Kyoko woke early the next morning. Considering the trouble she'd had sleeping last night, she wondered how she'd managed that miracle. That's when she heard the light tapping at her door.

Rubbing the sleep from her face, Kyoko opened the door, not caring about the mess she most certainly looked like. Outside stood one of those suit-wearing minions. Specifically, the female one with silver hair and the behavior of a robot. Before Kyoko could ask what she was doing waking her at such ungodly hours, the woman dumped a wrapped package in Kyoko's arms.

"Your itinerary for the day," she said, placing a glossy pamphlet on top.

"Oh, um. Thanks."

The woman nodded and left. Definitely a robot.

Kyoko returned to her room, dumping the package on the bed. That's when she saw the note attached to the top.

Wear it.

-M

Kyoko resisted the urge to chuck the whole thing in the bin. While she'd cooled off considerably since last night, she still wasn't happy with Maria's constant interference. Kyoko wasn't exactly innocent, but Maria had crossed a line last night.

She lay back on the bed, flipping open the itinerary to see what was planned for today. When she read the titles of today's mess, she was very glad for the extra hours to get ready. Every woman needed proper preparation for the trip the entire group would be setting on.

Kyoko tapped the pamphlet to her lips, sorting through a mental list of the things she'd need to buy or do. Forget that, she still had no idea what her goal was for today. She was supposed to continue trying to get a husband, but all her plans had fallen apart. Not to mention she really couldn't put her heart into it at the moment. Ren's proposal had drained that desire.

What was she going to do? Continue to avoid Ren and keep plugging along with her plan of securing a husband?

Too tiring.

She just couldn't summon the energy to care about finding a husband. What was the point anyway? The chance of finding anyone she was compatible with for a love-less marriage had always been low. She thought she'd find one in this manufactured random sample of desperate humans? Fat chance of that.

I've been too picky. I need to lower my standards.

Frustrated, Kyoko tore open the package. Inside was exactly what she was expecting. Kyoko held up the set, lips turning into a tight line.

"It's adorable."

And fit perfectly. Maria knew Kyoko's taste. Well, that settled it. Kyoko was going to wear this because it was cuter than anything Kyoko had brought, and it was an easy way to say sorry.

"I just have to get one more thing," said Kyoko, grabbing her purse and heading for the front desk. Though she still had no idea what she was going to do about her husband situation, there were a few things she knew she could do, and that was where she planned to start.

Kyoko's shopping trip took a little longer than she expected. By the time she got back with her official escort, the bus was stationed by the curb, full of everyone else waiting on her. Maria stood outside, foot tapping as she watched Kyoko approach. Her eyes swept up and down Kykok's form, taking in the white and yellow ruffled sundress Maria had given her.

"You're late," she said in way of greeting.

"I'm early by one minute," said Kyoko, tapping the watch on her wrist.

"Great."

Maria boarded the bus without a glance back. The dismissal kicked at her heavy heart, wincing at the tender feelings. Maria hadn't so much as nodded at the dress that she had given Kyoko. That was a bad sign. Kyoko climbed after her.

The inside was spacious and comfortable, with padded seats with plump covers and sleek armrests. An aisle ran down the center of the two-by-two seating arrangement leading to what looked like a bathroom at the end. It reminded her of the buses they'd use to change locations during shootings.

Cameramen sat at both the front and back, several individual cameras lingering near overheads to catch any potentially significant conversation. Not for the first time, Kyoko pitied whoever was in charge of editing all the material taken from these things because holy cow, that had to be a lot.

Most of the seats near the middle and front were taken. An occasional seat beside someone was empty, but most everyone was alternating between boy-girl as if it had been arranged like that. They were all trying to pick up dates.

No one noticed her, too absorbed in their own conversations, twisting around in their seats to flirt or snuggle quietly with the person beside them. She spotted Hime and Suzuki in the front seats, absorbed in their only little world of population two.

She shuffled past without interrupting their moment, spotting a good place to sit behind Sakura. The brunette waved as Kyoko came closer, turning around as Kyoko took the unoccupied seats behind her.

"There you are. How was the date?" said Sakura.

