July.
Thanks to Sumire's special negotiating (threatening) tactics, the drama club got permission several times to rehearse on the stage in the gymnasium after school. The drama club was looking better than ever, and even Midori made a big improvement. The play was really starting to come together. We might not win, but at this rate we should be able to get a prize and walk away with our heads held high.
"'Who hurt you?! I'll punch the lights outta him!'... How was that?" "That was amazing, Midori-san!"
"I thought so!" Midori laughed and celebrated with her clubmates.
I knew exactly how she felt. There was no better feeling than working
towards a goal with everyone and seeing that goal get closer bit by bit. Even when practice was over, they talked about how far they'd come and what they were going to work on next. It was great to see their determination rising.
"We couldn't have come this far without our Sarge!"
"Thank you so much, Sarge! I can't wait to do it again tomorrow!" "Good job you guys. Let's give it our all! It's not long till the Fair now!" They had started off shooting us wary, suspicious glares, but now that
they'd warmed up to us, they hung to our every word.
But it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.
When Iroha watched the club members, there was a sadness in her
expression, and it was starting to bug me. ***
I was home from school. Just as I was about to go into my bedroom, Iroha slipped past me and went in first. She pulled off her socks and threw them to
one side before flopping down onto my bed.
"Man, I'm beat."
"Why don't you go sleep in your own bed, then?"
"I dunno. I've been sleeping in the same bed for years, so I'm getting
kinda sick of it. To be honest, I'm thinking of claiming this one permanently soon," Iroha mumbled, rolling over and over on my mattress.
Somehow, I couldn't even get a glimpse of what was under her way-too- short skirt. Not that I wanted to, but there was a small, curious part of me that wondered how she was commanding the laws of physics to pull off something like that.
Come to think of it, they always have these shots in anime and manga where you should be able to see something. But then you can't, so they don't have to raise the age rating. I always thought it was some kind of technical sorcery, but maybe it was more realistic than I'd realized.
"Whaddya lookin' at, Senpai? Why're you trying to look up my skirt? Y'know, I might just show you if you go like: 'Hi, my name is Akiteru and I'm a massive perv who wants to see my friend's sister's underwear. Please show me, oh Iroha-sama.'"
"I don't give a hoot about your underwear, dumbass."
"Ha ha! I know you do! I mean, you're a boy too, right? And—Hey! Quit sprayin' that air freshener at me! It's not fair!"
"Don't mind me, I'm just trying to make my bed smell nice. If you don't like it, you're welcome to get the hell out."
Iroha glared at me as I used my position of actual tenant to my advantage. As long as we weren't talking about her underwear anymore, who cares? I prepared physically and mentally myself for whatever nonsense she was going to come out with next.
"All right, fine! I get it!" Iroha sat up huffily and started picking up her socks.
I frowned. Why wasn't she fighting back?
"Are you...planning something?"
"Seriously? I'm just respecting your feelings, and now you're
complaining? Hey, you're the one that has it in for me!" Her comeback was swift, but lacked its usual sharpness. "You look tired anyway, so I'll get outta your hair."
I paused. "Did something happen?"
"Huh?" Iroha froze inches away from my bedroom door and turned around.
"I mean, you were looking kinda...out of it at practice today."
"Was it really that obvious?"
"Well, you're being your usual annoying self, but it's missing something
today. It's like your levels of peskiness have halved."
"So that's how you work out how I'm feelin', huh? You really need to
start seeing me for something other than how annoying I am." She slapped me lightly on the cheek, but even that didn't hurt like it usually did. "You can be pretty sharp, y'know. At the worst possible times."
Iroha started twiddling a strand of golden hair between her fingers, then let out an amused sigh.
"Well, y'know mom doesn't let me get involved in anything like acting."
I knew that very well. Iroha had been kept away from anything entertainment-related from a young age. Her family didn't even own a television and they weren't even allowed to talk about stuff like that.
Those strict rules were in place for her even now, which was why her voice acting work for the Alliance had to be kept a total secret. Otoi-san and I were the only ones who knew, and the only reason Otoi-san was in on it was because she had to be to carry out the recordings. Otoi-san herself was under a powerful NDA (read: we were bribing her with sweets) to make sure no one ever found out.
