Chapter 57: The chosen script.
"Speaking of which, our school festival is next month. Are Hiromitsu-chan and Rei-chan coming?" Hagiwara Kenji asked suddenly after wiping his hands clean.
"Ah... Open Day?" Matsuda Jinpei also remembered this.
"Is that alright?" Morofushi Hiromitsu asked.
"Open Day in Japan means inviting other schools or parents to visit, right? Of course we can!" Hagiwara Kenji said.
"A month from now…" Morofushi Hiromitsu recalled for a moment: "I'm not sure if I'll be free, because I have exams."
Therefore, Morofushi Hiromitsu didn't make his statement too precise, "However, I am very interested in this, and I will definitely participate when I have time."
"Haha, it would be such a shame if you didn't come—" Hagiwara Kenji said with a laugh, "Our class's plan this time sounds pretty interesting!"
"You say it's interesting, but I have a bad feeling about it." Matsuda Jinpei retorted before asking, "So which one did you choose in the end?"
"...We're in the same class, right?" Hagiwara Kenji looked at Matsuda Jinpei with an exaggeratedly incredulous expression. "How come you didn't know that?!"
"Because Matsuda was taking apart his watch at the time." Morofushi Sora'aki said, "He wasn't listening at all."
"Anyway, one more vote won't make a difference, right?" Matsuda Jinpei said nonchalantly. "I think I saw a coffee shop or something?"
Hagiwara Kenji: "It's a play, a play!"
"However, no one has decided on what script to perform yet, so we plan to vote at the next class meeting to determine the script and then start choosing roles and rehearsing."
"A stage play… I'll apply for a job doing odd jobs first." Matsuda Jinpei said immediately.
Morofushi Sora'aki: "Me too—"
Before Morofushi Sora'aki could finish speaking, Hagiwara Kenji drew a big X in front of his chest: "So not only Jinpei-chan, but Sora'aki-chan, you didn't even notice, did you?"
Morofushi Hiromitsu spoke thoughtfully from the side: "Although I am not in the same class as you, if I am in charge of this kind of activity, I will never waste it. Even if it is just as a mural, I will make sure to stay on the stage enough."
Matsuda Jinpei: "..."
Matsuda Jinpei suddenly had a bad feeling: "What do you mean?"
"That means you have to go on stage, Jinpei-chan." Hagiwara Kenji said with a beaming smile.
Morofushi Sora'aki, belatedly realizing what was happening, gleaned a meaning from the words: "Me too?"
"That's right, that's right~" Hagiwara Kenji smiled and said, "Just like what Hiromitsu-chan said, even if you're a mural or sculpture on stage, you have to make the most of your time."
Morofushi Sora'aki was silent for two seconds, then suddenly spoke up: "If I provide the script, is it possible that I don't have to act in it?"
Hagiwara Kenji was taken aback, then his eyes lit up: "Eh? You can write scripts?"
Morofushi Sora'aki shook his head: "I don't know how, but I have a classmate who does."
"A middle school classmate? I never expected you to still have classmates you can contact." Matsuda Jinpei clicked his tongue, already thinking about how to refuse when he was actually asked for something in the future.
Morofushi Sora'aki neither refuted nor admitted it, and the classmate he mentioned who could write scripts was Nozaki Umetarou, who sat behind him at Rouman Academy.
Nozaki Umetarou did indeed provide script services for stage plays, a fact that Morofushi Sora'aki was also aware of.
Nozaki Umetarou's black-out assistant was Sakura Chiyo, and Mikoshiba Mikoto added color to the atmosphere between the male and female protagonists. Nozaki Umetarou himself was in charge of the characters, but none of these three people were good at background architecture.
Therefore, the scenes in Nozaki Umetarou's comic were all created with the help of a senior member of the drama club—Nozaki Umetarou paid him by writing scripts for the drama club.
"Eh? Can I write a script for you? Sure, that's fine..." Nozaki Umetarou didn't intend to refuse. He asked seriously, "What kind of style do you want? What kind of background? What kind of characters? What kind of worldview?"
Morofushi Sora'aki thought about it seriously for half a second, then answered firmly, "Whatever."
Nozaki Umetarou: "..."
"Um, Morofushi... could you give me some requirements? Otherwise, I won't know how to design it."
Sakura Chiyo, who happened to be passing by, noticed the two people chatting by the window in the corridor and took the initiative to come over and say hello.
Nozaki Umetarou casually asked for her opinion, and Sakura Chiyo thought for a moment: "So Morofushi-kun isn't sure about the direction either... Why don't you just go visit the drama club? Maybe you'll get some inspiration there?"
"Ah! As expected of you, Sakura! May I ask Hori-senpai if we can bring one more person—!"
Hori Masayuki is the senior member of the drama club who is in charge of the background in Nozaki Umetarou's comic, and also the club president.
