Chapter 85: The Beautiful Girl Takes Her First Step Toward the Cultural Festival (Part 1)

"Haah… haah…"

My heart was racing, my breath ragged.
I lifted and lowered my shoulders slowly, trying to calm myself as I scanned the area.

Good. It looked like no one had come.

Right now, I was hiding in the storage closet beneath the stairs where they kept all the cleaning tools. No one ever really came here, so it was the perfect spot to hide.

As my breathing settled, silence draped over the space. Once in a while, faint voices drifted from the schoolyard.

Why was I hiding in a place like this?
To explain that, we need to go back about thirty minutes.

The chime marking the end of class rang.

A wave of relief spread across the room, and until our homeroom teacher Yamanaka-sensei arrived, chatter time officially began.

This brief moment of freedom was honestly my favorite part of the day. Ahh, it’s over—such a satisfying feeling. I set my bag on the desk and started putting my textbooks away. After finishing, I hugged my bag to my chest and slumped forward onto the desk.

Normally, I would’ve stayed just like that until the teacher arrived, but today… I kept feeling this strange gaze on me. Moving sluggishly, I lifted my head and looked around.

The boys were normal—same as always. They were all gathered around Sudō-kun, being noisy as usual.

The weird stares were coming from… the girls. They were smiling at me, some even letting out tiny squeals of "Kyaa!" Not the unpleasant kind, thankfully, but I still had no idea why they were reacting like that. All I could do was watch nervously from my seat.

Being stared at from a distance wasn’t exactly comfortable. They weren’t mocking me or treating me like something gross, but… the attention still felt unsettling.

Then, right on cue, Yamanaka-sensei entered the classroom, and the mysterious stares from the girls finally faded.

When homeroom ended, each team began working according to what we’d decided yesterday. The stage crew started discussing which props they needed while looking over the script, and the prop team began studying it as well.

That meant the cast—my team—was finally starting practice. Just thinking about it made my stomach ache.

And for some reason, the cast members all began to gather around my desk.

"Um, why are you all coming to my seat?"

"Because you're the main character of this play, Sakura-san!"

Sudō-kun flashed me a bright grin.

Wow… he really did have a cool face. So different from mine back when I was a boy. My old face had been androgynous—putting it mildly—and my quiet, reserved personality didn’t help. I had been the furthest thing from “manly,” so having someone like him around always made me feel a tiny bit jealous.

"Not to mention, you're my princess!"

He puffed out his chest proudly.

Even though he said "my," that only left me confused. And I didn’t exactly love being called “princess.” I knew he didn’t mean anything bad by it, but it still made me uncomfortable.

"She's not yours. Ayu-chan belongs to everyone."

Another cast member, Tōgo, casually shot down Sudō-kun’s claim. The other actors all nodded in agreement.

It was sweet that they cared, but being the center of that attention was… very awkward!

"Tch. Well, fine… for now."

Sudō-kun looked dissatisfied, but at least he backed down.

After everyone finished whatever greeting ritual that was supposed to be, Mita-kun stepped forward with the script.

"Alright, let’s start by reading through the script."

I-It’s happening!
My heart tightened painfully at his words.

Ugh… my stomach hurts.

Sudō-kun, totally used to performing in front of others, just said, "Leave it to me!"
Honestly, I wanted to leave it all to him too.

"Okay then, starting from the first scene—"

"Hey, cast members! Come over here for a sec!"

Just as Mita-kun turned toward me and opened his mouth to speak, a voice from the costume team—gathered at the back of the classroom—cut him off.

That was close.

The opening scene took place in the heroine’s hometown, and I had a lot of lines. In fact, only Sudō-kun, me, and a few girls appeared in it. Naturally, the read-through would begin with my lines, meaning I would’ve had to start acting right away.

So the costume team’s interruption felt like a lifeline thrown directly at me.

Yes, I knew this was only delaying the inevitable—don’t remind me!
I had agreed to do this, but when the moment actually arrived… I just froze. I knew I needed to fix that, but still.

"Hurry up, come on!"

With more urging from the costume team, we headed to the back of the classroom.

