Chapter 26
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Volume 1: First Performance: A Tragic Love Story Of A Young Lady And Spring Cherry Blossoms
Chapter 26: A Cross-Dressing Boy Learns A Shocking Truth
“…Professor Yanagisawa. I strongly object to this decision!! That girl doesn’t have nearly enough acting skill!! And yet, she’s been chosen for the main lead role over me? A mere amateur!? This is absolutely unacceptable!!”
Akane shouted, her eyes welling up with tears as she glared at Kyoichiro with a fierce expression.
Kyoichiro, on the other hand, shook his head in exasperation at her outburst and opened his mouth to speak, looking somewhat resigned.
“Tsukishiro, you saw her too, so you should understand… Kisaragi is definitely not an amateur. Her fundamentals are solid, and in her acting, you can glimpse a depth of knowledge and experience. She must have trained with a skilled actor in the past. While there are still some rough spots, her acting ability surpasses that of most new actors.”
Good observation. Well, the mentor you’re referring to is you, Dad.
As I subtly glanced at my father’s profile, I heard Akane’s muffled voice from the front.
“…Indeed. I understand that much too. Kaede Kisaragi’s acting isn’t that of a complete amateur… But, I absolutely cannot accept her! The fact that someone like her, who ignores the script and performs so self-centered, could defeat me… My technique was definitely superior!”
“That’s right. In terms of technical skill, you’re overwhelmingly better. But… Kisaragi has the ability to captivate the audience.”
“The ability to captivate…?”
“Yes. …Hey, Tsukishiro, do you know the difference between a talented person and a genius?”
“Eh…?”
“A talented person studies history and faithfully follows in the footsteps of their predecessors. But a genius, in the darkness, carves out a new path using only their own power.”
After saying that, Kyoichiro stood in front of the classmates from the acting department who were silently watching him.
Then, he spoke loudly to the entire class.
“…Once again, I ask the students of the acting department. Which performance resonated more with you—Kisaragi’s or Tsukishiro’s? If you thought Kisaragi’s performance was better, please raise your hand.”
At those words, the students began to hesitantly raise their hands.
One, two, three… no, it’s pointless to count.
To my surprise, most of the students in the acting department raised their hands.
Seeing this, Akane bit her lip in frustration.
“…This… This is unacceptable… The only actor of our generation who can surpass me is… only that guy… only Fuuma Yanagisawa!! There’s no way I could lose to anyone else!! I can’t accept losing to anyone but that man!!”
Saying this, she ruffled her hair and glared fiercely at me.
…Until the fifth period began, it seemed she hadn’t even paid any attention to me.
But now, she clearly saw me as an ‘enemy’.
“Kaede Kisaragi… No matter who recognizes you, I will never acknowledge your acting. Compared to Fuuma’s acting, you’re not shining at all. I’m the only actress worthy of standing beside him in our generation!! Definitely not you!!”
Akane glared at me with a growl like a wild beast.
Under her sharp gaze, I couldn’t help but let out a small, weak “eep”.
…Um, I would really appreciate it if she stopped, because I might actually wet myself.
I’ve never been glared at like that by a girl before, so it’s incredibly terrifying, yes…
“And so, the role of Juliet has been decided, but the audition for Romeo’s role is still ongoing. I apologize to those aspiring for Juliet, but… we’ll resume the pair evaluation. Next, the 13th pair, step forward.”
With that, the audition resumed, and Honoka and I returned to the line.
…Even during that time, Akane continued to glare at me.
In fact, until the audition was over, she kept growling at me.
What is this… I’ve rarely been shown such blatant hostility, so it’s really frightening, honestly…
My Goddess, Rurika-chan. Please protect your big brother from that devil. Rurika (Something like a certain prayer).
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“And so, as a result of the audition, Akane Tsukishiro will play Romeo, and Kaede Kisaragi will play Juliet. Everyone, please give them a round of applause.”
As applause echoed in response to Professor Wagatsuma’s words, I stood in front of the acting department students and bowed.
As I did, Akane, standing next to me, glared at me sharply from the side.
“Grrrr…”
She bared her fangs and glared at me like a bloodthirsty beast.
Faced with her demonic expression, I decided to muster up the courage to speak to her.
“Um, Tsukishiro-san, please don’t glare at me like that…”
“No way. I hate you so much.”
“But, well, we’ll be co-stars from now on, so staying hostile is a bit…”
“No. In fact, I’ll play Romeo with the intent to devour Juliet.”
“That would ruin the story!? If they don’t fall in love, the Montagues and Capulets would just keep fighting each other forever!?”
“…Hmph.”