Kyoko just managed to hide her wince. Sweet friendly Sakura. How ignorant she was concerning Kyoko's plight.

She answered with a neutral "Was fine," and immediately turned the conversation away from herself. "What did you guys do after we all left?"

Kitamura Nagisa sat beside Sakura, the quiet man who had been Hime's original date during ice skating. He smiled amicably before answering.

"Not much. Just hung out in the lobby and relaxed."

"Sounds heavenly," said Kyoko, her breathless enthusiasm making Sakura giggle.

"I take it your date was tiering?"

"A little. We went to a break room and smashed a bunch of things. Very therapeutic, but my arms are tired."

Her attention focused without meaning to on the back of a familiar ballcap. Ren was sitting beside someone. Probably a woman, talking and laughing about something, and oh my gosh why was she still staring at the back of his head? What if he turned around and met her eyes?

She focused back on Sakura who was going on about the things that had happened in the woman's lounge yesterday.

"—and then Yura-san just lost it and told the others to back off. Everyone started shouting at that point and I'm still unsure who has claimed who now in their group."

Kyoko blinked. "Claim? Wait, on the boys?"

"Yup," said Sakura, waving above her to take in the bus. "Probably why so many of them are sitting boy-girl. I mean, it always gets to this point. Multiple girls like one boy, some don't like any, promises are broken, and all that sort of stuff. I've tried to stay out of it but it's hard. Love is a messy business without making friends with potential rivals."

"Just another reason why this show is a disaster," Kyoko muttered. Nagisa nodded sagely at her words. "Oh, before I forget, I wanted to give you these."

Sakura perked up as Kyoko withdrew her recent purchase and handed it over.

"What is this?" said Sakura.

"An apology," said Kyoko. "And a thank you, for helping me out so much."

Her eyebrow arched in question, but she remained silent as she opened the rectangular box. When she recognized what it was, she gave a gleeful gasp.

"Kyoko-san, you didn't have to."

"Of course I did." Kyoko pumped her fist in self-righteous determination. "I broke your other pair. The least I could do was replace them."

Sakura held up the black pair of flats. It wasn't a perfect replica of the ones Kyoko had broken with her normal-sized feet, but the style was the same. To show her appreciation, Sakura slipped them on and stood in the aisle to show them off.

"They fit perfectly!" she grinned.

Nagisa gave his approval as well, causing the girl to blush. She also attracted the attention of the rest of the occupants. Soon several people were shouting at her.

"Hey! Sit down the bus is moving!"

"Oh shush! It's fine."

"I like the new shoes Tanegawa-san."

Distracted by the interruption, Sakura addressed her fellow competitors, her blush deepening as one of the men took ample time to express his approval of her new shoes. The commotion covered someone else moving along the aisle which caused even more people to stand up. Soon more people were standing than sitting as they gossiped and giggled.

The bus lurched as it pulled to a very sudden stop. Kyoko flung out her hands, just saving herself from smashing her nose on the chair in front of her.

"Sit the F down or we're turning this bus around and you won't get to have your beach episode!"

Maria's irate little voice was more than enough chastisement as everyone muttered apologies. They shuffled back into their seats as Kyoko pushed the hair from her face.

Then Ren sat down next to her.

He did it so naturally and with such grace that she might have assumed it was an innocent gesture. Just a man trying to find a seat after getting yelled at by ten-year-old.

"Y-you! What are you doing?" She really needed to stop being so surprised by his constant sudden appearances.

He blinked at her through those stupid glasses. "Sitting down like Maria-chan told us to."

"Then go sit somewhere else."

"But I can't. Look, the bus is moving again."

That it was.

Kyoko dug the heel of her palm into her forehead. Why couldn't she just catch a break!

Mercifully, Ren stayed quiet as the bus kept moving though she was anything but comfortable. She kept her focus trained determinedly out the window, but she still noticed his attention on her. His gaze would brush over her on occasion making her aware of her visible knees under her dress, and the exposed shoulders on her scoop neck. Was he judging her for wearing something a little more relaxed and revealing than usual? Not that it was weird or anything. They were going to the beach.

