Chapter 8

He had kept his promise. He had sent a message to his parents every night, he had told them about his days that were unusually quiet. They had even created the Hizuri group on WhatsApp to send each other pictures. His mother had been horrified to see BJ, she didn't get the point of having a beautiful and cute son only for him to become ugly, she had complained a lot.

It's true that he was freer now, he had the promo for Tragic Maker and some ads for clothes or perfume. But he wasn't shooting anything new in order to be free in January for the shooting of no limit.

He took the opportunity to hang around in the love me section's room... He had offered the pen to Kyoko as a thank you for her wine jelly. White Day had already passed but hey, it was the gesture that counted. She had been surprised and very moved by his gift. On the other hand, Ren hadn't had the courage to offer her the sexy underwear he imagined her in. Yashiro-san was maybe right, he was probably a pervert.

Today he wanted to see her because he had gotten tickets to go listen to the fabulous cadaveric decomposition. Yashiro-san had written on his blog that he would be at the concert and the tickets were now sold out. He wanted to have this party with his fans, he hoped that everything would go well. In general, his fans behaved well, they were far from the hysterical teenagers who followed young idols like Sho Fuwa.

Thinking about that little punk set him in a bad mood. How could he have mistreated his Kyoko. Making her believe in a possible romance he had exploited her to the core. That guy was a complete asshole, because of him Kyoko didn't want to love anymore.

His mood immediately lightened when he heard the door latch open. The three love me girls entered happily. Seeing him, Kyoko flinched. It hurt every time she saw him, her perfect senpai who would never love her.

Smiling he waved the tickets under her nose. The concert. With him. She had forgotten. She forced a smile and imitating a guitar player she shouted:

-I am revolted against society. I feel harassed, I think I am going to kill...

The other two members of the love me section jumped.

- What's this song, are you serious, are you really going to go to the concert like that Tsuruga-san. It's going to be crazy!" Kanae was worried.

- Everything will be fine, Ren replied.

- Mo… what if your fans attack Mogami-san?

- I have been doing Thai boxing since I was 10 years old, I can ensure her safety.

- That's a funny idea for a date. It's not very romantic! Chiori remarked.

- This isn't a date, Amamiya-san. We're just going to a concert together. Kyoko cut in.

On this Ren took his leave, a little annoyed, because for him it was a date.

- So? Do you still think he's in love with Morizumi-san ?

- I don't know, Kyoko concluded as she opened her locker to change.

On the middle shelf, in plain sight, was a beautiful blue cardboard box. On the box, a simple word: Mogami-san. No way to recognize the writing... She opened the bag and found pale pink underwear. A balconette bra, matching boxers and a thong. All cut from a matte silk that was very soft to the touch. Who could have given her these underwear?

- Oh! You have a secret admirer it seems! said Kanae

- If it's not your size, I'll take it. Chiori added.

- At least you know what to wear on your date

- It's not a date! It's just...

- We know, we know, calm down! Said Kanae, but you're not going to go with the pink jumpsuit from the love me section!

- I was thinking about dressing like Natsu...Kyoko's voice was hesitant.

- Natsu at a hard rock concert... No. Chiori cried.

- In Setsuka then...

- No, she's too sexy. Kanae was adamant.

- So I don't know... Kyoko cried. Moko-san help me!

- When is the concert?

- In two days, on the 28th.

- Very well. Tomorrow I am free. I suggest shopping.

- Thank you Moko-san!

She shouldn't have thanked Moko-san, they had already been to 10 stores and nothing found grace in her friend's eyes. Chiori had pretended to have a meeting to escape. Kyoko wondered if it wouldn't be a good idea to go in pink underwear rather than endure all these fittings.

In the end, her friend came back with a victorious smile. In her hand she held a little black dress. She threw it to Kyoko so she could try it on and then collapsed into an armchair to wait for the miracle. When Kyoko came out of the fitting room, Kanae exclaimed:

- Perfect! Turn around!

Kyoko looked at her reflection in the mirror, Moko-san was a genius. The dress flowed gracefully around her, the three-quarter sleeves were rounded, and elaborate embroidery adorned the neckline. A perfect gothic lolita!

- With black boots and a pendant it will be perfect added Kanae. But don't put princess rosa, she could be torn off during the pogos.

- The pogos ?... Oh my god, in what mess she had gotten herself into!

Ren picked her up at 7pm, he had managed to convince her to eat with him by making her understand that he would skip the meal if she didn't accompany him. It was pure blackmail but he didn't care.

