Loveless (Book 1) [Completed]

Chapter 27.

STEPPING STONE.

A few days after Kyoko finished subbing in as a manager for Ren, she was on her way to her highschool for the first time, since she had successfully passed her entrance exam with flying colours. Bubbling with nervous excitement, she ran down the stairs and greeted the Taishos with her usual, cheerful smile before stepping out. Upon seeing her in her brand new school uniform, Mrs Taisho showered her with compliments and blessings and Mr Taisho went so far as to not frown and give her a short, approving nod.

Humming a playful tune, Kyoko flew down her bike as she imagined different scenarios in which her classmates would be so very excited to meet the new, mysterious girl. Her hopes were soon dashed to the ground when she saw only half a dozen student present there. It was then, she learned that all her classmates were struggling actors just like her, since she was in the performing arts program, because of which the attendance was quite irregular. Also, none of them were interested in making friends.

But she didn't let herself be bummed out much by that fact because she had Moko now. When she was finally dismissed in the evening, she stepped out and the first thing she noticed was a huge roadside screen on one of those tall skyscrapers. A particular ad was being played on it in where two girls in highschool uniforms were holding a bottle of Kyurara.

It's me and Moko! Kyoko realized and a grin broke out on her face.

Even after the commercial ended and another one started playing, Kyoko's eyes remained glued to the screen in hopes that she might get to see it again. But after a few minutes she realised that if she didn't hurry, she would be late for her Bo shoot. Flumping down on her bike, she started pedaling.

The sun had almost set when she finally arrived at the studio building where the talk show, Kimigure Rock was recorded every week, and parked her bike in the garage before entering. As she made her way to the dressing room through the heavily packed crowd in the hallway, she was interrupted by a loud, screeching bell ringing from her cellphone.

Fishing it out from her purse, she picked it up and answered, "hello?" without even bothering to check the caller ID since she assumed it to be Swara.

"Slow to pick up the phone as usual," a warm and smooth voice replied on the other end and her heart did a backflip filling her with vehement rapture.

"You know," the voice continued. "Since you're a big TV star now, you shouldn't walk around with the dazed look on your face."

Upon realizing that she was being watched, Kyoko snapped her head around looking in all four directions as she searched for the owner of that voice without much help.

"Come to think of it, maybe you were just lost in thought or something. Come back to us, Mogami." She could hear him smiling.

When Kyoko didn't find him anywhere, at last she looked up at the first floor railing and there he stood - with his jet black hair glistening and his warm, affectionate smile tugging on the lips of his handsome, chiseled face. He was already looking at her with his phone clutched up to his ear.

Their eyes met and his smile widened. "Tsuruga!" She exclaimed in surprise.

She hung up the phone and sprinted upstairs. She kept running until she finally spotted Ren with Yashiro. With a silly grin and panting breaths, she exclaimed, "you called me!"

"I've been meaning to give you a call for a little while now but I've been completely swamped with work, you know how it is." Ren replied. "This is really the first opportunity I've had. Luckily Mr Swara told me that I might be able to bump into you here today."