Chapter 62: No stage plays.
The play was a success in many ways, as its melodramatic plot and bizarre developments left a deep impression on the audience, unexpectedly garnering it a lot of popularity in subsequent polls.
But to call it a failure...
"From the very beginning, it's almost nothing like what's written in the script or what we rehearsed!!!" The class monitor finally swallowed his own soul and wailed to his classmates with renewed vigor.
"Well, we got first place anyway—and the coffee shop in our class made a lot of money, how about we go to karaoke tonight to celebrate!"
The coffee and black tea are both instant, so although they're not expensive, their cost price is very low. The cakes, on the other hand, are sold at dessert shop prices, so we didn't make any profit on that; in fact, some classmates even stole a few.
People entering their classroom may not necessarily order cake, but they will almost always order a cup of coffee or black tea.
"This is all thanks to Hagiwara! He's practically a human advertising billboard!"
"Hmm? Is this a compliment?" Hagiwara Kenji smiled, "But something feels off."
"It's an illusion, absolutely an illusion!"
After the event, Morofushi Hiromitsu and Furuya Rei left. Before leaving, Morofushi Hiromitsu realized that the whole thing had been recorded on video, and he even had the urge to destroy the videotape.
Matsuda Jinpei and Furuya Rei seemed to share the same thought. Then, Morofushi Sora'aki ran away with the camera on his shoulders, completely ignoring the cameraman's desperate cries of despair as he couldn't catch up.
After the others gave up, the cameraman grabbed Morofushi Sora'aki's hands and confessed passionately, "Morofushi-kun, please join our photography club! I absolutely adore your steadiness while running with the camera! You're the perfect choice for shooting long takes!"
Then Morofushi Sora'aki cruelly refused on the spot.
"That's why I said, Sora'aki-chan is really popular." Hagiwara Kenji remarked.
"...I feel like the popularity you're talking about isn't what I understand it to mean," Matsuda Jinpei retorted from the side.
In short, after winning first place, Class 2A were so happy that the whole class went to karaoke together.
Since the largest karaoke room could only accommodate about ten people, the class was divided into three groups, and everyone found a group with someone they were close to.
Everyone was a minor and wouldn't have ordered alcohol, but even though there wasn't a single drop of alcohol, the atmosphere was like everyone was drunk.
Simply put, it's a chaotic mess.
Morofushi Sora'aki and Matsuda Jinpei sat together, while Hagiwara Kenji was already surrounded by several girls, holding a microphone and passionately singing the most popular songs of the time.
Hagiwara Kenji has always been good at this, and he has unknowingly attracted everyone's attention.
"Aren't you going to request a song?" Morofushi Sora'aki took a sip of his iced cola.
"Are you trying to make a fool of me?" Matsuda Jinpei raised an eyebrow.
Matsuda Jinpei is a complete tone-deaf person; he can't sing in tune at all.
"Singing in karaoke without ever going off-key is no fun at all. Going off-key and cracking your voice is more in line with the atmosphere and can liven things up."
Where did you see that?
"Online."
"Ah..." Matsuda Jinpei pointed at Hagiwara Kenji, who could sing without going off-key and get a score of 90 or higher on the machine: "So how do we calculate this guy's score?"
"Eliminate Hagiwara." Morofushi Sora'aki said decisively.
"...Why does your tone make it sound like you're excluding him from humanity?" Matsuda Jinpei retorted. "Aren't you going to order?"
"I'd rather see Jinpei-chan make a fool of himself." Morofushi Sora'aki said seriously.
"Ah, you said it!"
"As expected of Morofushi!"
"They actually said it?! Is it even okay to say something like that?!"
"Hey! You guys—!" Matsuda Jinpei's anger was directed at these classmates who were enjoying the show.
His action attracted the attention of Hagiwara Kenji, who had just finished singing a song. Hagiwara waved with a bright smile and said, "Jinpei-chan! Let's sing together!"
"Reject--"
"Such a great atmosphere! Don't refuse! It's rare to have so many people and it's so lively!" Hagiwara Kenji enthusiastically pulled Matsuda Jinpei up and casually picked out a song for him, adding, "After Jinpei-chan sings, it's Sora'aki-chan's turn! Neither of you have requested a single song, have you? You should at least sing one before leaving, right?"
The other ten classmates chimed in, "Yes—!!"
Matsuda Jinpei: "Huh? You're forcing me to buy this, aren't you? Morofushi wouldn't agree to that either!"
Morofushi Sora'aki raised his hand: "I agree, but Jinpei-chan must sing first."
Then, Matsuda Jinpei attracted the attention of more than a dozen pairs of eyes.
Matsuda Jinpei: "..."
The curly-haired boy grabbed a handful of hair, his blue eyes filled with helplessness: "I'm not responsible for how well you sing!"
Amidst everyone's cheers, Matsuda Jinpei finally picked up the microphone.
Then, amidst expectant gazes, he lived up to expectations and did not exceed them...
The smiles on the faces of the students, who had been happily cheering, froze the moment Matsuda Jinpei spoke.
While it wouldn't be quite accurate to call it ear-piercing noise, well...
"...I guess this is what they mean by 'you can't judge a book by its cover'?"
"I thought he was just being modest..."
"Matsuda...!! How dare you show your face like that!!"
However, Matsuda Jinpei couldn't hear any of this; he was seriously looking at the lyrics and singing.