When he saw Kyoko, so cute in her little black dress, he couldn't help but wonder if she was wearing the pretty pink underwear. But he quickly pulled himself together, he wasn't going to let that kind of thought bother him, especially since the owner of Daruma-ya was coming towards him with a stern look. Ren got out of his car and introduced himself. The owner of the restaurant remained staring at him hard, his arms crossed, the okami joined them and put his hand on her husband's arm. Ren greeted her and promised to take Mogami-san home before midnight.

Wow, like Cinderella, Kyoko thought. A gothic Cinderella... Too bad her sempai didn't have a pumpkin carriage but, hey, a Porsche wasn't so bad.

In the car she felt her sempai relaxing, she was reassured, he seemed at peace with himself, she had been worried about him after the Tragic Maker movie release party. The car sped into the night, they discussed the latest role that Kyoko had endorsed. The lotus in the mire was the story of a young ninja who served her master out of love, an unreturned love since her master loved the daughter of a samurai. For once it was not the role of a villain and Kyoko was delighted.

- It's tragic, Ren argued, if he doesn't know anything, he can't return her feelings.

- But everything stands in the way of their love, Tsuruga-san!

- I think you have to confess your feelings, otherwise you risk missing out on something beautiful. Even if it doesn't work out, at least you know what's going on.

Kyoko was shocked, it was the same person who had told her, well, told Bô, that he could not love anymore. What had happened to him. Suddenly she realized, he was dating Morizumi-san ... She felt bad, really bad. Suddenly she felt sad and alone, she would have liked to curl up in front of the TV at Daruma-ya.

Ren, busy parking his car, didn't notice his kouhai's emotion. As she looked pale, he told her that everything would be fine, that they would stay away from the crowd. If necessary, he would protect her. But it was him she was afraid of. He, who was capable of open the locks of her heart. She felt totally helpless against the effect that her charming sempai had on her.

They entered the bar. Heavy music reached their ears, the smell of tobacco made Kyoko cough. But she noticed that thanks to Kanae she was dressed properly. Ren on the other hand stood out from the other men, he was in jeans and wore a blue and white striped shirt. He was far too elegant for this kind of bar.

They found a table with difficulty and ordered drinks. Kyoko noticed that many people were looking at them. She was afraid, what if her jealous fans threw themselves at her.

- Don't worry Mogami-san, everything will be fine.

He addressed a couple who were taking pictures of him in a not very discreet manner.

- Do you want a picture? Embarrassed, they lowered their heads. Ren took the phone from the girl's hands and took a selfie with them. The girl was over the moon and Kyoko smiled. He was nice to his fans, unlike Shotaro who looked down on them.

- You're going to look ugly in this picture, selfies suck, she mocked.

- No problem, Ren said, I'm happy to meet my fans, I should do these kinds of parties more often.

After a 45 minutes of photo shoot, the sound balance on the set was done and the band was about to arrive. The lights went out. The first guitar chords rose from the stage. Then they sang the song that Ren and Kyoko had heard on YouTube, it was much less trashy live. Ren and Kyoko stood up with the others to get a better look at their idols. Kyoko was quite surprised to see that the average age of the group was 35-40, she had imagined young singers like this baka Shotaro. In the dark and surrounded by the crowd, Ren wanted to take his kouhai by the waist to let his nose play in her hair to sniff her perfume. But there was no way he was going to reveal himself tonight, there were way too many people.

He stared at Kyoko in front of him, she was swaying to the rhythm of the music. In her gothic lolita dress she was truly ravishing. In less than a month he would tell her, he would confess everything to her, his feelings, his past, his visions of their future together. Maybe she wouldn't push him away.

The band was good and they didn't see the time pass by. At the end of the concert the singer thanked Tsuruga San for the publicity. Then people started to disperse. Then delicately, as if to push her forward Ren brushed the back of her kouhai, just a caress. Kyoko was troubled. Ren took advantage of the compact crowd that pressed them against each other to lose himself in the young girl's perfume. Her hair smelled like apples and she wore a light fragrance that reminded him of spring.

Once they got back to Ren's car, they exchanged their opinions about the concert. Ren explained that he had seen a lot of rock concerts with his father. He loved them.

- Shotaro's concerts and his fans are hysterical! Kyoko confessed to him.

- Well, we should go to concerts more often, Ren concluded.

He dropped her off in front of her house 13 minutes before midnight. He whispered goodnight to her in a soft voice and kissed her neck, just below the ear.

Could it be that I was wrong, Kyoko thought.