The 9th of January in Kyoko's eyes came too fast. Her daily life hadn't changed much. She had finished off projects where she could and others per Lory's orders had been put on hold or pushed back until the point she would be able to return to them. At least she hadn't had to go through the rigours of packing as such, LME was providing all three girls with clothing for the next six weeks plus Kyoko had just found out Jelly Woods was going to be travelling with them as a kind of manager, consultant and everything else in between. As soon as Kyoko, Kanae and Chiori had stepped through the front doors of LME that morning they had been swept away by the young woman and into her private work rooms for a full body beauty treatment as she had called it, though how a bikini wax can be classed as beautiful Kyoko was still unsure as she waited in a bathrobe for Jelly to bring her the clothes she had promised.
"OK sweetie, these are yours for today." Jelly said, handing the clothes through the curtain to Kyoko who sighed with relief, seeing they were rather normal clothes. For a moment she had been worried they would be scandalous like when she had played Setsu last year. She smiled at the tight-fitted jeans and red v-necked jumper with a pair of casual heels then for the final piece: a leather bomber jacket. When she was dressed Kyoko looked at herself in the mirror. She looked casual, yet sophisticated and she had to admit Jelly was good at this.
"I'm finished Jelly." she called, sweeping back the curtain and walking out. Kanae was already dressed had on a beautiful blue tunic type top with black leggings beneath, ankle boots with kitten heels and a large, solid brown belt for showing Kanae's small waist. She looked stunning with her striking long black hair and Kyoko took no time in telling her this.
"You look beautiful, Moko." Kanae looked up and smiled at her.
"You don't look bad yourself. Now hurry up over here. Jelly's asked us to get the base coats on for our make-up while she ran out with Chiori. Something about the top strap snapping?" Kyoko walked over and sat beside her friend as they both started their makeup in silence.
"What do you think he will be like?" Kyoko needed to ask and she knew this was the best time. Kanae continued applying her makeup for a few moments longer before she sighed and faced Kyoko through the mirror.
"Mo, honestly I have no idea. If this is as I suspect the president's doing, it wouldn't surprise me at all if it was someone famous." Kanae stretched her arms up, twisting her back slightly as Kyoko looked down at the counter before her.
"Are you scared?" her voice trembled slightly and Kanae looked at Kyouko fully this time, lowering her arms as she did so. She studied her best friend's face. Kyoko was wringing her hands in her lap. It amazed Kanae still how many characters this amazing young actress could make, all the different people she could become at the flip of a switch. Daring, confident, sexy, hurt, evil and so many more she had played them all and when she acted people paid attention. She truly was an amazing actress and her biggest rival.
Yet when they sat together like this and Kanae looked upon the real Kyoko, it was easy to see the scared young woman before her for who she truly was. You could see the young woman filled with so many insecurities she had locked her heart away never to be touched again. She never thought of herself as good enough for anything or anyone, but she was hard-working and gave 110% in everything she did. And Kanae, the girl who had refused relationships, refused friendship, had Kyoko bury herself so deeply in her heart she would never be able to dislodge her. Though now she was infinitely positive she never wanted to.
"A little I guess." Kanae answered honestly looking back into the mirror.
"I don't think you need to be, Moko. You're so beautiful any man would be silly not to want to date you." Kanae smiled at her and was about to tell her the same could be said for her when Kyoko continued.
"I suppose I will be booted out in the first round. Oh well, at least then I can come back to work and make sure the Love Me work doesn't get too backed up." Kanae was speechless. Her friend had so little confidence in herself. The same girl who had slapped her and told her to stand up for what she believed in when she wanted to be an actress, but she supposed this was Kyoko's deepest fear after all. The whole point of this show was to find love with the bachelor and Kyoko...well Kyoko just wasn't that type of girl. Kanae had hoped of course that he would've been able to mend her heart. He had put the effort in of course, but he never told her and then there was all that drama of him releasing his real name and Kyoko, well Kyoko had withdrawn inside herself a little more again. She loved spending time with her adoptive parents and she was still as hooked on her senpai as when she had called him Ren, but now there was something different. A part of Kyoko had retreated and Kanae couldn't understand what it was. She stood and stepped over to Kyoko's chair, spinning it towards her she leant down towards Kyoko.
