Chapter 17. Bo, The Chicken.

During the next few weeks, Kyoko spent most of her time at the acting classes to catch up. Every day she learned a lot of new stuff and had a blast. But one thing was still wrong. Moko was still ignoring her for some reason.

When the class was over, she went to her and tried to talk to her for the hundredth time this week.

"Hey, Moko. What's up?" She flashed the friendliest smile she could manage.

Moku walked right past her with an annoyed look on her face.

On her whole way to the agency up to the elevator, Kyoko kept thinking about what she could have done wrong to make Moko so mad at her, but nothing came to her mind.

As the elevator's doors opened, a tall man with straight jet black hair, entered. She was so startled to see him that she ran out of the elevator, screaming, leaving the man to wonder if she was a lunatic.

She didn't want to act this way, but she couldn't help it. Since she gave Ren Tsuruga the finger, she had been extra careful and overly cautious to not run into him. So far, she had been lucky.

But whenever she saw any tall man with dark hair, she'd freak out and run as if she'd seen a ghost.

I can't help it, she thought. It's a reflex. I wish I hadn't done that. It's too late now. Even so, I'd never win in an argument with him. I just wanna get back at him somehow. He pisses me off so much.

She walked the rest of the way through the stairs, when she saw Swara talking to someone on his phone.

"What? He backed out due to injury," he paused to listen. "What am I supposed to do? It's rather late to find a substitute."

Kyoko didn't wish him because she didn't want to interrupt, but she still bowed to him and continued walking.

When he noticed her, his face lit up. "Ms Mogami!" He called out.

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Moko was changing into the stupid pink jumpsuit in the Love Me room when Kyoko burst in screaming, "I got news! I got news! Really big news!"

Moko glared at her.

"Come on, you can't be still mad, we're best friends after all," Kyoko said when she saw her glaring.

It had been Kyoko's life dream to have a best friend of her own. Since childhood, she'd never had any girlfriends. All her previous classmates used to resent her and bully her. It came down to him again. They were jealous of her because she was close to Sho. The fact that they lived in the same house only fuelled their resentment towards her. And she ended up alone not having any other friend besides Sho.

Him, she thought angrily. Always him. I hate him so much.

"What's up the bad vibes all of a sudden?" Moko said frantically when she saw her face fueling up. "What is it? Let's just get it over with."

Oh, right, Kyoko remembered about that big news which, fortunately, made her forget about Sho. "You are not gonna believe this. We got a TV gig!" She exclaimed excitedly.

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"Yes. We'll do it," Moko said to the director of the talk show, in which they were supposed to perform. "After all, we are the sole members of the Love Me Division. We work hard to make others love us. The job is built right into the name," she said proudly.

Kyoko stifled a giggle after listening to Moko. She knew that it was all an act and how much Moko hated the Love Me Division.

"We only need one of you," the director replied.

"What exactly is the role?"

"We need someone to fill in for Bo."

"I think she is better suited for this one" Moko smiled and pointed at Kyoko.

The director showed them to a dressing room where a woman took out a huge, fat and fluffy chicken mascot costume.

Kyoko reluctantly put it on. It was so freaking heavy and round that she looked like a sumo wrestler.

"Please, Moko, help me." She cried out once they were alone. She wasn't sure if she could walk in this thing, let alone perform.

"I'm a real actress. And I don't think that it counts as a gig. When push comes to shove, we both know it's gonna be you," Moko replied.

The door opened and a man announced, "Alright, Bo. You're on in five."

"This is your big break, Bo." Moko smirked

"There's no way, this is like, TV. I'm gonna mess this up, I'm sure. I can't memorize whole scripts in fifteen seconds like you. Please switch with me." Kyoko was desperate now. She was not bothered by the fact that she was suppose to play a fat chicken but her desperation came because of the sudden stage fright engulfing her, which left her nauseous inside the already suffocating chicken headpiece.

"Oh, suck it up." Moko replied in a board tone. She was annoyed, she let herself get excited for nothing. "You're only gonna be the show's mascot. They told you there aren't any lines, didn't they? If anyone says something to you, play dumb and try to look really adorable," she said sarcastically.

"How do I do that?"

"You can figure it out."

A couple of men entered and dragged Kyoko, aka Bo, out onto the stage, who was still protesting against performing.

Loser, Moko thought after Kyoko left. I didn't come here to make friends and I am not starting now. Maybe after this, she'll finally get the hint.

