Chapter 11

90, 100, 95, 90.

Those were my scores for Japanese, math, science, and social studies. Since I had been absent, I took all the missed tests at once, and the results came back immediately.

My scores are steadily dropping.

"Something wrong?"

"Well… my test results weren’t so good this time…"

I said that and showed the papers to Sayuri-chan.

"Oh my, that’s not like you, Nanami-chan…"

"I’ve been slacking off on studying lately… Mom’s probably going to be mad."

That part about slacking off lately was a lie. Other than homework, I never studied at all. Even so, I always scored 100, sometimes 95 if I made a careless mistake. But this time, there were problems I genuinely didn’t know. Kanji, for example. Did we really learn this back in fourth grade?

Well, if you’ve already been an adult once, then getting good scores on elementary school tests is nothing to brag about.

I thought that once I reincarnated, I’d be "a prodigy at ten, a talent at fifteen, and just another person after twenty." But at this rate, I’m going to be "just another person" already at ten.

I thought I could coast through elementary school without studying, but I guess that was naïve.

"…What about you, Sayuri-chan?"

"I’m about the same as always."

So that means all perfect 100s. I lost to a real elementary schooler.

For a child actor, grades aren’t strictly required, so I could just brush them off. …Well, not really.

I had promised my parents: "I’ll do acting work as long as it doesn’t affect my schoolwork." Concretely, they measure that by my test results.

At my old public school, my report card was full of "Needs Improvement" because of attendance issues. Sakura-nagi Academy’s elementary division doesn’t have report cards at all.

Until now, they let things slide because I usually got 100s, but if my scores drop, they might restrict my acting work.

And fourth grade is prime earning time. Losing jobs now would be a problem. Still, 90 is safe enough. If I drop into the 80s, I’ll probably get a yellow card warning.

As long as I review and prepare, I should manage. I’ll just study between shoots. If that’s still not enough… worst case, I’ll have to go to cram school.

While I was groaning over the tests and talking with Sayuri-chan, Ayano-chan came back after finishing her day duty.

"You look troubled—did something happen?"

"Well… my scores weren’t great, so Mom might get mad. If they get worse, I might even lose work…"

"What!? Then, um, if you want, I can lend you my notes?"

"Really? That would help a lot."

When I said that, Ayano-chan pulled out her notebook and handed it over. It was the old-fashioned, school-issued kind, filled with cute rounded handwriting, with the important parts of the board neatly color-coded in markers.

A complete contrast to mine—sharp pencil strokes with the occasional red underline. Hm, maybe I should practice rounded handwriting if I’m going to keep pretending to be a girl. It’s in little things like this that I really feel my lack of girl power.

"Thanks. I’ll make a copy and give it back."

"No, I’m happy if it helps you… Oh! But I’m not good at anything besides Japanese…"

She quickly snatched back the notebooks I was holding, except for the Japanese one. I glanced to the side and noticed Sayuri-chan looking a little lonely. …Ah, right.

"Then, Sayuri-chan, can I borrow yours?"

"If mine will do… I’ll lend them to you."

She hurriedly handed me her notebooks. Nobody likes being left out.

"Thanks. I’ll go copy these in the staff room."

It was the mid-morning break after second period, so I had enough time. Just copying the recent ones would be fine.

I politely turned down their offers to come along, since dragging them into chores after borrowing their notes would be rude, and headed to the staff room alone.

I walked down the hall close to the wall, keeping out of sight. Unlike public school, no one was running around, but there were still plenty of students during break.

I went down the stairs and across the connecting hallway—only to run right into Hiroto Daisho, who was surrounded by girls. Among them was Ichinomiya-san. So that’s why she wasn’t in class—she’d gone chasing after him.

I stepped aside and waited by the wall for them to pass.

I kept my eyes on the floor to avoid meeting theirs. The group passed by, chatting cheerfully. When I sneaked a glance at Hiroto, he was looking at me with eyes like an abandoned puppy. Stop looking at me.

