Daichi!
As an added bonus, Ren was included as a recipient. They seemed to get the hint as Daichi's face blanched.
"We're going to win," said Kyoko to her team, gathering them all in. "I don't care what this obstacle course includes. Sakura-san, you watch the show. Have they ever done one before?"
"They have," said Sakura, putting a finger to her lips in thought. "But it was usually just men or just women who competed. They've never done it mixed like this."
"Oh, interesting," said Eri, eagerly looking between them. "Were the female courses also focused on agility and strength?"
"Not usually," said Sakura. "They had baking competitions, random household tasks… I wonder. If we've mixed everyone together that means they'll mix up the course. Some of it about strength. Some of it about tasks. Maybe that's why they're not showing us the whole course beforehand."
"Which means we might have the advantage." Eri shot Kyoko a challenging smirk. "You're not the only one who has taken martial arts. I just happened to finish my first year a week before the show started."
"Then you can go last." Kyoko pointed to Sakura. "You can go second, and Hime third. I'll go first since—"
"Oh no, you're not getting all the glory," pipped up Eri. "I'm going first. You can go last."
"Fine, I'll go last. It doesn't matter to me."
Eri deflated, mumbling something about "no fun if you give up like that."
Hime clapped her hands excitedly. "I think we can do this," she said. "As long as my course doesn't have anything too crazy."
"Here's hoping," said Kyoko, wishing she could feel as confident as the rest of them. Her ability to avoid Ren depended on it.
Ryou formally announced the groups, the crew filming a few reaction shots and explaining just how they managed to get seven perfect groups of four out of 30 people (something about extreme asthma and injury). Kyoko rode along with six other participants in what was basically a covered golf cart. She kept her eyes glued to the dark covers, light spilling between the cracks as the cart swayed.
Besides Kyoko, there was only one other woman in the final group. As it was Kimura and she was currently flirting with Yoshio-san, Kyoko had no desire to interact with any of them. Maeda, the jerk from last night's date was there and Ren had chosen to corn her against the side. The whole ride felt like one uncomfortable nightmare.
"Are you excited, Mogami-san?" he said, nervousness in his voice. Still playing the nerd it seemed. Not that anyone was paying attention to them. She ignored him, hoping he'd get the point.
He didn't.
"Mogami-san?"
He sounded like such a sad kicked puppy she couldn't help herself.
"I'm more scared of what Maria-chan has in store for us," she said. "I'm surprised she hasn't shown up to taunt us with vague gloating hints of what's to come."
Ren let out a nervous chuckle that definitely didn't set off butterflies in her stomach.
Don't get pulled in. Stay distant. Otherwise the fall out is going to be that much worse when he marries the woman he loves.
She felt him move closer.
"It doesn't matter what she throws at us. I promised to win no matter what. An evening long date will give us plenty of time to chat."
That got a reaction from her. She twitched, leaning further away.
"Don't hold your breath. My team will be winning."
He chuckled. "Even if you do, who would you pick as a date? After last night, I figure you're all out of ideas."
Son of a—
She forgot he'd been there during her revelation last night. She finally looked at him, glaring through his big dopy glasses.
"Maybe I'll give Daichi-san another chance," she said. "He seems to like me well enough and he's a good friend."
Ren's smile faltered. Ha! That had surprised him. She was about to expound on the virtues of marrying Daichi when she noticed that someone was watching their exchange. Maeda gaze was calculating, mouth drawn in a tight line. Their eyes caught and she quickly looked away.
The cart stopped a second later and she jumped out, eager to be away from the men.
They'd stopped at what seemed to be a regular track and field arena. Flags stuck out of the track indicating the starting spot for each team member. Kyoko didn't wait for the crew to direct her. She walked straight for the purple flag at the end of the lane, a black seven flapping in the wind.
It was a good thing all her shoes had turned up in the middle of the night. That and several articles of sportswear. Kyoko had disregarded them, settling for her offensively pink Love-Me jersey. Not the cutest outfit, but it was effective as a distraction. She'd already seen two people walk into trees because they were staring at her.
She adjusted the pins in her hair, assessing what she could make out of the course. From where she stood to the end of the track, it was completely ordinary asphalt. Once it turned the whole other side was blocked by high walls. That was probably where the bulk of the obstacle course lay.
"Where will Hime-san be coming from?" Kyoko mumbled, looking around. There was no clear path to where they were.
"If you'd stayed to listen to instructions, you'd know the answer to that."
Of all the rotten luck.
She glared openly at Maeda as he approached. It seemed Maeda' was her next-lane-neighbor. Begrudgingly, she had to admit that even without his well-tailored suit he was handsome. With basketball shorts and a plain T, he looked as ready to run as the rest of them.
