Chapter 88: The Beautiful Girl Takes Her First Step Toward the Cultural Festival (Part 4)

Rehearsals for the play had finally started to find their rhythm, and this week was already coming to an end. After wrapping up our Friday after-school practice, I stayed in the classroom, stuffing textbooks into my bag to get ready to go home.

Since Sudo-kun is in the soccer club, he can’t come to practice every day. But even with the limited rehearsal time he gets, his acting is pretty good, so no one complains.

As for me—I’ve finally gotten to the point where I can read the script properly. But that’s about it. My acting still hasn’t improved. My lines come out flat and emotionless. It’s not like I’m trying to speak in a monotone… I’m just so focused on reading the words correctly that I can’t get anywhere near the “putting emotion in” part. No one has said anything yet, but if I’m still like this next week, it’s going to be bad.

I know I shouldn’t panic—but being this far behind everyone else, it’s hard to stay relaxed.

"Tayu-chan, what are you doing now? Heading home already?"

While I was spacing out in my seat, Togo called out to me from behind.

"Yeah… I’ll stop by the clubroom for a bit, but I’m heading straight home after."

"Hm. I see. I guess I’ll go home first then."

He looked like he was thinking about something, but then he waved lightly and left the classroom with his bag.

I glanced around the classroom.
The costume team usually doesn’t stay late, and it looked like Sakurako-chan and Moeka-chan had already gone home.
The props team was still around. I casually looked around to see if Ryoji was there.

Huh—he’s not. I don’t think he’d skip out, though. Maybe he just went to the bathroom.

I grabbed my bag and stepped out of the classroom. On the way to the faculty room to borrow the clubroom key, I found out it had already been checked out.

Who took it? I left the faculty room wondering. Maybe Sakurako-chan or Moeka-chan?

Walking down the hall toward the clubroom, I stopped by the window and looked out at the school grounds. The sun was dipping low, tinting the sky red. It looked like Sudo-kun’s soccer club was still practicing. He really has stamina—running like that for so long is unthinkable for me. Maybe that kind of grit and mindset helps him with acting too.

I let out a small sigh and started walking again.

Standing before the clubroom door, I listened for any signs of activity—but heard nothing. When I opened the door, Ryoji was inside.

"Oh? That’s rare. You being here alone."

"Yeah. I’m feeling kinda out of it today. I feel bad for the others, but I’m taking a break."

He said that and slumped forward over a desk.

"Jeez, just go home already."

I said that as I sat down across from him. He kept his face down but moved his eyes to track me. He really didn’t look well.

"So, Ayumi, what are you doing here? Practice is over, so you’d normally go home, right? Don’t tell me you came looking for me!?"

"No way. I just came because I wanted to practice alone in the clubroom."

I’d assumed Ryoji had already gone home. I certainly didn’t expect him to be here alone.

"Heh, you’re dedicated. Then show me your acting."

"No."

I refused immediately.

"Why not?"

Ryoji raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Because it’s embarrassing…"

"What’s embarrassing about it? Whether your audience is just me or a whole crowd, the difference is the headcount. You’ll suffer in the real performance if you let that stop you."

Ugh… He’s absolutely right. If I can’t even act in front of Ryoji, how am I supposed to do it in front of an audience?

Yeah, acting in front of someone I know makes it embarrassing, sure—but still… If I run home now, then coming here was pointless. And if I avoid practicing just because someone’s around, I’ll never get better. I’m worse than everyone else, so I need to work harder than everyone else or I’ll never improve.

If I were the only one who’d suffer from being terrible, maybe that’d be fine. But this play is something the whole class is putting on—so I can’t let myself drag everyone down.

I steeled myself and took my script out of my bag.

I’ve already memorized most of my lines, but there are still parts that make me nervous. If there’s even one bit I’m unsure about, I’ll definitely blank during the performance.

I opened the script and started reading my very first line.

"Isn’t your voice too quiet?"

Ryoji immediately pointed it out.

I gathered strength in my stomach and tried again, louder this time.

"How was that…?"

"Hmm… yeah, that’s bad."

He said it bluntly with zero hesitation. I knew I was bad, but hearing it said so directly still hurt.

"I see…"

"You’re trying too hard to read the lines properly. Try picturing the scene more when you read."

I read the line again. Ryoji lifted himself upright and crossed his arms. He didn’t look impressed.

"Sorry to put it bluntly, but try doing it way more exaggeratedly. It’s not everyday conversation—go full-on theatrical."

"R-Right…!"