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Kyoko was pushed onto a large stage glimmering with a hundred lights pointing from all directions. There were a couple of hosts anchoring into their hand mics. As they spoke, the room echoed with a thousand cheering fans, who suddenly emerged from the darkness surrounding the stage as Kyoko's eyes finally adjusted to the blinding light.

Her heart hammered against her chest. She stood still behind the anchors, trying to calm her nerves as she waited for her cue. She took a few deep breaths and tried to focus only on the words of the anchors. Once her heart beat slowed down, she wasn't suffocating anymore.

Wow, she thought. It's actually kinda cool.

The hosts introduced themselves and the show, before calling the guest. "Alright, guys! We have a special guest to kick off the shows debut."

The other host picked up from there as hi spoke between pauses to create suspense, "and now...give some love...for the one and only...Sho Fuwa!"

He stepped forward into the spotlight and the party poppers went off raining down tiny colorful paper pompoms. The huge screen behind the stage glimmered with fire patterns as the speakers blasted with rock, walk up, music.

The crowd erupted into an ear crunching cheer. In a black leather jacket, black ripped jeans and a maroon shirt, he smiled and waved, looking almost divine in the golden spotlight.

That was Kyoko's cue. She was supposed to circle the stage and flap her chicken wings, but she froze. The director hissed at her from the side curtain to "move it," but she stood there like an idiot, gawking at Sho.

After a few very long seconds of staying still, she followed her instinct and ran behind the curtain.

The director whisper-screamed at her and told her to get it together, but she wasn't listening to him.

Her heart fluttering and her mind contemplating a million possibilities of using the situation to her advantage and finding a way to get her revenge.

"...are you even listening to me?" The director raised his angry voice.

"Yeah. I am sorry, I freaked out."

"Get it together. We can't start the show without the mascot. You'll have to go back in after the break. Don't. Mess. This. Up!" His tone was almost threatening.

The interview went on and Kyoko kept rummaging through ideas to humiliate Sho on stage.

At last, the commercials started playing. One of the crew members handed Kyoko a basket with fake plastic eggs and asked her to take them on stage after the break.

"What's that for?" She asked curiously.

"They have questions from the fans, for Sho Fuwa."

"Oh really?" That sounds fun. Really fun. A devious plan brewed into her head.

The break was over. "So, talk to me, Fuwa." The anchor chatted with Sho like they were old buddies. "I hear this is your first time ever on a variety show. You watch 'em?"

"Not at all. I don't really watch much TV," Sho replied in a cool, deep voice.

Murmurs and moans of 'Awww' from the fangirls, who found it cool, filled the place.

"All work and no play. It's cool."

What a phony, Kyoko thought as she stepped forward clumsily in those chicken legs. You're still putting on that stupid act. Always trying to look cool. We used to watch those shows together and even I thought you were way too into them. Just you wait, that so-called perfect image you're trying to build, I am about to smash it to pieces.

"Awesome, the eggs are here," the anchor asked Sho to pick one.

Kyoko smirked inside her suit. No matter which one he picked, she had changed all the questions. For the first time she was glad for the commercial breaks being too long.

"Whatever was inside the eggs, it will be the next segment we start. Let's crack it up!"

The anchor took the egg from Sho and read aloud from the slip which was inside. "Okay. Here's the first question for Fuwa and boy, it's a good one. 'I've heard that Sho is actually a stage name and you changed your real one because it was too weird. I am dying to know it.' Well, what do you have to say? "

The question took Sho by surprise. How on earth would someone even know to ask that? He thought. My name's been top secret forever. I never even told my agents.

Sweat trickled down his forehead as he tried to come up with a believable excuse.

Well well, Kyoko thought smugly. The first item of many that you don't want to be revealed. Makeup any name you want but we both know you've always been Shoutaro Fuwa. Shoutaro, with the lamest chinese characters ever.

All of their classmates had at least once made fun of Sho's name because of which he was very conscious about it.

"Sorry, I can't answer that." Sho answer at last, looking down. "To achieve our dreams, we must often make sacrifices. Erasing the past was mine."

'Oohs' and 'Ahhs' arose from the audience, who found Sho's story almost tearful.

"And so I swear to all of you, if you ever hear me say my real name out loud, that means that it's the day Sho Fuwa quits show business."

After a few seconds of pin drop silence, the crowd went wild. "Damn you, Shoutaro," Kyoko screamed in frustration but no one heard her over the wild cheering. The whole plan backfired.