"Well, because of that, I'm kinda jealous of the drama club. They get to be out there, acting with their friends in front of the whole world, y'know... Don't get me wrong, I love doing the voice work for Koyagi, and I'm learning so much from it too. But then I just got to thinking that I'll never actually see my name in any credits, no matter how far I go." Iroha plopped herself back down on the bed and stared wistfully at the ceiling.
Koyagi fans had dubbed her voices as the "Phantom Voice Troupe." There were rumors flying around for ages about the voice acting, since not one of the actors was ever named, but eventually that nickname started spreading and the rumors settled down. Of course, you usually need more than one person to start a troupe, but the fact that we only had one voice actor was completely unknown.
"I just want people to know I exist! That I'm the one doing this work! It's like I can't even be proud of what I do..." A sad smile rose to her lips. "I
can't even be a proper member of the Alliance like this."
I knew exactly what she meant. With me, Iroha was a hundred percent
herself. Maybe even two-hundred percent. Considering her circumstances, it made perfect sense. She couldn't be this open with anybody else. Humans were creatures who naturally craved validation. Present company included.
The only reason I didn't go after more praise than necessary was because I was afraid of getting big-headed and damaging people's trust in me. It'd also lead to wasted time, and together those two things would completely crush my efficiency.
Now, I had nothing to brag about. Iroha, on the other hand, was in possession of a rare talent which she was forced to hide for no good reason. I could well imagine how frustrating that must be for her. Talk about inefficiency.
Watching Iroha teach the drama club these past few weeks had given me a new appreciation for her talents. It wasn't just her voice acting skills. She knew how to manipulate every facial muscle, use every tiny movement...she perfectly controlled everything at her disposal to put on an incredible performance. If only she was allowed to be open about her talents, I wouldn't be surprised to see her on the big stage or in the movies.
But she wasn't. And it was infuriating.
"Iroha, one day I'm gonna get you on that stage. Maybe we could get Koyagi turned into a stage play or something, and you could be in that."
"What? But..."
"You know what the whole point of the Alliance is, don't you? It's to give you all a space where you can put your talents to use to your heart's content," I said. "Look, I've got zero acting skills. All I can do is encourage other people to put their talents to use, and I've seen just how talented you are over these past few weeks. It's made me think there's a lot more you could do than just voice acting, and that you have way more potential than I'd considered."
"Uh... So am I gonna have any free time at all, or...?"
"I'm gonna work you to the bone. If you can't take it, then you can leave whenever you want."
"Hey, be careful or one of us is gonna snap and start vague-posting about the Alliance online. You don't wanna get canceled, right?"
I never claimed to be a good person. Compared to the rest of the society, I intended for the 05th Floor Alliance to be utterly ruthless towards its
members. I wasn't even a good leader, strictly speaking. I just knew how to take advantage of people's kindness. Once I was in that position, I was going to milk them for all they were worth and get them the results they were hoping for.
"If you want to act properly, I'll make it happen. Make sure you're prepared," I warned her.
Iroha broke into a smile before giving me a hearty salute. "Yessir!"
The wistfulness in her expression had completely vanished. Things were looking up, but if she continued on this path, it meant she would have to confront her mother one day. That day might be soon if we weren't careful. I'd have to prepare myself for that too. For now, though, we were probably good to finish up things with the drama club.
"It's not long till the Fair, Iroha. We can't let up now, okay?"
"I know! Don't worry, you can count on your super-charismatic special advisor for this one!" Iroha pumped a confident fist in the air. "I'm gonna make sure they succeed no matter what! For the sake of my dreams!"
You know how when things are going too well, something's always gotta come in and ruin it? Maybe if I had my guard up, I would've noticed it sooner...
Time passed, and soon enough it was the day before the Fair. The school day was over, and the drama club, the 05th Floor Alliance, and its helpers were gathered in the gymnasium for a last-minute rehearsal. I thought back to when we first started and how awful everything was. But now...
"Y'know, I think tomorrow's gonna go pretty well for them," Ozu said.
"Least it's not gonna be a public embarrassment anymore. Taught 'em all I could, so it's up to them now," Otoi-san said.
