Recap / Skip Beat Volume 24

They're not the only ones after Kyoko's heart!

Meanwhile, Moko is dealing with an obnoxious dude on the set of the Minamori Miyako series who won't leave her alone. Hio's offered to help keep him off her back, and Moko wants to show her gratitude by making him chocolates. But Moko's never made Valentine's chocolate before, so she turns to the one person who can help her: Kyoko.

And who could forget Sho: a misunderstanding has Sho believing that Kyoko and Reino are engaged in a passionate Secret Relationship, and the thought of it is driving him up a wall. What will happen when he confronts her about this imagined relationship?

This volume contains the chapters:

• Act 139. "Valentine Target" ^note Mimori gives Sho some Valentine's chocolate a few days early. Kyoko apologizes to Ren, telling him that his birthday present will be a bit late: she'll have to give it to him on Valentines day. In a private conversation, Yashiro mentions that Ren usually doesn't eat any of the chocolate he's given, and asks Ren what he'll do if Kyoko gives him some. Later, Kyoko crosses Ren off the list of people she'll be making chocolates for.
• Act 140. "Valentine's Scramble" ^note A creepy coworker on the set of Minamori Miyako is harassing Kanae, but Hio intervenes. Meanwhile, Kyoko has lots of missed calls from an unlisted number, and she thinks they're from Reino. When she answers the phone, she does so shouting "No chocolates for you, Beagle!" But the calls are actually from Sho, who now frets at the thought of Kyoko making chocolates for Reino. Later, Kyoko happily relays to Ren and Yashiro that Moko has asked her to stay over to help make chocolates. Yashiro and Ren wonder if Kyoko will make chocolates for Ren.
• Act 141. "Valentine's Revolution" ^note Sho is greatly disturbed by the thought that Kyoko and Reino might be in a secret relationship. Reino's blackmail against Kyoko is revealed — he's holding one of her grudge demons hostage. Kyoko spends the night at the Kotonami house, and Moko worries about Kyoko not giving Ren chocolates.
• Act 142. "Valentine's Joker" ^note It's February 13th, and Kyoko has made "hatred" chocolates for Reino. As Ren and Yashiro discuss the end of Dark Moon they bump into Kyoko, who tries to hide the chocolates. Ren and Yashiro think they might be for Sho, which rubs Ren the wrong way. Then Kyoko bumps into Sho, who deduces that the chocolates are for Reino. He confronts Kyoko about her supposed relationship with Reino.
• Act 143. "Valentine Bell" ^note Reino shows up and makes everything worse. He encourages Sho's misunderstanding about him and Kyoko and is successful, with Sho leaving in a huff. In spite of that, Kyoko still manages a small triumph over Reino — but the Valentines drama isn't over yet. Ren's present arrives in the mail and Kyoko prepares for filming the next day.
• Act 144. "Valentine Guerrilla" ^note Shoko tries to get Sho out of his jealous funk, and encourages him to be more proactive about his feelings for Kyoko. Ren gets his birthday present from Kyoko, but she asks him not to open it until he gets home. Yashiro experiences an increasing Valentine's Day panic as he receives chocolate from Kyoko... and Ren doesn't. Then someone unexpected shows up on the Dark Moon set.
• Extra: "Valentine's Mystery: Yukihito Yashiro Edition" ^note In this extra chapter, it is revealed that Yashiro comes from a family of cat-lovers.

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Chapters in this volume provide examples of:

• Casanova Wannabe: Kanae's coworker think's he's god's gift to women — Kanae in particular.
• Child Hater: Kanae's coworker on the set of the Minamori Miyako series. This comes in handy as Hio looks like he's 7 or 8 years old (though he's actually 12), and offers to hang out with Kanae during breaks in filming so that her Abhorrent Admirer will leave her alone.
• Chocolate of Romance: The whole point of Valentine's Day in Japan is for women to give chocolates to two groups of people. Firstly, to people they're obligated to give chocolate to: male coworkers, male friends, and male casual acquaintances — these men receive "giri choco," or "obligation chocolates." The second group is reserved for men that the women feel attraction towards: husbands, boyfriends, or crushes — these men get "honmei choco," or "true feeling chocolate." Big stars like Ren and Sho receive tons of honmei choco from their fans and from smitten coworkers. It seems both are also hoping to receive some from Kyoko, while Reino is after a different sort of honmei choco from Kyoko - one full of hatred instead of affection.
• Clingy Jealous Girl: Mimori reappears to gives Sho some Valentine's chocolate a few days early — she wants to be the first one to give him chocolate. Unfortunately, some other girls had the same idea, and his dressing room is overflowing with candy and stuffed animals. Mimori throws a tantrum because he didn't accept her chocolate first.
• Comical Angry Face: Sho's countenance gets increasingly distorted as he ruminates on Kyoko and Reino's [imagined] relationship. Shoko notes that he's starting to resemble a Niō.
• Flower Motifs: It's a shoujo managa after all:
  • Sho arrives on the set of Dark Moon with a truly massive bouquet of flowers for Kyoko. It's his way of saying "congratulations on your relationship" with Reino — a relationship that Sho has completely imagined.
  • Most chapters have a few instances of panel backgrounds filling with unexplained flowers.
• Fluffy Fashion Feathers: Both Sho and Reino are wearing feather boas in the cover.
• Good Hurts Evil: Invoked and played with — Reino blackmails Kyoko into giving him handmade Valentine's chocolates by threatening to nuzzle, snuggle with, and cherish one of her grudge demons who he's holding hostage. Reino himself isn't "good," and Kyoko isn't "evil," but her grudge demons are powered by hatred and have been shown to be weak against "good" or "positive" forces in the past (the primary example being Ren's smile).
• Innocent Innuendo: Kyoko thinks that Reino's the one who has been calling her phone incessantly (though it's actually Sho on the phone), but because she's Oblivious to Love she doesn't realize how suggestive her angry threat sounds:
  Kyoko: If you want your reward, you'll have to be able to 'paw', 'beg', and 'stay' first! If you aren't going to wait patiently then don't even dream about getting handmade chocolate from me!
• Mirrored Confrontation Shot: To a degree - the cover depicts Sho and Reino in their Visual Kei performance getups, back to back as they gesture towards the reader.
• Noodle People: Most characters in the series are drawn with excessively long arms and legs, but especially the prettyboys like Ren, Sho, and Reino who are supposed to be models/ actors/ pop idols.
• Not What It Looks Like: Overlaps with Poor Communication Kills, as Sho spends most of the volume seething over Kyoko and Reino being in an imaginary relationship. He misinterprets her angry phone message and misreads the intent behind Kyoko's hatred chocolate as one of affection.
• Psychic Powers: Reino's are of the I See Dead People flavor, but he's also got the ability to interact with Kyoko's grudge demons, which are technically "spirits." He's holding one hostage in order to ensure that Kyoko gives him handmade chocolate for Valentine's day.
• Secret Relationship: Sho is convinced that Kyoko and Reino are dating in secret after he hears an angry message of Kyoko's intended for Reino.
• Show Within a Show: The Minamori Miyako Series, Dark Moon, and Box "R" are type 1 examples, with "characters involved in the production of the show."
• Stalker with a Crush: Reino has a crush on Kyoko... at least on her dark side.
• Valentine's Day Episodes: The whole volume revolves around making, giving, and arguing over Valentines chocolate.
• Visual Kei: Sho and Vie Ghoul are both classed in the visual kei musician genre.

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