Man, Sho thought as he sighed with relief. I really skated through that one and my cool factor just doubled. Whoever asked that question, thanks sweetheart.

"Your fans really do adore you," the anchor chuckled.

But how could anyone have known when I have not told a soul in Tokyo.

"Okay, moving on to the next question," the anchor finally continued after the cheers died down. "'There is this rumour floating around for a while that back when he was in high school, Sho played badminton so well that he was the team star.'"

What the hell? Sho thought. I used to suck at badminton. I was never able to hit the bird. Who is spreading these rumours? Who is aware of my weak points? I'm gonna find out who this snitch is.

"'How about the demonstration of your awesome skills?'" The anchor read from the slip. "Shoot, we don't have a racket."

Kyoko stepped forward with a couple of rackets and a bird, which she luckily found in the accessories room when she was writing the questions. She threw one of it at Sho, who caught it before it hit him.

"Ask and you shall receive!" the anchor sang playfully. "Wanna show us what you got, Fuwa?"

Kyoko signalled her chicken finger at Sho to come at her.

"Oh man, are you challenging Sho to a match, Bo?" The anchor chuckled nervously. None of this was in the script.

Kyoko nodded.

"Well then, let's proceed." The anchor said as he glanced back at the director who was fuming. He had no choice but to go with it since Bo challenge Fuwa in front of the whole audience.

You got a problem with me, Chicken? Sho could tell from the nervous look on the anchor's face that the chicken was not following the script. Well, you're in for a surprise, if you expect me to play like I used to. He smirked.

Kyoko had never been so sure of her self before. She knew she was about to wipe the floor with Sho. She didn't care about the director screaming at her for not following the script. All she could see was Sho getting his butt kicked in front of thousands of his fans by a mere fat chicken. Her insatiable appetite for revenge made her forget about the consequences she'll have to face.

The anchor moved back and Sho waited at the other end of the stage with the racket in his hand.

She threw the bird above before hitting it with maximum speed. Surprisingly, Sho hit it back with a confident smirk.

What? He had never been able to return my serves before. She hit it again and Sho returned it again.

Moko, who was watching the show from the back, thought irritatedly, she was freaking out before the show started and now she's even outshining the regulars! I didn't force her to be the chicken so she could have fun and show off there. It's harder to keep her down then I thought.

The bird flew back and forth and Sho's fans cheered for him even harder when they saw how fast he was with the racket.

The plan was back firing again but Kyoko wasn't about to lose. Even if Sho was better now, he would never be able to hit that serve.

She jumped on her toes, stretched up her arm the highest, and hit the bird as high as she could. Sho always hated this move.

When Sho saw that chicken jump on it's toes, he knew. Her image popped into his head, doing the same move when they were kids. It all made sense now. A lot of people from his hometown knew his real name but only person knew about the sport he hated the most and not to mention the technique which he won't be able to counter.

"I am going to get my revenge."

He was absolutely positive that it was Kyoko inside the chicken suit.

There was little to no chance for him to hit the bird from so high but he waited with the racket floating above his head anyway. Yet the bird never came.

"Game set match. Bo, the chicken is defeated," the anchor stepped forward and announced.

What? Sho thought.

"Slick move," the anchor said sarcastically to Bo. "If you are gonna throw it so high, of course it's gonna get stuck up there. Tough break."

Sho followed their eyes up and saw that the bird was stuck in one of the lights. Today turned out to be his lucky day.

The bell for the commercials rang and Bo walked back behind the stage. Sho tried to follow but his path was blocked by his manager, Shouko. "Sho, stay put. It's only a short break. If you need to fix your make up, do it here instead of the dressing room."

The moment Kyoko made it back, the director barked at her, "why the hell did you do that stunt? You can't just decide to go off script."

"I am really sorry."

"You think sorry is going to cut it? It's a good thing we don't need you in the next part. You can leave. We'll find a more suitable and responsible replacement before the next episode."

She sat down alone in the sullen silence. She knew she blew it. Why did she always act so recklessly and lose her mind when it came to him? She knew it would end this way but she didn't care. She was so blinded by revenge that she put her job at risk. Tsuruga was right.

And after all that risk, it still didn't work out the way she wanted it. The more she tried to put down Sho down and get

closer to her dream, the higher he kept going and people loved him even more. And the only one who clobbered in this scenario was her. It was so unfair.