"Now you listen here, missie you are just as good as any of the women we will be meeting at this thing so never let me hear you say that again! If anything if you get dropped in the first round it's because you are too good for the guy and he doesn't deserve you, you understand me?" Kyoko looked into Kanae's eyes and Kanae saw the start of tears so pulled back swiftly as Kyoko, startling her, leapt at her friend, arms outstretched hugging her before she could avoid it.
"Thank you, Moko! I feel so much better now." she cried as she finally let the staggering woman go.
At 10 am the coach came to pick them up, driving them to the airport. They were treated like royalty as they passed through customs, while paparazzi flashed their cameras at the three rising stars. Though they doubted until the show started its live broadcasting whether they would actually get much of a story from just some pictures of them travelling together. The plane journey wasn't long and from the announcement and their tickets it seems the secret location was in Hokkaido, but Hokkaido was a big place when you thought about it. They stepped off the plane and were escorted immediately to a taxicab and driven to a local hotel. When they entered the hotel's grand hall, Kyoko and Chiori were all for turning around and walking away, when they saw the group of women that awaited them.
"MO! Get your asses back here!" Kanae hissed as she slowly scanned the crowded, registering each name she knew and the possible threats to her and her friends. Not that she wanted the bachelor but these things can and usually do turn ugly.
"Oh my god!" Chiori whimpered as she took in the other members in the room.
"OK honestly, the president wants us to go up against the likes of Ootomo Honoka! How on earth are we going to compete with Japan's number one model!" Kyoko patted Chiori on the back softly, she had already resigned herself to failing in the first round. No matter what Kanae had said the people in this room were all big stars.
"She's nice, Chiori." she said as she scanned the room and smiled at some familiar faces
"Hell, I know she's nice but she is also the hottest thing to men on two legs. Plus her being nice just doubles her appeal." the more she looked around, the more Chiori seemed to hyperventilate as Kanae nodded towards on corner.
"Kyoko, I believe you know those two?" she enquired, remembering both of the actresses had acted in Dark Moon alongside her friend and Kyoko's senpai. Kyoko nodded,
"Momose Itsumi and Oohara Airi, they played Mizuki and Misao in dark moon." Kanae nodded. She had spoken to both briefly at the Happy Grateful party this year and knew they were firm friends with Kyoko.
"Then have you seen who is over there, Chiori?" Kyoko asked, trying to take her mind off the models and movie stars surrounding them. Chiori looked in the direction Kyoko had indicated as she half groaned and half sighed. Two of the girls both she and Kyoko had worked with on Box-R were present.
"Sudo Yuka and Makino Honami, we worked with them both on Box-R" Kyoko whispered for Kanae's benefit. An unfriendly growl from behind them made all three girls turn and Kyoko visibly blanched at the sight of who had just arrived.
"Well! Here I was thinking they only let the most talented and beautiful people onto this show. It seems maybe I was mistaken if you're here." sneered Nanokura Mimori. Both Chiori and Kanae bristled at the treatment of their friend, but it was Kyoko who made the comeback.
"So did you finally get a brain or did the cockroach dump you?" Kyoko asked, keeping her voice monotone, sounding bored and uninterested in whatever Mimori's answer may be.
That hit a nerve Kanae thought grinning as it was Mimori's turn to bristle. Her cheeks growing redder by the second as she snapped back at the seemingly uninterested Kyoko who was currently checking her red nail polish.
"For your information, I left Sho. He was holding me back." that was too much for someone who was standing behind Mimori. The laughter came like waves as Mimori turned and the three girls peered around her to see who also found this confession funny.
"Oh God...(laughing loudly)...I'm sorry that was just priceless." Kyoko smiled at the newcomer, Matsunai Ruriko.
Kyoko had worked with Ruriko on one of her very first love me assignments and though they would never be close friends both girls held a respect for each other. Seeing Ruriko almost doubled over at Mimori's words made Kyoko want to hug the girl. Ruriko stood as the bright red Mimori stormed off into the crowd of waiting women.
