Chapter 3
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Volume 1: First Performance: A Tragic Love Story Of A Young Lady And Spring Cherry Blossoms
Chapter 3: Contract With The Villainess
After my aunt left home.
For now, I tried on the high school girl’s uniform she left behind.
“How do I look, Rurika-chan? Do I look like a girl?”
Standing in front of the full-length mirror in my room, I asked my sister.
Rurika gave me her straightforward opinion as she looked at me in the uniform of Hananomiya Girls’ Academy.
“Sorry Onii-chan, you just look like a pervert to me…”
“Right?”
Indeed, just wearing the uniform makes me look like a pervert.
Hmm. The problem is my short hair, the hair on my legs… and my stance.
The leg hair can be shaved with a razor, so that’s manageable — the biggest issue is definitely this short hair.
With short hair, I can’t help but look like a boy.
Somewhat longer hair is necessary.
“Well, it looks like I’ll need to wear a long wig. Why am I even doing this? Thinking about it makes my head hurt…”
“Big brother, are you okay? Even if it’s an order from Auntie, you don’t have to obey it so obediently…”
“No, it’s best not to anger her right now. The Hananomiya family uses money and the yakuza as their weapons. As long as they are providing financial support, it’s wise to comply with Auntie’s demands.”
“But… but, I don’t want to see you getting hurt, brother…”
Rurika said this as she hugged me tightly.
I gently patted her head and spoke softly.
“I’ve said this before, but we just need to endure until I graduate high school. Once we no longer need the Hananomiya family’s support, we can go abroad where their influence can’t reach us and live together. So don’t worry about anything and just focus on your studies, okay?”
“Sniff… If we go abroad, I’ll marry you, onii.”
“Haha, that’s a sweet offer, but even in foreign countries, siblings can’t marry. But, yes, living peacefully together would be the happiest thing.”
The Hananomiya Group, a major corporation dominating Japan’s financial world.
Because we siblings happen to carry their blood, we are forced to live in this gilded cage.
Confined to a high-rise apartment owned by the Hananomiya family, constantly monitored, and our educational and career paths, even our marriage partners, are decided by the family.
In four years, when my sister turns eighteen, she’s supposed to marry some CEO forty years her senior.
A typical political marriage.
It’s absurd in this Reiwa era, but apparently, the Hananomiya bloodline is highly coveted by the powerful people of this country.
They are all desperate to forge ties with the Hananomiya family in order to deepen their ties with the major financial conglomerates.
As a result of being used in such a pointless power struggle between adults, my younger sister going to be married off to some unknown old man.
Using my sister as a pawn in their power games is something I, as her brother, can never accept.
There’s no way I can forgive that.
I will never allow it.
No matter how powerful a company you are, don’t think you can outmatch a super protective brother, you wealthy scumbags.
I will definitely escape this birdcage with my sister.
I will definitely gain freedom — and with my sister, find a peaceful life.
That’s the future I, Fuuma Yanagisawa, envision.
“Rurika, I will do my best as a big brother. I will never lose to the Hananomiya family.”
“Yes. I feel the same way. I don’t want to see you suffer either.”
She whispered this while showing me her tear-filled eyes from within my arms.
I smiled at her.
At that moment, we were reaffirming our sibling bond.
Suddenly, a voice came from the entrance of the room.
“Click. Hmm, I think it’s a good photo.. The title of this photo is… well, I guess it could be something like ‘Forbidden Love’.”
“Huh?”
When I turned my eyes to the direction of the voice, I saw an unfamiliar beautiful girl with black hair standing at the entrance to the room.
She checked her smartphone and nodded, then turned her crimson eyes towards me and gave me a grin.
“Nice to meet you, Fuuma Yanagisawa-kun, Rurika-chan. I’ve taken the liberty of entering.”
“H-how did you get in here? Where’s the key?”
“This apartment is owned by the Hananomiya family. If I can come and go freely, surely you can guess who I am, right?”