Then he sneered and she wanted nothing more than to slap him over the head.
"Just when I thought you couldn't be more bizarre," he said. "What a ridiculous outfit. I bet you're visible from a satellite. I feel ashamed just having to stand beside you."
"Ha!? Does this make you uncomfortable? Maybe you should quit if you feel so ashamed."
"I don't quit," he sniffed, indignant.
"Says the man who fled yesterday."
His eyes narrowed, then he turned his head sharply to ignore her.
Oi!
Kyoko fumed, tapping her foot as she waited. The crew had just informed them the others had started. As they were the last group to go, they'd been warned it might take a while for their part to begin. Apparently, the course was complicated and long.
"Why don't you feel ashamed?"
She was so surprised it took a full five seconds to recognize that Maeda had spoken to her again. He still looked angry, though that probably had more to do with her jumpsuit forcing him to squint. She raised a brow, wondering where the punch-line was.
"Ashamed of what, exactly?" He had insulted her extensively yesterday. She wasn't sure which insult he'd meant.
He nodded to her. "Your outfit. It's…" He struggled to find the right word.
"Blinding?" supplied Kyoko. "Ridiculous. Over-the-top. Probably should be worn in place of a hazard vest?"
He nodded.
"I have my reasons," she said. "But I've already used up all the shame I could from wearing this pink curse. Now it's a proper talisman. My invincible armor."
That seemed to confuse him even more.
Kyoko grimaced, thinking about yesterday. "As much as it pains me to say this, I have to admit you had a point last night. If you hadn't pointed out my hypocrisy, I'd still be relying on my charts. So... thank you."
She gave a proper polite bow, hands and feet together. Even if it had come from a place of conceit, he'd still helped her. With this, she could forget about their exchange and concentrate on the game.
But when she raised her head, he was openly staring at her.
"You threw out your charts?" he said after a moment.
"Shredded them," she amended.
It was starting to creep her out how much he was staring. What was so surprising about what she'd said?
A horn went off, indicating the group before them was getting close.
Kyoko shoved the weird exchange from her mind, instead sending a look down the row to where Ren was waiting. His eyes were trained on her. How long had he been watching?
Sounds suddenly came. A loud whirring. Several screams. Then a deep even beat of what sounded like drums. Well, that helped her. She now knew the direction the contestants would be coming from. Several large black tarps hid the entrance to the stadium. She saw a camera burst out from under one, filming what was hopefully her teammate approaching.
She wasn't disappointed.
A scream split their air, high pitched and terrified. A second later it was joined by another equally shrill scream. Like dogs driven by hell's whips, two figures sprinted out of the dark corridor. It was Hime and Daichi, still screaming as they sprinted at inhuman speeds.
As they got closer Kyoko spotted several discrepancies in Hime's appearance. Something long and green circled around her shoulders. And… were those cobwebs in her hair?
That's when it all clicked. The dangerous whirring sound was probably a chainsaw. The long thing around Hime's shoulders was (hopefully) a fake snake. It looked like the contestants had run through a haunted house.
Hime was starting to tire, the adrenaline draining away now that she was free from the maw of hell. Her face slackened, as did her pace.
"Come on!" Kyoko encouraged, hand out and ready to take her team's sash. "You're almost there! Keep running."
Daichi pulled ahead. He was still screaming, his team's sash swinging wildly in his hands. Kyoko's eyes tracked his destination. Damn it! He was on Ren's team. Ren was waiting, hand outstretched and ready to run.
"Faster!" Kyoko yelled.
Hime heard her. She ducked her head, pushing harder as she ran forward. She was only ten feet away and… she tripped flat on her face.
Kyoko could have torn her hair out. Learn to tie your freaking shoes you Fragile Disney Princess!
"Get up!" Kyoko yelled.
Daichi reached Ren. The sash passed between them and Ren was instantly yards, making ground on his stunning lead. She saw some of the others gape, obviously not expecting the "nerd" to run that fast.
Other people passed Hime. Maeda grabbed his sash leaving Kyoko behind, and still Hime didn't move.
"This is not how it's going down!" yelled Kyoko. She was not going to let ten feet of ground stop her. Probably breaking several rules, she sprinted through the gap, tugging the sash from the unmoving body of Hime - the girl was probably fine- and dashed away.
Almost everyone else was ahead of her at this point. Despite the drive of her indomitable will, she only gained on a few of them. She flew around the corner, cutting across the lanes to shorten her distance. She finally saw what was behind the walls.
Kyoko skidded to a halt, her breathing heavy as she stared in mostly confusion at what she saw.