"He dumped her for a hot French chick." was all the explanation they got as Ruriko still chuckling made her way over to people she seemed to know.
"That's Koemi Maemi and Matsumoto Kaori. They're both actresses, but I must say Matsumoto-san is well..." Chiori looked as if she was having difficulty with her words when Kanae chipped in.
"I've heard she is rather childish and vain." Chiori just nodded and Kyoko instantly thought of when she had first met Ruriko. It was true her behaviour had changed for the better, but she wasn't really looking forward to spending time with another Ruriko.
Making their way over to a refreshments table, they stood together watching the room and its inhabitants.
"Kyoko-chan!" an excited voice called as Kyoko looked up into the face of her former co-star and friend Momose Itsumi followed closely by Oohara Airi. Both girls hugged Kyoko who smiled at them and introduced her two friends. Honami and Yuka who had been standing nearby and heard Kyoko's name both wandered over too. When all the introductions and pleasantries were done Honami got straight to the point.
"So does anyone have any idea who the bachelor is? And who we're up against?" she nodded towards the room as all eyes scanned the crowd.
"I know most of the faces except for one or two." Kanae said as she started slowly indicating and listing the women present.
"That's Misa Ruri and Nakamura Hana, they are both part of the all girl band Sakura Stone. Misa-san is the lead singer Nakamura-san is the guitarist." Kanae looked for another one she knew and pointed to a slightly larger group of women including Ootomo Honoka.
"I suppose you all know Japan's number one model?" the girls all nodded and Kanae continued,
"OK, in that group we have Watanbe Chiyoko. She is a runway model just coming into her own and next to her we have the twins, Kazue Sachi and Kazue Seina." the girls all looked at Kanae.
"No, I can't tell them apart and I doubt many people could. Next to them we have Yumi Hana. She works for RMandy as a model and is well liked for her catalogue work. Hmm, I'm not sure on the last one though." Yuka spoke up instantly.
"That's Reika Suzumi. She is slated to take the top model spot next year if Ootomo decides to move to the States." the girls all nodded and Kanae shook her head.
"I'm afraid that's my out." she countered as Kyoko took up talk.
"I know the one just behind Yumi-san is Hikari Hotaru, she's a dancer. She's talking to Yoshida Akio, a famous chef. Yoshida-san is a little over the top, but Hikari seems like a nice girl." Kyoko only knew them as previous guests on Bridge Rock, Bo proved useful for finding out names and what people are like.
"OK, well I can give you the last three. The tall brunette is Ito Kimiko, she has her own talk show and the woman she is talking to is Nariko Harumi. The short woman with bobbed hair is Takahashi Naomi. Nariko is a singer and Takahashi is.."
"She's a make-up artist to some of the biggest stars in the world." Jelly cut in appearing in their group suddenly, making a few of them jump at the small woman's instantaneous appearance. She looked down at her watch then towards the doorway.
"And someone is late." Jelly commented as she smiled around at the girls introducing herself to them all.
Kyoko counted the women in the room and realised that Jelly was probably right. From the outfits and stances of the women and staff there seemed to be only 24 participants. A bell ringing on the small stage at the front of the room caught their attention as a tall, leggy blond stood up behind the podium, smiling down on them all ringing a small crystal hand bell.
"Now ladies, I would like to thank you all for coming and accepting this new venture of ours ." they all clapped though Kyoko, Kanae and Chiori did it with a rather lacklustre approach.
"Well we will soon be boarding the coach for our secret location, I don't need to tell you all how pleased I am with the location, it's simply fabulous. Now we are just going to do a quick recap..." she didn't get any further as the doors were suddenly flung open at the back of the room. A tall, curly blonde entered. Kyoko couldn't help but stare. All the women, even the professional models were in Casual/semi formal style clothes looking, nice but not over the top while the woman who had just entered was anything but.
