Chapter 60: A strange turn of events.
The costumes for the stage play were all rented, and since Morofushi Sora'aki was the female protagonist dressed as a man, he could naturally just choose any men's clothing to make do for now.
However, this wouldn't be possible for Morofushi Hiromitsu, who was to play the princess's younger sister, since—Morofushi Hiromitsu isn't playing a woman disguised as a man.
Even though Morofushi Hiromitsu wasn't the type of athlete with the physique, he was still a male high school student of normal build.
After finally finding a dress that fit them, they discovered that they hadn't prepared the matching accessories.
Matsuda Jinpei clicked his tongue: "Give me the materials, I should be able to finish it before I go on stage!"
As a result, Matsuda Jinpei received the same looks from the entire class as if he were a savior.
"But it's too late! My sister has to go on stage right away!"
Morofushi Hiromitsu smiled and tried to get involved in the script: "What do you think about making some slight changes to the script? ... That way, we should be able to finish making the accessories before Matsuda does."
After listening, the class monitor gave a thumbs up: "Great! Let's do it your way!"
While the group was busy preparing, the stage was waiting for no one, and the host had already begun announcing their appearance.
"Next, please enjoy the drama performance by Class 2A, titled 'When I Fall in Love and Discover Men Are All (Beep—), I Might as Well Take the Throne and Become the Queen Myself.'"
Upon hearing this name, everyone who was preparing backstage fell into an eerie silence, and their gazes all turned to the class monitor in perfect unison.
Class Monitor: "...Wait! I didn't submit that name!"
"Compared to this, the (beep) that the host just automatically muted is much stranger, isn't it?"
"Oh, you got muted too."
"Stop with the memes at a time like this! It's about to begin!"
Amidst the expectant (but not really) gazes of the crowd, the red curtain on the stage was finally drawn back.
The background is a castle, and the characters are two boys dressed in medieval men's clothing.
Stage plays require makeup, and stage makeup is extremely exaggerated, almost like a kind of magical makeover.
I didn't realize it backstage; I just thought the makeup was too exaggerated. But when I was actually on stage and looked at from below, I realized that the heavy makeup on my face was just right.
"Who gave you permission to dress like that?" The boy on stage, wearing a crown, had his back to another person. As he spoke, he slightly turned his head, his upturned cat-like eyes fixed on the dark mass of unrecognizable faces in the audience. The sharpness and indifference in his eyes, combined with his handsome features, made a small group of audience members hold their breath.
Then, a clear and calm voice rang out again: "As a princess of our country, what do you plan to do if people see you dressed as a man?"
This wasn't a line from the script; it was meant to buy Matsuda Jinpei and the others time to alter their dresses and make their hair accessories.
In the original script, Princess Sister wasn't supposed to appear in men's clothing.
At this moment, another boy spoke up. Only after the lights shone on him did the audience belatedly realize that "he" had soft features and his makeup was clearly feminine. His cat-like eyes were enlarged by eyeliner, and blue eyeshadow was placed at the corners of his eyes. The voice "he" spoke was clearly a soft female voice.
As he mouthed the words, Morofushi Hiromitsu pressed his hand to his chest, his feminine features exuding a gender-ambiguous and decisive air: "...Brother, no, sister, you chose to disguise yourself as a man for the sake of the country, so why can't I?"
It turns out that the two young people on stage are princesses of this country.
Her Highness had her hair tied back in a low black ponytail, and her gentle voice trembled slightly: "I want to prove that I've grown up, and I want to help you!"
The class monitor, who was dubbing backstage, had a ferocious expression on his face and was straining his voice. The logistics student who was helping him hold the newly revised script looked at his class monitor's behavior and his expression twisted for a moment.
The performance on stage continued.
"I don't need that." The prince, disguised as a man, flicked his sleeves and walked off the stage. "I will govern this country. You only need to be a carefree princess. Your biggest worry every day is which guest to invite for afternoon tea."
"Also, remember, you don't have a sister."
After performing this scene, Morofushi Sora'aki immediately left the stage.
The princess on stage continued, but "she" lowered his head dejectedly, his soft female voice carrying a hint of grievance: "But I know that our country is beset by internal and external troubles. Not only is there foreign invasion, but the internal chaos has not yet been fully resolved."
"The country is in the hands of Lord Black, who possesses unimaginable weapons and military strength, and you are no match for him for the time being. If I cannot fight for you, the only thing I can do for you and for this country is to form a marriage alliance with him, making Black's side your ally."
"Oh! My dear princess." A magnificently dressed, shoulder-length-haired boy appeared on the stage at this moment, bowing exaggeratedly: "Even in such unadorned attire, your beauty cannot be concealed in the slightest!"
"Lord Hania!" The princess exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise. "Why are you here?"
