Chapter 153

Sometime later, the photos and videos from our most recent outing were uploaded to the group chat. We now had an album titled “Amusement Park” alongside the “Beach” one. I’d thought this would stop Deguchi asking me for that video of the beach, but he kept insisting. “Please, Director,” he’d say in a soft, coaxing voice, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. “You’ve already finished your work. Can’t you help a guy out?” To be honest, I wasn’t finished working. I was currently editing a “making-of” video for Waka to show to our class after the festival was over. Everyone had enjoyed the outtakes, so I was sure they’d like this, too. And that thought made the work speed along. As for Ms. Ashihara, I hadn’t spoken to her since the amusement park. I didn’t know whether she was actually busy, or if that was just an excuse. “How’s the play coming together?” I asked Fushimi on our way to school. “Everything’s going perfectly,” she replied. “I think some people will cry.” She sounded full of enthusiasm. I was relieved that she hadn’t been discouraged by Ms. Ashihara’s refusal. Once we’d entered through the school gate, Himeji glanced at the other classes as they set up food stalls and prepared for club activities. “This is my first time participating in a school festival… I really like how friendly and homemade it feels.” “You’ve never participated before, Ai?” asked Fushimi. “No. I always had to work.” It seemed that when you worked in the entertainment industry, you had to miss out on lots of events. The inside of the school had been entirely transformed for the festival, with classrooms decorated as cafés and haunted houses. We’d posted a flyer for our short film featuring a picture of Fushimi and Himeji in an eye-catching place on the noticeboard. The poster included the screening schedule, and there were more flyers on the desk below. I could tell the stack had gotten smaller since yesterday. “Look! We’re down, like, a hundred flyers!” Fushimi said, voicing my thoughts and excitedly repeating, “Look! Look! Look!” “Must be my fans,” Himeji interjected, raining on Fushimi’s parade. “You haven’t told anyone that you were an idol, though, right?” “Those who know, know.” “Sure, sure.” Fushimi rolled her eyes. Personally, I hoped it wasn’t Himeji’s fans who’d taken all the flyers. “What if we get so many viewers, there aren’t enough seats!” said Himeji. “We might,” I agreed. “Should we grab more chairs?” suggested Fushimi. We’d already completed our final test screening and moved all the desks into an empty classroom. With only the chairs left, our room was like a mini theater. “Oh no…,” Fushimi said, exhaling anxiously. “Hey, taking a flyer doesn’t mean they’ll come,” I said. “No, that’s not what I’m worried about. I was just thinking, with how terrible Ai’s acting is… What if everyone makes fun of her?” “Oh.” “Your insults have come a long way, Hina.” Himeji shook her head. “But no need to worry, amateur. My appearance alone will bring a standing ovation.” “Not everyone is a blind admirer,” she shot back. Despite what Fushimi said, to be quite honest, it wasn’t so much that Himeji’s acting was bad but that Fushimi’s was simply that much better than everyone else’s. She was head and shoulders above the rest. That said, Himeji had improved by leaps and bounds. And personally, I thought she looked so good on camera that a lousy performance wouldn’t cause that many problems. Soon we’d reached our classroom. It was a lot plainer than the others, with forty chairs facing a screen and not much else. There was an opinion box set up by the exit. I was sure it would wind up full of notes about how cute Fushimi and Himeji were. Everyone was full of nervous excitement, discussing where they’d be going and who they’d go with. “Ryou, there’s a haunted house,” Fushimi said. At some point, she’d picked up a guide with info about the festival. “And? You didn’t exactly sail through the last one.” “It was fun. And you were so reliable.” She smiled, thinking back on it. Himeji was holding the same guide and mumbling to herself. “A haunted house, a crepe stand, a maze, a café… There’s even a display on local culture…” Local culture displays tended to be pretty niche. They put up information about the history of the school and its surrounding area. I’d dropped by one last year, and it felt like I’d left the festival for a different world. It had been so calm and quiet. Himeji showed me the guide. The festival would be held on Friday and Saturday, and the play was scheduled for Saturday at three PM. “Takamori, let’s go somewhere once you’re done with your shift,” Torigoe said. She was already in the classroom. “Oh sure,” I said. “Me too!” Fushimi joined in, but Himeji stopped her. “Hina, you’re coming with me to the local culture exhibition.” “What? Why?” “And then he’ll be going with me to the crepe stall, the haunted house, and the café.” Himeji one-sidedly started filling in my schedule. “Hold on. Don’t I get a say in this?” I shot back. While I was complaining, a girl from another class came up to Himeji, and they started talking. “About what we discussed…,” the girl began. “Give me two complimentary tickets and it’s a deal.” “Thank you! That’s no problem! We’re counting on you!” The girl was beaming on her way out. I had no idea what they’d been talking about. Neither did Fushimi or Torigoe, judging from the looks on their faces. “They’re putting on a café,” Himeji explained, “and they asked me to help attract customers.” The girl was from the class next door, and according to the guide, they were putting on… ““A cosplay café,”” Fushimi and Torigoe said in unison. “Ai, what are you going to wear?” said Fushimi. “Are they gonna make you put on a lewd outfit…?” Torigoe asked anxiously. “They said I’ll be wearing a nurse uniform.” Himeji…a nurse? I could picture her, with her endless confidence, saying something like, “I’m not sure what it’s for, but since I’ll be doing the injection, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” “Nurse costumes are always lewd,” said Torigoe. I think that opinion says more about you than anything else. “Shii, you’re wrong,” said Fushimi. “Nurse outfits are totally