Chapter 9

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Volume 1: First Performance: A Tragic Love Story Of A Young Lady And Spring Cherry Blossoms

Chapter 9: The Cross-Dressing Boy Reunites With His Old Rival

“Alright, everyone. Hananomiya Girls’ Academy may be famous as a school for the performing arts now, but originally, this school was a place where the daughters of nobility came to learn etiquette and manners. So, please be mindful of your behavior, always maintain your grace, and never forget that you are students of this esteemed institution—”

“I’m so sorry!! We’re late!!”

As Honoka and I entered the classroom, the woman in the nun’s habit standing at the podium greeted us with a gentle smile.


“You must be Honoka Hiiragi and Kaede Kisaragi. We were informed by Karen Hananomiya from the general education class that you would be arriving late, so it’s alright. I am Maria Ashiya, the homeroom teacher for the first-year acting course. You can call me Maria-chan or Maria-sensei, whichever you prefer.”



After saying this, Maria-sensei narrowed her eyes and looked away from us, beginning to look restlessly around the classroom.




“So, as for the seats for the two of you…Ah, the last row by the window is empty. Please take a seat over there.”



“I understand.”


“Y-yes!”



As instructed by our homeroom teacher, Honoka and I walked towards the two open seats – the two seats by the windows.



Honoka sat in the fourth seat from the front in the row by the window, and I sat in the fifth seat at the back.



I was really grateful to be able to sit at the very back where I wouldn’t stand out too much.



Perhaps this arrangement was made by the homeroom teacher, who I’d heard would support my life as a cross-dresser.

 

I let out a short sigh and took a quick look around.



In this high school for the performing arts, particularly in the acting course, it’s only natural that all the students sitting in the seats are beautiful girls.



Among them were some active professionals I recognized from TV, and some girls whom I remembered working together with when I was a child actor.



Hmm? That girl with the sharp eyes and arrogant face sitting in the middle seat with twin-tails… She’s a big shot, isn’t she? Akane Tsukishiro.


Five years ago, when I was a child actor, she used to see me as her rival and always picked fights with me for one reason or another: she made quite a strong impression on me.




That was five years ago, though. Nowadays, she’s a rising star, much more famous than a retired guy like me. We had a lot going on between us in the past, but now that she’s become an accomplished actress, I’m sure she’s long since forgotten about me.



“…”



I closed my eyes.


What floats in the darkness is a scene from the past, of me as a child being beaten up by a young girl.



“Fuuma! What do you mean you’re quitting acting?! You’re a rival that I acknowledged! And yet, even so… I won’t forgive you!! Absolutely, absolutely, I will never forgive you!!”



“Ouch, wait, stop it, Akane. I wonder why you’re angry that I quitting acting. Your business rivals have decreased. Isn’t this a good thing for you?”



“～～～～Aaaahh!!!! Don’t mess with me, Fuuuma!!!!!!”


I get punched in the face and pass out.

This was my final farewell to her, five years ago.


“…Haha, that brings back memories.”



When I was 10 years old, the moment she heard that I was quit acting, she jumped on me and started punching me.

 

When she was acting, she exuded a serene atmosphere like flowing water, yet in reality, she had a rough and wild personality like a man.



I hope she’s calmed down a bit now… or could she still have that same impulsive and quick-tempered nature as before?


That’s something that bothers me a little.


“—Well, now that I’ve given you all the necessary information, I’d like to move on to the long-awaited time for self-introduction! I’ll call out your names in alphabetical order, so please state your name and your goal. Let’s start with Andou-san.”

“Yes.”


Upon hearing the teacher’s words, the girl sitting in the front row by the door stood up and opened her mouth to address the whole classroom.



“Hello everyone, it’s nice to meet you. My name is Chigusa Andou. I’m a new actress affiliated with Hanagokoro Productions. My goal is to become a successful stage actress. I hope to continue to hone my skills together with you all at this school, so I look forward to working with you all.”


After saying this and bowing deeply, the girl with medium-long black hair quietly took her seat.


The teacher applauded her, but Honoka was the only one who clapped along with her: none of the other students joined their hands in applause.