She chanced a glance, catching his gaze on her. Instead of looking away like she had expected, his expression smoothed into a smile.

"What?" she said.

"You look very nice in that dress."

She strangled the happy blush that attempted to surface. Better to suffocate that sucker before it could make the situation worse.

"Maria-chan got it for me," she replied with the thinnest amount of civility she could manage.

"She has great taste. It's very cute and the color compliments you well."

There was such a thing as too much flattery. Ugh, now she felt like one of those obnoxious co-workers whom he showered with praise to get them to do their job correctly.

"The faces you make when receiving a compliment are, as always, unusual," said Ren.

"That's because it was flattery, not a compliment."

"What reason would I need to flatter you?"

She huffed. "Obviously to lower my guard. But it won't work. I am immune to your playboy charms."

The expression he gave her held a long-suffering quality. She might have felt bad if he didn't look as equally amused.

"Are you still feeling self-conscious from last night?" he said.

How the freaking hell wouldn't she be? The image of him kneeling in front of her was burned forever into her retinas. But Ren didn't need to know that detail. Or any of the other details she'd inadvertently kept.

"D-didn't I just say that your charms don't work?" Dang, that stutter. Maybe he didn't notice. "No, my heart is stalwart. I have no lingering doubts or feelings from last night."

"I guess that makes one of us."

The comment shouldn't have hit her as hard as it did. Of course, Ren regretted last night. Now he was regretting his hasty proposal and glad she hadn't accepted it. Her stutter disappeared, but only because of pure self-disgust.

"I'm glad that you've reflected on it," she said. "We can put that silly night behind us and move forward. Next time, think things through before making such a ridiculous proposal."

Ren hummed in response, keeping whatever other feelings he had to himself. And there was definitely something going on in his head. She could see it clearly in his face, though the details were completely unknown to her.

This was probably the closest to closure as Kyoko was going to get for that night. Ren had admitted regretting the proposal, she could move on.

"Kyoko-chan?" His smile was genuine as he shone with tender happiness. "I'm glad we're friends again."

…or maybe not.

The rest of the bus ride was uneventful. Kyoko made conversation with those closest to her, including Ren on occasion. He kept to his nervous personal brilliantly, managing to stay mostly quiet through the ride.

This allowed too many thoughts to race through her head. Like if Ren wasn't going to marry her as he'd originally planned, what was he going to do now? Maybe he'd try to date one of the contestants. Participate in earnest to find someone else to love and marry.

And she'd have a front-row seat to his newly budding romance.

She let out a long and loud sigh.

Someone else did the same beside her.

Kyoko blinked, looking to her right to find Daichi mirroring her surprised expression. They stood right outside the bus, everyone else excitedly removing floaties and umbrellas to enjoy the picturesque vacation sight.

Kyoko gave him a sheepish grin. "You too?" she said.

He nodded. "Yeah."

They basked in their mutual emotional exhaustion. It always felt better when you had others to share your misery.

Daichi pointed to the water. "Race you to the edge?"

In response, Kyoko took off.

Daichi caught up quickly, causing Kyoko to try in earnest. They sped past other contestants and crew, kicking up sand and laughter. She'd dropped her bag at one point, relieving herself of the burden to gain a few more feet on Daichi. It proved useless as he hit the water first.

Kyoko skidded to a halt at the edge, laughing at him.

"You idiot, your clothes are now soaked," she said.

"Worth it!" He pumped a fist in victory.

"Just get out before it gets worse."

He scrambled out of the water, taking off both his shirt and shorts during the process. Yes, he was wearing swim trunks underneath, no need to get excited. He flung them aside onto the sand.

"You'll get sand all over your clothes," commented Kyoko.

"They'll dry and then I can just shake them out." He crouched down in the sand, patting the area around him. "Want to build a sand castle with me?"

The grin came immediately. "Yes!"

And forgetting about the rest of the crew and contestants, Kyoko and Daichi set about making the world's best sandcastle. Sure they were probably supposed to wait for instructions but did that really matter? She was there to have fun and that was what she planned on doing. Daichi was the perfect person to enjoy the beach with. He was fun, entertaining, and enthusiastic about everything. Their energy bled into each other as their activity became a little too intense.