innocent.” And I think it says a lot about me that I can’t entirely agree with her. “I don’t care about the outfit,” declared Himeji. “I’ll look good in anything.” ““Wow.”” Her confidence had surpassed being annoying. I almost wanted to start clapping. Eventually, it was time for all the students to gather and for the executive committee to officially declare the beginning of the festival. Once everyone was dismissed, some students returned to their posts while others began wandering around and enjoying the sights. I was on duty first thing, so I started back toward the classroom. There was one showing every hour, and I was planning to stay a bit after my shift to see what the audience thought. Just then, somebody reached their hand around my shoulder. It was Deguchi. “Let’s go to the cosplay café, Takayan.” “Later, okay?” “So you’re into the idea, huh?” “I just don’t have any reason to say no.” I looked around for Fushimi. I figured she’d be interested in the audience’s reactions, too, and was planning to invite her along. But when I spotted her, she was with the drama club. Looks like she’s busy with her own stuff. I’d given Ms. Ashihara detailed info about when the play would be. She’d said she was busy, but I suspected that was only an excuse. She could still change her mind. I found Torigoe looking overwhelmed by all the people, and we went back to the classroom together. She said Fushimi had a meeting with the drama club and that she had no idea what Himeji was up to. There was already a crowd outside our classroom. “Takamori, look,” said Torigoe. “Are they all here for the cosplay café?” Its popularity is through the roof, huh? “No, they’re here for our short.” “What?” I tried to calm down as I hurried inside and found all the seats taken. Quite a few people were leaning against the lockers at the back or sitting on the floor. “There’s so many people,” Torigoe said. “Do they have nowhere else to go…?” “Don’t put yourself down like that.” I was hoping we’d get about a hundred people over the course of the festival, but we were already at close to half that with only the first showing. A few guys from our class dropped by, and they were all surprised. “Whoa. Look at all these people!” “Yeah. Even I’m starting to get nervous…” “Wow… You’re amazing, Takamori.” Torigoe sounded unusually excited. “Even more than I thought.” When nine o’clock rolled around, the first showing began. We closed the curtains and doors, making it dark inside the classroom. As we started setting up, people stopped chatting and started paying attention. Although our classmates and Mr. Matsuda had already seen it, this was the first time it would be shown to complete strangers. My fingers trembled with worry and excitement as I moved the mouse. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Torigoe put her hand on mine. The soft, chilly touch of her fingers brought me back to reality. I moved the cursor to the play button and clicked. The short I’d watched over and over and over again played on the screen. Throughout its thirty or so minutes of run time, there were no laughs, no scenes baiting the audience to cry, and obviously, no Hollywood-style action sequences. I knew that the audience was unlikely to show any big reactions, yet my worries kept piling up as the silence continued. The film felt much, much longer than it ever had before. Eventually, the ending came, and the screen went dark. Someone clapped, and from there, applause spread through the audience like a wave, the sound growing louder with every heartbeat. “If you have any thoughts about the film you’d like to share, there’s an opinion box by the exit,” I said as I opened the curtains and the door. “We’d love to hear what you thought.” I figured no one would bother writing down their thoughts unless they had a really strong opinion, so I delivered the announcement very matter-of-factly. But contrary to my expectations, everyone wrote something down. “Ryou, Ryou, Ryou!” Fushimi leaped into the room. “It’s a breakout hit!” Apparently, she’d been waiting outside. “We still don’t know what they’re saying about it,” I replied. Maybe they’d only clapped to be polite. “No, I’m sure it went well,” Torigoe said calmly. “How can you tell?” “Last year, there was a class that did a short play or a skit or something, and when I took a look, very few people were watching.” I guess we’re doing better than that, at least. “The power of Fushimi, huh…?” “That must be it…” Torigoe and I looked at each other and smirked. But Fushimi moved between us and insisted, “No, no! Ryou’s a big draw, too.” “Me? You really think so?” I had to ask twice. It just didn’t sound believable. “You directed an award-winning short film. Of course people are interested in seeing your work.” Right, and they even recognized me in front of the whole school. I guess that makes sense… “Also, Shii.” “Y-yeah?” “A good screenplay is vital for positive reception. The audience clapped that much because you did a good job.” “So she’s got talent, too?” I asked. “Of course!” Fushimi nodded with pride. “Our team is full of powerhouses!” Fushimi sure was riding high. She was beginning to sound like Himeji. As the audience for the first showing left, we let the next group inside. There was still time before the film started again, though, so the three of us took a moment to check out the opinions in the box. “Is the first showing already over?” Himeji showed up wearing her nurse uniform. The white outfit featured a short skirt and knee-high socks, along with a nurse cap and a stethoscope hanging from her neck. “Ai, what in the world are you wearing?!” Fushimi rushed to cover her from prying eyes, but Himeji didn’t seem to care at all. “So? How do I look?” She put on a smug smile and struck a pose. “Lewd, just like I said.” Torigoe furrowed her brow. “So they’re making you wear that to pull in customers? What are they, a clip joint?” What do you know about clip joints, Torigoe? …Not that I know anything, either. “It’s not fair to use sex appeal. And you’re not even from their class.” All the girls called her cute and commented on her nice figure as they passed by, which only further boosted her ego. She really loved being fawned over.