Chapter 4

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Volume 2: The Demons Of The Hananomiya Family

Chapter 4: The Cross-Dressing Boy Receives A Love Letter

After being harassed by Akira Kuroshiki in front of the school gate and receiving help from Senpai Ginjou.

We were standing in front of our respective shoe lockers at the entrance.

“Ugh, seriously, I can’t believe it!! What was up with that guy!! He was so creepy!!”

Hina exclaimed, slamming the locker door shut and showing her irritation.

It seemed she was quite upset about Kuroshiki’s behavior from earlier.

Her cheeks were puffed out like a pufferfish, and she looked adorably angry.

Against that backdrop, Hanako rested her chin on her hand and opened her mouth thoughtfully.

“… By the way, what was that man trying to do? He seemed to be very concerned about the one with blue eyes…”

“A pervert who’s after bodies, that’s what! A pervert! What about this ‘handsome actor’ business? He’s just a weird guy!!”

Kuroshiki had said he could absorb and use the acting of others for his own benefit.

Judging from that, he probably saw my Juliet performance and tried to contact Kaede Kisaragi to see if he could steal something from it.

“…”

Standing in front of my shoe locker, I looked down and thought.

He knew about Fuuma Yanagisawa… my past self.

However, I didn’t recall ever meeting an actor named Akira Kuroshiki in my memories.

Maybe we almost crossed paths at an audition during my child actor days, or perhaps we had a conversation once but I simply don’t remember.

In any case, thinking about it here won’t yield any answers.

I sighed deeply and opened my locker.

Suddenly, a flood of letters poured out.

“Whoa!?”

With a rustling sound, the letters fell to the floor.

Looking at the pile of letters at my feet, each was enclosed in a cute envelope sealed with stars or hearts.

[What the heck is this… A new kind of harassment!? A revenge from Okunosaka and the others!?]

As I stood there bewildered, Hanako picked up one of the letters from the floor, nodded, and spoke.

“It looks like love letters. The senders are… Akiko Shiozaki from the general studies first year and Koharu Achimori from the voice acting first year. Most of these seem to be from first-year students.”

“Wow! This is amazing, Kaede! Is this the Romeo and Juliet effect!?”

“Ugh… So many rivals aiming at my sister… It’s so complicated…”

Hina’s eyes sparkled with excitement, while Honoka looked displeased.

After forcing a strained smile at the two, I picked up one of the letters.

“… What should I do with this…”

If I were a guy, this might be a happy situation, but I’m currently in drag.

Of course, I understand female-female relationships to some extent, but… accepting those feelings is impossible for me. After all, I’m a man.

Maybe I have to go to each person and decline their feelings one by one… Ugh, I feel bad about deceiving them… I feel so guilty…

Dumbfounded by the scene before me, I picked up the letters, which seemed to number about thirty, and put them into my bag.

Just as I finished picking them all up, the bell for the start of classes rang.

Hina quickly put on her indoor shoes and tapped her heels on the floor.

“Oh no! I’ve got to go! Bye, Honoka, Kaede! See you at lunch!”

“Francesca-san is leaving as well. Goodbye, you two.”

With that, Hina from the modeling department and Hanako from the voice acting department hurried off to their separate classrooms.

At that moment, Senpai Ginjou joined us and greeted us warmly.

“Since we met up this morning, why don’t we go partway together? Both of you.”

“Yes, please.”

“Yes, please!”

With Senpai Ginjou leading the way, the three of us headed up the stairs to the upper floor.

Our first-year acting classroom is on the fourth floor, while Senpai Ginjou’s third-year acting classroom is on the second floor.

Since the senior classrooms are generally on the lower floors, I always thought it was nice and convenient to pass through the upperclassmen’s floors on my way to school.

“Kaede-san.”

As we climbed the stairs, Senpai Ginjou called out to me over his shoulder.

I responded while climbing the stairs alongside Honoka.

“Yes, what is it, Senpai Ginjou?”

“The stage performance three days ago was really wonderful. I had some confidence as an actor myself, but… honestly, I was completely defeated. Your performance had a divine quality to it.”

“Thank you very much.”

“I was worried about your health. When I saw you collapse right after the play ended, I honestly couldn’t speak. I was very concerned.”