"Your Highness, I was just passing by the garden when I noticed a rose bush drooping slightly, with a few glistening dewdrops on its petals. I couldn't help but take a step forward." Hagiwara Kenji, playing Hania, gazed at her with deep affection as he kissed the princess's hand. "Tell me what troubles you! My heart cannot stop worrying about you if I cannot help you."
The naive princess hesitated for a moment before pouring out all her troubles.
Hania thought about it seriously for a while: "His Highness the Prince would be very touched if he knew of your concern—but, this social gathering is too much of a burden for Your Highness the Princess!"
"But..."
"No, there is a way," Hania said, seemingly casually. "It is said that before the previous emperor passed away, he left behind a secret document containing the secret to changing the country—if Your Highness finds this document, wouldn't it be able to relieve the prince's worries?"
"Is this true?" Her Highness asked in surprise.
"I'm not entirely sure either. I only found out from another count... Ah! Your Highness, please don't tell anyone. I promised him I wouldn't say a word!"
"I understand, I will, thank you very much, Lord Hania."
Princess, you can finally leave! The class monitor, who was speaking in a strained voice, decisively moved the microphone away and breathed a sigh of relief: "Finally, part of it is over."
Only Hania remained on the stage, and the lights gave him the opportunity to speak.
At that moment, the exaggerated expression on his face vanished, replaced by cold indifference: "Everyone calls me Hania, but that's not actually my name."
"I work for Lord Black. In order to obtain the secret text left by the previous emperor, I have infiltrated the country as an undercover agent. Foolish princess—you will fall into my sweet trap and find the final key to destroy this country for me!"
"Do you think you've kept your secret well? His Highness's true identity has been known to us from the very beginning! It's just that Lord Black has been merciful and hasn't revealed it to the public!"
"Our dear prince struggles so hard in this corrupt country—truly tenacious! Even with the best assassins deployed, you somehow survived, while that assassin, who never missed, vanished without a trace. No wonder Lord Black is so wary of you!"
The stage transitions are very simple; all that's needed is for the lights to shine on the main character.
After Hania finished his narration and left the stage, a blond mixed-race man dressed in a guard uniform and carrying a sword appeared on the stage at some point.
He held the sword in both hands, his lips were downturned, and he looked quite impatient and irritable.
The class monitor backstage clenched his fist: "He's supposed to be a cold and aloof assassin! Damn it, even so, he's still pretty cool!"
Meanwhile, Matsuda Jinpei finally finished the accessories, and the others modified their clothes to fit Morofushi Hiromitsu.
Morofushi Hiromitsu's smile froze: "Do I really need to change into this?"
"Of course, come on!" Hagiwara Kenji said seriously, holding the skirt in his arms. "Shall we help you take it off, or will you do it yourself?"
Morofushi Hiromitsu sighed and reluctantly took the dress: "I'll go change myself. It's my turn to go on stage again."
"After all, it's a dual female protagonist storyline, and the younger sister has quite a few lines. But don't worry, the class monitor will do the voice acting for you. You can just read the numbers!"
"If we really can't keep up with the rhythm, we'll just turn our backs to the audience. We're just amateurs, so we don't need to worry too much about the rules!"
After Morofushi Hiromitsu finished changing, Matsuda Jinpei was also taken away to get his makeup done.
The story on stage continues. Furuya Rei, playing a taciturn assassin dressed as a royal guard, has not yet revealed his identity as an assassin.
After his colleagues and he finished speaking, it was time for the assassin, Furuya Rei, to give his own monologue.
The assassin has very few lines; after his monologue, all that's left is the action scene.
The killer's self-narration was also very simple.
"I am a ruthless killer." Furuya Rei said dryly. "And my original target was the prince of this country."
"And the reason I became the guardian of this country..."
Furuya Rei's lines ended there. Just as he was about to leave the stage, the Princess finally came on stage. She wore a gorgeous dress that fit her perfectly, and her long black hair was draped behind her.
However, as everyone knows, Morofushi Hiromitsu is a man, and this is the first time he has worn such a large skirt, and he also has to wear high heels.
So, it's quite normal to accidentally fall, right?
As a result, Morofushi Hiromitsu, who had just stepped on the stage, was not paying attention and accidentally stepped on the hem of his skirt. His eyes widened slightly, and just as he was about to fall, Furuya Rei instinctively grabbed him.
Princess Morofushi Hiromitsu was clearly taken aback, and the voice-over choreographer backstage reacted very quickly: "...Th-thank you!"
Before Furuya Rei could even speak, Morofushi Sora'aki, who had entered the fray, drew his sword, pulled Morofushi Hiromitsu aside, and said, "I knew you had ill intentions, hiding your identity as an assassin in my country."
"I would never entrust my sister to someone like you!"
Furuya Rei remained silent.
...If I remember correctly, in the script, the one I liked was you?