Caged in a knee-high seamless fence was an enormous pen filled with white mice. Near the center was a line of thigh high wooden round pegs with numbered flags above them. In bold letters, a banner read "Save The Princess. Bring Her to The Finish Line."
Well, that explained the weird doll looking things strapped to the pegs.
One of the contestants in the pen let out a loud screech. He danced about, looking as if he were trying to shake out something from within his pants.
Kyoko swallowed.
I'm Cinderella. She's not afraid of mice. No, Cinderella isn't bold enough to move quickly. I have to be someone else. Someone who's not afraid of mice.
She had the perfect person.
Natsu smirked, thrilled to see so much chaos before her. She was unafraid of these vermin. Why should she be? She'd deposited a whole bucket of them in her teacher's drawer last season as punishment for moving the seating arrangement. Nothing scared her.
With a graceful gate, Natsu wadded through the sea of mice. While others stumbled or gingerly trod with every step, she sped past them to her team's peg. One lucky vermin was quick enough to climb aboard her leg, running up and into her breast pocket.
Natsu plucked the thing out by the tail. What a brave fellow. She should reward him for his efforts. She spotted the perfect target. Though somewhat out of her way, Natsu was quick about her work.
"Oh, Kimura-san, here, let me help you with that."
The woman - who was on the verge of tears - turned her back to Natsu where a mouse clung to her trendy sport's jersey. She expected Natsu to remove it, the trusting little thing. Natsu's soul hummed with vindictive pleasure. With a quick flick, she deposited the mouse down the front of Kimura's jersey.
If Hime's scream had been ear-splintering, this one broke glass. Kimura collapsed, breaking out into hysterical sobs.
Natsu cackled, hurrying away to retrieve her princess doll. All was going according to plan.
That was… until she spotted the small pen of mice surrounding the princess doll.
Each little mouse had been individually dressed up like knights wearing silver armor. One of them wore a tiny blue prince outfit with puffy sleeves and a crown.
Natsu stopped dead.
Then Kyoko came flying out from within her.
"SO CUTE!"
Kyoko gathered the mouse-prince in her hands, cooing and awwing at its adorable little frame. And was that a small sword strapped to its side? Oh, what a noble prince trying to protect his princess. He was truly worthy of the crown.
Someone barked out a laugh.
Broken from her daze, her eyes fell on Ren. He stood on the other side of the pen, shoulders shaking in laughter with a princess doll in hand. To cap it all, she could spot a camera from the corner of her eye, its lens tracking her every move.
That's right. She had a competition to win.
Kyoko (nicely) dropped her mouse-prince, tearing free her princess. Despite her frenzied mind, she had to admire the work on Maria's design. The princess's dress was a deep green, brown curls cascading under a golden crown. What a noble and beautiful-
Still not a good time to let her mind wander.
She managed to gather the threads of Natsu's conscious long enough to scramble from the center of the mouse trap. By the time she'd burst free, three other people were ahead of her. The one furthest ahead was Ren.
No!
Kyoko ran, the doll swinging in her hand as she approached the next task. Her heart sank what she saw.
It was a long set of monkey bars, a mud pit bubbling ominously from below. Ren and the others were already swinging ahead, the finish line visible from here.
Kyoko gritted her teeth to keep back her howl of rage. There was no way she could catch up. She didn't have enough arm or upper body strength to create that miracle. Unless all three of them fell, she would never catch up. She scrambled for a solution. For some way out of this. To think. Think of something Kyoko.
She could feel the cameras on her, hear the cheers of other contestants that had hurried around the watch the last stretch. She thought someone was telling her to start. To just do her best and get across.
Get across.
Her eye fell on the instruction sign. That's all it said. Get across the mud pit. It didn't tell her she had to swing across. Just get across.
Kyoko stuffed her princess doll (affectionately named Princess Pea) into her pocket. She took a few steps back, teetering for a moment on the balls of her feet before surging forward. With a leap, kick and swing, Kyoko ran atop the monkey bars.
Thank goodness for all that ninja balance training I did.
Wind streaked past her as she caught up with the closest contestant. He saw her from the corner of his eyes, his grip slipping from surprise. He fell with a satisfying splat into the mud.
One down!
She approached the second contestant, but before she could even get within range of his vision, he reached for the next bar and it fell away. He too tumbled into the mud, still gripping the fake metal bar.
There are false bars.
Good thing she'd been paying attention. Her foot landed on one of these fake bars a second later and she would have met a very unfortunate and muddy end had she not been prepared. Even as she fell through the gap, her arms reached up and grasped the next bar. It held, and she swung like the others, only a few feet behind Ren.
