"To the success of the drama club!" Murasaki Shikibu-sensei called out. "To the success of the drama club!" came the response.
Everyone clinked their glasses together. This Friday night, we were
celebrating the drama club's victory at the regional qualifiers for the National Fair a few days earlier. As usual, the festivities were held in my apartment, and the table was crammed full of drinks, takeout food, and a bunch of home-made dishes including Iroha's salmon carpaccio. The guest list was made up of the 05th Floor Alliance, Otoi-san, Mashiro, and of course the drama club and its leader.
As usual, Makigai Namako-sensei wasn't there, but we had a voice call open with him and he was responding to stuff via text. Usually he was okay talking, but for some reason he insisted that he was only going to text this time around. Come to think of it, we were calling less and less nowadays. Maybe he got a girlfriend and she moved in with him or something. It'd explain the diabetic fluff he sent earlier.
"Are you sure it's all right for me to be here, considering I didn't take part in the actual fair?" Midori had asked timidly at the start of the party.
"Then I shouldn't be here either," Mashiro said. "There are so many people I don't know..."
"You don't need to worry about a thing, Midori-san! Just make yourself at home! Hey, who's got the tomato juice?!" Iroha exclaimed, holding up her empty glass.
Both Mashiro's sympathy and Iroha's casual attitude helped Midori to settle in a little more, even if their methods were slightly unconventional.
"Heeey, Ooboshi-kunngh!"
"Huh?"
"We did it! Long live the drama cluuuub! I'm freeeeeeeeeee! Gimme me
more scotch!"
"Listen, Sumi—Murasaki Shikibu-sensei! You're being way too
obnoxious! Anyway, here, have some more whiskey."
"Heeey, Machiro-shan! You're lookin' kinda tense! Have some more to drink!"
"Leave me alone..."
"Ouch! My heeeaaaart!"
"Who even is this drunkard?" Midori scoffed, glaring at Sumire. That's your sister, I wanted to say, but didn't. This was basically our
usual 05th Floor Alliance meeting with Otoi-san (who normally never showed up), Midori, and the drama club, but there was one thing I totally overlooked.
There was a super-high chance that Sumire's secret identity was going to be found out. I only just thought of it when I was showing Midori and the others to my door. Alas, Sumire had already downed three bottles of beer and was completely smashed.
Luckily, she was so unlike the regular Sumire in both outfit and behavior, that not even her own sister recognized her.
"Y'know, I've been super stressed worrying 'bout the drama club this whole tiiime. It was hell 'cause I'm not even allowed to drink at worrrrk! Damn, I love drinking so damn damn much! More beer! C'mon!"
"Nope, we're out. Now what, huh?"
"It's wine time! Pass me summa that cheese too!"
"Looks like your crazy train is going off the rails. Ah, well. Here ya go!" Iroha was right. Murasaki Shikibu-sensei cared more about having a good
time than keeping up pretenses. Though I guess the drunker she got, the less teacher-like she became, so maybe it was a good thing.
"Who even is she?"
"Hey, she helped out the drama club too, even if you didn't see her. Murasaki Shikibu-sensei here did the art for Ozu's backdrop program."
"O-Oh. I suppose I'll have to thank—wait, no! Forget that for a second!" Midori shook her head, clearly struggling to detangle her priorities.
Even if Murasaki Shikibu-sensei had helped the drama club, right now her actions were morally reprehensible, and I doubted Midori's overly serious nature would allow for that.
"There are minors here! And she's just put her alcohol out all over the table! She even tried to get Tsukinomori-san to drink some of it! I'm not sure I'm happy having her here!"
"Come on, everyone here is sensible enough to refuse, no matter how hard
she pushes it."
"I just, I've never met such an irresponsible adult! If Sumire were here,
she'd give her a lecture to end all lectures!"
"Oh, I'm sure."
If I told Midori the truth, I bet she'd go into shock. Naturally, I wasn't
keen on making that happen.
We had an excuse for why Kageishi-sensei wasn't here, by the way. She
simply wasn't interested in "frivolous activities" like parties. I thought it was pretty clever myself. It was also a good way to let Murasaki Shikibu-sensei attend without making Kageishi-sensei's absence seem suspect.
"Anyway, you put on a great show, Aki. I mean, I knew you could pull it off, but I never imagined your acting would be that good. You really can do anything, huh?"
"Quit it, Ozu. It was dumb luck! I only knew the script because I went over it a million times, and I only knew kinda how to act because I watched these guys practice every single day."
"Watching someone act for ages doesn't mean you're naturally gonna know how to do it. You really are talented."
We only just managed to get through to the prefecturals because I stepped in as the hero. If Midori was there like she was supposed to be, I was sure the drama club could do even better.
"Yo, Aki. Your modesty's a pain in the ass, y'know?"
"Yeah. Tell him, Otoi-san."
"I'm not trying to be annoying, just honest."
"Hey, you were a total amateur, but your play won a prize, right? At least
be a li'l proud of yourself, yeah? Everyone else did good too. Hey, this is delicious." Otoi-san munched on one of the desserts we had.
