Chapter 39
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Volume 1: First Performance: A Tragic Love Story Of A Young Lady And Spring Cherry Blossoms
Chapter 39: A Cross-Dressing Boy Practices The Basics Of Acting
The sound of a bell echoed loudly.
As the fifth period began, Kyoichiro stepped in front of the acting students seated in the practice room and spoke.
“Kisaragi, Tsukishiro, come forward.”
“Yes.”
“I Understand.”
Akane and I stood up simultaneously, separated from the group, and walked toward Kyoichiro.
Seeing this, Kyoichiro turned to the teacher beside him, Mr. Wagatsuma, and spoke.
“I’ll leave the coaching of the supporting roles and the casting of the other students to you, Yuji.”
“Got it. Honestly… You have no intention of coaching anyone without talent, do you? Still the same talent supremacist as ever.”
“Time is money. Since you’re taking my time, I’ll choose the students I coach.”
Saying this, Kyoichiro stepped in front of Akane and me and smiled wryly.
“Alright… You two are going to play the lead roles in this production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. As the leads, I won’t tolerate poor acting. Naturally, I’ll demand performances that exceed the student level. I’ll be drilling you hard, so be prepared.”
“Of course. Who do you think I am? I can handle any challenge you throw at me!”
“Good answer. How about you, Kisaragi?”
“……”
Having experienced Kyoichiro Yanagisawa’s coaching in the past, I know… this guy has a tendency to assign tasks that push people beyond their limits with a straight face.
I remember when I was younger, during a three-day acting rehearsal where I barely slept or ate, I was almost unconscious by the end of it.
Recalling that trauma, I hesitated to answer Kyoichiro.
“…Please, go easy on me.”
When I said that, Akane, standing beside me, shot a condescending look my way.
“Go easy on you? Kaede Kisaragi, are you mocking the profession of acting?”
“My apologies. As an amateur, I got a bit intimidated.”
“Hah! A coward! And you think you can play Juliet, my partner? How ridiculous!”
“…You might understand what I mean in a few minutes, Tsukishiro.”
“Huh? What are you…”
“Stop dawdling! Follow me to the field, now!”
“The field? Why…?”
Akane tilted her head in confusion at Kyoichiro’s words.
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“Gasp… W-wait…!”
When I looked back, there was Akane, drenched in sweat, dragging her feet as she ran.
I glanced at her briefly and kept running, completing another lap around the field.
“Alright! Kisaragi, 10 more laps! Tsukishiro, you’re falling behind! You still have 20 laps left!”
Thirty laps around the field. That was Kyoichiro’s first assignment.
It was likely a test to measure our basic physical endurance.
Also, running helps strengthen the legs, lower body, and core.
Having been subjected to countless endurance runs in the past, I had a rough idea of the purpose of this training.
“Why… do we need to run… for stage acting…? I don’t want to be an athlete…!”
Akane’s pitiful, raspy voice cried out from behind me.
Indeed, if you don’t understand his coaching philosophy, this running might seem utterly pointless.
Most of his coaching methods seem unrelated to acting at first glance.
When I was younger, he made me learn martial arts, piano, flower arrangement, and a variety of other things.
To add realism to my acting, he forced me to acquire various skills and knowledge.
“Huff… huff… huff… huff…”
The basic breathing technique for long-distance running involves inhaling twice and exhaling twice.
If your breathing becomes erratic, the rhythm gets disrupted, and your breaths tend to become shallow.
The ideal rhythm for efficiently taking in oxygen is “two inhales, two exhales”.
The “four-beat—one breath every four steps” or “three-beat—one breath every three steps” patterns are said to be ideal breathing methods for marathon runners.
Maintaining a steady breathing rhythm is key to avoiding unnecessary energy expenditure during long runs.
[This was something that old man taught me in the past, wasn’t it?]
I kicked off the ground lightly, landing squarely with the entire sole of my foot.
It’s been a while since I last ran properly, but surprisingly, my form seems to be holding up well.
Running might be more enjoyable than I thought.
The spring breeze felt refreshing against my heated body.
“Yay! Onee-sama, you’re so cool!”
When I turned my gaze towards the direction of the sudden cheer, I saw several female students waving from the classroom windows.
The classroom must be on the second floor of the building, probably from the general education course.
I wonder if Karen is somewhere watching me run as well…
Not wanting to ignore them, I waved back to the students looking down at me.
They responded with more excited cheers.
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“――Tsukishiro fell behind quite a bit… but it looks like both of you finished the run safely. Good work.”
“Gasp… Mr. Yanagisawa, w-what’s the point of this running…?”
“Good question, Tsukishiro. To put it simply, this 30-lap run around the field was a test to measure your basic physical endurance. Stage rehearsals are essentially battles of stamina. I wanted to see how tough you two are.”
“A-a test of basic endurance…?”
“Yeah. Tsukishiro, you’ve only ever appeared in dramas and movies, right?”
“Y-yeah, so what?”
“Stage acting takes more physical stamina than you might imagine. There’s no scene cuts, and you have to keep performing non-stop. So, a stage actor needs to be physically strong, especially the leading roles.”
Kyoichiro said this and then shifted his gaze from Akane to me.
He frowned slightly as if in contemplation.
“But seriously… Kisaragi, you’re… beyond what I imagined. I didn’t expect you to finish 30 laps so effortlessly. Were you in track and field in middle school?”
“Well… yes, I was. I was on the track team in middle school.”
That’s a lie, though. I was in the go-home club in middle school.
“That makes sense. Your form was flawless, and it looked like you had mastered breathing techniques. It was an impeccable run.”
“Thank you.”
When I thanked him, I noticed Akane, who was sitting on the ground, glaring at me.
When our eyes met, she snorted and looked away.
…I don’t expect us to become friends, but it would be nice if we could at least have a decent conversation.
As the leading roles, I want to avoid facing the actual performance with any animosity between us.
“Alright, next up is voice training. Don’t underestimate the basics, Tsukishiro. For an actor, the basics are a fundamental pillar that must never be neglected. This applies to even the most seasoned actors. Neglecting the basics will undoubtedly lead to a decline in the quality of your acting. It’s the small things that form the foundation of your performance.”
After that, Akane and I spent the remainder of the seventh period doing various basic exercises. By the time the final bell rang, Akane had collapsed on the ground, completely exhausted, like a defeated Yamcha.
