Skip Beat [Chapter 224]

Flashback: Young Kyouko opened the door to see her mother on her desk. She looked troubled as she covered her face with her hand. Flustered, Kyouko went to her and called out, “..ma..mama..mama..” Saena noticed that Kyouko is about to reach out and touch her. She quickly hit Kyouko’s hand away and shouted for her not to touch her. “If you touch me, I’ll be stained with bad luck [/misfortune]!!! *crying* I won’t be able to tolerate another defeat!!! I must win!! If I were to lose this case, then it is all your fault!! Why don’t you get out!!! *Kyouko looked hurt and on the verge of crying* Didn’t I tell you before that you are absolutely not allowed to come and enter this place!!!” End flashback. Narration: “Ever since I was young, I already know that I was hated [by her]. Generally, I felt that I had already accepted it, the possibility that I’m detested by my mother.. *stands up from the bench* But.. *crying while looking at Ren* I still have not *cries more in anguish* truly properly made myself aware of it. *Ren looks surprised when Kyouko called out, ‘Co—rn’* Accepting this kind of reality-- *walks towards Ren* that my existence is rejected [by her]-- *hugs Ren* --Why?..

..*cries bitterly* After all, what’s bad about me? What do you hate about me? Even more than hate, you detested me. In the end, what kind of reason is it? *scene of her mother pulling her hand away from young Kyouko* I was often on the verge of saying what’s on my mind but I controlled myself for I was unwilling to ask it out. *Saena left crying Kyouko* It will only bring about uneasiness and despair. It has always been a taboo question. *hugs Ren tightly* because I’m afraid of the answer. So I never truly asked that person-- But, I don’t want to be like this again. I don’t want to repeat it again. I don’t want to expect again nor do I want to be in despair again. –Always felt, that I’m already tired [of it]--” Scowling Shou is standing at the street. His driver opens the car’s door and calls out to him. He is surprised to overhear a couple of women behind Shou trying to pacify a drunk woman who still wants to drink at some nearby club. The driver says that even if he doesn’t know what is troubling him, but if Shou doesn’t want to immediately leave, then he must first quickly get in the car. He also says that although there are few people here because there aren’t that many bars around but there are cars passing by.

Shou thinks of Kyouko telling him to let her calm down a bit. He imagines her crying and a couple of gangsters asking her, ‘what’s up miss, you’re crying so pitifully’ and they can properly comfort her if she goes with them. Crying Kyouko says that she’ll go with them for everything doesn’t matter anymore. This made Shou think that Kyouko is an idiot and right now, it cannot be guaranteed that she won’t go with them. To his driver’s surprise, Shou furiously walks away. Shou thinks that in the end, he shouldn’t have let Kyouko alone in that kind of situation and left. Even if that is her life’s first and also last ‘request’ from him!!! Shou and the driver return to the back alley of Daruma restaurant. Shou thinks that she isn’t here so could she have gone in her room [/the house]. He thinks that is wrong for she said that she wants to be alone and if she is preparing to cry alone by herself, compared to this way, there is a higher possibility that she went to the other side.. At the park, crying Kyouko is still hugging Ren. He is about to hug her back but he stops upon recalling that she called him Corn. He sadly holds his hands up. He scowls in regret upon recalling Jelly asking him if he really wants to dye his hair black again when he is going back to Japan for only a short time. Kyouko starts bawling again. This finally made Ren hug her back.

In the car, Sebastian is saying, yes, yes, it is like that, and just in case, he stayed at a place where there is less traffic by going towards the alley, and just in time, they had seen Kyouko coming out from the alley. Upon seeing her looking very downcast, Ren chased after her because they are still quite far. From here, he cannot confirm the current situation of the two. But Ren has not yet come back so from the looks of it, he thinks that Ren should have smoothly met up with her. He asks Lory if he wants him to go and confirm it. Lory says that there’s no need, just wait there but because the situation is a bit sensitive.. so he go and secretly be mindful a bit of the surrounding situation. Sebastian says that he understands..eh..? Lory asks what it is. Sebastian says no, it is nothing, really sorry. Then, when Ren comes back, he’ll give Lory a report. Lory says okay, he’ll leave it up to him. After hanging up, Lory says that it looks like Kyouko has watched it, and her situation isn’t too good. Yashiro says that for her to be like that, how come he feels like Lory is smiling as if he has some sort of plot. Yashiro exclaims that Lory isn’t too serious when he already knows of Ren’s feelings for Kyouko.