Sakurako-chan and Moeka-chan were there too. When our eyes met, I gave them a little wave—but both of them were smiling way too brightly. Suspiciously brightly.

Most of the girls who weren’t in the cast had joined the costume team, and now every one of them was staring at me.

"There you are."

Sakurako-chan gave me a sly grin.

Sensing danger on a primal level, I instinctively stepped back.

"Alright, we’re going to take measurements for the costumes! For the boys… I dunno, just have Mita-kun measure them!"

One of the costume girls issued that merciless order. Mita-kun wasn’t a handyman or anything… he was part of the cast too.

"Eh, me!?"

Naturally he was startled, but she cut off his protest with a firm "Yep!"
It was obvious that refusing would only hold things up, so Mita-kun sighed and relented with a "Fine."

"Thanks! Oh—and you can use Takagi-kun too if you need to!"

Takagi-kun, up at the front of the classroom, jolted at the sudden mention of his name.

"So, what are the girls on the costume team going to be doing?"

Tōgo raised a perfectly reasonable question.

The costume team had quite a few girls, but the number of cast members—counting minor roles—was about the same between boys and girls. If they were leaving half the measurements to Mita-kun, who exactly were they planning to measure?

"We’re going to measure the girls, of course. Especially Ayumi-chan—her measurements are going to be thorough, extra thorough, extremely thorough."

Sakurako-chan smiled sweetly at me.

She was smiling—yet for some reason, it was terrifying. Looking closely, all the girls around her were smiling the same way.

Even though everyone was smiling, a shiver ran down my spine. Right… those strange looks earlier were connected to this…!

"Um, you don’t have to be that thorough…"

Growing nervous, I offered a timid suggestion.

"Hmm, but if we aren’t, your costume might not fit well. It could end up too loose or way too tight."

That would be a disaster… Loose, and I’d definitely trip. Tight, and I’d be far too embarrassed to act properly.

So yes, the costume needed to fit correctly, but did they really need such intense measurements? And what exactly were they planning to measure? Couldn’t I just… report my own sizes!?

"Alright, let’s head to the infirmary, Ayumi-chan."

"The infirmary?"

"Yup. The changing rooms get crowded after school. Unless you’d rather we measure you right here?"

Behind the circle of costume-team girls, Mita-kun and the others paused mid-measurement, visibly reacting.

"N-no, anywhere but here!"

Being measured in the classroom wasn’t just embarrassing—it was an entirely different level of humiliation!

And it wasn’t like I had anything worth showing off anyway.

"Then let’s go."

Sakurako-chan grabbed my hand.

Everything felt like it was proceeding exactly according to her secret plan, which only made me even more anxious.

Wait… the costume-team girls were flanking me on both sides, and more were behind me… This felt less like “escorting” and more like being taken in for questioning. I couldn’t escape even if I tried, which only made my panic rise.

I mean, they were my classmates—why was I scared of them? But their eyes looked like they were gleaming with something intense. Hopefully I was just overthinking it…

"M–Moeka-chan…"

Unable to bear the tension, I whispered to Moeka-chan walking beside me. She looked slightly apologetic and murmured, "Sorry."

Sorry for what!?

We reached the infirmary. As soon as I stepped inside, the entire costume team formed a ring around me. Surrounded like this… how could I not be anxious?

"Alright then, Ayumi-chan, take off your jacket ♪"

At Sakurako-chan’s words, all the girls swallowed audibly.

Hey! Even if we’re all girls, isn’t this reaction weird!? And Sakurako-chan’s eyes are scary! She’s totally lost herself!

"Or should I take it off for you?"

"Eh!? N-no, no! I can do it myself!"

Considering her current state, I had no idea how far she’d go if I let her. I grabbed the hem of my school vest and slowly took it off.

A soft chorus of "Oooh…" rose around me.

No no no! You all see me during gym class all the time!

"Okay, let’s measure you now. Ayumi-chan, raise your arms."

Moeka-chan quickly measured my chest.

Huh… that was completely normal. I’d been so scared by everyone’s eyes that I assumed they’d try something weird. I felt guilty for doubting my classmates so much.

Moeka-chan worked efficiently, while Sakurako-chan wrote the numbers down.

