Chapter 5

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Volume 2: The Demons Of The Hananomiya Family

Chapter 5: A Cross-Dressing Boy Witnesses A Battle Between Young Ladies

“Well, you see, at that time, Azusa…”

“Excuse me. Is Hinata Kasuga here?”

The student council president, Sakurako Sakuragaoka, stood at the entrance to the first-year modeling class, calling for Hina.

Startled by the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar senior, Hina tilted her head and stood up from her seat, apologizing to her friends before walking over to Sakurako.

“What do you want to talk to me about? You’re a senpai, right?”

“You don’t… know who I am? I was responsible for greeting the new students at the entrance ceremony…”

“I’m sorry, I was half asleep during the entrance ceremony, so I don’t remember! Hahahahaha!”

Hina laughed lightly while placing her hands on the back of her head, causing Sakura to frown deeply and let out a sigh.

“I am the student council president of Hananomiya Girls’ Academy, Sakurako Sakuragaoka, from the second-year general studies.”

“Oh, the student council president? Hm? Isn’t the student council president Senpai Ginjou?”

“…Haruki Ginjou is not the student council president. She is merely the figurehead of the third year students.”

“Oh, I see. Sorry about that! So… what does the student council president need from me?”

“You are… the manager of Kaede Kisaragi’s fan club, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right! Oh, are you interested in joining the fan club too?”

“Of course not!! The reason I came to see you today is because I heard you are selling inappropriate photos within the school!!”

“Inappropriate photos…?”

“Look at this!!”

Saying that, Sakurako handed Hina a photo.

Looking at the photo, Hina tilts her head and says, “Hmm?”

“Um…? What’s inappropriate about this? It’s just Kaede-chan lying on the bed, right?”

The photo showed Kaede, dressed in her uniform, sitting on Hanako’s bed holding a pillow, with her eyebrows furrowed and her legs crossed.

To anyone who saw it, it was simply a cute photo with no hint of lewdness.

However―― Sakurako, with her face flushed red, held the photo and confronted Hinata.

“You said she was just lying on the bed?! L-L-L-Look closely here! I-Isn’t the length of her skirt only 2-3cm shorter than the school-required length?! And it’s almost at the edge of revealing her underwear! There’s no doubt that this is a photo that will arouse your lust and is full of lewdness!!”

“Eh… Eh…? Isn’t this really normal? The school rules at Hananomiya Girls’ Academy aren’t particularly strict, and it’s only natural that everyone in our model department wears their uniforms carelessly, right? Right, everyone?”

Saying this, Hina turned her gaze towards her friends in the modeling department.

A girl with black hair, holding a smartphone in her hand, nodded in agreement at her words.

“See? That girl is both a model and a designer, so she modifies her uniform quite a bit.”

“This is a clear violation of school rules!! What on earth is your homeroom teacher doing?!”

Sakurako said this while panting.

Akemi, the vice president, who had been standing silently next to her, turned to Hina and quietly spoke.

“The exchange of merchandise that generates money within the fan club. This falls under Article 17 of the Hananomiya Girls’ Academy school rules, which state that monetary transactions between students are strictly prohibited. Therefore, the student council orders you to immediately disband the Kaede Kisaragi fan club.”

“H-Huh!? What’s that!? Isn’t that a bit too extreme!? Everyone buys Kaede-chan’s goods because they want them! The money earned mostly goes to the membership fees! It’s not like anyone is having any problems with it!!”

“I think it’s odd to break the school rules just because no one is troubled. Anyway, this is a decision made by the student council. There is no room for you to disagree”

Akemi Makihara, the Vice President of the Student Council said this with a sharp gaze from behind her long bangs.

Sakurako seemed to regain her composure after seeing Akemi’s calm behavior, and she stood in front of Hina with her arms crossed.

“That’s how it is. Immediately, by the end of today, disband the Kaede Kisaragi fan club, Hina Kasuga. Reflect on how you’ve disturbed the school’s discipline! As a punishment, you will have to write a few reflection essays――――”

“………Hehehe. It’s fine if you don’t do that, Kasuga-san. You can continue the fan club as it is.”

At that moment, a girl with long black hair swaying gracefully and accompanied by a maid with a white brim appeared from the end of the hallway.

The moment Sakurako saw the girl, she clenched her teeth and furrowed her brow.

“…Karen Hananomiya…!!”

“Good day, Sakurako-san Sakuragaoka. Even during lunch break, you’re quite diligent. As expected of the Student Council President.”

“…What are you doing here? I heard you told Hina Kasuga to continue the fan club?”

“Yes, I did. The Kaede Kisaragi fan club serves as a good promotion for this school. Destroying something with potential is a foolish act for someone in a managerial position. Therefore, I cannot approve of your decision, Sakuragaoka-san. Sorry.”

“D-Don’t be ridiculous!! Breaking the rules set by the school is unacceptable!! Absolutely not acceptable!!”

“I see. Then, I will change that rule right here and now. ―――― Rena (Reina).”

“Yes.”

“Inform the teachers that Article 17 of the school rules will be abolished from this year.”

“Understood, Miss.”