And then, I realized I felt another strong gaze. Ichinomiya-san, next to Hiroto, was glaring right at me. I quickly dropped my eyes, and she gave a little snort of contempt as she walked past.

Scary.

It looked like a harem, but honestly, being followed around by that crowd all the time must be rough for Hiroto. At his age, boys usually prefer playing with other boys.

Even so, he kept up polite smiles and responded to them. Impressive. Back when he was a child actor, Hiroto was a total "madam-killer" and used to ignore the middle-aged women who approached him—until I "disciplined" him, teaching him to treat fans kindly. In show business, if you don’t value your fans, you’ll disappear in no time. A child actor’s career ends quickly if you let your guard down.

Especially married women—the dreaded madam fans. You absolutely cannot make enemies of them.

After Hiroto’s group passed, I started toward the staff room again, but then another pair of chatting girls came walking toward me.

For some reason, instead of leaving space, they spread out toward me at the wall. I slipped past them easily, and the one not looking where she was going smacked her head right into a column.

When I glanced back, the girl—holding her head and glaring at me—was one of Ichinomiya-san’s sidekicks.

Too bad. Physical attacks don’t work on me.

Back when I first transferred, they tried picking on me a little, but it died down once I stayed quiet. …Guess Ayano-chan’s involved again, and that’s why they’re after me. I’d better make sure she’s not left alone.

Since she looked ready to say something, I hurried off before getting dragged into anything.

When I got back to class after copying the notes in the staff room, it was back to boring lessons. Sitting through elementary school classes again after being an adult is seriously rough. Back in first grade it was all "a, i, u, e, o" and single-digit addition. It was so unbearably dull I nearly fell asleep. Since my attendance is already spotty, I forced myself to at least pretend to pay attention. But it was so boring I actually mastered the art of sleeping with my eyes open. Thanks to that, I’ve somehow earned the reputation of being very diligent in class. Sorry—I’m asleep.

Still, thinking about my test scores, I decided to pay proper attention in math today. I already knew about 90% of it, but "gaisu" was new to me. I wondered what it meant—turns out it’s just rounding. Did we used to call it that? I don’t remember.

I listened properly through fourth period too, and then it was lunch break. Sakura-nagi Academy doesn’t have school lunches; instead, it has a cafeteria.

The cafeteria food is delicious, made with top-quality ingredients—but expensive. Cheaper than a restaurant, supposedly, but from an ordinary person’s perspective, not something you can eat every day. To make matters trickier, seating is tied to social rank and school caste. Sit in the wrong place without knowing, and you’ll regret it.

Or almost regret it, in my case. That’s why I became a bento girl. …Because I accidentally sat in the Ichinomiya group’s reserved spot once. Whoops. If it’s reserved seating, at least put up a name tag.

Since most students use the cafeteria, that means the classroom, terrace, and rooftop are usually open. Sayuri-chan and I choose depending on the day, and since the weather’s nice today, we decided to eat on the roof.

It’s not the bare, empty rooftop of a public school. It’s landscaped with flowers and short trees, like a small garden. There are shaded tables and chairs set up café-style, perfect for relaxing.

At this hour, only a few students were around. Sayuri-chan, Ayano-chan, and I picked a quiet table in the corner and unpacked our lunches. Sayuri-chan had an elegant lacquered bento box, Ayano-chan’s was adorably cute. Both were tiny.

Mine, on the other hand, was the stereotypical giant bento. I do sports, so I need the calories. My box is all practicality, no cuteness, and it really stands out. Still, my mom went out of her way to make the contents look cute. Personally, I’d rather she just stuffed it with fried chicken, meat, and rice to keep me full, but she never lets me get away with that.

"An empty classroom, huh?"

"Yeah. If I don’t give him some attention soon, he’ll go off the rails again."

"…By ‘him,’ you mean Kurotani-kun, right?"