Akane turned away, pouting her lips in displeasure.
…Well, I had a feeling it would turn out like this, so Akane got the role of Romeo, huh…
And, initially, I thought we’d be chosen as lead roles in pairs, but it ended up being an individual evaluation… Well, knowing that dad, it’s not surprising that the audition format changes on a whim.
I let out a big sigh.
Then, without looking at me, Akane quietly spoke from beside me.
“…To me, you’re nothing more than an obstacle. My ultimate rival is Fuuma. Not you.”
“Fuuma-san, is it? You mentioned him earlier as well, but who exactly is this Fuuma Yanagisawa to you, Tsukishiro-san?”
“I have no obligation to tell you.”
After saying that, Akane ignored me and closed her mouth.
I wanted to know why Akane was so fixated on me… but it seems the much-hated Kisaragi Kaede couldn’t extract that information.
Soon after, the bell rang, marking the end of the seventh period.
With Professor Wagatsuma’s dismissal signal, the students from the acting department formed a line and left the practice room while chatting.
As I started to follow them, I suddenly heard a voice from behind.
“――――――Kisaragi. May I have a word?”
When I turned around, I saw none other than that damned old man, Kyoichiro Yanagisawa.
As he stared at me intently, Kyoichiro opened his mouth, looking somewhat perplexed.
“…You really do look alike. This isn’t just a case of mistaken identity…”
“Look alike…? What are you talking about?”
“Well, you see, you look incredibly similar to my late wife. I was a bit surprised earlier.”
“…Eh?”
[You’re saying I resemble Mom…?]
I mean, when I first cross-dressed, I did think so myself, but I didn’t think I resembled a high school girl enough to be called her spitting image, did I?
There’s no way we could look so alike――Ah, I see.
You knew Mom when she was young… back when she was in college.
I see, I see… Wait, hold on, isn’t this actually pretty dangerous!? Isn’t this bad!?
As I panicked internally, Kyoichiro let out a soft smile and spoke again.
“…Kisaragi. You’re not related to the Hananomiya family, are you?”
“N-no, I’m not…”
“That’s right. Your hair color and eye color are different from my wife’s, and I’ve never heard of foreign blood in the Hananomiya family. It must just be a coincidence… Still, looking at your face makes me uneasy. It almost brings tears to my eyes.”
Kyoichiro pressed his temples as his eyes began to water.
I smiled gently at him and spoke.
“She must have been someone very important to you.”
“Yeah. Yuki was… my wife was the most important person in my life. I used to call her ‘My Goddess Yuki’ and placed her portrait on an altar, and worship her as a goddess. Gahahahaha!!”
“………”
Dad often said that the only woman he would ever love in his life was my mother.
He abandoned us, his children, but cherished my mother… That much must be true for him.
“Your wife was truly… an important person to you.”
I tilted my head slightly as I said this, smiling.
Then Kyoichiro suddenly froze, looking shocked.
“? Is something wrong?”
“Ah… N-no, it’s nothing… Damn, this resemblance is really troublesome.”
Saying this, Kyoichiro coughed to clear his throat, picked up the jacket draped over the chair, and slung it over his shoulder.
Then, taking a cigarette from his chest pocket, he smiled at me.
“Kisaragi. Yuji and I are going out to eat now. Would you like to join us?”
“Eh? Me…?”
“Yeah. I like you. Oh, of course, I mean as an actor, okay? I’m not the kind of guy who hits on kids. What do you say?”
This man, who generally dislikes people, inviting me, someone he’s just met, out for a meal… That’s unusual.
Well, there’s no need to hesitate. I guess the best answer is to decline straight away.
Obviously it would be best not to stay near this guy who knows my true identity for as long as possible.
“Please forgive me, but I’ll have to decline your kind offer―――――――”
“Dad! It’s true that you’ve become a teacher, right?”
Suddenly, the door burst open with a bang, and a tall female student, easily around 180 cm, entered the practice room.
That female student was none other than… the short-haired, handsome girl, Ginjou Haruki, whom I had met the other day.
“You are…”
“Huh, you’re…”
Our eyes met, and we stood frozen for a few seconds before Kyoichiro, standing in front of us, let out a tired sigh.
“Haruki, huh. Seriously, what a troublesome person.”
“What do you mean, troublesome!? Dad…!!”
“Dad…?”
Hearing my confused voice, Kyoichiro opened his mouth, looking somewhat exasperated.
“Ah, that giant girl over there is my daughter, Kisaragi.”
“…‥‥‥‥‥‥… Huh?”
With that shocking statement, I could only stand there in a daze―――blinking in disbelief.
