Chapter 56
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Volume 1: First Performance: A Tragic Love Story Of A Young Lady And Spring Cherry Blossoms
Chapter 56: The Cross-Dressing Boy Faces The Day Of The Performance
Two days had passed since Akane confided her feelings to me and we said our goodbyes.
Finally, the day had arrived, the day of the performance of “Romeo and Juliet” at the Sendai Civic Center.
I stood in front of the mirror in my room, gazing at my own reflection, and let out a short sigh.
Reflected in the mirror was Kaede Kisaragi, still looking as unfriendly as ever, with a deadpan expression and expressionless eyes.
After a month and a half since enrolling, I was starting to get used to this appearance.
I no longer felt resistance to wearing the girls’ uniform, and putting on makeup had become second nature.
Well, to be honest, it’s quite strange to get used to cross-dressing… Maybe living a double life as both a man and a woman has messed with my head.
Seriously. No matter what, you’re still a guy inside, right?
Get it together, me…
“Onii-chan… No, I meant Kaede-chan! Do your best today, okay? I’ll be watching the performance too!”
Behind me, standing with both fists clenched and speaking to me——-was my angel, Rurika.
I furrowed my brows and spoke to her in a worried tone.
“Are you going to be okay? You have severe social anxiety and can barely go out even to the convenience store. The Sendai Civic Center where I’m performing is actually pretty close to the city center, you know?”
“I-I’ll be fine! As Kaede-chan’s longest-serving fan and manager, I have to be there! I’ll use Google Maps and ask Siri on my phone for help to get to the Civic Center, so don’t worry!”
“…Don’t get lost, okay? I won’t be able to come and get you if the police contact me during the performance.”
“D-don’t underestimate me, Onii-chan! I’m already 13 years old, you know! Stop treating me like a child!”
Well… Compared to other 13 year olds, Rurika-chan’s mental age seems to have stopped at around ten because of her reclusive lifestyle.
As her older brother, I’m really worried. I’m afraid some strange man might lure you away with sweets or something.
“…Onii-chan, stop looking at me with those warm, motherly eyes. It’s annoying.”
“Rurika-chan, shouldn’t it at least be a fatherly look? Even though I’m dressed like this, I’m still a guy, you know?”
“Right now, Onii-chan looks just like a girl!! …Anyway, about Dad… Hey, Onii-chan, since Dad is a teacher at Hananomiya Girls’ Academy… he’s coming to the performance, right?”
“…”
“The last time I saw Dad, I was 8 years old… I wonder if he’ll recognize how much Rurika have grown.”
“Rurika. It’s better if you don’t even think about wanting to meet him.”
“‥‥‥‥Why?”
“Did you forget? He’s the one who abandoned us, dumping us on the Hananomiya family. He’s a worthless, horrible father. The reason we’re living like birds in a cage right now is all because of him. It’s all his fault.”
“That’s true, but… Rurika doesn’t have many memories of her father… I wonder if he is really as bad as you say? Maybe he left us for a reason we don’t know about?”
“There’s no such thing. What kind of parent has a good reason to abandon their children? Anyway, you must never try to meet him. Got it?”
“Yeah… I understand.”
Right now, our father also has a stepdaughter named, Ginjou Haruki.
If by any chance Rurika were to see father getting along with her… it would undoubtedly leave a deep scar on her heart.
She’d see that even though she was abandoned, the new daughter he took in is being cherished.
It would be too much for someone as young as Rurika to handle.
“Alright then, Rurika, I’m heading out.”
“Okay. Do your best, Onii-chan… I mean, Kaede-chan.”
I grabbed my school bag and headed to the entrance.
As I put on my loafers (Shoes) and turned back after opening the door, there she was—–my beloved little sister, waving her small hand.
“Take care! I’ll be looking forward to your performance from the audience!”
I nodded and left the house.
——-Finally, the first-year students of Hananomiya Girls’ Academy would be performing their first play, “Romeo and Juliet.”
I would be performing in front of an audience for the first time in five years.
To be honest, I seriously doubt whether I can perform properly at this point.
I haven’t practiced for years, and if I immerse myself too deeply in the role, there’s a risk my performance anxiety (Yips) might flare up again.
I just hope I don’t experience a panic attack (Yips) on stage and end up throwing up… that’s something I really want to avoid.
