The gymnasium smelled faintly of wood polish and anticipation.
A large banner reading "Winter Cultural Showcase: Harmony & Light" stretched across the back wall in silver paint. The entire student body had gathered after lunch for the mandatory orientation—students seated in clusters across the bleachers, buzzing with curiosity or mild dread.
Leo sat between Kai and Yuki. Rin was on the other side of the aisle with the literature club. Hana leaned against the wall near the teacher's table, dressed in track pants, sipping from a thermos like none of this mattered.
And then—
"Alright everyone!" boomed Ms. Sera, the student activity coordinator. "Let's get things rolling! This year, we're doing things a little different."
Groans rippled through the crowd.
"Each class will be assigned a cross-club performance group. That means your project will involve students from multiple grades and clubs. Dance, drama, music, visual arts—you'll need to collaborate."
That… got everyone's attention.
Kai leaned toward Leo. "This smells like forced character development."
Leo groaned.
Then Ms. Sera continued. "And groupings are based on our lovely randomized club draw!"
Names began to scroll on the projector screen. The second grouping caught Leo's eye:
> Group 2: Shen Leo, Yukimura Yuki, Ayanami Rin, Hoshizora Hana, Kisaragi Aira, Tanaka Kai.
Leo blinked.
"…What," he whispered.
Yuki was already slumped in her seat. Rin looked like she was trying very hard to remain neutral. Hana gave a single, slow blink. Aira, who was seated across the gym, tilted her head and smiled.
Kai? Kai burst out laughing. Loudly.
Ms. Sera cleared her throat. "Group 2 will be responsible for a 10-minute stage performance. Theme: 'Unspoken Words.' Be as creative as you like."
Kai clapped Leo on the back. "We're gonna die."
---
Later that afternoon, the six of them gathered in the empty music room. Instruments lined the walls. A battered whiteboard stood in the front, already filled with eraser marks.
Everyone was silent.
Then Hana spoke. "Okay. Who wants to murder someone first?"
"No volunteers," Kai said brightly. "Cool, cool."
Leo coughed. "So… performance idea?"
Aira raised a hand. "What if we wrote something original? Like a short play or skit?"
Rin nodded slowly. "We could combine music and visuals. Something that reflects different perspectives on the same moment."
Yuki was unusually quiet.
Hana crossed her arms. "I'm fine doing stunts. Or sword choreography. I'm not acting."
"You say that like it's optional," Kai muttered.
Leo tried to catch Yuki's eye. "What do you think?"
Yuki hesitated. "If the theme is 'Unspoken Words'… maybe it could be about misunderstandings. Like how people assume things instead of asking."
Everyone went quiet.
That hit a little too close to home.
But Leo nodded. "That could work."
Kai jumped in. "We could structure it as a sequence of short scenes. Flashbacks, internal monologues, people missing each other by seconds."
"That sounds…" Rin searched for the word. "Surprisingly profound."
Aira smiled. "And everyone gets their own moment on stage."
Hana sighed. "Fine. I'll learn to act."
Kai threw his arms up. "Victory!"
---
By the end of the hour, they'd sketched out the bare bones of their performance. A nameless boy, caught in the orbit of four girls, each of whom saw him differently. None of them knowing the full truth. Each scene building toward a final moment where everything was revealed—but not in words. Through gestures, timing, music.
"Unspoken words," Aira said, underlining it on the whiteboard.
Yuki was still quiet, but she didn't look upset anymore.
Leo watched her.
There was something about her silence today—it wasn't the cheerful kind. It wasn't even sad. It was thoughtful.
Maybe she was finally processing everything.
Maybe they all were.