After school.
With exactly two weeks to go until the Cultural Festival, the after-school preparations were reaching a fever pitch.
Our script had been finalized yesterday, and since the props, sets, and even the costumes were nearing completion, I suppose you could say our class was making excellent progress. I’d heard stories of classes in previous years that hadn't even finished their scripts until three days before the event, so compared to that, we were doing just fine.
Today was the day we began script readings with the classmates who had been cast in the play. We lined up our chairs in the corner of the classroom and started reciting our lines, but...
"M-Mr. Dwarf... please... let me stay here..."
"Okay, hold on. Stop right there."
As I was reading my lines from the script, Hino suddenly called for a timeout.
"Izumiya... look, man..."
"W-What is it, Hino?"
"Look, there's no easy way to say this... but you're terrible."
Since I had been delivering every line in a complete monotone from the very first word, Hino gave it to me straight. Well, duh. That was a given the moment they cast a loner like me.
"What should we do? If it’s really that bad... I wouldn't mind playing Snow White myself—"
"Wait, seriously?! I don't mind that at all—"
"I’m against that."
"Same here."
Just as I was about to jump on Hino’s proposal, Kuroki and Yuria rejected it outright.
Personally, I wouldn't have minded handing the role of Snow White over to Hino in the slightest. Then again, Hino probably only wanted to play Snow White because Yuria and Kuroki were the Princes, and he was just nitpicking my acting so he could snag the part.
"Ryouta-kun, your monotone reading is a serious issue, though," Kuroki said.
"A serious issue?"
"In that case, how about we drastically reduce Snow White's lines and make up for it with narration?"
"M-Make up for it with narration?"
When I asked for clarification, Kuroki showed the script to the group, pointing at the page as she continued.
"For example, instead of this line, 'Mr. Dwarf, please let me live here,' we can use narration like, 'Snow White pleaded with the dwarfs and began living with them.' We can use the narrator to smoothly handle the progression of other scenes as well."
"Oooooh!"
The other classmates nodded in agreement, not a single one of them daring to protest a proposal from the absolute authority that was Rui Kuroki.
Is that even allowed for the lead role? I wondered.
"Heh. Since I’m reducing your lines this much, you aren't going to say you want to quit being Snow White anymore, right? Ryouta-kun?"
"A-Ah, yes."
This girl... she was determined to make me play Snow White no matter what. My path of retreat had been completely cut off.
Once the preparations were over, I left the school building alone.
Thanks to Kuroki, my lines had been cut down, which made things easier... but I couldn't help but wonder why those two had been so opposed to Hino taking over the role. I might have been able to get out of playing Snow White if they'd just listened.
I didn't know if they specifically wanted me to play the part or if they just disliked Hino that much... but for my own sake, I hoped it was the former.
"Ryouta! Wait, wait up!"
"Huh? Miyama?"
As I was walking home, Miyama came sprinting out of the school building, her ample bust swaying rhythmically with every step. Captivated by the sight of her approaching me, I came to a halt.
"Hey, let's go home together!"
"S-Sure, but... what about the other two?"
"Yuria is busy with the Cultural Festival Executive Committee, and Rui-chan has a meeting for the Track and Field Club. It's lonely going home alone, and even though I wanted to go with you, you just disappeared before I knew it!"
Miyama puffed out her cheeks in a pout, a small crease forming between her brows. Yeah, she was definitely cute.
"Hey, do you have some time after this?"
"I mean, I do—I've got nothing else to do—but why?"
"Yay! You see, I want to thank the old man at the candy store for giving us that cardboard. I’m going to buy him lots of snacks!"
I had a sneaking suspicion she was the one who actually wanted to eat them.
"And also... you looked a bit down earlier, Ryouta, so I wanted to cheer you up!"
"M-Miyama..."
"It was mean of everyone to say you were bad at acting, especially when you're trying your best!"
Apparently, she thought I was depressed because Hino had criticized me. In reality, I was only dejected because I hadn't been able to pawn the role off on Hino... but oh well.
"You’re really kind, Miyama."
"Ehehe, you think so?"
And so, for the first time in a while, I ended up on an After-school Date with Miyama.