"Yep. But the science prep room is too risky—people use it a lot. Do you two know a better spot?"

I brought it up after we finished eating. It’s about time I kept my promise with Hiroto—that we’d at least "meet and talk." If I don’t, he’ll start approaching me in public again. And if Ichinomiya-san catches sight of that? Total disaster.

I thought the science prep room would be safe since it sometimes sits unused, but if Ichinomiya’s group also hangs out there, the odds of running into them are too high. Safer to ask Sayuri-chan and Ayano-chan—they know the school better, and they’re aware of my history with Hiroto.

"U-um… Nanami-chan, are you and Kurotani-kun… dating?"

"Eh? Did it look like that to you, Ayano-chan?"

"…Not really."

She asked it hopefully, but after thinking for a moment, looked disappointed. I mean, are there even couples out there who open with a palm strike to the liver, lock the joints, and mount?

…Actually, if it were a pro-wrestler couple, maybe. So I guess I can’t rule it out completely.

"We’re just friends. We used to co-star a lot, so we’d play together during breaks on set."

"I see… Oh! I watched the movie you and Kurotani-kun were in together! You played lovers, didn’t you?"

Yeah, we did lovers more than once. Childhood friends too. And that weird one where we were twin sibling assassins—and for some reason Hiroto had to cross-dress.

"After Hiroto switched over to being an idol, we hardly worked together anymore. He probably just wants to hang out, but… doesn’t he have any other friends at school?"

"Um, I used to see him playing with other boys a lot, but after his idol debut, Ichinomiya-san and a bunch of other girls started flocking around him… so now it’s like this."

So it started around the time I transferred. Poor Hiroto. Hang in there—really, hang in there. He looked so pitiful, I figured I could at least hear him out.

"I see. Being surrounded like that all the time would stress anyone out. Maybe I’ll let him vent a little. But… should I?"

Inviting him to my house is definitely out. If anyone found out, the tabloids would scream "secret rendezvous at home." And besides, my home address isn’t public knowledge yet—if it leaked through Hiroto, I’d be finished.

So yeah, best to keep it inside the academy. Worst case, I can always transfer again.

"Then… how about the old school building?"

"The old building? We have one of those?"

"Yes. It’s partly used by culture clubs, but I hear most of it sits empty."

Sayuri-chan said that with a gentle smile.

"B-but, students not involved aren’t supposed to go in… and I heard there are ghosts there, too…"

"Ghosts, huh…"

Ayano-chan clasped her hands to her chest nervously, like she was scared just mentioning it. Must be one of those "seven mysteries of the academy." If it has that kind of rumor, it probably doesn’t see much traffic—actually perfect. Might as well check it out.

"Alright, maybe I’ll take a look tomorrow. Today’s a bit packed."

I flipped open the book I’d brought, and Sayuri-chan and Ayano-chan leaned in curiously.

"‘Actor’s Guide’ and ‘Director’s Guide’? Nanami-chan, I don’t think you really need books like that…"

"I got asked to coach some acting after school. I’ve never properly taught anyone before, so I thought I’d read up a bit."

So far, my impression was: "I see… I don’t get it."

The Stanislavski system? The Vilarène system? Underground theater?

It was stuffed with jargon and explanations, but the more I read, the more tangled it felt. At the child actor agency, practice was just: here’s a script, improvise a scene, then later act it properly, with the coach giving advice. No fancy terminology involved.

Not that just doing agency lessons makes you good. I also practice acting at home.

It’s a lot easier if I have a scene partner. Then it doubles as my own practice, and it’s simpler to give advice, too.

"Being a coach sounds amazing!"

Ayano-chan’s eyes sparkled as she praised me. Flattery won’t get you anywhere, you know. …Well, I do have a banana for a snack if you want one.

"Today it’s high schoolers, so I’m a little worried, honestly."

If only I could lure them as easily as I did Hiroto—with beetles. That would make life so much easier.