"A gender-swapped Snow White... That’s actually a great idea!"
"I'm in!"
"Sounds like fun!"
Just like that, the class’s usual collection of "yes-men bots" approved Kuroki’s proposal for a Gender-Swapped Snow White.
With that settled, the next order of business was casting.
To decide who would play Snow White (the boy) and the Prince (the girl), we split into groups by gender to talk it over. The girls gathered on the hallway side of the room to choose their Prince, while the boys huddled by the windows to pick their Snow White.
(Gender-swapped, huh... It might be fine for the girls, but for the guys, this is nothing but a total embarrassment.)
Still, since they’d all agreed to Kuroki’s idea, I figured one of the frivolous extroverts would be dying to play the lead... or so I thought.
"I mean, even if it came from Kuroki-san, this is a pretty raw deal for us guys..."
"Yeah. One of us actually has to be Snow White, right?"
"Seriously, cross-dressing is a bit much."
As soon as we gathered, the boys started venting their negativity. It seemed that even the extroverts had their doubts about Kuroki’s suggestion. They probably just couldn't speak up in the moment, buckling under the weight of peer pressure.
(So the "yes-man" routine backfired on them. Well, I guess those guys just want to look good in front of Kuroki...)
However, Rui Kuroki was a tactician who could manipulate those very ulterior motives to force her agenda through.
(I have no idea what she’s really thinking, but it’s impossible to object now. We’ve been played.)
"Kuroki-san was the one who suggested this play, but realistically speaking, isn't there a low chance she’ll even be the Prince?"
When Hino said that, the extroverts around him tilted their heads in confusion. "Wait, why?"
(Kuroki won't play the lead? I completely assumed she’d be the one taking the role...)
"The Inter-High is coming up for her, remember? She’s got her fifth consecutive national championship on the line, counting back to her junior high days. She doesn't have the time to be the lead in some cultural festival play."
That actually made a lot of sense. Rui Kuroki was busy every single day, and no matter how capable she was, she likely didn’t have the bandwidth to anchor a production.
(In other words, Kuroki just said whatever she wanted because she knew it wouldn't affect her?)
It felt like Hino’s words implied that, too... but would Kuroki really exploit her popularity or exercise her influence for something so petty?
"If Kuroki isn't the lead, then it’ll probably be Miyama, who has a boyfriend, or Ichinose—the one rumored to have a boyfriend at another school."
One of the guys in the extrovert group muttered with a bitter expression.
Miyama had publicly declared she had a boyfriend (though it was just a lie she told for her part-time job), but it seemed the class also assumed Yuria was taken.
(Well, Yuria is cold toward every guy except me. Since she’s such a gorgeous gyaru, it’s only natural for them to assume she has some older boyfriend or someone at a different school.)
"I think I’ll pass."
"M-Me too."
"If Kuroki-san were the lead, I’d be willing to cross-dress, but..."
"I would gladly do it if Airi-tan were the Prince... but if she isn’t, it would be a betrayal to her."
The class extroverts and even the troublesome otaku declined one after another. The rest of the boys followed suit, shaking their heads in unison. The fact that not a single person suggested drawing straws really drove home just how much they wanted to avoid this.
But I understood their logic. If Hino’s read was right and Kuroki wasn't the lead, there was no point for the guys who worshipped her. And for the guys who liked Miyama or Yuria, it was a high-risk, high-reward gamble—there was no guarantee their crush would be the one playing the Prince.
If no one stepped up, things were going to get dangerous for me. With the way the conversation was stalling, the target was inevitably going to shift toward...
"Hey, what about Izumiya for Snow White?"
The non-aligned loner otaku. In other words, me.
"Izumiya has the best grades among the guys, so he’d probably be great at memorizing lines!"
"That’s true! He’s smart! Come on, man, please, Izumiya!"
Give me a break. Grades have absolutely nothing to do with this!
I wanted to scream a refusal; there was no way in hell I wanted to play Snow White. But it went without saying what would happen if a loner like me took a stand.
"What do you think, Izumiya-kun?" Hino asked.
When even Hino, the undisputed leader of the boys, put it that way, it became nearly impossible to say no.
(That bastard Hino... He always plays the nice guy, but in the end, he’s just as bad as the rest of them.)
"I-I..."
Wait, wait! It’s Snow White! The lead role in a play is way too heavy a burden for me!
Refuse right now! Don't let them push you around!
In my head, I had a clear image of me flatly shutting Hino down, but...
"I-If I just have to do it..."
"Huh?"
"I’ll do it, alright! I’ll do it!"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!"
In the end, I buckled under the pressure.
(I'm such an idiot... I should have said no...!)
"I knew we could count on you, Izumiya!"
"Way to go, the Prodigy Otaku of Class 1!"
Cheers and applause erupted from the boys around me. It was the worst kind of celebration. I don't think I've ever felt this miserable while being cheered for.
And so, of all things, I ended up cast as Snow White.
A short while later, the girls finished their deliberations. It was time for the leads to be announced to the whole class. Yuria and Hino stood in front of the blackboard.
"Alright, the boy's Snow White will be... Izumiya-kun!"
Every eye in the room fixed on me. God, just kill me now.
"Ryouta, that’s amazing! Congrats, congrats! I’m so jealous you’re the lead!"
The airhead with the massive chest in the seat in front of me was beaming, completely oblivious to my inner turmoil.
Wait. Based on her phrasing, Miyama wasn't the lead? Which meant... In other words...
"The girl’s Prince will be... me—"
As I thought, it’s Yuria?
Standing at the front, Yuria looked directly at me as she spoke.
"—and Rui. We’re going to be a Double Cast."
"What?!"
The entire class of boys stood there with their mouths hanging open.
"Y-You’ve got to be kidding..."
Myself included, of course.