The maid Rena (Reina), Karen’s attendant, bowed deeply and then turned on her heel to leave.

Karen placed her hand on her mouth and gave Sakurako a defiant smile before speaking again.

“Now… with this, the issue of the fan club is resolved. Do you still have anything to say? Student Council President Sakuragaoka?”

Hearing those words, Sakurako glared at Karen with anger in her eyes.

“…Karen Hananomiya…!! You are still as unreasonable and arrogant as ever…!! You haven’t changed at all since childhood!! To think that you would take everything from the Sakuragaoka family… the entire Hananomiya family is truly a group of devils!!”

“Perhaps it’s the fault of those who were overthrown. This world is survival of the fittest. The Sakuragaoka family lost to the Hananomiya family. That’s all there is to it.”

“………I will definitely, absolutely take back this school at least. I can’t let it be turned into a vile… school of money-driven performing arts like this!! Excuse me!!”

Saying this, Sakurako took Akemi and left the place.

Karen exhaled a short sigh as she watched their retreating figures.

“That fool… doesn’t seem capable of doing anything. Still, it might be wise to keep an eye on them. No… for now, it’s better to pay attention only to Kyoichiro Yanagisawa and Haruki Ginjou, and my brother. The declining Sakuragaoka family, and their eldest daughter who’s only a diplomatic tool, are not worth worrying about.”

Karen muttered quietly, then walked off to the dining hall on the first floor for lunch.

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“…T-That was quite a heated argument, wasn’t it, Onee-sama…”

“Y-Yes, it was, Honoka-san…”

From the corner of the hallway, Honoka and I, who had just witnessed the argument between Karen and the Student Council President, held each other’s hands, trembling.

But Karen’s cold-hearted demeanor just now was really impressive.

Unlike the usual tea-drinking lady, she had an intimidating presence that made observers shrink back.

…Come to think of it, Karen had said something like this before.

“I will show no mercy to my enemies.”

Perhaps that is another side of the girl called Karen Hananomiya that she shows when facing someone she perceives as an enemy.

Though all members of the Hananomiya family seem to harbor malicious intentions, Karen’s behavior was a perfect example of an evil noble lady. It was fitting for a descendant of the Hananomiya family.

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After finishing lunch with the already familiar faces of Hina, Hanako, and Honoka, it was time for the acting class in the afternoon.

It seemed that Kyoichiro wasn’t at school today, and instead, Professor Wagatsuma was leading the basic practice.

We were going to do voice training, expression exercises, pair up for script dialogues, and then watch and reflect on a “Romeo and Juliet” performance on screen.

Since it was right after the stage performance, there wasn’t going to be overly intense practice.

…Well, if Kyoichiro had been there, Akane and I would probably have been made to run around the field again, regardless of whether the performance had ended or not.

Anyway, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief and not be involved in his unreasonable acting instructions.

“Kaede.”

While listening to Professor Wagatsuma’s talk in a seated position, Akane spoke to me in a low voice.

I tilted my head and responded to Akane.

“What’s up, Akane-san?”

“I heard you were harassed by Akira Kuroshiki this morning?”

“Ah… about that. Yes, I’m not sure why, but he grabbed my arm.”

“…That man is somewhat famous in the industry, but in a bad way. So be careful.”

“In a bad way?”

“Yes, he’s known for making advances on actresses! I’ve been approached by him before too! Of course, I kicked him in the groin at that time!!”

Saying this, Akane pouted her lips, revealing her anger.

After that, she let out a big sigh and quietly opened her mouth.

“That man gained fame right after Fuuma retired, and since he was also a second-generation actor like Fuuma, there was a time when people called him ‘the successor to Fuuma Yanagisawa.’ But honestly, his acting doesn’t even come close to Fuuma’s when he was a child actor. His personality and acting——-everything he does just irritates me.”

“Is that so…? By the way, between my acting and his, who do you think is better, Akane-san?”

“Akira Kuroshiki.”

An immediate answer. Well, I guess that makes sense.

I’m an actor who took a five-year break and even dealt with yips. There’s no way I could compare to an active actor, especially one who won the Japan Academy Award for Best Actor.

“But…”

Akane placed her hand on her chin, deep in thought. She glanced at my face, then spoke again, looking a bit conflicted.

“Your acting… it’s not something that can be easily judged. For actors who follow the traditional path, your style might seem unconventional, or rather… it’s certainly not ordinary.”

“Not… ordinary?”

“I’m not trying to insult you, okay?”

“I understand. I know that my acting is unconventional.”

The acting of Kaede Kisaragi and Fuuma Yanagisawa is fundamentally different.

Fuuma Yanagisawa performed on stage with the sole purpose of bringing joy to his sick mother.

But Kaede Kisaragi is different. Kaede performs on stage to draw the audience into the world of acting.

Since our purposes differ, it’s only natural that the quality of our acting would be completely different.

“But… I can act again as an actor. Somehow, I feel… really excited about it.”

“Huh? Did you say something, Kaede?”

“No, it’s nothing. Just talking to myself.”

I’m back in the world of acting again.

After overcoming the yips, a new world began to emerge.

For some reason, I couldn’t help but get excited, wondering when the next performance would start.