After returning home, Yuu Hoshimiya told Ran about Sumi Tsukamoto.
Besides being surprised that he moved so quickly, Ran also gave him a few sharp glares.
She strictly demanded that he spend the whole day tomorrow accompanying her for the drama rehearsal.
To this, Yuu Hoshimiya naturally agreed without hesitation.
At nine o'clock the next morning, after Sonoko arrived, the three girls went together to Yukiko Kudo's walk-in closet on the 27th floor to pick out clothes.
The extra girl who came with Sonoko was Aoko Nakamori.
Teitan High School's school festival was open to the public and held on a weekend, drawing many visitors from outside.
Aoko was very close to Ran and Sonoko, so she had mentioned early on that she would come to visit.
As a result, Sonoko dragged her along to act as extra labor.
It was said that in the play on that day, Aoko would even make a cameo appearance at the end...
In fact, besides Aoko, Kazuha Toyama was also coming all the way from Osaka.
However, she intended to give everyone a surprise, so she hadn't told anyone yet.
To increase immersion, it was best to change into the ornate costumes used for the performance during rehearsal.
But with a week left until the festival, the official costumes weren't finished yet.
Conveniently, Yukiko's closet had all kinds of outfits.
So Ran and Sonoko decided to find some clothes with a similar style to use temporarily to get into character.
It was lucky that Yukiko was still traveling and hadn't returned.
Otherwise, Ran and Sonoko would have definitely dragged her in as well.
With the guidance of a former movie queen, even after years of retirement, Ran's acting as the female lead would surely stun everyone.
Girls always take a long time to pick out, try on, and change clothes.
Yuu Hoshimiya waited boredly for over half an hour.
Just as he was about to go upstairs to check on them, the entrance door opened.
The first one to enter was Ran, wearing a princess dress and a veil on her head.
She looked back from time to time, seemingly checking if Ran and Sonoko were following.
The pure and lovely girl wore white gloves on her slender, pale arms and a puffy princess skirt.
Her exquisite face exuded a noble aura, possessing a different charm than usual.
Yuu Hoshimiya walked forward and pulled the girl's soft waist into his arms, making her face him.
"Wow, you really look great dressed like this!"
Facing Yuu Hoshimiya's intimacy, the girl in front of him didn't speak but instead looked a bit shy.
Yuu Hoshimiya found it strange but didn't think much of it.
Following his heart's desire, he gently tilted her chin up and pressed his lips against hers in a deep kiss.
The next moment, Yuu Hoshimiya finally knew why "Ran's" reaction felt a bit off.
This reaction, this taste, this feeling—it wasn't Ran.
Yuu Hoshimiya realized the truth and reached out to grab the chest of the girl in his arms.
His large hand pressed down on the puffy princess dress, fondling a pair of cute, small jade rabbits.
These breasts, heaving slightly, belonged to Aoko.
Because Aoko remained silent and wore a veil, the only difference between the two—their hair—was hidden.
This led even Yuu Hoshimiya to mistake her for someone else.
Aoko broke away from Yuu Hoshimiya's kiss, her small face blushing as she panted for breath.
"Teacher Hoshimiya, Sonoko was right," she whispered. "You really did mistake me for Ran."
Her large eyes stared at Yuu Hoshimiya, her nervousness turning into a hint of jealousy.
Yuu Hoshimiya's reaction speed was anything but slow.
He held Aoko's soft waist and said with a smile, "I couldn't help it, Aoko. You look too beautiful dressed like this. I was completely mesmerized."
A blush appeared on Aoko's small face, but she soon wrinkled her nose.
"Hmph! You're lying. That has nothing to do with you mistaking me for Ran."
Yuu Hoshimiya pulled Aoko close again and kissed her flushed cheek.
He looked at her face and said seriously, "I'm sorry, Aoko. Because Sonoko said Ran was playing the lead, I subconsciously assumed the one in the princess outfit was Ran..."
"And since you and Ran look almost exactly the same, with your hair and voice hidden, I really couldn't tell the difference without getting my hands on you."
Hearing this, and seeing that Yuu Hoshimiya had discovered the truth the moment he kissed her, Aoko forgave him, though she still gave a playful, tsundere huff.
Just then, the door opened again, and both Sonoko and Ran walked in.
Both of them had changed their outfits by now.
Ran was dressed in a black robe, looking like a priestess.
Sonoko, on the other hand, was cross-dressing in a knight's uniform.
Looking at the state of Yuu Hoshimiya and Aoko, the two already knew the result of the test.
Looking at Aoko and Yuu Hoshimiya with broad smiles, Sonoko even joked directly.
"Mistook her for Ran, but discovered it was Aoko once you got intimate. Teacher Hoshimiya, are you surprised?"
Yuu Hoshimiya rolled his eyes at Sonoko and decisively changed the subject.
Looking at the two girls' outfits, he asked with confusion, "Wasn't it supposed to be a drama about a princess transforming into a queen? Why is there a knight now?"
Hearing this, Sonoko laughed immediately.
"Of course we had to add a knight. A drama needs to be romantic to show off my directorial talent!"
"A princess who falls into darkness to become a priestess must have a knight to rescue her."
"In the end, the knight dies while being surrounded by enemies to save the priestess-princess."
"Only then does the priestess awaken and embark on the path of resistance, finally transforming into a queen."
"See, Teacher Hoshimiya? It's a real tear-jerker. It'll definitely be moving."