Thinking this scene was strange, I took a quick look around the classroom and saw that all the students in the acting department were directing glaring, hostile looks at the girl named Andou.



In the midst of this gloomy classroom atmosphere, Maria-sensei turned her gaze to the list on the podium and spoke again.


“Thank you very much. Next up is… Iguchi-san!”



“Yes.”

Then, each student continued to introduce themselves in alphabetical order.

However, just like before, even after the other students had finished their self-introductions, no one applauded…and everyone just turned their glaring eyes towards the classmates who were introducing themselves.



(… How should I put it, it feels like everyone in the class is a rival.)


They view each other as enemies and measure each other’s abilities within the departments they belong to…that’s the atmosphere.



However, I was surprised to find that most of the students in the acting department were members of some kind of production company, or professional or amateur theater companies, and had a lot of experience.



I had heard that the entrance exam for this school was quite strict, but I never imagined that so far there wasn’t a single student who was a novice when it came to acting…It’s to the point where it makes me wonder if this is really a high school.



To be honest, I can’t help but feel out of place here, being just an amateur like me.


“—-Next up is Kaede Kisaragi. Thank you very much ~”


While I was feeling confused, my turn finally came.



After swallowing, I stood up and turned to face the whole classroom.



With everyone’s eyes focused on me, I felt dizzy, but I pulled myself together and opened my mouth wide.



“Nice to meet you. My name is Kaede Kisaragi. Unlike most of you, I’m a complete amateur who only received acting lessons from an acquaintance when I was young… but I want to work hard to become an actress, so I hope you will all look after me.”


As I said this and bowed deeply, Honoka, who was sitting in front of me, began applauding enthusiastically.


No, uh… I’m feeling really embarrassed, Honoka-chan.


I don’t want to stand out too much, so to be honest, I wish it would stop.



Scratching the back of my head in embarrassment, I quietly sat down in my seat.


Suddenly, I overheard the whispers of some female students talking in hushed voices.

 

“What, she’s an amateur? How did she pass the difficult entrance exam get into this school?”

“Isn’t that right? Maybe she passed the exam just based on her looks? She looks half-Japanese. If we’re talking about looks alone, she’s probably at the top of her class.”

“That pisses me off. People who can’t even act properly shouldn’t join. If you want to sell yourself on your looks, you should go to the idol department or the voice acting department.”

…It seems that my self-introduction earlier gave them a bad impression.

That said, it’s true that I’m still an amateur right now, so there’s nothing else I can say.

Uuuu… I hope I don’t get bullied in the future. Considering the risk of being found out as a boy, I’d like to live a quiet life at this school.

 But, I thought Karen would get angry if I didn’t get good grades in the acting department… I guess I can’t live quietly either way…

Yes, as I was sobbing at the current situation, it was Akane Tsukishiro’s turn to introduce herself.

When the teacher called her name, Akane stood up from her seat with beautiful grace and turned her gaze to the entire classroom.

It seemed that as a popular actress who was in high demand on television her name was widely known, and the other students all looked at Akane in agitation.

Seeing her classmates looking shocked and confused, Akane smiled defiantly.

“There are only sheep. There are no wolves in this class.”

“‥..Huh?”

“Sorry, but I won’t pay any attention to you guys. It seems like you’ve been glaring at each other for a while now, though. Frankly speaking, it just looked like a fight between two small fry. You guys are not my enemies. You’re just extras, supporting characters.”

That provocative remark caused a buzz in the classroom.

Akane snorted at the sight, put her hands on her hips, and spoke again.

“I’m sure you all know me, but I’ll introduce myself anyway. My name is Akane Tsukishiro. I’m an actress affiliated with Tsukikage Productions. I have only one goal. That is―――――――to make sure my acting reaches him… the demonic monster, ‘Fuuma Yanagisawa’ and to get that monster back on stage. No, that’s not quite right. My true aim is to defeat that monster. That will be the pinnacle of my career as an actress. That’s all. I’m done.”

With those words, Akane sat down, letting her red twin-tails sway dramatically.

My mouth was open when I heard what she said, and I found myself staring at her with a stunned expression…