Chapter 19. No Middle Finger Today.

She stepped down from the stage and took off the giant chicken mask from her head, revealing a bright, cheerful smile held on her lips. "How did I do?"

"Good job, Kyoko," one of the crew guys patted her back.

"It works out a lot better when you are Bo," the guy who played the anchor, said.

"Thank you so much," she bowed to them and then to the director who just gave her a small nod in return.

"By the way, we got tons of new emails saying how great Bo was, just thought you should know," the anchor smiled.

"That's great," she smiled back. With every compliment, her confidence uplifted. She was loving this job, everyone was so nice.

On her way back, she changed out of the chicken suit into her casual baby pink top, cobalt skirt and a white shrug before leaving.

As she descended the steps, she couldn't help but feel proud. Last week, she had been humiliated and kicked out from this place. But now, here she was as a regular cast member.

A couple of days after the show aired, they called her back when they got the reviews from the audience. Turned out, people loved Bo and the fact that he was a lot more active compared to the mascots from other talk shows, where they just waved and circled the stage.

Today, they gave her another chance to prove herself and she did better than fine, since Sho wasn't there to mess up her mind. They ended up making her a series' regular. Even if her face was covered in a giant chicken head, she was still on TV. She smiled proudly, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

Once she made it down, a familiar, face with striking jet-black hair and stunning dark eyes, grabbed her attention and her heart fluttered in her chest. It's him. Ren Tsuruga.

She had a sudden urge to walk up to him and break the news about her first regular gig. Unfortunately, she wasn't in her Bo costume or she might have. She also wanted to thank him for the compliment.

I couldn't have done it without you. It meant a lot more than it should have. She wanted him to know how much it cheered her up.

Heat rushed to her face, painting her cheeks a bright shade of red.

That's so lame. I'd die if I actually said that out loud, she cupped her cheeks, thinking how he would react if she did say that. Besides, I have a feeling that he only acted that way because he didn't know who I was. I don't think he would have been so casual otherwise, she didn't want to admit it but it made her feel a bit sad, like she was left out.

Suddenly, their eyes met and she realized that she had been staring at him. You idiot. Of course, he noticed her. She broke out of her reverie and he passed her his enchanting, signature smile.

Oh crap! That plastic smile again. What did I do now? Then she remembered. For him, it was the first time seeing her since 'the finger incident.'

For a moment, she stood there confused. He slowly started making his way towards her. That snapped her back and she turned to walk in the opposite direction.

She glanced back from the corner of her eyes to find that he was following her. She increased her pace to a half jog but he was still catching up to her, even though he was walking casually.

What is he? A speed walker or something? She gritted her teeth. This is like a horror movie. The worst part about that sinister smile is what's hiding underneath it.

She spotted the only place where he wouldn't be able to follow her and made a run for it, the ladies' room.

Just as she was about to enter, he slammed his fist on the wall, blocking her way.

"Hey there, where have you been?" He whispered into her ear from behind, his breath on her neck sending jolts of electricity through out her body.

He was standing right behind her. With the wall on the other side, she was trapped and completely cornered with no way to run.

"It's not very nice to walk away from me when I am smiling at you. I am a pretty important person around here," he said with a smirk on his face.

"Well, hi. Hello," she replied in a shaky voice, still facing the wall.

"I'm over here."

"Nice to meet you," she finally turned to face him with a frantic expression. He stood there looming over her in a black jacket and jeans, like a tall dark shadow which was about to devour her.

"So," he asked innocently. "No middle finger today?"

Man, he's still bitter about that? She cringed awkwardly. What kind of a whiny baby-

He interrupted her thoughts, "I can tell that you are thinking that I am a whiny baby."

"No sir, I couldn't possibly think that you are whiny or baby or whatever it is you said," she shook her head briskly to make her lie more believable. She had recently started working on her blurting-out-the-truth habit, but it wasn't much help.

"You're not?" He raised an eyebrow doubtfully, which made him look incredibly seductive without even trying, and inched his face closer to her, making her quake in fear. It was obvious that he had seen through her lie. He was clearly enjoying intimidating her because it was totally working.

"You're right, I was thinking that." She blurted. "I am really sorry. Please don't kill me," she wailed. He chuckled at her reaction but immediately turned it into a fake cough.

Yashiro had taken the car out of the garage. He came back in to get Ren but his jaw dropped from disbelief when he found him cornering Kyoko, who looked like she was about to cry. The worst part was, it was happening outside the ladies' room.

It can't be..."What on earth is going on here?" He demanded astoundingly.

