The next day, the air in the gym-turned-auditorium was electric. Banners half-hung, stage lights still being adjusted, but the atmosphere was unmistakable. Festival eve, chaotic, loud, and thrilling.
I hadn't even stepped fully inside when the shouting started.
"Wait your turn, Kana!"
"Ehh? You think you're the only one who can rehearse with him?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
On stage, Kana Arima and Alya were nose-to-nose, practically crackling with energy.
Before I could intervene, Akane Kurokawa calmly raised her hand, expression serene.
"If you two are done posturing, the actual priority is refining his timing. He stumbled twice yesterday. This is unacceptable for tomorrow's performance."
Kana bristled. "He'll get it right with me. I bring out his best."
Alya tossed her hair. "No, he shines only when I'm opposite him."
Mem-Cho, filming from the wings for some "behind-the-scenes" content, piped up with a grin: "Wow, love triangle much? My followers are gonna eat this up."
The drama was almost thicker than the play itself.
They didn't agree on who would rehearse with me. Instead, they decided on an "unofficial rotation."
"Act I, Scene II, me and him!" Kana barked, dragging me to center stage.
"Fine. Act III is mine," Alya snapped back, flipping open her script.
"Don't forget the climax," Akane added coldly. "That's the only scene that matters."
Even Nagatoro somehow wormed her way into the rotation."Ehehe, let me be your stage partner too, Senpai. Who cares if it's not in the script?"
And in the background, Yui nervously tried to wave in with her own bread prop."U-Um… maybe I can… help too?"
It was madness. The teachers supervising us looked seconds away from intervening.
When my turn finally came, standing center stage with all their gazes drilling into me, my throat went dry.
Kana snapped her fingers. "Focus! Think of me as your rival. Say the line like you mean it."
Alya added sharply, "No, look into my eyes. If you falter, I'll crush you."
Akane whispered, almost gently, "Forget them. Forget yourself. Become the role."
Their voices swirled. Pressure mounted.
For a heartbeat, I felt like I'd choke.
But then, I remembered Yui's warm words from yesterday.
"…I'll be watching. At the festival. So don't mess up, okay?"
I inhaled. Spoke. The line came out clear, ringing across the hall.
Even Kana's eyes widened slightly. Alya pursed her lips but didn't interrupt. Akane gave the faintest nod.
"See?" Mem-Cho whispered, still recording. "This guy's a natural when it counts."
By the time rehearsal wrapped, I was drenched in sweat. The girls still bickered in low tones, Kana muttering about wasted potential, Alya declaring her dominance, Akane calmly outlining tomorrow's cues.
But as I left the stage, something was different.
The stares I caught weren't skeptical anymore. They were… expectant.
Tomorrow, the festival curtain would rise.And no matter how much I told myself otherwise, I wasn't just some random boy anymore.
I was the lead.
The next day, the moment I stepped onto campus, I realized the festival atmosphere was unlike anything I'd ever seen.
Stalls already lined the courtyard, the smell of fried noodles and sweet crepes hanging in the air. Colorful banners fluttered overhead, and every window seemed to spill with laughter and voices.
And me? I couldn't even make it ten steps without being surrounded.
"Senpai, come to my class's café first!" Nagatoro tugged my sleeve, eyes sparkling mischievously. "You'll sit in my section, got it?"
Before I could answer, Yui bounded up, waving both hands."No way! He promised me I'd be the first one to show him around, r-right?"
I hadn't promised anything, but the look in her puppy-dog eyes made it impossible to deny outright.
Then Alya appeared, her long silver hair shimmering in the morning sun like it was stage lighting already. She folded her arms, giving the other two a withering glance."Pathetic. This isn't some carnival date. He should be conserving his energy and focusing on the performance."
Kana scoffed, stepping out from behind her. "Energy? Please. The only thing that matters is his mindset. And I'm the one who sharpens it best."
Somehow, I found myself physically tugged in three directions, Nagatoro pulling my right arm, Yui clutching my left, and Alya firmly grasping my shoulder from behind.
"H-hey, wait!!"
"Senpai's mine this morning!"
"Don't hog him, Yui!"
"He belongs to the Drama Club until curtain call."
Kana, however, simply stepped between them all, pointing her finger right at me."You. Come with me. We're rehearsing the climax one more time. No excuses."
Amid the chaos, a quieter presence made itself known."...Um."
Turning, I found Saika peeking from behind the gate, clutching a neatly wrapped bento box."I-I thought you might… need some food before the show."
And then Akane Kurokawa herself, calm and poised as always, approached at her own pace.
"You'll ignore the noise, won't you? A true actor doesn't let distractions cloud him." Her gaze lingered on me a moment longer than usual. "Still… don't forget: you have allies on stage. Trust us."
Her words felt like an anchor in the storm.
By the time we reached the auditorium doors, I'd somehow managed to extract myself from the tug-of-war. But my head was still spinning.
Alya leaned close enough for her perfume to brush against me. "Don't falter. I'll be watching every move you make."
Kana shoved her script into my chest."Just remember what we practiced. You're no longer yourself, you're the role."
Yui gave me a bright, earnest smile."I'll cheer louder than anyone, okay?"
And Nagatoro snickered, whispering in my ear:"Mess up, and I'll never let you live it down, Senpai."
The sound of the festival grew louder behind us as students and guests filled the gym. Lights hummed to life above the stage.
I exhaled, gripping the script one last time.
This was it.
The festival. The play. The moment that would decide how everyone saw me from now on.
And no matter how much I told myself otherwise, I couldn't do this alone.
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Thanks for reading. You can also give me ideas for the future or pinpoint plot holes that I may have forgotten, if you want.
Powerstones. Me. Give. Now.