She tended to lead with criticism, so to hear her praise me instead was kind of surprising.
"Without the Alliance's help, we wouldn't have made it. Thank you so much!" Midori spoke up.
"Thank you!" the club members next to her echoed.
"Also, I wanted to apologize both to you, Ooboshi-kun, and you, Kohinata-san. If it weren't for me, you two wouldn't have been forced to take the stage."
"I loved it, to be honest. It was so much fun performing on a huge stage
like that!"
"Yeah, it was a good experience, so don't worry about it too much."
In the first place, it wasn't like I lent a hand with good intentions. It was
purely to stop Sumire from being transferred to the girls' tennis club. She barely knew how to keep to a deadline in the first place, and I could only see that getting worse if she was involved in a club which actually expected her to do something. That wasn't the only benefit that came out of this whole ordeal, though.
"Thank you so much. I mean it! Now we'll go ahead and win the prefecturals by ourselves! We won't waste this chance you've given us. I want to push the club and take this as far as we can go!" Midori clenched her fists with determination, and the other club members cheered.
It was heartwarming. The Alliance members gave them an encouraging nod. I was confident they had a bright future ahead of them, and they would be able to get there all by themselves.
"Oh, that reminds me! I'd like to thank Makigai Namako-sensei for the script as well!" Midori said.
"Right. He's not actually here, but he is listening in." I opened up the Alliance group chat and turned the screen to Midori.
Makigai Namako: No need to thank me. It was a great play.
"No, we really are grateful! It was the first time I've ever read such wonderful, pure romance!" Midori's eyes sparkled with the luster of a child meeting her idol.
Maybe he could become her idol if he scrapped his usual genres and stuck to fluffy romance. Though I really hoped he wouldn't.
Makigai Namako: Really? The acting was great, but honestly, I wasn't sure about the script after all that. I wish I could go back and change it...
This was what I meant when I said there were other benefits.
"Thank you so much for coming to see it, Makigai Namako-sensei!" Makigai Namako: I'm glad I did. Everyone's acting was great. Yes, the
acting was good.
I asked Makigai Namako-sensei to show up and watch his story in action. It was all part of my plan to shake some sense into him and bring back the writer we all knew and loved. It was human nature to be overly critical or proud of something you created. Either it was the best thing in the world, or it was total trash and should be burned immediately.
The best reality check was to take someone's work and show it to them from a different perspective. Some people would then double down and say it was only bad because someone else was performing or reading it. Fortunately, Makigai Namako-sensei was one of the sensible ones. He sent me a message on LIME after the play.
Makigai Namako: Sorry. I'm sorry for sending you such a cringey pile of trash. I'll rewrite the Koyagi scenario so that it's something that actually fits the game.
I couldn't have asked for a better outcome. The future of Koyagi: When They Cry was saved. It was a shame he didn't stick around to meet us after the play, though I guess he was busy with the scenario rewrites as well as his actual writing job. Not that it was in his nature to be overly social.
For a while now, Makigai Namako-sensei had been speaking to the drama club over LIME.
"C'mon, Mashiro-senpai, you've been on your phone for ages! Whaddya doin'? Writing a post? Hey, gimme your social media names!" Iroha whined. Mashiro, who was in the corner on her phone, quickly held it to her chest
as Iroha approached.
"H-Hey! This is private!"
"Huh? I thought we were friends! Oh, hey, didya come see the play today?
What did ya think?"
"You were there, weren't you? I saw you in the audience!" Midori said. "Oh? Um, yeah, I was there. I mean, uh, sure, yeah, the play was good, I
guess. The script was kinda... Yeah..." Mashiro mumbled.
"What?! You didn't like the script?" Midori gasped. "I thought it was
great!"
"It was, uh, a bit over-the-top. It made me cringe a little..."
"You know Makigai Namako-sensei can hear you, right?"
Mashiro made a noncommittal squeak. She quickly spun back round into
the corner and started typing on her phone again. I glanced at her phone and suddenly noticed the case was different than usual. Did she get a new one? I recognized the familiar LIME UI on the screen too, so I guess she was talking to someone.
Makigai Namako: No, Mashiro's right. I dunno what was wrong with me when I wrote that scenario. Just...please forget about it.
"Wait, does that mean we've got the old Makigai Namako-sensei back?"
"Looks like it. Funny, I still remember him going on about the power of love and stuff."
Makigai Namako: Bring that up again, and you can kiss your scripts goodbye!
"Sorry! Please don't leave us! We'll stop talking about this now, okay, guys? Guys?!"
"Aha ha! You should look in the mirror, Senpai! Your face is hilarious! What, you got abandonment issues?"
And so, the party continued full of fun and laughter. We had a ton of close calls over the past few weeks, but I was glad that it ended in success for everyone involved.
***
I sighed as I took the empty plates to the kitchen. Ozu, Mashiro, Otoi-san, and Midori were sitting around the mahjong table having a blast. I didn't like the looks in those seasoned players' eyes when they convinced Midori, a total mahjong virgin, to join them.