Ren backed away from her and gave Yashiro a gist of their conversation, as they made their way out, followed by Kyoko.

"Oh, so you were just coaching her some social etiquettes," he heaved a sigh of relief after listening to Ren. "You had me worried there for a second."

"Sorry if I freaked you out," Ren apologized.

"But seriously, try not to do that in front of the bathroom from now on. It looks...weird."

Ren chuckled, "I understand."

Once they made it out to Ren's car, Kyoko wished them good night before being on her own way, but they offered her a ride. She was about to refuse but she was pretty tired from lugging that huge costume around so she graciously accepted.

She gave Yashiro the directions to Darumaya before he started driving. She sat quietly in the back, while Ren and Yashiro chatted in the front. She noticed how friendly he was to Yashiro. I don't get it, she thought while she stared at him from the corner of her eyes. Why is he always messing with me? He seemed so kind and down-to-earth when I was in my Bo costume. The only thing he shows the real me is the same plastic smile he gives to everyone.

Ren suddenly turned around and raised his eyebrows at her, "You were here for a Love Me gig, right?"

"Yes. That's it. I like to take all the work I can get my hands on."

"Then why aren't you wearing your uniform?" He asked the question which she was dreading to answer the most. She had no idea she would run into them and thought that she would get by without anyone noticing.

She had no excuse so she went with the truth, "well, to be honest, the uniform tends to attract a lot of attention and it makes me stand out in a way that feels super awkward."

"That's ridiculous!"

Your face is ridiculous! She replied silently.

"In this business, you have to stand out any way you can, using every possible advantage at your disposal. Actors are always being watched, and you never know by whom. It's always good to put your best foot forward." His tone was sincere now.

As much as she hated to admit it, she felt like he was right.

"The drive to shine is required for this work. You want to become a star, right? Then stand out more than anything else."

Did he actually just give me some good advice? It was hard to believe but she still reflected on his words and figured that it might be the best moment to share the news of her very first audition.

"A commercial audition tomorrow?" Yashiro was impressed.

"I saw it listed on a casting website. I talked to Mr Swara and he got me in."

"Good luck," Yashiro smiled at her through the rear view mirror.

"Going to an audition is the perfect opportunity to stand out," Ren commented. "After all that's the whole reason you go."

Kyoko didn't know what brought this on all of a sudden, but she was liking this new side of Ren, in which he was not being a jerk to her like usual. She realized he was always encouraging whenever it came to acting.

Yashiro pressed the break to stop the car as soon as they reached Darumaya. Kyoko got out and thanked both of them for the ride through the window.

"Promise me that you'll blow 'em away." Ren said.

"Sure thing," she blushed, feeling more confident than ever.

The glass window rolled up before the car drove away. Kyoko was now looking even more forward to the audition tomorrow. She couldn't wait for morning to come. After all, she had a promise to keep.

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The place where the auditions were held turned out be a huge and lavish glass building with an enormous lobby and carpeted floor. Kyoko entered with sheer determination burning in her eyes. She saw a chart by the reception which stated that the actors for the commercial audition needed to go to the waiting room on the third floor.

She stepped in the empty, brightly lit elevator and pressed the button. As she waited, a feeling of loneliness crept into her. When Moko first joined the Love Me Division, she thought she'd finally have a best friend. But her hopes were crumbling bit by bit because it had been more than a month and Moko was still avoiding her. She had no idea what to do because she never had any friends to begin with to be in a situation like this before, thanks to a certain someone.

Growing up with Sho really messed with my head, she thought bitterly because of her helplessness. It's like I skipped being a kid.

She reached the waiting room. Just as she was about to enter, someone opened the door from the other side, which hit her head making her collapse.

A girl with dirty blonde hair wearing quality makeup and clothes that probably cost a fortune, stood on the other side.

"I'm really sorry. I kinda stopped the door with my head," Kyoko apologized with a small chuckle for her clumsiness.

That girl stormed back in without replying and said to the other girls while pointing at the door, "if you're leaving, make it fast. You're just wasting your own time. I just don't see why anyone of you bothered to show up. This is my commercial. End of story."

Sweetheart, this is the wrong day to start something with me, Kyoko was about to unleash her wrath on her for ruining her determination, when her eyes spotted a familiar face among the dozen auditioners. It was Moko.

"Inform these peasants what it's like to be in my shadow, since you live in it," this time, the girl looked at Moko. "Have fun watching me work. I mean, we both know as long as I'm here, you'll get nothing more than a supporting role."