"No, the drawbridge needs to be lowered," Kyoko insisted. "How else are the crustacean creatures going to visit their local aristocrat?"

"Fine, but we need to add another tower in the west wing if they're going to have visitors."

Within minutes they had a masterpiece before them, complete with steepled towers, a mote, and several decorative seashells they'd found nearby. Kyoko finished the whole ensemble with a twig fulfilling the role of a flag. She clapped her hands happily at their masterpiece.

"There, it's done."

Daichi leaned back on his hands, mostly dry from the burning sun. He seemed pleased with himself, as he should be. Their sandcastle was a work of art.

"We should probably put on sunscreen before we burn." He nodded to her shoulders. "Don't you have to keep a nice pale completion for work?"

"Oh, you're right!"

She scrambled back to her bag, finally noticing the area around her. Most of the people nearby were either contestants or workers holding cameras. Several gazebos had been erected sheltering tables of food and equipment from the sun. Other picnic tables and benches rounded the edge as well.

Several of the girls lay on towels under large umbrellas, either talking with other men or just enjoying the warm breeze. Almost everyone had removed their outer clothing revealing the assortment of bathing suits underneath. To her mortification, most of the women wore bikinis. What was even the difference between those and underwear? Not much because she was sure most underwear covered more than what Sexy-chan was wearing.

Kyoko threw her bag under an unoccupied umbrella obviously set up for the contestants. She retrieved her sunblock just as Daichi made it to her. She also noted passively that a cameraman had decided to come closer, a mic held out to grab their conversation. Just like always.

"That was fun!" Daichi gasped, holding out a hand for the sunblock. She placed a large blot on his palm and he proceeded to cover himself with it. "I haven't done that in a while."

"Me neither." She started layering the sunscreen over her daily face lotion. She wasn't quite ready to take off her sundress, only placing sunscreen on the currently exposed areas. "Was your date with Eri-san yesterday that bad?"

He made a face that promised a story. "Well, not at first. And hey! It wasn't a date. We were just having a friendly shopping trip together."

"Sorry. I shouldn't have assumed." She hated it when people did that with her and Ren.

His shoulders slouched as he continued to place his sunscreen. "She freaked out on me and I have no idea what I did wrong. And she's still refusing to talk to me."

That didn't sound very much like Eri. The woman was anything but shy with her opinions. Weird. "Have you tried asking her about it?"

He gave her a look. "Have you ever tried talking to an irate Eri? Let me fill you in. It. Does. Not. Go. Well. Better to let her rampage somewhere else before trying anything."

Well, he knew her best, so she trusted he knew what to do. Though she was sad that they weren't getting along.

"What about you?" said Daichi. "How was your date with Ren-san yesterday?"

"It wasn't a date," she huffed.

He gave her a look of incredulity. "Really? But that's not what he said yesterday. He specifically told us all on the team that he wanted to win so he could ask you out on a date."

He did what?

"I mean, had he not told us beforehand I might have asked you out instead," continued Daichi, oblivious to the mess he'd just set off in Kyoko's head. "Then it would have been a date. For both of us." His smile was full of teeth and confidence. Too bad he mixed them in a bizarre way that Kyoko just couldn't take seriously.

She shoved him in the shoulder as he laughed at her ire, which just confirmed that he was joking. People needed to stop making fun of her by pretending to be interested in her romantically.

As she rolled her eyes, she caught sight of Ren making his way toward them.

Nope, not getting stopped by that again.

She stood quickly, but not so quickly that it was obvious she was trying to flee from her senpai for the millionth time. Obviously.

"I'm going to get some water," she said.

Daichi immediately scrambled up. "I'll go too."

They headed straight for the main gazebo, which would have been fine had their course not taken them a little too close to Ren. But it did, which was unfortunate because he must not care about his nervous nerd persona as he freaking hailed and chased after them. And then Daichi invited the nerd to come with them because he was too good a person.