For Kyoko who was ever the modest girl, she was showing off way too much skin. Her tight, lycra fluorescent pink skirt clung to her. Kyoko would rather think of it as a belt, it left so little to the imagination. As the leopard skin, halter-neck top which Kyoko had a horrible suspicion was real fur, only covered as much as needed showing her stomach and back rather a lot, way more than needed to be seen. Her bright pink stilettos clicked on the floor as she walked, carrying a large bag with what kyoko suspected was a small breed of dog riding in it. Her curly blonde hair was expertly styled while nails on both her hands and feet glittered with jewels. Kyoko thought they were probably real too as even indoors she was wearing an overly large pair of expensive, lurid, pink sunglasses as she stood there, uncaring, chewing gum with her mouth open.
Kyoko just stared as did everyone else in the room as four foot attendants ran forwards with a chair and sat the woman down. Removing her bag and pouring her a drink from a private tea service, she waved nonchalantly towards the woman on the podium who seemed just as disgusted as the rest of the room.
Kyoko heard Jelly groan.
"Great. Look what the cat dragged in? I'm guessing Daddy paid big money to get her in on this little venture." Jelly muttered loud enough for the seven girls to hear. As Kanae shot her an enquiring look Jelly explained,
"That's Nori Oka. She is the heiress of the Atol talent agency, which as you know is the third biggest in Japan. She also happens to be the biggest, most stuck-up little rich Daddy's girl you will ever meet."
Kanae shuddered slightly, thinking of the girl who had forced her out of the career she loved until Kyoko had made her see the error of her ways, running away from the cause instead of facing it head on. She definitely wasn't looking forwards to this.
"OK, so as I was saying, you should have all read your packets by now. My name is Yumi Makoto. Please call me Makoto. I'm the executive producer of this venture and will be your contact for the time you remain here with us. The game runs as such, tomorrow morning after we are all fully rested after our journeys, you will be introduced to our bachelor. I have to say ladies I'm a little sorry I couldn't take part." light laughter filled the room as she continued
"As soon as our bachelor is revealed ladies, the cameras are on. They are in every room apart from the changing rooms and bathroom. Wherever you go, there will be cameras: the gardens, the hot tub, swimming pool, sauna, you name it there are cameras so please try and remember that as it will be live streaming almost 24/7. And we don't want anyone making mistakes, even though language and, at certain times, nudity will be censored the overuse of either will be taken between the watershed and will be punished." she looked around the room at the nodding faces. They were professionals, this was their job after all.
"Now your luggage has been packed, the coach is outside waiting for you, so when we are aboard and all seated we will make introductions. And we will also go through what is expected." Makota stepped down from the podium and led the way out of the hall.
By the time they were on the coach after Oka's fussing, Kanae was ready to murder the cow, while Chiori was amused at Kanae's incessant mumbling about stupid, slapped up hookers with money to wipe their arses with. Kyoko listened and stood when it was her turn, saying her name, age and profession politely before almost having to force the annoyed Kanae out of her seat for a quick two lines before she sat down huffily once more.
"Now as I said, we will talk a little more about what's expected of you. Each week we will be eliminating a set number of ladies from the show, this will be done at the rose ceremony every Thursday night. So the first ceremony will be next Thursday when we sadly lose ten lovely ladies. The week after we will lose five ladies followed by four, then two, and finally two more until we ultimately get to the deciding pair. Now each week there will be dates and challenges, these have been specially chosen for you to participate in by our lovely bachelor as a way to see your compatibility and reactions. Now the dates run as thus, to begin with the dates will be ran as an entire group or split into groups of five so you will each get a chance at our young man so no worries there. After the first two weeks we will start with the single dates and for those lucky enough to get to the last two weeks we will have them meet the parents in addition to overnight stays." Kyoko's heart stopped at that point, she was expected to stay overnight with this man! No no no no no no no! No way in hell was she sleeping with a guy on a TV show! She would just refuse or hopefully they would be in separate rooms, there was no way she would be going anywhere near a man's bed.
"Now with the sleeping and cameras I will say the cameras in the bedrooms are turned off at ten o'clock for privacy reasons but the cameras in the hallways and everywhere else will still be running. So no, nightly excursions will not be caught on film." Makota winked at them all and Kyoko really felt her stomach drop a foot or two lower.