Even though I nodded, acting all exaggerated was still embarrassing. And if I let my attention drift even a little, I felt like I’d stumble over my lines… At this rate, maybe I’ll stay stuck in monotone forever.

I tried again—this time calmer, slower, and as exaggerated as I could manage.

When I finished and looked over to where Ryoji had been sitting, he was suddenly gone.

"My body’s stiff."

"Eek!"

He poked me in the side, and I let out a weird squeak.

"H-HEY! What was that for!?"

"Sorry, sorry. But you were so tense anyone could see it. You didn’t even notice me getting up and moving behind you."

He wasn’t wrong. I’d been so focused on reading my lines that I didn’t even notice him standing up right in front of me.

I thought I’d calmed down, but apparently I hadn’t relaxed at all.

"Still—that’s separate! Stop poking me!"

Ryoji said "yeah, my bad" and apologized, but it was obvious he didn’t mean it. Because after that, he poked me every single time I read a line.

But thanks to that, the tension in my body actually did loosen up a little.

At the very least, I had enough awareness to look around now… or maybe I’d just become paranoid, wondering when he’d poke me again.

"Ayumi, you’ve memorized the whole script by now, right?"

Ryoji asked. I wasn’t sure why he brought it up, but I answered, “Mostly.”

“Then stop looking at the script. You keep shifting your eyes down at the text, so you’re not seeing anything around you. Your attention’s stuck chasing the words.”

That made sense. I set the script down on the clubroom’s center table.

Now that my hands were empty, I suddenly had no idea where I was supposed to look. Where was I supposed to focus while saying my lines?

“You freaking out like that is kinda cute.”

Ryoji grinned at me. He definitely knew exactly how I felt and was teasing me on purpose.

“And just your own lines aren’t enough for you to sink into the role. I’ll read the other characters’ lines for you.”

He pulled his own script from his bag.

“No, no, you don’t have to! You’re not feeling well, remember?”

“I got better watching you try so hard.”

“My effort has nothing to do with your health! You’re not ‘better,’ that’s just in your head!”

“Okay, okay, don’t worry about it.”

I still wasn’t convinced, but once we started practicing together, it was surprisingly easier, so we kept going.

Well… easier except for the fact that Ryoji read all the girls’ roles too, and it was so ridiculous I kept laughing.

Without holding the script, I could finally look around. But whenever embarrassment hit or I got scared of messing up, my voice would shrink again, and Ryoji would scold me over and over.

Honestly—despite having a week’s head start, and despite practicing, Ryoji was already better than me. That fact alone was so discouraging. Just how completely lacking in talent was I…?

“Well, I’d say you’ve gotten a lot better.”

“Really?”

It was the first time today he’d actually praised me, and I couldn’t help it—my face lit up in a big grin. After struggling so much, just knowing I’d improved even a little made all the effort feel worthwhile.

I’d planned to practice alone every day after group rehearsal, but honestly, if I’d only ever practiced by myself, maybe nothing would’ve changed. I might’ve just ended up satisfied with being able to read the script smoothly and left it at that…

Thinking about it that way, it was a stroke of luck that Ryoji happened to be here today.

“Hey, Ryoji. If it’s okay… would you mind practicing with me sometimes?”

“YESSS! I’m in! Bring it on! If you want, we can even act out the kiss scene for real!”

…Maybe I shouldn’t have asked. Practicing with Ryoji suddenly felt like the wrong life choice.

But… if I asked Sakurako-chan or Moeka-chan, I couldn’t imagine it going well either. I could already see us getting sidetracked immediately. I do think I need different people to watch me practice at some point, but still…

“Anyway, if you ever want to practice, just text, call, or message me. I’ll show up anytime, anywhere.”

“No, no—don’t forget you still have to build the stage props, okay?”

He was so unexpectedly enthusiastic that I felt reassured… and also a little worried. But knowing Ryoji, he’d probably handle his own responsibilities perfectly fine.

Unlike me, Ryoji was good with his hands. I kind of envied that.

I glanced out the clubroom window—it was completely dark already. I checked my phone. Nearly 8 p.m.

“We should head home. Are you really okay now?”

“Yeah. I’m totally fine.”

And so the two of us started walking home.

If I have free time this weekend, I’ll practice. By Monday, I want to be good enough to surprise everyone.

This whole week I’d been struggling with how terrible I was, but today I finally saw a bit of light. I was genuinely grateful to Ryoji for giving me that push. Honestly, I felt bad for always relying on him.

Speaking of which, his birthday is coming up soon. He gave me a present on my birthday, so I want to return the favor—and thank him properly.

As we talked on the train ride home, that thought stayed in my mind.