The death glare she sent Daichi was ignored in favor of jovially greeting Ren with a slap on the back. Ren—appearing to finally remember his persona—took the treatment with a self-conscious chuckle, stooped so awkwardly you couldn't tell he was a full head taller than Daichi.

"Kyoko-chan said it wasn't a date," said Daichi. "So, which is it?"

Sometimes Kyoko wondered why she spent time with Daichi.

She blurted out: "It wasn't" at the same time Ren said. "It was."

Damn these men!

She bore down on Ren with the full force of her glare. "It wasn't," she said, her teeth set in a tight grit. He backed away from her, hands held up in surrender. The casual observer wouldn't notice the smile in his grimace, the twinkle behind his glasses. This cocky man! He loved irritating her.

"I wanted it to be," said Ren. "Just like I mean it when I said I wanted to marry you."

Kyoko stopped advancing, her mind chugging to a slow crawl. The tracks to logical thinking were scrambled as interference threatened to derail everything.

Daichi gasped in surprise, raising a horrified finger to Ren. "Dude, you too?"

Kyoko had the small satisfaction of seeing Ren genuinely surprised. He turned to Daichi as if seeing him for the first time.

"I proposed to Kyoko-san as well," said Daichi, as if he were proud of this. "First date, but she rejected me and everything."

How in the world was she even having this conversation? "Didn't count," she said. "You proposed before you knew I wasn't looking for love."

"I still think it could work out. Just saying. You obviously don't hate spending time with me."

True, but she also didn't mind spending time with a tree for an evening. It was almost admirable that he could express his interest after she'd already rejected him. Some people were more resilient than others, though in this case, it was annoying.

"We already had this conversation," said Kyoko. "Marry someone you love, Daichi-san."

"But I love you, Kyoko-sama."

Kyoko sputtered, working to get words out. She wanted to tell him that he didn't even know her. That marrying someone like her would just end in heartache.

Before she could recover, Daichi had turned his earnest gaze to Ren and said. "I guess that makes us rivals."

Any other girl would squeal at the scene of two hot boys declaring their intentions toward her. Daichi in his shirtless state was handsome, hair splayed out wildly from air drying. His muscle mass wasn't incredibly toned, but his figure was lean and solid. And though Ren still wore his dorky outfit, if anyone bothered to stare for longer than ten seconds it became apparent that he was in very good shape. Wearing only a loose button-up, shorts, sandals, and dorky glasses, the man was in serious danger of his identity getting out.

Despite the warm air, Kyoko felt a chill race up her spine. It elicited goosebumps to burst across her arms as one of her anger demons popped out to say hi.

Oh, Ren is mad again.

But his face was serene as he smiled dorkily, nodding at Daichi's childish proclamation.

"Yes, I guess that would."

Kyoko blanched. "Tsur—You—! Don't encourage his bad behavior. Either of you!"

Daichi responded by scratching the back of his head and chuckling, as if he was being coy or some crap like that. Ren turned his gaze upon her, eyes focusing on the space below her eye.

"You've got something—"

He reached forward.

Kyoko froze, eyes round as Ren brushed a thumb against her cheekbone. He'd stooped lower, giving Kyoko a perfect view of his brown eyes over the rim of his glasses. They were still focused on that spot on her cheek, unabashed as he pressed and smoothed his thumb around that area.

"Uhh,"

"Sunscreen," said Ren. "Just rubbing it in for you."

Her heart managed to endure exactly .05 more seconds of this before she was done. She backed away, unconsciously rubbing at the spot Ren had been touching.

"I'm going to get some water," she said, voice hard.

She left quickly enough that they couldn't follow without being weird about it. Only when she felt she was a safe distance away, she glanced over her shoulder to see if they were following.

They weren't. The two still stood next to each other, apparently in a discussion.

Just what was going on with them? She couldn't understand their behavior. Daichi she could kind of understand. He was probably disheartened from fighting with Eri, again, but Ren? Saying he had meant it when he proposed to her?

Well, yeah, fine, maybe he meant it at that time, but that didn't mean he still didn't regret it now. But even then she knew her stream of logic was a stretch. Why bring it up again with Daichi around to purposefully misconstrue the declaration? Unless he was just trying to get a rise out of Daichi.