Moko didn't reply for a long moment, like she was not sure what to say. Finally she said quietly, "I am not competing against your skill. I am competing against your family name. I suppose that's what you would be relying on again today?"

"I don't know what you mean."

Moko walked away and sat as far as possible from her. Kyoko wondered what was all that about. It was the first time she had seen Moko back away from a fight like that. She was acting a lot different from the time when she they first met during the LME auditions.

Kyoko overheard some of the other girls talking about that blonde girl and found out that her name was Erika Koenji, she was the daughter of some billionaire and was hoping to get the role by using her family's name.

But Kyoko didn't care about that. She was more pissed about being ignored by Moko again. She was done being patient so she marched up to her and demanded the reason for her behavior, "You there, how about, 'hi, Kyoko. It's such a pleasant surprise to see you here.' or 'hey, wow, you're here too. It must be fate, like we're best friends.'" She shook her shoulder to get her attention. "But you didn't say anything like that. You didn't say anything at all. You just ignored me-"

"Hey, take it down a notch. I am not your best friend. In fact I've made it a habit to ignore you." Moko jerked away from her.

"Don't do that! I am trying so hard. What about me do you hate so much?" Kyoko sounded more desperate now.

"Are you serious? How about everything you say and do. And besides that, you're my rival," Moko shouted in frustration, creating a buzz. Everyone was looking at them now.

"Rivals? We can't be. We're cursed. Besties together in pink infirmity."

"Besties? The word gets thrown around so much that it's empty now."

"I get it. Of course the two of you are rivals," Erika jumped in their conversation, uninvited. She said to Kyoko, "it's sad. You really don't know anything about your little bestie, do you? This whole friendship thing is just in your head."

"What do you mean?"

But before Erika got the chance to reply, the door opened and a man in a work suit and specs came in and announced, "okay. We're ready to see you now. Follow me."

One by one, the girls followed him out.

"We should go too, Moko," Kyoko said as they made their way out.

"Good luck, I'll try not to enjoy your humiliation too much," Erika chuckled before leaving herself.

"Aren't you gonna tell that girl off or anything?" Kyoko asked curiously when Moko ignored Erika's retort again.

"Stop it. I don't care. Just let her say whatever," Moko replied, still in a quiet tone.

"Seriously? I've never seen you back down like this. There's no way you could only get cast a minor role against someone like her."

Moko glared at her like she had just hit a nerve. "Don't you think I've been trying? I don't want to play only minor roles," she snapped.

"It's not like that," Kyoko tried to explain. "I meant it like a compliment..." But Moko stormed off, leaving her behind.

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"Alright, then," The man with the glasses said, once they were all settled in a large hall. "The director of this commercial, Mr Kurosaki hasn't made it in yet. But we cannot hold off any longer so we're gonna get started."

There news of the director's absence created a nervous buzz among the auditioners. They all started asking each other if it was good for them or not.

"It can't be good for us to be weeded out by the producers instead, don't you think so?" Kyoko leaned close to Moko, who was sitting beside her on a similar chair, and asked.

"Maybe. But the director does have a lot of say in who ultimately gets chosen for their commercial. This may work to our advantage," Moko replied. Kyoko had no idea what any of it meant but she decided not to bother Moko, considering her mood.

They producers asked each of them to introduce themselves one by one. Erika was the first one to go. She got up from her chair and performed a flashy triple pirouette. "My name is Erika Koenji. My hobbies are horseback riding and world travel and as you can see I am a prima ballerina."

"Koenji?" One of the producers raised his eyebrows. "As in the Koenji group?"

"That's right," she flaunted. "It has always been my dream to be a star and nothing can waver my poise and my confidence. By casting me, you'll also get the Koenji name and that will make your product very successful."

"Oh great. Nepotism," Moko added dryly.

"She totally dropped her family name like that was the whole point of the audition," Kyoko complained at how unfair it was.

"Welcome to the real world" Moko replied. "These men are all about business. It's all about money. Persuading them with name recognition will definitely work."

"This will work great!" One of the producer smiled cheerfully at Erika like he just hit the jackpot. "You'll certainly generate a lot of buzz for our product."

"Mother..." Moko muttered with disbelief, she knew they'd be drawn to her, but she did not expect them to totally ignore the others.

"What the..." Kyoko said at the same time. Both of them was  speechless.

"You can't do this!" One of the auditioners shouted.

Following her lead, all the girls except Kyoko and Moko, started shouting and complaining to give them a chance to audition first before deciding anything. The hall was in a complete hubbub and pandemonium as each of them started screaming at the same time to get noticed.