Hello!

First off, this is supposed to be a continuation of chapter 201 of the manga.

My reasons for writing this are: 1) I suck at creating my own characters and plots, mostly because I get bored with them very quickly and want to change everything about the story, so I'm kind of practicing with this. Hopefully it will work and I'll be able to graduate the fanfic writing stage (not that there is anything wrong with just writing fanfiction). 2) I noticed that not many people can really grasp the personalities of characters when they write fanfiction. I often find myself getting really into a fanfic and then suddenly a character does something or says something that is so out of character which makes me dislike the fanfic immediately and I can't read it anymore after that. I wonder if I'm the same so please, if you notice that a character is acting out of character, do tell. I want to see how well I can manage :)

That said, thanks for giving this a go. I hope you like it.

"Mogami-san, you can stop imagining those wild scenarios now." the President said, giving Kyoko a small but gentle smile. Just a moment earlier he was very serious and scary which made Kyoko shiver nervously.

She looked up at the President, surprised for a moment that he guessed correctly, even though she shouldn't have been since the President seems to have a knack for seeing right through people. Up until the moment the President spoke, countless scenarios were playing out inside Kyoko's head, each one worse that the other. She even imagined the President filming her confession and broadcasting it on TV during prime time. That sort of horrifying train of thought kept her mind so occupied that she forgot all about the President even though he was sitting right opposite her.

"First I want to apologize to you, Mogami-san." the President said.

Kyoko was taken by surprise once again, but this time the meaning behind the President's words was unclear.

"I knew what you were thinking the entire time, but I wanted you to worry and agonize over the situation. I enjoyed having the upper hand." The president said and looked straight at her. His expression was serious again. "For that, I sincerely apologize, Mogami-san."

The President stared at her like that for a brief moment, although to Kyoko that tiny fragment of time seemed endless. Seeing the President so serious rendered her speechless.

"When I first saw you at the audition, I felt this strong need to give you a chance to feel love again. Even though I didn't know the circumstances which led to you dreading the emotion so much, I took it upon myself to help you experience it properly. I thought that no matter what had happened, if I was the one who was looking after you and helping you on, in time your resistance would weaken and you would heal. I admit that I was foolish to think that. People can't change unless they themselves want to change. I understand now that this is my limit; this is as far as I can go in helping you, Mogami-san. The rest is up to you."

"U-up to me?" Kyoko muttered.

"I saw you yesterday, Mogami-san. I believe I don't need to say any more. Judging by your actions today you are also aware of your own feelings."

"Y-yes." was all she could utter. She blushed and stared at the floor, unable to meet the President's knowing eyes. It was strange for her to admit something that she hid for so long, even from herself.

"Now that you know it, what you do about it is up to you. I won't say a word to Ren or anyone else. I won't scheme or threaten you, which, I presume, is what you thought I'd do. I won't meddle at all, Mogami-san. I promise."

The President looked at Kyoko. Her head was down and she was silent but the President didn't need a response. All the things he was saying were for her, and the only one she needed to respond to in regard to them was herself.

"It doesn't make me happy to have to say this, but I know I must." the President paused for a brief moment. Kyoko felt her breath refusing to leave her lungs. "Mogami-san, unless you learn to love and be loved, you will never graduate from the LoveMe section. Even if you leave LME and go to another agency where they won't put you in a strange section with an embarrassing name and an offensively pink uniform, inside of you nothing will really change. Even if you're offered a role that isn't dark and gloomy, you won't be able to portray it with the same excellence you showed while portraying Mio or Natsu. I am not trying to discourage you or put you down; this is my opinion as the president of an entertainment agency with years of experience in show business. You know from your own experience that unless you understand the character you're portraying so well that you lose and forget yourself, that unless you can feel their presence deep inside of you, you can't succeed in acting them out. Not properly, anyway. Everything can be done half heartedly after all. Is that the kind of actress you strive to be, Mogami-san?"

After another short pause in which Kyoko didn't even manage to lift up her head, the President continued. "As I said, that is up to you and I won't mention any of this ever again. However, if you continue being unable to graduate from the LoveMe section, I will be forced to take action. It is my duty as the president of this company to act in its best interest and I fully intend to do so, regardless of my own personal feelings."

Kyoko felt like everything was crumbling around her. All her hard work and dedication, everything she worked hard to accomplish was suddenly so small and easily squashable. She barely uttered a single word during her conversation with the President, making it completely one-sided. It was embarrassing for her and it must have been insulting to the President, and it was all her fault. But what pained her even more than that were the President's words. Of course he was right, she didn't have a single doubt about that, but hearing all that from that cheerful, unpredictable man who loves parties and thinks it's normal to arrive to an important business meeting on the back of a camel dressed as a sultan, silenced her completely. The President looked so serious as those never ending sentences slowly poured from his mouth and it seemed to Kyoko that during their brief meeting he aged so much, she could hardly recognize him.

She even went as far as to think that it would have been better if the President told Tsuruga Ren the truth.

Kyoko changed into her uniform and sat down. She took a look at the papers in her hand and her thoughts drifted back to the meeting.

The President stood up and walked over to his desk. He reached for what looked like a script but seemed to hesitate for a brief moment before taking it. He glanced at Kyoko who was still looking at the floor, feeling too ashamed to say anything. Even without looking at her, he knew what she must be feeling and it pained him. He likes the girl, she has many qualities, and if it weren't for her stubborn hatred of love she would be a great actress. He knew that and it pained him to see her like that, but he also knew that it was the only way he could help her. Even though he went through every trouble of making the LoveMe uniform something everyone would want to get out of regardless of the cost, it became a second skin to Kyoko, something she's familiar and comfortable with. She is definitely more comfortable in that uniform than she is in love. He just hoped that his actions would have the desired outcome in the end.

He slowly walked over to Kyoko and put the script on the small coffee table in front of her.

"I will give you this. It's a script for an episode of a drama that's been fairly popular recently. This role wasn't offered to you. The director is a friend of mine and as soon as I heard about the role, I thought there would be no one less suited for it than you, Mogami-san. I do not mean to offend you; I am merely stating my opinion. I suggested you and he flatly rejected the idea, since the character is nothing like any of the characters you have played. Still, I insisted so he gave in and said he'd give you a chance at least. It's up to you, Mogami-san. I'm sorry for keeping you from your work. You may return to your duties immediately."

He didn't wait for her response; he knew she needed time to come to terms with everything that was said so he left her to herself.

Kyoko felt like she probably should have said something, but she couldn't find the words. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Kyoko didn't have the strength to blame Fuwa Sho. All she felt was huge responsibility. Her responsibility.