That made more sense. Ren liked picking on her. He probably enjoyed picking on others as well.

Muttering to herself, she rubbed her face absently, walking between tables to get to the water bottles. A few other contestants and crew members were there as well, talking and enjoying the beach. She saw their host, Ryou speaking enthusiastically with one of them. Probably interfering in just the right amount to stir drama. It was their job to both observe and help the contestants in their quest for love.

She downed her water bottle, waving at another contestant as she passed. The woman, who had been friendly to Kyoko the day before, turned her nose away and giggled to her female friend. The pair sent a searing glance her way a second later.

That had been a very hostile silent exchange, though Kyoko had no idea what she'd done to deserve such treatment.

"Kyoko-san!"

"Hi Dino-san," said Kyoko, forcing a friendly smile on her face. The man came jogging up next to her, shirtless and wearing swim trunks like most of the other men. The last time they'd really talked was when he'd been heavily hinting that he wanted to marry her. Which would not have been a bad thing except he just rubbed her the wrong way.

"Are you having fun swimming?" said Kyoko.

"Haven't tried the water. Want to go in with me?"

"Not yet, I'm just enjoying the sand for now."

He wasn't deterred by her rejection, standing around just to hang out it seemed. He thrust his hands into his pockets, eyes taking in her attire.

"You look really pretty in that dress," he said. "What sort of swimsuit are you wearing under it?"

…That was a weird thing to ask.

"A normal one," she said, then muttered into her water bottle. "At least more normal than the ones here."

Dino laughed, too loud and exuberant.

"You say strange things Kyoko-san."

"So I've been told."

"How was your date with Ren-san?"

He dropped the question casually. Too casually. She just stared, wondering how she was supposed to answer that question. Something about it felt off.

He caught her questioning gaze. "I was just wondering. You know. A lot of people are, actually. Ren-san's a weird one and people could tell you weren't that happy he chose you as a date. And I know he was trying to get a date with you during the shoe game. Then he sat next to you on the bus…"

Heck, people were paying attention to her.

"If he's bothering you, I could say something to him," offered Dino. "Tell him to back off."

She suddenly had an image of Dino trying to stand up to Tsuruga Ren, insisting that he stay away from Kyoko. It was comical both due to the height difference and the imagined non-plussed expression on her senpai's face. It wouldn't matter because Ren wouldn't listen. He'd likely mock Kyoko for it as if she had anything to do with it.

"No, I think that'd just make it worse," she said, biting back her smile at the thought. "It's fine, I'm not bothered by it anymore. We were fighting but now we've made up."

Dino raised an eyebrow. "But you still seem to be avoiding him."

"That's because—"

Wait, why was she avoiding him exactly? They weren't fighting anymore. Sure, he had proposed, but he'd also retracted that offer. They were supposed to go back to being friends. Close friends as Ren had requested like they had been as Corn and Kyoko-chan. So why was she avoiding him?

The answer was simple.

Habit.

Plus annoyance at his romantic teasings.

Admittedly that last one was not his fault. He didn't know she wasn't immune like she pretended to be. Hmm, maybe she could change that. Claim that now she was trying to open her heart to a mutually beneficial marriage she could be swayed by sweet words.

Yeah, no, never mind. Bad idea.

She chucked her now empty water bottle into a nearby trashcan.

"He enjoys teasing me," she said. "So sometimes I avoid him. Not a big deal."

"That's rude of him," said Daichi.

Immediately her instincts kicked in to defend her senpai. "It's not that rude of him." Except sometimes when he took it too far. "He knows when to stop." Most of the time. "We just bicker sometimes. Have for years."

She hadn't realized the slip until Dino's head jerked back in surprise. "Years? You mean you know him?"

Great.

"He's my senpai," she said neutrally. "I owe a lot of my development as an actress to him." Kay, maybe that part wasn't too neutral, but she had to acknowledge the impact he'd had on her growth.

"What are the odds?" said Daichi, voice a tad higher. "Two sets of old friends in the show. I doubt that was done by accident."