"Plus, at the end, I'll use a montage technique to have the Queen and the Princess from her memories appear on stage at the same time."
"Since they look exactly the same, it will definitely be incredibly soul-shaking for the audience."
Yuu Hoshimiya's cheek twitched after hearing this. He couldn't help but ask, "And who is playing the knight?"
Sonoko immediately replied, "The great Sonoko Suzuki herself, of course!"
Ran interjected from the side, "We originally planned to invite Dr. Tomoaki Araide to help, but he refused."
Hearing this, Yuu Hoshimiya's gaze narrowed slightly.
It seemed his previous arrangements had worked. Before the truth was uncovered, Vermouth probably wouldn't have much contact with Ran.
Then Ran continued, "But for the rehearsal now, we plan to have you play the knight, Brother Yuu."
"Sonoko, your acting as a knight is too immersion-breaking. You keep making those goofy faces."
Sonoko immediately retorted, "That's clearly just because your own acting is bad, Ran!"
The group laughed and joked for a while. Seeing it was almost noon, Aoko hurriedly said, "Let's rehearse first. There's only half a day left. If we don't start, Teacher Hoshimiya and I won't be able to help you."
Sonoko and Ran nodded; they really did need to hurry.
So, Sonoko put down the script and dragged Yuu Hoshimiya to the 27th floor again to have him change into another prepared knight's uniform.
Yukiko not only had many styles of clothing but also a very rich range of sizes.
Aside from her own needs for disguise, after being with Yuu Hoshimiya, she would buy any clothes she saw that suited him.
"The person who has helped me one after another lately is you, isn't it? Who on earth are you, nameless knight wrapped in black?"
"If you are willing to grant my humble wish, then please remove that mask as dark as night and face me with your true self!"
Yuu Hoshimiya recited the lines in a magnetic voice and then removed the mask.
He revealed a handsome face with a bandage attached to mimic a scar.
His eyes looked softly at Ran.
Even though it was just acting, Ran's face couldn't help but flush a light red.
On the sofa, Sonoko and Aoko stared intently at Yuu Hoshimiya, their faces full of fangirl infatuation.
Yuu Hoshimiya was simply too handsome after unmasking in his knight attire.
Sonoko's face showed a hint of excitement as she shouted in a low voice, "Kiss her! Kiss her!"
Aoko quickly nudged Sonoko and said, "Sonoko, why are you adding scenes? That's not in the script!"
Sonoko immediately pulled Aoko close and whispered, "Quiet down! Look at them, they're both so in character. This is the moment for a kiss!"
"This is art! A super romantic drama directed by the great Sonoko Suzuki!"
"Besides, they're a real couple. What's wrong with a little kiss?"
"But..." Aoko rolled her eyes. "The one acting on stage that day won't be Teacher Hoshimiya, it'll be you."
"I can kiss her too! It's not like Ran and I haven't kissed more than once already." Sonoko giggled and whispered into Aoko's ear, "When we're in bed together~~"
"Aoko-chan, how about next time let Teacher Hoshimiya take you too? The three of us can have a good exchange of feelings together in bed~~~"
Facing Aoko, who looked exactly like Ran, this little lecher Sonoko had long harbored improper intentions.
Aoko was quite experienced by now and understood exactly what Sonoko meant.
She could actually accept getting intimate with a beautiful girl, but hearing Sonoko say it so bluntly made her feel incredibly ashamed, even if they were all "family."
Aoko's pretty face turned red, and she immediately turned her head away, ignoring Sonoko to focus on the two actors.
Yuu Hoshimiya was happy to oblige. He soon gripped the shoulders of Ran, who was dressed as a priestess, and pulled her into his arms.
He aimed for her cherry-red lips and was about to kiss her.
But Ran seemed to notice the gazes of Sonoko and Aoko nearby. A flash of shyness crossed her face, and she couldn't help but break character and laugh.
Ran and Aoko shared the same personality; even though they were "old married couples" who had tried every trick in the book, they became incredibly shy once they were out of bed.
"What?! Ran, you really can't act! You ruined such a good atmosphere."
Sonoko immediately began to complain.
But soon a smile appeared on Sonoko's face. "It seems the great director Sonoko has to step in and show you how it's done. Teacher Hoshimiya, let me play the priestess. Ran, watch carefully!"
"No way!"
Ran and Aoko immediately sensed Sonoko's sinister intentions and refused in unison.
Sonoko couldn't help but pout. "Stingy! I'm Teacher Hoshimiya's girlfriend too. What's wrong with a private kiss?!"
Ran and Aoko also knew Sonoko had a point; their shyness wasn't a valid reason to stop her.
However, Aoko soon thought of a reason.
"I just think it's weird for two people in knight uniforms to rehearse a romance scene. And Sonoko, you just love adding random scenes. There's clearly no kiss in the script, yet you added one. If we really let you act with Teacher Hoshimiya, you'd probably even add a sex scene."
Hearing this, Sonoko's small face instantly turned beet red. "Aoko, you nonsense! See if I don't tear your mouth apart!"
She picked up the script and moved to hit Aoko, and the two girls immediately dissolved into a scuffle on the sofa.
Yuu Hoshimiya chuckled at the sight. It was truly a scene full of vitality. Looking at the three young and lively girls, his mood improved significantly.
The afternoon passed as they rehearsed in the third-floor living room, and the three girls became increasingly proficient with the play.