Just last night, because one of the drama club actors broke his leg, Hori Masayuki had to replace the injured actor. Nozaki Umetarou and Sakura Chiyo were very curious about this and had already agreed to visit during rehearsals.
Nozaki Umetarou was extremely proactive, and Hori Masayuki did not refuse.
"Since you're my friend, of course I can," Hori Masayuki replied.
Hori Masayuki was a rather serious-looking senior colleague. He was quite familiar with Nozaki Umetarou and Sakura Chiyo, among others, but this was his first time meeting Morofushi Sora'aki. After a moment's thought, Hori Masayuki asked Nozaki Umetarou in a low voice, "Is he also your assistant?"
"No, but Morofushi does know that I draw comics." Nozaki Umetarou replied.
Hori Masayuki stared at Morofushi Sora'aki for a few seconds as he visited the drama club, then thoughtfully stroked his chin.
Just then, as rehearsals were about to begin, Sakura Chiyo said to Kashima Yuu, who was playing the lead prince, "Kashima-kun, you look so happy!"
"Yes! Because we can see the president's acting skills again!" Kashima Yuu said happily.
Kashima Yuu, known as the Campus Prince, is a very popular girl who can call any woman "Your Highness".
During rehearsals, Kashima Yuu and Hori Masayuki lacked any chemistry, causing the plot to fall apart. Sakura Chiyo, sitting below, remarked, "So it's really better to find someone else to act in the role?"
Hori Masayuki did not deny it, and then asked Nozaki Umetarou, the author, for help. However, Nozaki Umetarou's acting was too exaggerated and outrageous. Hori Masayuki facepalmed, but his eyes fell on Morofushi Sora'aki, who was obviously distracted. He suddenly said, "Um, excuse me, Morofushi-kun, would you like to give it a try?"
Hearing someone call his name, Morofushi Sora'aki snapped out of his reverie, his blue, upturned cat-like eyes meeting Hori Masayuki's as he walked up to him: "Hmm?"
"No… Morofushi's acting skills aren't even as good as mine," Nozaki Umetarou said seriously.
Nozaki Umetarou's acting was already outrageous, and Hori Masayuki was somewhat surprised: "Eh? Is that so?"
Sakura Chiyo opened her mouth, then recalled the cold and heartless "little wildcat" she had heard in the alley last time, and covered her face: "That's right, Morofushi-kun... doesn't seem to be good at this."
Just as Hori Masayuki was about to give up, Morofushi Sora'aki snatched the script from his hand: "Which one do you want to act in?"
Hori Masayuki was taken aback: "Ah... Rudolf, the protagonist's former friend."
Morofushi Sora'aki glanced down at the script, memorized Rudolf's lines, returned the script to Hori Masayuki, and took the prop sword that was lying to the side.
Hori Masayuki looked somewhat bewildered as he held the script: "You finished reading it so quickly?"
Anyway—let's give it a try.
The lead actress, Kashima Yuu, who had been standing on the stage the whole time, also showed a curious expression. She had heard the name from Sakura Chiyo and Mikoshiba Mikoto, but she didn't seem to have ever met them.
"Morofushi-kun, please guide me." Kashima Yuu raised her sword, her face displaying the dazzling smile befitting a prince.
Morofushi Sora'aki raised his sword, his movements not particularly precise. His black hair swayed with the movement, revealing a blue earring on his earlobe. His upturned cat-like eyes, the same color as the earring, held a cold indifference, as if he didn't take the prince before him seriously at all.
Rudolf, however, was not like that at all. Hori Masayuki, watching this scene, sighed, "So it really isn't working after all..."
However, just as he finished speaking, the boy in the school uniform raised his eyes, a faint smile curving his lips. His voice was calm, but at this moment it carried an inexplicable sarcasm: "Stop, Prince."
With an unsharpened prop sword pointed at the prince before him, Morofushi Sora'aki said, "I will be your opponent."
Rudolf wasn't supposed to be that kind of character, but looking at the black-haired boy on stage, Hori Masayuki unconsciously tightened his grip on the script, while Nozaki Umetarou and Sakura Chiyo stared wide-eyed in surprise.
Normally, Morofushi Sora'aki is a typical expressionless person, and his voice doesn't fluctuate much when he speaks.
However, whether it was to match the script or simply because of the atmosphere, the atmosphere on the stage changed instantly when the black-haired boy on stage raised his sword.
The usually aloof cat-like eyes revealed an undeniable sharpness. The moment the sword in his hand was thrust out, everyone genuinely felt worried for the prince, as if the sword would truly pierce his heart.
Nozaki Umetarou's mind suddenly exploded with inspiration: "Ah, I guess I should still choose a yakuza script, right?"
Sakura Chiyo: "...Huh?"