"D-Don't smile yet... C'mon, Sumire... Don't... laugh..." Sumire was huddled up and trembling in a corner, trying not to celebrate the club's success too early.
At this rate she's gonna jinx it!
Not that I didn't understand her relief. With the play as it was now, I could see them doing quite well in tomorrow's Fair. Sure, the script was still jam-packed with unicorns and rainbows, but it wasn't like we were hitting Broadway. Thanks to Ozu's program, the whole set looked nice and realistic. Otoi-san's direction meant the sound was pitch-perfect too.
And, the cherry on top:
"Well, wanna come with me?"
Midori's acting. Despite my lack of acting knowledge, even I could see
how far she had come from the soulless robot she used to be. The other actors had improved a whole lot too.
AKI: They're doing really well.
Iroha: ikr? They did have a great teacher, after all ;)
Iroha: C'mon, tell me how great I am! You can buy me some treats and
stuff if you want too!
AKI: Well now I won't.
Iroha and I were messaging each other on LIME while she was watching
the rehearsal from behind the stage. Otoi-san was the only one who knew she was involved with the Alliance. That was why she was hiding away.
Anyway, the point was that even Iroha was impressed with their performance. The club put on a good performance for their dress rehearsal.
"That's the end of the rehearsal! Thank you very much for watching!"
With Midori's words, every club member bowed, and then it was over. We all clapped for the smiling girls on the stage.
"I knew I was right in asking you for help, Ooboshi-kun. The club was beyond saving, and yet you somehow managed it," Sumire said to me.
"I didn't do anything. It's thanks to everyone's talents and efforts."
"With a performance like this, I don't think disbandment is on the cards anymore. Thank you, honestly."
"You don't need to. On the other hand, it might be nice to have a few more illustrations in on time."
"O-Oh, I see. Yes, hopefully that will happen..."
"Plus, it's too early to be celebrating. They're much better than they were, but winning a prize tomorrow still isn't a sure thing. So keep drawing, okay? And keep sticking to those deadlines."
"You kind of lost me in the second half there."
"It's a little thing called karma. Work hard, do good, stick to deadlines, and you get rewarded."
"Oh! That reminds me! We've got a prep meeting tonight for tomorrow's Fair! Make sure you all show up, okay? But in the meantime I need to go and set up!"
Sumire threw out her excuse and raced away, apparently done talking
with me. Maybe I was stupid to get my hopes up over a single deadline. I cracked my knuckles, ready to put her in her place the next time we were alone.
"A prep meeting, huh?" Ozu said. "I know she said she wanted us there, but we're not technically part of the club..."
"It's kinda late to be worrying about that now."
Besides, I expected this "meeting" would just be Midori throwing out a pep talk while we ate snacks and drank orange juice.
"True. Guess I'll show up, then."
"Go ahead. I'm gonna help clean up here."
"What, you think I'd leave you to do that by yourself?"
"Hey, you made that program and everything, while I've just been
watching this whole time. Let me take care of the small stuff, yeah?" "Sellin' yourself short as usual, I see."
"C'mon, get outta here." I pushed Ozu away to make sure he really went. Otoi-san was already long gone. I could well imagine she decided
cleaning up was none of her business and considered her job to be over. "Ooboshi-kun, have you got a moment?" Midori called out as I made to
fold up some chairs. "What's up?"
"I wanted to thank you."
"Huh?"
"We only made it this far because you took the time to help us. When you
first showed up I thought you were full of it, and didn't want you anywhere near the club. But now, I'm glad you came. So—"
"Hold on." I held up a hand. "The reason you came this far was because you all put in the work. Don't forget that."
"All right..."
"Plus, I barely did anything. The real heroes here were Sarge, Ozu, and Otoi-san. You should thank them instead of me. The Fair's not till tomorrow anyway, so you should save it for when it's over."
"That makes sense... Okay! For now, I'll focus on tomorrow!" "Great! You can count on us to be there."
Suddenly, Midori's expression darkened. "Don't think I've forgotten
about you and Su—Kageishi-sensei, though!"
"What?! We've been over that like a billion times!"