Senpai Ginjou is such a nice person.

I gave a slight bow and thanked him.

“I appreciate your kind words. But as you can see, I’ve recovered, so there’s no need to worry.”

“I see. That’s good to hear. I couldn’t sleep at night thinking you might have been injured.”

After letting out a sigh of relief, Senpai Ginjou stood on the landing of the stairs and looked down at me, speaking quietly.

“You’re probably going to become more and more famous from now on. But becoming famous also means attracting the attention of various people. Just like earlier.”

“Yes. It seems that way.”

“As a senior, let me give you a piece of advice. It might sound alarming, but… you might end up having stalkers in the future. You might be strong, but never let your guard down. Be very cautious about your surroundings.”

At those words, Honoka clenched her fists and looked displeased.

“S-Stalkers after my sister, that’s unforgivable!! I’ll absolutely deal with such unruly people!!”

“Ha ha. With a dependable younger sister like Honoka, Kaede-san can be at ease. But… it’s wise to avoid taking unnecessary risks. Sometimes situations can escalate into violence. In such cases, it’s better to leave the resolution to me or Kaede-san.”

“Indeed… I often forget, but my sister is incredibly strong. When she saved me from a molester, she was so cool that it was mesmerizing!!”

Honoka looked at me with sparkling eyes.

After clearing my throat, I silently continued up the stairs.

Upon reaching the second floor, I parted ways with Senpai Ginjou and headed up the stairs with Honoka to the first-year acting classroom.

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After that, time passed without incident.

In the third period, while only half-listening to the Japanese class, I stared blankly at the overcast rainy sky outside the window.

For some reason, it felt like nothing had changed since my previous school—Segawa High.

I had always been someone with few friends and often found myself alone in class.

During middle school, I was even bullied because of my appearance.

Looking back, I think my heart was truly dead back then.

I was emotionless even when classmates beat me up. I doesn’t even react when my school lunch gets overturned in front of me.

After my mother died, I developed yips, quit acting, and everything just became irrelevant.

I had completely given up during my middle school years.

But… there were some idiots who saw me as a friend.

“――――Hey, don’t do something lame like bullying!! Sure, he’s an annoyingly handsome guy, but don’t be envious! Damn virgins!!”

“I agree. It’s rare for us to have the same opinion, isn’t it, Shogo?”

In the summer of my second year of middle school, when I was surrounded and beaten up by six classmates by the riverside, an unfamiliar bald man and a guy with glasses appeared in front of me.

The bald man was named Shogo Kiritani, and the guy with glasses was Tohru (Toru) Arisaka.

They were classmates in the same class.

“Are you okay, Yanagisawa-kun!!”

The one who rushed over was the girl who sat next to me, with braided hair… the class representative, Miyuki Makikusa, who had always been enthusiastically talking to me despite my silence.

These three became my “first friends” in middle school.

They were the only friends who supported me when I was abandoned by my father and was in despair.

My friends at my current school are of course important to me, but I would say that my friends from my previous school are also my dearest friends.

Friends from middle school—Shogo, Tohru (Toru), and Miyuki.

And friends from Hananomiya Girls’ Academy—Honoka, Hinata, and Hanako.

Both are precious to me.

“………Huh?”

At that moment, I felt my phone vibrating in my blazer pocket.

Trying not to let the Japanese teacher notice, I took out my phone and turned on the screen under the desk.

It was a message from Shogo Kiritani, a friend who had grown distant since entering Hananomiya Girls’ Academy.

When I opened Rain, there was a message that read:

[Hey, handsome guy. Come join me for a mixer tonight.]

“Is he still only interested in women…”

I couldn’t help but sigh in exasperation.

I considered ignoring the message, but then stopped.

Lately, opportunities to hang out with that guy had become rare.

Certainly, life at Hananomiya Girls’ Academy is my top priority right now, but… it wouldn’t hurt to catch up with old friends once in a while.

Even though I’m not interested in mixers, it can’t be helped.

I’ll join that idiot for old times’ sake.

[What time is it, you fake curly-haired jerk…]

“―――――Now, let’s have Kisaragi-san read this passage.”

While looking at my phone, the Japanese teacher called on me by name.