“…A member of the Hananomiya family?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Applause~clap, clap, clap~”
After saying that and clapping her hands mockingly, she closed the door, folded her arms, and looked at me with a defiant smile.
“My name is Karen Hananomiya. I’m the granddaughter of the current head of Hojuro Hanamiya, current head of the Hananomiya Group. To put it simply, you and I are cousins.”
“…What business does the young lady of the Hananomiya family have with us siblings?”
“Aunt Airi came over yesterday, right? It was about that matter. But even so――――”
Karen burst out laughing as she looked at me, she suddenly burst out laughing, holding her stomach.
“Pfft, hahaha… Fuuma Yanagisawa. To be honest, you look just like a pervert now in drag! Your face is pretty good looking, so it’s too surreal I can’t stop laughing! Ahahahahaha!! A pervert who wears a skirt with a straight face!! Agh, my stomach hurts!!”
“Hey, your Hananomiya told me to do this… Why am I being laughed at?”
After saying that and shaking her head, Karen continued laughing, so I asked her a question.
“Um… I have a question. Why do you want me to enroll in Hananomiya Girls’ Academy even if it means making me cross-dress? To begin with, I still don’t understand the purpose, and if the other students were to find out, I’m afraid it could damage the Hanamiya Group’s reputation…”
“Pfft… Yes, the purpose. I must explain that first.”
Wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, Karen Hananomiya looked at me straight on.
Her red eyes were intimidating. I swallowed and met her gaze.
“Right now, Hananomiya Girls’ Academy lacks a star.”
“A star?”
“Yes. The biggest product the school produces. Do you know what that is?”
“A product… Hananomiya Girls’ Academy is known for actresses, idols, and celebrities?”
“Correct. It’s a top-tier school producing many famous actresses throughout the country. Actresses attract ordinary people like bait.”
Saying that, Hananomiya Karen let out a big sigh and walked over to my desk, pulled out a chair and sat down.
Crossing her legs, she looked towards us again and spoke.
“In recent years, the school hasn’t produced any outstanding actresses. It seems they haven’t have many talented students enrolled. As a result, the number of students entering Hananomiya Girls’ Academy is decreasing year by year.”
“I see… I understand why you want a star actress. But what exactly is the connection between that and me cross-dressing?”
“Isn’t it obvious? You were the genius child actor who shook the entertainment world with your acting skills beyond that of a child — Fuuma Yanagisawa. If you dressed up as a girl and attend that school, you’ll be the perfect star. The number of students enrolled would surely rise again!”
“Well, excuse me for interrupting your excitement, but that was about five years ago that I became famous as a child actor. I’ve stopped training now, so I don’t think there’s any way I could become a star or anything like that…”
“No. You’re a brilliant actor. I saw your performance in the theater when I was a child. The impact was immense. That talent doesn’t disappear in five years. So — you will perform on stage again, Fuuma Yanagisawa. The star child for acting and the devilish monster.”
Karen smiles, the corners of her mouth turning up.
To think she knew my past… Well, I guess that’s to be expected for someone from the Hananomiya family.
Scratching the back of my head, I opened my mouth to Karen.
“Um, what if by any chance, I failed to become a star, will you allowed me stop cross-dressing? I’d be grateful if I could go back to my normal school life…”
“If by any chance your talent fades away, then I’ll spread this photo all over the internet.”
Saying that, Karen turned the screen of her smartphone towards me.
What’s shown is…a perverted man (me) dressed as a woman hugging Rurika who has tears welling up in her eyes and a sad look on her face.
If someone who didn’t know the circumstances saw this photo, it would definitely be considered scandalous.
Seeing my face turn pale, Karen narrowed her eyes and smiled sadistically.
“If you don’t want to be socially destroyed, you’ll follow my orders and become a star actress at Hananomiya Girls’ Academy. Right, Yanagisawa-kun?”
I could only hang my head in despair at her words.