"I'm not just going to take your word for it! Sumire's so cool and beautiful, I bet the men are all over her!"
"I guess that's one way of looking at it."
She finally called her Sumire outright. Not that that was what I took issue with.
"Also..."
"Also?"
"Also, nothing! Just keep your hands off my sister!" Midori thrust her
finger into my face before beating a hasty retreat.
What was it with girls and running away from me lately? "Guess being weird runs in the family after all," I sighed.
***
"Y'know, Kageishi-san's face was bright red when she ran away from you just now. Did you pull another one of those dense-protagonist moves on her?" Ozu said the moment I stepped foot in the drama club's usual room.
"The heck are you talking about? She was probably just excited for this prep meeting."
"Oh yeah, nothing more exciting than a meeting. Ah, that reminds me. How've things been with Iroha lately? Did you work out whatever problem you two had?"
"I did. Thanks for helping me out. Turns out it wasn't really a big deal, though. She's back to her old breaking-and-entering ways now too."
"As long as my sister's happy, I'm happy. What about Tsukinomori-san, then? She's been pretty lively lately..."
"I-I already told you, that's because she's making sure people know we're 'dating.' It's just an act."
It was technically true, right? Anyway, she was trying her best, and I wasn't mean enough to tell Ozu that she was actually crushing on me.
"Oh, right. Welp, love triangles can be super entertaining, as long as you're not in one."
"Maybe you should focus on enjoying your own life."
"Hey, at least lemme reap some of the benefits from being your one and only friend."
I could only groan in response.
Just then, the door flung open and one of the club members rushed inside. "Bad news!"
"What is it?"
"Yamada-chan collapsed on her way up here!"
"What?!" Sumire leaped to her feet.
Yamada, the girl who played the main heroine.
"I took her to the nurse's office. Her temperature's through the roof! The
nurse called her parents to take her to the doctor's, but..." The girl averted her gaze and bit her lip. "The nurse also said that she probably wouldn't be able to take part in the Fair tomorrow."
"Oh no!" Midori gasped, her face pale.
I remembered Yamada-san had looked a little out of it a few days back. I let her go back to practice because she wanted to, but afterward I spoke with Midori and we both agreed to keep a close eye on her, but she seemed totally fine after that. It was possible that the relief of knowing how far they'd come at rehearsal today overwhelmed her, and the exhaustion hit her all at once.
"I knew I should've kept a better eye on her. Dammit!" I balled my hands and clicked my tongue in frustration.
My one job was to lead and take care of everyone, and yet I let one of our main characters collapse the day before the performance!
"No, Ooboshi-kun... It's my responsibility to make sure my members are in good shape. I already knew Yamada-chan has a tendency to push herself too far. This is all my fault!"
"We don't need to argue about who's to blame. We need to be focusing on the Fair right now," Sumire reminded us sharply.
Her face was set into a steely frown as she put a thoughtful finger to her lips. Much as she messed around, there was no denying the fact that she cared for her students. Staying calm and coming up with solutions in a crisis was one way she showed it.
Not to mention that she was completely right. It didn't matter whose fault it was at this point. I was worried about Yamada-san too, but she was already in good hands and being taken care of. Our priority right now had to be figuring out what we were going to do tomorrow—in other words, who was going to fill the role of the heroine.
"Is there anybody here who could take on Yamada-chan's role?" Midori asked the rest of her anxious club members.
"Well... We'd only have one night to get ready..."
"I don't think that's enough time to learn all her lines..."
The club members shuffled nervously, their gazes fixed on the floor. "Please, everyone... At this rate, we won't even be able to participate
tomorrow! And if we can't do that, we're certain to be disbanded! We've worked so hard too, and we'll be throwing it all away! Doesn't that frustrate you?" Midori's voice grew hoarse.
She waited, but still nobody raised their hand. The other members shrunk back under her gaze. I knew what was going on; they'd come so far that they couldn't do any more. If this was the same drama club I walked into all those weeks ago, I was sure someone would be volunteering themselves now. But things had changed.
They had seen just how well Midori and Yamada-san pulled off their roles after weeks of intense practice, and they knew that their own efforts couldn't come anywhere close, especially after only a single night of preparation.