It was already past nine in the evening, and Midori had said she wanted to go home a while ago (as any good student should). However, we convinced her to stay against her better judgment. I felt guilty leading her astray like that, but one night of fun couldn't hurt her, right?
I was listening to their shouts and cries as they played while doing the dishes, when I felt something (or someone) slink up beside me.
"Howdy, Senpai! Nice party! I'm here to help you with the dishes!"
It was Iroha.
"Hey. How's the mahjong looking?"
"Everyone's out for blood, and Midori-san's getting thrashed. She totally
looked like she was gonna cry!"
"Weren't they supposed to be teaching her how to play?"
"Midori-san had Murasaki Shikibu-sensei with her to help out, but she
disappeared, like, halfway through. Said she had an important call and went out on the balcony to take it. I never saw her sober up so fast!"
"Huh."
Who was calling her at this hour? Teachers must have it harder than I thought. I just hoped it wasn't anything that would get in the way of her work
on Koyagi. Speaking of...
"Hey, Iroha. Has your mom said anything interesting to you lately?" "Interesting? Not really. Why d'you ask?"
"I was worried she might've found out about your acting in the Fair." "Talk about paranoid! Mom doesn't pay any attention to stuff like that, so
I don't think she'll find out."
"I sure hope not."
I thought back to the look on Amachi Otoha's face when we met the other
day. CEOs could be crafty devils, and I was worried she might have started an "investigation" at their home. Fortunately, it looked like we were in the clear.
I was still trying to figure out whether I should tell Iroha and Ozu about their mom's job. No doubt they'd just get unnecessarily anxious if I told them their mother was the head of one of Japan's entertainment giants, and that I spoke with her. If they started to doubt their own paths in life, that might be enough to make them pull the brakes. For the Alliance, I couldn't let that happen.
"Speaking of the play, you were great for a first-timer!" Iroha cut in as she scrubbed a plate. "Those pick-up lines you whispered in my ear really got my heart racing!"
"Shut up. Those cringey lines keep me up at night."
"Really? You know you say that kinda stuff in real life too, right? I mean, not all the time, but..."
"You're kidding."
"Oh, and you're super dense about it too, just like the hero! Remember when he's all like, 'Wait...WHAT?!'? That's you!"
"Careful, or I'll smash this plate over your head."
It was like she was trying to get on my nerves even more than usual today. "So, how's it feel to lose your acting virginity?"
"Not bad. I dunno if I'd want to do it again, but it was fun to try something
new."
Iroha nodded enthusiastically. "I loved it. It was the first time I've ever
acted properly on a stage."
"Oh, right. I'm glad you had fun."
"I sure did! Oh, and you know when Midori-san said she couldn't make
it? I wasn't actually that scared."
I put the plate in my hand down and looked at Iroha. She was concentrating on the dishes with a small smile on her face.
"I knew that you'd be able to make it work no matter what happened," she explained quietly.
I swallowed. For a split second, it felt like my heart leaped at the sight of her tiny smile.
"I'll help too."
At that moment, Mashiro appeared out of nowhere and slipped between us.
"O-Oh, hey. Thanks, Mashiro."
Her appearance brought me back to my senses. I was almost tripped up by something horrific. That was what it felt like, anyway. Thank God Mashiro showed up when she did.
"You done with mahjong?" I asked.
"One of the drama club girls took my place. Yamada, I think? I couldn't let Iroha-chan have you to herself." There was a small pout on Mashiro's lips as she helped us wash up, standing close enough to me so that our shoulders were brushing.
"Oh, so it's a competition now?"
Mashiro was standing on my left, between Iroha and me. Iroha darted around to my right side and began to lather up some dishes. Doing the dishes with these two crashing into me from either side wasn't the easiest thing I'd ever done.
What was Mashiro doing? Was this her way of trying to get me to fall for her? Or was she jealous of me literally just talking to Iroha?
In that case, why was Iroha getting riled up too? Oh, right! Her competitive nature. Of course!
So there we were, the three of us squeezed together in front of the sink, when...
"Akiteru-sama..."
Murasaki Shikibu-sensei showed up. She staggered towards us through the living room, her long bangs hung over her face. She looked just like one of those ghosts from a horror movie.
"What's up, Murasaki Shikibu-sen...SEI?!"
She started to fall and I darted forward just in time to catch her. Bubbles from the dish soap flew over my jersey, but I didn't have time to worry about
that. Her body was trembling.
"What's wrong? Alcohol poisoning? I can call an ambulance!" "Please..." she breathed.
I paused. Given how much she drank, I wouldn't be surprised if she'd
actually poisoned herself, but the tone in her voice made me think she was acting this way for a different reason. She was definitely fully conscious too. There was...determination in her voice.
A chill ran down my spine. I'd never seen Sumire looking so vulnerable. None of her personas were.
"Please..." She was slipping further down my body towards the floor.
When she reached it, she kneeled down, and put her head on it. It was a pose I'd seen hundreds of times, but never with such heartfelt pleading behind it.
She opened her mouth and spoke. Even the sound of two separate plates dropping to the floor and smashing behind me sounded dull to my mind.
"Please...marry me."
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