Even if from the looks of this current situation, perhaps, for Ren, it is indeed an opportunity for his and Kyouko’s relationship to become more intimate but at this time, Lory would imagine the direction of the two young people’s love future and take pleasure in it. “Even if it is rude, I’ll also say it!! President you aren’t a simple love freak [/love monster], you are a nasty love freak!!! Lory asks what a love freak is. Love freak -> a freak who uses love as its staple food. Lory says that even if he doesn’t quite understand but calling him nasty doesn’t make him happy but then, saying that ‘at this time’, it is possible that Yashiro wasn’t mistaken in calling him nasty for his imagined ‘future direction’ is that child’s growth [maturity]. He currently anticipates whether or not, she’ll transform once again as an actress. Yashiro is puzzled. Lory says that he’ll watch at how Kyouko will accept this and this time, what would she have come to decide [/have resolve about it]. Will she merely, view it as ‘scar’ or will it be viewed as treasure. Flashback: Young Kuon stroked Kyouko’s head to calm her down. When she looked up to him, he smiled and asked what is it today..? End flashback.

After calming down and Ren is stroking her head and her back, Kyouko thinks that if it is the usual Corn, he would wait for the crying her to calm down, then, he’ll definitely ask her why she cried. But today, she doesn’t have the confidence of honestly telling him.. Silently, he’ll only be quiet and pacify her to make her be more at ease. If it happened before the goodbye with Corn at Guam, she thinks that she’ll definitely talk non-stop about her own issue again. Right now, she already cannot do it. She recalls Corn smiling and saying that they’ll meet again. She closes her eyes and thinks that it is like a dream for she called for him and he really showed up. She glances at him and looks surprised. She holds his face and asks Corn why is his hair not blond today, the one that is all shiny like diamond and his mysterious green eyes. She looks surprised when ‘Corn’ is looking at her sheepishly. Her eyes widen upon seeing Ren’s necklace. He continues to look tense. She imagines sparkling Ren saying that he doesn’t know about it so can she explain it to him? Aghast Kyouko looks at Ren and let go off his face. She backs away and mutters, “..no..no..way..” Ren sheepishly apologizes to her for he really didn’t have an opportunity to say it. Kyouko is aghast and petrified before mustering to shout [/mentally shout], “Nnnnnnooooo...” Next chapter will be out on June 20th in Japan.

Comment: Poor Kyouko..reality has finally sunk in for her when it is came out from Saena’s mouth and she witnessed it with her own eyes. Nevertheless, after pouring and crying everything out, it seems that she has resolved to kind of ‘sever ties’ with her mother since she doesn’t want to be hurt like this anymore, don’t want to anticipate anything from her anymore, etc. Like what Lory mentioned, it seems that not only she is going to grow stronger from this, she is also going to become a better actress. Of course, it is a plus if anything romantic progressed here happen as well ^^ How he comforted her is a clue though I’m not too sure if she’ll realize it yet since she’s probably too shocked over crying and hugging Ren. Aside from dreading to explain things to him when she isn’t inclined to tell Corn, she might probably be shocked over doing that to the person whom she supposedly should be in love with secretly.

It turns out that Shou is still around though he also didn’t witness that hug like Ren didn’t witness the kiss. It took him some time to realize what he should have done though it is evident again that he really thinks of Kyouko as some idiot who would go with some gangster-type of guys just because she is so depressed. ^^; Anyway, if you are optimistic, you might expect that something romantic might still happen or perhaps, an encounter between the cast of the love triangle. I do wonder if Sebastian who is on stand-by has seen Shou based on his surprise during his conversation with Lory. If he did, would he hinder Shou in some way? About Saena, she really must have not wanted to give birth to Kyouko or something. Maybe something happened to Kyouko’s father when she gave birth to Kyouko so she would think that Kyouko is some sort of bad luck? It seems that she is also stressed with her job to the point of pressuring herself to win and blame Kyouko if she fails. So, she left Kyouko since she is her bad luck charm? Whatever it is, Kyouko might not bother with it anymore for she’s moving on. ^^ Scans by 红莲汉化组

Quote of the day:

The gem cannot be polished without friction nor man without trials. ~Confucius