The silence was thick in the air, and soon Midori started to tremble. "But...we've worked so hard... We can't..."
It was then that a thought struck me. Back when I first noticed Yamada- san's exhaustion, I reckoned there was a twenty-percent chance that things might end up like this. It wasn't just Yamada-san either. There was always a risk that something might happen to one of the actors and leave them unable to perform in the actual Fair.
That was why I already had a plan. I couldn't pull it off alone, though. This performance was make or break for the drama club, and for this plan to work, I needed somebody else to put everything on the line too.
"Sounds like you guys could do with some help!"
Just then, the door was flung open and somebody came into the classroom. They were wearing a newsboy hat pulled down over their face with a pair of sunglasses covering their eyes. You couldn't get more suspicious.
Midori's eyes widened. "Sarge?!"
"Iroha!" I said under my breath, too quietly for anyone to hear.
Are you sure about this?
Did this mean she was ready to risk it all? Sumire and Ozu were gaping at
her. Though they couldn't see her face, they must have realized who she was by her entrance. Otoi-san was simply blinking slowly, rolling a lollipop
around in her mouth.
Their surprise was understandable. Iroha's only place in the Alliance had
been to join our parties, and even that was just because she was Ozu's sister. But there she was, as if she were the glue keeping everything from falling apart.
"I'll take the heroine's role!" Iroha declared, pulling off her hat and glasses and casting them aside.
Her silky hair flowed dramatically behind her, and while her smile was smug, I caught a hint of apprehension in her eyes.
Image Here
"With me on your side, you'll be looking at Oscars tomorrow, guys!" Kohinata Iroha grinned.
"Wait... You're Kohinata-san from the first year, aren't you?"
"Isn't she supposed to be really quiet and polite? Wait, does this mean Sarge was...Kohinata-san?!"
There was a ripple of confusion among the club members.
"Iroha?" Ozu gawked.
We had tried our hardest to keep Ozu from ever finding out Iroha's secret.
Not that we were worried he'd spill the beans, but he lived under the same roof as their mother. The risk of an accidental leak was just too great.
By revealing her identity here, Iroha was saying she was ready to risk her mom finding out about her activities. She went all-in and every chip was now on the table.
Iroha was the one who wanted it to be a secret from the Alliance in the first place. I was simply doing as she asked. Iroha didn't have the confidence to face her mom and convince her of what she wanted for her future. She didn't have the courage to fight. It was probably because of all the time Iroha spent working with the drama club that she realized she wanted to make a real move towards a future that she was so passionate about—and this was the first step.
If this is what you want, Iroha, then I'm with you all the way! No matter who tries to bar your path, I won't stop until they accept your dreams.
"I already know all the lines from teaching you guys this whole time.
Filling the heroine's role'll be no problem!"
"Are you sure?" Midori asked. "You're not even in the drama club, so
you shouldn't feel obligated to help us."
Iroha had already done so much for the club that Midori probably felt bad
for her to take this on as well.
But Iroha just laughed. "'Course I'm sure! I'm not about to let you guys
throw all your efforts away!"
"You really are different from what I've heard... Though it's sort of
interesting to find out this is who Sarge really was the whole time."
"Don't worry that pretty little head of yours! This isn't just about you guys
either. I've got dreams ridin' on this too!" "Dreams?"
"You know it! Now, are you gonna lemme help or not?"
Iroha was in full pest mode. Except for once, it wasn't just me here. Behind that cheeky grin of hers burned the fires of determination.
Midori gave a confident, decisive nod. "Please, Kohinata-san... No, Sarge! Please help us out!"
"Got it! I'll put as much work into this performance as Yamada-chan put into all her practice!"
And that was how the drama club regained their shattered hopes when Iroha joined their side.
***
"I can't believe you guys have been keeping this a secret from me for so long."
"Sorry about that."
"No, I get it, what with our mom and all... Lemme guess. Iroha does work for the Alliance too, right?"
"She does, yeah. I guess there's no point hiding it anymore."
"Right. I always knew you were important to her, but I didn't realize how far it went."
"C'mon, you're overreacting."
"I'm not. You really are the only one for her, and you guys just proved it."