Three days later:
“Hello. My name is Yuma Takashina, and I’ve agreed to be your temporary acting coach for the next month. Great to meet all of you!”
When the man Sora brought along introduced himself, everyone in the drama club, Kaede included, froze in place. “Whaaaaaaaaa?!” they cried in unison.
Yuma Takashina, age 37, needed no introduction. He was a first-class actor, the star of many TV shows and movies, and in recent years, he’d started up his own theater troupe and switched his focus primarily to stage acting. Nobody was going to complain about this coach’s qualifications. In fact, he was clearly beyond overqualified to be guiding a middle school drama club.
Being friends with both of his parents, Yuma had stopped by the Hashima residence now and then ever since Sora was young. He never hesitated to join Sora at play, using his well-honed physique to perfectly perform all the signature moves of sentai heroes and Kamen Rider for him. Sora loved him as a little kid, to the point that he had once said, “I wish you were my dad, Yuma,” and made his father wince.
Nowadays, Sora fully understood just how special it was for Yuma Takashina to just drop in from time to time. For this coaching request, he assumed Yuma could help him find some other actor who had the free time to take this job on. But Yuma immediately agreed to take it on himself: “If it’s you asking,” he said, “I’ll see what I can do.”
This cheat-code solution to the problem turned out beautifully. With Yuma Takashina providing tough but fair individual guidance to each member of the cast, everyone in the club improved noticeably in very short order. And not just the cast, either—Yuma also had an eye out for the stage crew, and everyone instantly fell in love with him. Kaede’s respect for him in particular was beyond description; she’d occasionally spy on him from far away, awed at his majestic presence—something Sora didn’t appreciate too much.
Either way, two weeks after Yuma came on as an acting coach, the reborn drama club began their first full dress rehearsal in the gymnasium. Sora was in a chair front and center as before, Yuma next to him with a script in his hand. Yuu, as well, was positioned right nearby as usual. This time, though, the handsome silver-haired lad and famed actor were joined by members of the basketball team, table tennis team, and other groups that used the gym. They were all ditching practice for the moment to see what was going on, and there were also students crowding the doorways and second-floor balcony.
Amid all this unexpected attention, the cast dutifully carried out their performance. Even with the improvements everyone had made, Kaede was still head and shoulders above the rest; the audience, focused only on Yuma and Sora to begin with, gradually turned their gazes toward the stage.
Then the story reached its climactic scene, when the main characters all relied on their internal faith and clashed against one another for what they felt was right. This scene was rehearsed without the fog machine they’d use in the actual show, and the lights were kept fully on out of respect for the sports teams using the gym. That made the action a little hard to follow, but even so, the cast’s acting skills brought serious impact to the scene. The sight of Kaede stalking the stage, carrying a lightsaber (i.e. her magic sword) in both hands, stole the show for both Sora and the audience.
But:
“Hmm…?”
Yuma next to him squinted, sounding a little unsure of himself. He was always gentle with these kids, even when scolding them over something. Now, however, he was looking very concerned about Kaede.
The reason why became clear ten or so seconds later. After crossing lightsabers with a rival character, Kaede suddenly collapsed on the stage with a loud thud. At first, Sora casually thought That’s Kaede for you; even when she falls, it’s so natural that it doesn’t seem like acting. But I don’t think that was in the script…
“Kaede!” “Mitahora!”
The actors immediately stopped their performance, scrambling to reach Kaede. Sora and Yuma joined them, calling her name—but no matter how many times they did, she didn’t regain consciousness.
✦ ✦ ✦
The school nurse promptly called an ambulance that took Kaede off to the hospital.
“You okay, Sora?” Yuma asked, concerned over the sight of Sora spacing out in front of the stage.
“Y-yeah…” Sora regained his composure, turning toward a drama club member. “Um, was something wrong with Kaede?”
The club was still agitated, but from the moment she collapsed, they all acted like this was something they anticipated in advance. The sorrowful cast looked at each other, and finally, the third-year boy who was the club vice president started to speak.
“To tell the truth…”
The name of the disease eating its way through Kaede Mitahora’s body shocked Sora. He was aware of it; it had showed up in one of his mother’s novels that he had read. It was something that modern medicine had few options against, one that was almost always fatal within a few years. The vice president said that Kaede visited her doctor twice a week for checkups, and she’d begged him to let her keep attending school until the competition was over. Beyond that, it’d depend on how she was doing, but she’d likely have to be admitted to the hospital at that point, and graduating normally would be impossible for her.
✦ ✦ ✦
And this’ll be our last chance, too…
✦ ✦ ✦
Now he understood what she meant by that.
So…she’s going to die? Just like the heroine from that novel…?
“Ngh…!”
Sora ran off, passing through the school gate. Calling a self-driving taxi, he headed for the hospital Kaede was taken to.
✦ ✦ ✦
He was unfortunately caught in afternoon rush hour, and it looked like it’d take a decent while before he could reach the hospital. Trains and cars had evolved a lot in the past ten years, but there was still no freedom from rush hours for the citizens of Japan.
Tapping his finger and groaning as he looked out the window, Sora suddenly received a message from Kaede.
I heard you’re coming to the hospital.
I’m all right, so you don’t need to worry that much
I think the exam will be over in an hour or so. If you do come, wait in the lobby for me
✦ ✦ ✦
She was conscious and well enough to type out a message. Sora felt a wave of relief. I’ll wait there, he texted back as he sighed to himself.
Once he finally made it, he did what he was told, waiting in the lobby for just under an hour. Then Kaede appeared, seated in a high-tech wheelchair and accompanied by a nurse. The wheelchair had an IV on it, a tube snaking its way into her wrist.
“Thanks for coming all the way here, Hashima.”
“N-no, um…” Sora couldn’t find the words. It made Kaede laugh a little.
“Sorry I didn’t tell you about my illness.”
“Th-that’s okay…”
“But… Ahh, I thought I could hold out until the next competition… I guess I kind of pushed it too much.” Kaede let out a saddened sigh. “I’ll be in the hospital for a few days,” she said in a scratchy voice, “and the doctor insisted I rest in bed after that. Stage acting is definitely off the table.”
Kaede looked at the floor, choking back a sob. And as she cried, all Sora could do was stand there silently. After half a minute of this, Kaede looked up, wiped the tears away with the arm the IV wasn’t connected to, and lifted up her bangs. Her powerful eyes were locked on Sora.
“Hashima, I need a favor from you.”
“All right,” Sora immediately replied.
Kaede chuckled. “I didn’t say what it was yet.”
“I’ll do anything for you.”
“Hee-hee! Thank you.”
She smiled at him once more before her face grew serious again.
“I want you to take my place in the show.”
“All right.”
Once again, there was no hesitation.