Without losing momentum, she swung, placing one hand in front of the other as fast as she could manage. No matter how hard she pushed herself, she couldn't gain any ground. He was always just right in front of her.
Then he reached for a fake bar.
Kyoko cackled as Ren fell into the mud. Fumbling for his glasses, he paused, eyes widening as she swung by.
Though it was only five bars ahead, Kyoko had gained a lead.
She skipped over another fake bar and landed on the other side of the mud pit. She didn't waste any time to catch her breath, already running ahead. The last challenge waited for her.
A lone pillar sat in the middle of the track holding seven plastic eggs sat in an even circle. They reminded her of the eggs she used for bridge rock, only they were gold. Beside it was a microphone. The instructions read: "Announce your answer into the mic, then race to the end. No cheating. No reselecting your egg."
Kyoko snatched one from the stand, glancing behind her. Ren was already out of the mud pit and running toward her. Kyoko yanked open the egg and read the prompt inside.
Her heart leapt out of her chest and back into the mud pit.
"Which of the contestants do you most wish to marry?"
What the absolute hell Maria?! This time Kyoko did scream, her strangled cry drowning out the people around her and the approaching footfalls. She saw several birds flee from nearby trees.
No no no, I can't actually say Tsuruga-san's name. I have to make something up. Just say someone. Anyone. I can't get stuck here.
Mind racing, Kyoko grabbed the mic at the same time Ren reached the pedestal. Her mouth opened, still unsure just whose name was going to come out.
"Kiyota Daichi!"
Ren froze. He held his egg's question in his hand, eyes slowly lifting to Kyoko's. Her face was burning. She didn't like the look he was giving her. He didn't know her question. He couldn't see her answer for what it was, a blatant lie. But for a second it felt like he could.
Mud plastered his hair to his face. It covered his identity in place of the discarded glasses he'd left behind, but that meant his eyes were now perfectly visible. They gleamed, hiding their true color behind a fake dull brown.
Run.
Her body reacted before her mind could. She dropped her paper and fled, sprinting for the goal.
Then his voice echoed from the microphone.
"Kyoko Mogami."
Kyoko tripped, surprise flooding through her. Why had he answered with her name? The questions were all different, right? He was probably answering who he wanted to go on a date with.
NO! Not on a date. Who he wanted to corner and lecture and definitely not who he wanted to go on a date with. Her mind spun with the possibilities, both the likely and the unlikely.
Then she heard him getting closer.
Shit!
Kyoko regained her footing and ran. Ran like her life depended on it. Her muscles screamed as she used a final burst of speed. In several heart-pumping strides, she raced across the finish line.
…two paces behind Ren.
Kyoko didn't need the slow-motion cameras lying in wait to show who had won. She didn't need Ryou congratulating them for an incredible race or the cheers from her fellow contestants. All she needed was to keep her head bent, face flushed with frustration as she caught her breath.
I lost.
That, and everything it involved brought a crushing sense of defeat. There would be no more running. Ren had finally caught her. He looked so overly cheerful it was sickening.
"Just like I promised," he said.
She winced at his choice of word. Ugh. Why did he have to remember all the stupid things she said?
A hand patted her shoulder, making her look up.
"Tough luck Kyoko-san," said Ryou. "But even if you had crossed first, you still would have lost."
Kyoko stared in confusion. In answer, Ryou jerked his head back toward the monkey bars.
Swinging by a single unraveling thread, her princess doll hung, partially decapitated from the thread caught on a piece of metal.
The blood drained from Kyoko's face.
"PRINCESS PEA!"
Thanks for reading!
An extra treat for you all. The illustrious Aikoriichijouji drew some fanart for this story. It's suuuper cute! I didn't realize how much I needed to see nerd Ren brought to life. It makes me so happy. Like, it's awesome. She posted it on her twitter (I retweeted it as well. Ugh, I wish FF would let you insert links)
And still speaking in the spirit of art, I posted a line-up of Maria, Daichi, and Sakura on Instagram. That's right, you get all of the spamming of stuff today. So go check it out!
It makes me so happy so many of you really enjoyed that previous chapter. :DDDD Maeda should bring another level of craziness to the scene. XD
to answer your two questions PlumpF, yes, it was intentional. It's as Bow-san said. There are just some lines you don't cross that all women will bond together over. Or at least, decent women. And yes, Kyoko is technically famous. Most of the participants have an inkling, especially since Daichi is praising her like crazy, but they're too self-absorbed to care about it. Or at least, they don't appreciate the level of her fame.
Thanks again, everyone! Ya'll are awesome
-Blushweaver
An appropriate title for this chapter: In Which Kyoko is a Spaz. Oh wait, That's all the Time.