They talked a little more. The dates and challenges would be revealed every Friday morning with the arrival of the date box at breakfast so they would know what they were doing then, but for the last hour and a half it was nice to just sit back for gentle conversation. Kyoko chatted with her small group of friends who were all by Kanae, who had resolutely pulled a cap over her eyes and by all appearances, had gone to sleep. But it was a nice journey. Only as long as you ignored the constant moaning and groaning of Oka anyway.
Kyoko gently shook Kanae awake, telling her they were there and waiting for her best friend to be ready to leave, Chiori had already disembarked with her former Box-R co-stars.
"So did I miss anything?" Kanae asked, stretching a little as Kyoko smiled warmly at her.
"Not much, though I suspect she no longer thinks a dog is a fashion accessory after it threw up all over her. But really what can you expect? It's a dog, not a purse." Kanae laughed at this and they disembarked together to a sight that took both their breaths away.
Before them sat a large, western-style mansion. It was wonderful and the first place that sprang to mind in Kyoko's head was the white house. It was certainly big and white with flowing, green gardens filled with flowers, water features and seating areas. The gravel driveway led up to the double, large oak doors. The windows were all large and she could imagine as long as the weather was right, you would be able to sit in the rooms without the lights on till late evening. It was like the house of one of the fairy tales she loved so much, where one lucky lady may very well find her prince.
The inside was just as grand and amazing as Kyoko had thought it would be, decorated by someone who certainly knew what they were doing. No space had been wasted, they had not sacrificed looks for comfort, and each room seemed to flow like an extension of the room you had left before. It was simply breathtaking. Dinner that evening was a pleasant affair. As it was already late when they arrived they had been taken straight through to the dining hall. Kyoko got to speak with Koemi Maemi and Ootomo Honoka who were sitting next to her and opposite her and her friends, and she really enjoyed the company and conversation. At 11:30 they were showed to their rooms. Each room would be shared by the girls in groups of four, three and two, which was nice for Kyoko as she was placed in the same room as Kanae and Chiori. This pleased her and also one of the new girls they had yet to speak to today, though Kyoko knew her from her appearance on Bridge Rock.
"Hikari Hotaru." she said shaking each of their hands as she introduced herself,
"But please just call me Hotaru." she added with a kind smile and Kyoko warmed instantly to the girl. They made small talk as they changed and readied for bed and finally crawling into her blankets, she slept.
The next morning Makoto's smiling face greeted them as she woke them up and told them excitedly that their bachelor had arrived and for them all to be down in the entrance hall by 7:30 to greet him. Kyoko dressed with the others in the clothes Jelly had set out for them. Each had a different styled, soft flowing summer dress in different colours. Her own was red with no patterning and very simple but, as Kanae put it, very elegant. Kanae's was a deep blue with silver embroidery while Chiori's was a pastel yellow with flower patterns around the hems. Kyoko pulled on the flat, red ribbon sandals and smiled at her reflection. She didn't look as she thought as she brushed her hair, which had grown a lot, now resting just below her shoulders. She was about to leave as Chiori pulled her back.
"One second. I have the finishing touch, she said as she went to her jewellery box and pulled out a beautiful, red rose hair clip which she deftly fitted into Kyoko's hair with a grin.
"There, now you're perfect!" she said, curling the petals of the silken rose and smiling.
"Thanks Chiori." Kyoko said, hugging the girl as they turned and left together with Hotaru.
The wait in the entrance hall was brief, with each girl seemingly excited for the arrival of their bachelor. Kyoko stood nervously, twisting her thumbs while Kanae sighed, clearly bored as Chiori conversed with Hotaru and the rest of the girls they had spent the day with yesterday. The sound of a bell on the staircase told her it was time. As Makoto signalled with her hands for the switching on of the cameras, Kyoko's heart clenched. She was terrified.
"Well Ladies." Makoto called in a clear and powerful voice as the cameras began to roll.
"Allow me to introduce you to our bachelor!" Kyoko raised her head in time to see a well-dressed figure descending the stairs and her breath caught.