They proceeded to measure the other cast girls just as smoothly. Before long, all the measurements were done.

Finally, we could go back to class. I’d stressed myself out for nothing.

"Alright, next it’s my turn to measure Sakura-san."

"Eh? But the measurements are already finished…"

"What are you talking about? Our real measurements have only just begun!"

I didn’t understand what she meant, so I looked around.
And in that instant, I realized.

Everyone—everyone—was standing ready with a tape measure in hand. Even the girl cast members.
Meaning… they all intended to measure me!?

No, no, no, that’s impossible! I’m good! You don’t need to measure me that many times—my numbers aren’t going to magically change!

But my classmates were fired up. With the excitement level this high, there was no way I could say, “I’m done, thanks.”

So I quietly endured being measured a second, then a third time.

At this point, the numbers were basically an open secret among the girls in my class, and having them repeatedly exposed only made it more embarrassing.

"Okay, all done."

The fourth girl finished measuring me. By then I was already exhausted.

She reached out and gently patted my head, smiling happily.

"Um… why are you patting me?"

"S-sorry! You were just too cute!"

It had been like this the entire time.

Every time someone finished measuring, they would pat my head or poke my cheek.

I didn’t exactly hate it… but it made me feel like some kind of pet.

The fifth girl stepped in front of me.
How many more times was I going to have to repeat this?

"Hmm… wouldn’t it be better if we measured more accurately instead of over your clothes?"

A merciless voice pierced the circle of girls.

Wh–who said that!? Why would you say that!?

"Yeah, you're right."
"That’s true."
"I was thinking the same thing."

And everyone else agreed with her.

"W-wait! You really don’t have to measure that precisely!"

"But remember, during the annual health check we took off our blouses, didn’t we?"

"W-well yeah, but this is different—"

Sakurako-chan stepped in front of me and gently placed her fingers on my blouse buttons.

I—I can take it off myself!
Wait, no! I’m not taking it off at all!

But with everyone watching, my body froze up and I couldn’t move.

"You always change so fast during gym class, Sakura-san."

"I’ve been waiting to finally see it!"

Voices chimed in from behind me.

Wait, wait, wait!! Sure, I do change quickly during gym, but that’s because I’m embarrassed!
Which means this situation is literally the absolute worst-case scenario!

The first button, then the second button came undone.

No—this is bad. Very bad. Even if we’re all girls, showing them my underwear is still super embarrassing!

And more importantly, judging from the mood in the room, it might not stop at just underwear. I could only sense massive danger.

I had to escape somehow.

Luckily, no one was blocking the infirmary door. But even if I broke free from Sakurako-chan and ran for it, the girls could easily block the hallway.

Sakurako-chan herself was athletic. Even if I caught her off guard and sprinted, she’d probably catch me.

Then…!

"Ei!"

I let out a tiny battle cry and suddenly threw my arms around Sakurako-chan.
Then I hugged her gently.

"Eh!?"

She froze completely, genuinely stunned.

The whole class went silent.

"A-A-Ayumi-chan!?"

When I glanced up, her ears were burning red. I’d never seen her so flustered before.
I slowly loosened my arms, and Sakurako-chan sank straight to the floor with a soft thump.

"T-that’s not fair, Sakurako-chan!"

"Aikawa-san, I'm jealous!"
"Me too! Totally unfair!"

The others snapped out of their shock and began protesting loudly.

Now!

I couldn’t waste the chaos. I bolted across the infirmary at full speed.

They’d been caught off guard twice in a row—they couldn’t react fast enough.

I burst out of the infirmary and sprinted toward the emptiest corner of the hallway.

And that’s how I ended up hiding under the stairs like this.

I wanted to head back to class, but if the costume-team girls were waiting there… things would definitely get complicated. So I could only sit here in despair.

Ideally, I’d return and join rehearsal like nothing happened, but…

I also left my school vest back in the infirmary.
If the girls found me like this, what would happen? Maybe nothing… but judging by how bloodthirsty they were earlier, I wasn’t so sure…

While I mulled over my next move, I suddenly heard something behind me.

Did they find me!?
Panicked, I spun around.