Chapter 15
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Volume 1: First Performance: A Tragic Love Story Of A Young Lady And Spring Cherry Blossoms
Chapter 15: The Cross-Dressing Boy Decides To Fight
“I’m home, Rurika!”
I somehow managed to survive my first day at the all-girls’ high school and finally returned home.
As I was taking off my shoes at the entrance, the sound of slippers scurrying down the hallway caught my attention. My beloved little sister appeared.
“Welcome home, Onii-chan. How was school? Did anyone find out you’re a guy?”
“Yeah, well… there were a few close calls, but I managed…”
I let out a big sigh as I said this, then headed toward the living room with my sister.
As we walked, Rurika kept glancing at my face out of the corner of her eye. After a moment, she nodded, seemingly satisfied.
“What’s wrong, Rurika-chan?”
“Well… I have to say, I’ve created something amazing. Even though you were good-looking to begin with, it’s incredible how much makeup can change someone… Onii-chan, you look completely like a girl now! You should be more confident! Really!”
“Rurika-chan… I have no idea how I’m supposed to respond to that… Should I be relieved that I’ve mastered cross-dressing, or should I be sad that I’ve lost my dignity as a man…?”
As I sniffled and wiped my tears with my sleeve, Rurika stood on her tiptoes and gently patted my head.
Ugh… my little sister really is a goddess.
Even though I was surrounded by many beautiful girls at the all-girls’ school, I still think my little sister is the cutest.
It’s official—I’m sick. I’ve got a terminal illness called siscon.
After a light dinner and a bath, I lay on my bed and idly stared at my phone screen.
As expected, I had received messages from Shogo and the class president about my sudden leave of absence.
Both of them had sent me a ton of messages, demanding to know why I took a break from school.
I quickly sent back a reply: “It’s a family issue. I’ll explain more later.”
Almost immediately, my phone buzzed with a reply. It was from Shogo, with a message saying, “You better explain this later.”
I smiled wryly at the message, turned off my phone, and closed my eyes.
Today really was eventful.
From now on, I have to live as Kaede Kisaragi at that school.
It seems that I’m returning to the path of acting, which I once gave up on.
Honestly, I would be lying if I said I didn’t have mixed feelings, but now that things have come to this, there’s no turning back.
I’ll create the fake actress Kaede Kisaragi and bring benefits to the Hananomiya family.
That’s the task I must now devote myself to, so I’ll face it with all my strength.
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The next day, I received a message from Honoka asking if we could go to school together.
Honestly, I thought it would be best to avoid her as much as possible to prevent upsetting her since she dislikes men, but… it seems that she’s still traumatized by the incident with the molester the other day and is too scared to go to school alone.
It seems that her friends, Hinata and Hanako, take different routes to school, so I’m the only one she can rely on.
Unable to abandon someone who reminds me so much of my sister… I decided to go to school with her.
When I arrived at the famous meeting spot in front of the stained glass at Sendai Station, I found Honoka standing there, holding her school bag in both hands.
When she noticed me, she ran over with a beaming smile.
“Oh, Onee-sama~!!”
“Good morning, Honoka-sa— whoa, Honoka-san!?”
Honoka suddenly clung to my left arm and looked up at me with a happy grin.
No, um, Honoka-chan, your chest is… your chest is pressing against my arm, and for a virgin like me, that’s… th-that’s too stimulating!
As I panicked, my face flushed red, Honoka looked up at me with her eyebrows knitted in concern.
“Ah… Was I being too forward, big sister…? I-I’m sorry… I was just so happy to see your face this morning that I couldn’t help myself…”
“N-No, it’s not like that… I-I was just surprised, that’s all…”
“Oh, Onee-sama, you’re so kind~!!!”
With a radiant smile that blossomed like a flower, Honoka looked up at me.
Every time I see her pure smile, guilt pierces my heart.
I’m deceiving such an innocent girl by pretending to be a woman… Even though it’s for the Hananomiya family’s fault, I can’t help but feel pathetic…
“Huh? Onee-sama, is something wrong? You suddenly look so down…”
“No… it’s nothing. Shall we go, Honoka-san?”
“Yes!!”
And so, I headed to Hananomiya Academy with Honoka.
After getting off the bus and chatting with Honoka, we joined the other students heading up the slope to the school.
As we reached the school gate, we saw a man standing there.
When the man noticed us, he let out a twisted laugh and slowly approached us.
“Hey, thanks for the other day, you little brats…”
It was the man who had been arrested for molesting Honoka the other day.
Honoka and I both stopped in our tracks, startled, unable to understand why he was here.
“Huh…?”
W-Why are you… here…?”
When I asked, the man let out a creepy laugh and started talking.
“Because of you, my life has been ruined… My wife gave me divorce papers, my name was plastered all over the news, and my family disowned me… Ever since you brats turned me over to the police, my life has been completely destroyed! What are you going to do about it!?”
He foamed at the mouth as he screamed at us with unfocused eyes.
At the sound of his yelling, Honoka let out a small, trembling voice, her body starting to shake.
I stepped forward to shield her, facing the man.
“…It seems like you brought all this upon yourself. This is the result of your own actions.”
“Don’t you dare talk down to me, you brat! I’ve got way more to lose than you spoiled students! You don’t understand anything!”
“So, you’re saying Honoka should have stayed quiet and suffered, is that it? What a selfish and one-sided way of thinking. You don’t even try to understand the pain of your victim. You’re an arrogant person.”
“Shut up, shut up, shut up!!!”
The man screamed as he pulled a pocket knife from his pocket.
Seeing this, the students around us screamed in terror.
Ignoring the commotion around him, the man held the knife and grinned wickedly.
“I’m going to make you feel the pain I went through. I’ll leave scars on that pretty face and skin of yours! Every time you see those scars, you’ll remember the suffering I went through because of you!!!”
With the knife in hand, the man charged towards us.
Unlike the other day, Karen and the men in black suits were not around.
The only ones here are the girls on their way to school and a terrified Honoka.
Obviously, I’m the only one here who can do something about this situation.
“Tch, if it’s come to this… I have no choice.”
I took a stance I hadn’t used in years, readying myself for karate.
As I did, a voice from my past echoed in my mind.
“—Listen up, Fuuma. A good actor is someone who strives for realism. That’s why you’ll be experiencing a lot of things from now on. Sports, music, cooking, painting, martial arts, and more. Of course, I don’t expect you to become a master of everything, nor will I give you the time to do so. After all, your goal is to become a top-notch actor. But you’ll become someone who can do a bit of everything—a second-rate genius.”
“…Of all times, I end up remembering your words, you bastard father.”
I let out a short breath and focused.
Then, I quietly faced the assailant who was running towards me.