“I really… don’t want to fail again.”
Five years ago, during my final performance before retiring, the memory is still deeply burned into my mind.
It was a grand stage adaptation of a best-selling novel that had garnered a lot of attention.
On the day of the first performance.
In the middle of the play, I suddenly fell to my knees and vomited all over the stage.
The audience’s disgusted stares fell upon me as I lay there, covered in vomit. I could hear their sighs of disappointment and their jeering voices.
The audience, who were fans of the classic novel and had come to see the play, began shouting in the auditorium, demanding their money back.
At that moment, I knew… I could no longer continue as an actor.
“…And yet, here I am, trying to get back on stage. What a strange story.”
The past me would have never imagined that I’d return to the world of acting, while cross-dressing and as a completely different person.
It really is a bizarre story.
If someone is writing this story, that person must have a pretty twisted personality.
But it’s not all bad. Strange, and even laughable… This is, after all, a funny little comedy.
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“…”
“Huh…? Karen…?”
As I got off the station platform, I noticed Karen sitting on a bench, reading a book.
She closed the paperback novel that looked like a work of fiction and turned her gaze towards me, a small smile playing on her lips.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning……?”
“What’s wrong? You look like a pigeon that’s been hit by a peashooter.”
“No, it’s just… this isn’t your train route, is it? What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to give some encouragement to my cute little doll. I’ve been waiting here just for you. You should be honored.”
“Your cute little doll… I never agreed to be your doll, though…”
I sighed deeply and stood in front of Karen.
The book she was reading was “The Lonely Night Sky” by Koyomi Yukishino. The same novel from the play where I had my disastrous final performance, the one that made me quit acting…..
To think that she’d be reading the original novel of the play that traumatized me, at a time like this…
Normally, I’d chalk it up to coincidence, but this girl…
She probably knows almost everything about my past, having done all sorts of research.
“Hey, that book is…”
“…It’s the work you last performed in and failed, right? I know.”
“I never thought you’d show me that cursed novel today… Ha… You really have a nasty personality.”
“You already knew I had a nasty personality, didn’t you?”
“What’s the point of shaking me up like this? Wasn’t your real goal to make sure I succeed as Kaede Kisaragi and become a popular actress?”
“‥‥‥‥Yanagisawa-kun, do you remember the plot of this novel?”
“The plot?”
“Yes. The protagonist is a young lady born into a wealthy family with a vast fortune. However, she was lonely, ignored by her parents. The only thing that filled her loneliness was the dolls in her room. One day, she discovered a single light in her life―――It was a child actor she saw on TV.”
“…”
“She was moved by his performance, which made her forget her reality. As she watched him, flowers bloomed in her heart, and she fell in love with him. The girl, born into a wealthy family, went to see the boy’s performance in hopes of meeting him. After the play, she went backstage to speak to him, but she found someone else there already.”
“That someone else was a red-haired girl with intense eyes. She declared herself the boy’s rival and vowed to defeat him one day. The wealthy girl, seeing this scene, realized how much of an outsider she was. The red-haired girl was the boy’s main heroine, and she was just a side character, unnoticed by the protagonist. She came to terms with the harsh reality.”
“Oh, you’ve memorized the plot of the novel. That’s Impressive.”
“I always memorize the scripts of every play I’ve performed. I could recite that novel from start to finish if I wanted to.”
“As expected. The author of this novel would be delighted to know that an actor as talented as you remembers their work so well.”
“…”
“Well. I’ve seen your face, so I’m satisfied. Now hurry to the Civic Center, Kaede Kisaragi. Your rival is waiting for you there. You… are not an actor who should end your career like this. Am I right?”
“I…”
“It’s not ‘I’ (Male). You’re supposed to say ‘I’ (Female), right? You’re not Fuuma Yanagisawa anymore. You’re Kaede Kisaragi, a brand-new rookie actress.”
Saying that, Karen smiled brightly at me.
I nodded back to her and began walking further down the platform.
Talking to her helped me clear my mind a bit.
I’m not Fuuma Yanagisawa anymore—I’m Kaede Kisaragi, huh?
Yeah, I’m just a nameless, rookie actress.
So, I’ll forget about the past and pour everything I have into my performance.
That’s… the best I can do right now.