After finishing the song, he turned around and looked at the group of people who had collapsed on the sofa. His lips twitched: "Was it really that exaggerated?"
Then he saw Morofushi Sora'aki sitting calmly in his original spot and called out, "Morofushi, it's your turn."
Morofushi Sora'aki stared at him for two seconds before suddenly pulling out an earplug he had somehow prepared: "My turn?"
Others: "...I knew it! How come you were alright?!"
Hagiwara Kenji: "Sora'aki-chan! You're cheating!!!"
Matsuda Jinpei: "...I think I'm still there? Aren't you exaggerating a bit?"
Morofushi Sora'aki shook his head: "It's no exaggeration. After I heard you sing last time, I had a nightmare when I got home."
Matsuda Jinpei: "...Hey!"
Morofushi Sora'aki took the microphone from Matsuda Jinpei and then discovered that the song playing was actually a love song.
During the 20-second prelude, Morofushi Sora'aki stared at Hagiwara Kenji for 20 seconds.
Throughout this process, Hagiwara Kenji's smile remained unchanged until Morofushi Sora'aki turned to look at the screen. Only then did Hagiwara Kenji clutch his chest and exhale, saying, "Sora'aki-chan's eyes are as sharp as ever."
"Just stop teasing him, okay?"
"Haha, actually I've been playing a game lately." While Morofushi Sora'aki was singing, Hagiwara Kenji whispered to Matsuda Jinpei, "The game is called Sora'aki-chan Face-Changing Battle."
Matsuda Jinpei glanced at the other classmates who were enthusiastically cheering: "Who's participating?"
"The whole class except for the two of you will be mobilized." Kenji Hagiwara said cheerfully.
Matsuda Jinpei: "You guys are so boring."
"And isn't it easy to see him change his expression? Just…" Matsuda Jinpei was interrupted by Hagiwara Kenji before he could finish speaking.
Matsuda Jinpei was taken aback, then as if realizing something, he turned around and saw several classmates with green eyes staring at them, eavesdropping.
Matsuda Jinpei: "..."
Matsuda Jinpei: "..."
"You guys are so boring!" Matsuda Jinpei couldn't help but repeat himself.
"I was wondering why you've been staring at him so much lately. You don't usually pay this much attention to him."
After Morofushi Sora'aki finished singing, he noticed Matsuda Jinpei looking at him with a complicated expression.
Morofushi Sora'aki: "?"
Matsuda Jinpei patted Morofushi Sora'aki's shoulder heavily: "...You've worked hard."
Morofushi Sora'aki: "??"
Morofushi Sora'aki looked at Matsuda Jinpei, who had gone out for some fresh air, then turned to Hagiwara Kenji: "What did you say to him this time?"
"Oh! Never mind that. We've been playing the Jinpei-chan Smile Battle game lately. How about it? Want to join?" Hagiwara Kenji smiled and waved his finger.
Without hesitation, Morofushi Sora'aki nodded: "I'll participate."
The remaining students looked at Hagiwara Kenji, who had fooled two people at once, exchanged glances, and realized a truth once again.
Others: ...We absolutely cannot mess with Hagiwara Kenji!
Hagiwara Kenji wore a bright, untroubled smile, which made people lower their guard without them even realizing it.
The whole class played together until 8 p.m. before saying goodbye at the karaoke bar entrance and going home.
Morofushi Sora'aki also returned home. After resting for a while, he opened his eyes again and returned to his own world.
Morofushi Sora'aki, wearing slippers, came downstairs and unexpectedly saw Morofushi Hiromitsu.
Morofushi Hiromitsu, with dark circles under his eyes, said, "Good morning, Sora'aki."
"Good morning." Morofushi Sora'aki paused noticeably before calling out, "...Brother."
Morofushi Hiromitsu: Hmm? What was that hesitant pause just now?
Morofushi Hiromitsu yawned and said, "I didn't get back until after midnight last night, so you didn't see me, Sora'aki."
Morofushi Sora'aki nodded, then finished his breakfast, grabbed his schoolbag, and left the room.
Looking at the exhaustion on her second son's face, Mother Morofushi asked, "Is work very hard?"
"...No, that's not it." After Morofushi Hiromitsu left, he sat down in a chair and said in a deep voice, "I just...I think I had a strange dream?"
Morofushi Hiromitsu rested his forehead on his hand, looked at the plates on the table, and murmured, "...So, I wanted a little sister?" But even so, it shouldn't be that he dreamed of calling Sora'aki 'neechan', right?
Morofushi Sora'aki suddenly sneezed. He pinched his nose and realized that the seasons were changing again and he needed to be careful to keep warm, as catching a cold was not a pleasant thing.
On the way to school, I unexpectedly ran into Nozaki Umetarou, who then ran up to me and said, "What a surprise, I never thought I'd run into you here, Morofushi."
"Speaking of which, I had a strange dream last night, and I gave it a title: 'When I Fall in Love and Discover Men Are All (Beep—), I Might as Well Take the Throne and Become the Queen Myself.' What do you think of this title?"
Morofushi Sora'aki: "..."
Nozaki Umetarou: "Speaking of which, the school festival is coming up soon. What do you think our class will choose?"
Morofushi Sora'aki: "No stage play."
Nozaki Umetarou: "Eh? Huh?"
Nozaki Umetarou stopped and looked at Morofushi Sora'aki's retreating figure, his face heavy: Did seeing Kashima earlier really leave you with a shadow? Morofushi!