Ryuske laughed and turned to Hikaru and asked, "So where's yours? I didn't realize it was so late."

Hikaru blinked, looked at the time and replied uncertainly, "I don't know."

Rin snorted and pulled Hikaru's ponytail. When she looked at him questioningly, he replied, "You don't even deny that you have a spouse."

She blushed. Then she messaged Kiri, 'What are you doing?'

A somewhat confusing reply came back after a couple of minutes. 'If you watched 'Evening Stars', I'm sorry, it will be OK, I'll find something. I'll be home soon.'

She stared at the phone with such a befuddled look that Ryuske came and peeked at the message over her shoulder.

"Shall we watch?" he asked.

She hesitated and then replied, "I don't know."

Rin pulled her phone out of her fingers and said a moment later, "I want to watch it."

Ryuske pulled up the most recent episode on his computer. "This aired about two hours ago," he commented.

After a few minutes of listening to the inane chatter of the show's host and the list of celebrities who were appearing in the episode, Ryuske winced and put it on fast forward. Rin, watching him, laughed and asked, "Isn't this show on your interview schedule? How are you going to manage if you can't stand to watch it?"

Ryuske laughed and replied, "Easy, I told Takeda I won't do a live broadcast session until our album is published."

Rin raised an eyebrow and asked lightly, "Aren't you limiting our advertising a little oh leader?"

Ryuske replied seriously, "A little, but I don't want to mess up and say something stupid and," he reached out and froze the video, the frame showed Kiri standing in front of the host and his current star, shocked expressions plastered on their faces.

Rin murmured, "Looks like someone else did?"

Ryuske hastily rewound and hit play.

"ationship with Taiske Jun?" asked the host.

"Oh, that's just a rumor," giggled the pretty young actress. She leaned forward and said in a stage whisper, "I'm not supposed to admit this, but actually I'm dating my manager, Takeshi Kiri."

"What?" the host asked quickly glancing off screen.

The actress smiled coyly and replied quickly, "I just haven't publicised it, because the company advised against it, but really, I'm so tired of all these rumors." She pouted cutely.

Kiri stepped onto the stage in front of the cameras, fists clenched at his side and demanded, "Retract it!"

The two on stage looked up at him in shock, and the host panicked and froze. The actress recovered quickly and stood and wrapped her arms around Kiri affectionately. "Darling, it will be fine, that's a silly rule anyway," she declared.

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He didn't even bother shaking her off, he just looked into her face and demanded, "Apologize to my wife right now!"

"Your wife?" she asked in a faint voice.

Someone switched the feed to a recorded interview section, where she and the show's host stood on a historic stone bridge, and the host was asking her questions about the movie she was working on.

Ryuske left it playing and turned to Hikaru and asked, almost as faintly as the actress had, "You got married while you were gone?"

Hikaru shook her head and then blushed deeply and admitted, "We bought outfits for the wedding."

Rin laughed and Ryuske just swallowed hard and asked, "When?"

"Not until my birthday at least," Hikaru assured him.

"OK," he replied, and behind him the video switched back to the live stage.

The host was sitting with different people, and said cheerfully, "As you can see, things are never boring around Keito Kirari, who is as passionate in her film making as she is in her personal relationships!" Then he turned and introduced his next guests.

Ryuske closed the video.

Rin said thoughtfully, "So do you think he's cheating on you?"

Hikaru shook her head and replied worriedly, "I think maybe he just got fired or quit his job."

--

Rin took her home. Kiri wasn't there yet and Hikaru waited anxiously.

When Kiri opened the door she rushed over to him, wordlessly he pulled her into his embrace and buried his face in her shoulder. "You saw," he said quietly.

She nodded, her chin rubbing against his hair.

He pushed away from her and looked into her face searchingly. She smiled and reached out and touched his sea turtle earring. "Your wife?" she asked lightly.

He blushed.

Hikaru grinned and caressed his cheek and said, "You're so cute when you blush."

He caught her hand against his cheek and kissed it. "I love you like crazy Hikaru. I wasn't," he hesitated. "I didn't plan to say 'my wife'," he finished.

She nodded. Then she asked seriously, "In your message when you said you'll find something, did you mean another job?"

Kiri ran his hands through his hair and laughed a little shakily. He drew her over to sit on the couch and answered, "Yes, I tried to resign."

"Tried?" she prompted.

Kiri laughed and then replied with exasperation, "My boss refused to let me."

Hikaru asked uncertainly, "Isn't that a good thing?"

He groaned and laid his head on her shoulder. "I guess," he replied after a minute, "but I was so angry, I really don't want to deal with this mess."

Hikaru coaxed him into explaining.

He told her about what a problem client Keito Kirari was with Inline. How she'd already gone through more than a dozen managers, mostly because she was spoiled, demanding, and rude, not because of publicity incidents. When they'd gotten back from visiting Kiri's grandparents, his boss had dumped her on him, saying they were completely out of people who would work with her and that he'd have to take over as her personal manager until they could find someone.

Wryly Kiri admitted to Hikaru, "I didn't explain more about the situation last night, because I didn't want you to feel jealous or uncomfortable." He laughed a little painfully, "The irony."

Hikaru leaned over and kissed him, "I'm OK," she assured him.

He raised an eyebrow at her and asked, "It doesn't bother you?"

Hikaru thought about it before replying and said, "I'm bothered that you're upset and have to work with that kind of person." She looked into his eyes and said boldly, "I don't think you're doing her."

Kiri laughed and replied with embarrassment, "Of course not." He added, "Although I ought to have gone along with it. Making a scene during a live broadcast is one of the stupidest things I've done in years."

Hikaru replied seriously, "I'm sorry if that makes your job worse, but honestly, I was really glad you did." They kissed again and she added, "I'd kind of like to tell her off myself." Kiri laughed and kissed her again.

His phone went off. They ignored it.

It went off again and Kiri sighed and pulled it out. He sat there staring at it until it stopped and Hikaru took it from his hands and looked at it curiously.

She laughed and asked, "Oh my god Kiri, how have you not been fired already?"

He looked at her quizzically.

"That-demon-boss?" She asked laughingly, reading the contact ID.

Kiri laughed and replied, "I've called him that to his face before, having it on my phone isn't going to make it any worse."

The phone went off a third time and reluctantly Kiri answered it. He didn't say much, mostly listened, until he pulled the phone away from his ear and asked Hikaru, "Were you serious about wanting to tell her off yourself?"

Hikaru nodded.

Kiri put the phone back to his ear and said, "She will." The conversation continued for a bit longer, and then Kiri said, "Enough, you demon-boss," he winked at Hikaru, "since you won't let me resign, we can do this in the morning." Hikaru could hear the laugh on the other end and then Kiri ended the call.

He leaned back against the couch and sighed.

"I will what?" Hikaru asked.

"Meet with her if she keeps demanding to see this rumored fiancé," he replied, then arched an eyebrow at her.

Hikaru nodded, then scooted up to him and he pulled her up against his chest. After awhile they moved into the bedroom.