"There's no way it was," muttered Kyoko darkly. Two words: Maria Takarada

This conversation had turned in a strange direction. Most of all was the shifting mannerisms of Dino. His joviality had a forced edge as he suddenly diverted the conversation. Glad to just have the topic changed, she listened to him talk about what the group had done after the eight of them had left for their respective dates.

Kyoko listened only for as long as it would take to be polite. Then she purposefully spotted someone and pointed them out in glee.

"Oh, there's Hime-san," said Kyoko. "I wanted to go hang out with her."

"Why don't I—"

"—I'll talk to you later Dino-san," she pointedly bowed, attempting to keep some semblance of civility.

"I guess I'll see you then."

She ignored her guilt at his disappointed expression, hurrying across the beach toward her friend. Uninformed as she was when it came to dating, she at least knew that continuing to give Dino attention would just encourage him. Which would be wrong. Especially since every second spent with him made her want to be anywhere but there. Ugh, it had been a while since she'd had this much of an aversion to someone.

As she weaved between rows of couples, umbrellas, and towels, someone called out to her in a singsong voice.

"I'd be careful if I were you."

Immediately pausing, Kyoko checked the ground in case of glass. Or dog poop.

"Did I almost step on something?" said Kyoko. "What is it?"

Bow-san, who was lounging under an umbrella, gave a tinkling laugh. She was one of those in a bikini, her choice on the cute side as opposed to erotic. Pink with white polka dots, the thing was covered with different fabric ties and bows as if to make up for the lack of one on her head.

"Not that, silly," she teased. "The other contestants."

"Come again?"

Rather than answer the question, Bow-san continued her previous task of lathering her arms and neck with sun lotion. She did it with both an air of innocence and seduction. The poor cameraman filming them looked like he could use some water.

"What do you mean?" said Kyoko, impatient.

"I'm talking about the other girls of course," said Bow-san. "You made a few enemies after dumping that mouse down Kimura-san's shirt."

Oh yeah, that had happened.

"I didn't really mean to do that," said Kyoko. "I adopted the persona of a bully to make it across the mouse field without being—"

"—Doesn't matter. Don't care. Neither will Kimura-san. She's got it out for you now."

Bow-san swept to her feet, pulling on a pair of overly large sunglasses as she got closer to Kyoko.

"I already liked you before, but watching you dump that mouse down Kimura-san's shirt? Priceless! I knew you were a fun one." She tilted her sunglasses down, sending Kyoko a playful wink. "Since I like you so much, I'll give you a warning. Kimura-san has already poisoned a lot of the girls toward you. I'd be careful who you make friends with, including the men. Apparently, there are a few butt-hurt that you haven't given them any attention."

"Attention?" Kyoko was floored. "Why would they be hurt about that?"

Suddenly irritated, Bow-san gave a mocking pout. "Oh no, I'm just a little ol' famous TV star with a cute butt, why would anyone pay attention to me? Get over yourself Kyoko-san. The wide-eyed self-deprecating look is only attractive if you do it right. And you really suck at it."

So there were different looks. But apparently, Kyoko was doing them wrong. She couldn't keep up with Bow-san's fluctuating moods.

"Now tell me, do I still have sunscreen on my back?" said Bow-san, turning. She did. Several large white streaks needed to be rubbed in.

It was tempting to just say no.

"Yeah," said Kyoko, automatically extending a hand. "Do you need help?"

Bow-san smacked her hand away. "No, gosh. I'm going to make Yoshio-san rub it in for me."

With a final smile and warning of caution, Bow-san sauntered off to where Yoshio stood with several other women. She forced herself to the front, appearing to demurely ask Yoshio to help her with her back.

Well, that confirmed it. Do not get on Bow-san's bad side. Because apparently, Kyoko had already gotten on the bad side of one crazy woman on this show.

Hi again. Sorry it took a while. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm excited for the mess that is going to happen during the course of this day. Should be lots of fun!

Kay, short note. I'm done. Thanks for reading and all that fun stuff. You guys are freaking awesome. See yah!

-Blushweaver