I quickly stood up from my seat and responded.

“Ah, y-yes!!”

Standing up abruptly from my desk, I put my phone back in my pocket and hurriedly glanced at the textbook on my desk.

Oh no, I wasn’t paying attention at all, so I have no idea where to start reading…!! What should I do…!!

“Onee-sama, it’s here, here.”

Honoka, who was sitting in the seat in front of me, pointed to her own textbook and helped me.

Maybe friends are the best thing to have after all.

Thanks to Honoka’s help, I managed to get through the situation.

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From ???’s Point Of View

“Hey, did you hear? That famous first-year actress Kaede Kisaragi, apparently was approached by a guy at the school gate today?”

“Well, with her being so cute, it’s no surprise she’s popular. I saw the Romeo and Juliet stage play, and that seductive aura? It made me swoon. Even as a girl, I wanted to embrace her.”

“Huh? Are you into that kind of thing? That’s weird.”

“No, no, you’ve got to see her performance once! It’s really something extraordinary!!”

“Hmm? Well, setting that aside for now… The person who approached Kaede this morning… Rumor has it that it was the popular young actor, Akira Kuroshiki.”

“Eh… Eeeehhhh!? That’s a huge scandal, isn’t it!? And what did Kaede say? If it were me, I’d say yes immediately if such a handsome guy approached me!”

“Well… Before she could respond, it seems that Senpai Ginjou intervened and said Kaede was off-limits.”

“Eeeehhhh!? What’s with that girl, being so popular with handsome guys!! I hope she doesn’t get stabbed by fans of the both of them…”

“……….”

As I walked down the hallway, I could hear rumors about Kaede Kisaragi from various directions.

――――First-year actress, Kaede Kisaragi.

She is a mysterious figure who made her name known throughout the school by helping a friend from a molester shortly after enrolling.

Rumor has it that she is close to third-year actress Haruki Ginjou and even reportedly put the problem student, Kyoka Okunozaka, in her place and made her into a subordinate.

Is it really possible to achieve such things within just a few months of enrolling?

This school has a tradition where upperclassmen are referred to as “Onee-sama” (Older Sister), but… despite being a first-year student, Kaede Kisaragi is already referred to as “Onee-sama” with respect by students of the same year.

What is this girl about?

Honestly, I… have come to intensely dislike Kaede Kisaragi, whom I have never met.

After all, that girl had effortlessly done what I should have done…”protecting the students” all by herself.

A first-year student resolving bullying issues and reforming problem students…

And this Kaede Kisaragi, who is already widely known as a leading figure among first-year students.

As a result, the newly appointed student council president this year, didn’t even have their name mentioned by other first-year students.

As a senior, no, as the student council president of this school, this is an extremely disappointing outcome.

“………President? Your face doesn’t look well. Are you alright?”

A student with straight-cut bangs hiding her eyes, and braided hair, spoke to me.

I shook my head at her and responded with a smile.

“I’m fine, Akemi. Now, let’s quickly finish our work during the lunch break.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s see… the ones running shady illegal businesses within the school are Hina Kasuga, a first-year student in the Model Department, and Hanako Sato, a first-year student in the Voice Acting Department. Is that correct?”

“Yes. A spy we had embedded in the Kaede Kisaragi fan club obtained this photo. There’s no mistake.”

The braided girl, Akemi, handed me a photo.

Looking at the photo, I couldn’t help but frown.

“… Seriously. For such photos to be sold at Hananomiya Girls’ Academy, a garden of pure and virtuous ladies… is unforgivable. I think it’s safe to say that the founding of the entertainment division is what has brought the school to this situation.”

“Originally, Hananomiya Girls’ Academy, or rather, Sakuragaoka Girls’ Academy, was a prestigious aristocratic school for the upper class. However, after the Hananomiya family acquired it from the Sakuragaoka family and established the entertainment division, the tradition of being a school for ladies is crumbling… Isn’t that right, President?”

“That’s correct, Akemi. I wish to restore this school to its original state while I am still here… I believe that is my duty as the student council president of Hananomiya Girls’ Academy, Sakurako Sakuragaoka, a second-year student in the general studies department.”

Saying that, I let my long, wavy, orange-colored hair float softly and gracefully in the air.