(50 Power Stone Bonus) Chapter 180: Drama (Long Chapter)
There was no need to wait until the third day. By the second day, Nakamura Kyoko's complete information had been sent, including details about that boyfriend who ran away...
The condition of Nakamura Kyoko's daughter was exactly as she had stated—no, actually, it was worse. At most, she could only hold on for a month to half a year.
It depended on the child's willpower.
Even with a bone marrow transplant, the chance for a full recovery wasn't high.
But in this matter, Shizuka could no longer help.
Three days later, Nakamura Kyoko arrived. Shizuka gave her the eight million yen as promised and brought a gift to visit the child at the hospital together.
Lying on a pristine white hospital bed was a very cute child, her hair pale and half-fallen out. Despite suffering from the illness, she still tried to show a smile when facing her mother's care.
Upon seeing Shizuka and Akishin, she called out sweetly, "Uncle, Auntie!"
After that, Shizuka left a note saying "if there are further developments, they can still reach out," and then the two of them left.
Everything in the world is uncertain; doing what one is capable of is already a noble thing!
...
Time finally arrived at one month later. Under the efforts of Yukino and all the staff, Sobu High School's Autumn School Anniversary finally began.
The weather was clear, and every class had put up colorful ribbons. Giant banners hung from the school buildings, fluttering in the sea breeze.
Each class prepared its own activities.
Haunted houses, cake shops, drama stages, udon noodles, card games, comedians... various types of programs, like puzzle pieces, forming a bustling school.
Today, besides the students of Sobu High School themselves, there were many outsiders: parents who wanted to enroll their children at Sobu, office workers wanting to relive the school atmosphere, tourists joining the fun, curious children, journalists gathering information...
Because of Akishin and Hachiman's influence, Sobu High School had become very famous. Coupled with its already high influence in Chiba, this year's School Anniversary was more crowded than ever!
Figures from various circles were present; the government even sent representatives specifically to show support. In addition, almost all the key members of the Chiba Kendo Alliance had come.
A large group of over fifty people, led by Suzuki Tsuyoshi. The principal, the board of directors, and Akishin personally welcomed them, raising the popularity of the School Anniversary by another level.
The Executive Committee had predicted that the popularity of the School Anniversary would increase and had made extra preparations, but they hadn't expected it to be this massive.
However, they didn't panic. They reorganized and deployed an extra group of staff to maintain order, so the School Anniversary could open perfectly—Akishin had reminded them earlier that many people from the Kendo Alliance would be coming.
Back to the main point, the time was currently 09:57 AM, almost time to begin.
Hachiman stared at the clock on the wall, switched on his headset, and gave a notification: "Three minutes left, three minutes left..."
Within seconds, static crackled in the headset, and Yukino's voice rang out: "Yukinoshita Yukino here. Notifying all personnel, activities will proceed on time. Please report immediately if there are any issues..."
She gave the notice calmly, without any of the nervousness that might occur when leading a major event like this for the first time.
Even though many big figures were sitting in the audience below.
Among the government personnel was Yukino's father.
This was the first time he had come to participate in his daughter's school activities—especially one led by her. He was looking forward to it immensely.
Several confirmation messages were immediately heard in the headset.
"Lights, no problems."
"PA (Sound Control, Sound Engineering) here, no problems."
"Backstage here, personnel preparation is a bit late, but we should make it for the opening..."
"..."
Reports from several departments were heard in succession, sent to Yukino's location to be compiled.
"Received. Until instructions are given from the command center (control room), everyone please take your positions," Yukino's cold voice sounded in his ear.
"Everyone, do your best."
Beside Yukino was Yui, who was grinning widely. She held a stack of scripts, feeling both excited and tense. She had never imagined she could sit in this position.
Hachiman was at the bottom right corner of the stage, staring seriously at the wall clock.
As each second passed, the atmosphere at the venue became a bit quieter.
All the attending personnel had taken their seats properly.
Looking into the gymnasium from a small window, one could see countless students, their faces full of anticipation, occasionally chatting softly, filled with youthful energy.
The first few rows of seats were occupied by government inspection personnel led by Yukinoshita Ryuichi and Kendo Alliance personnel led by Suzuki Tsuyoshi, as well as people from various other large and small organizations and groups...
In both corners were documentary teams from various major television stations in Chiba.
Increasing influence also increased risk. If the School Anniversary went well, Sobu High School would be accepted by more people and its status would improve. If it went poorly, it would be a public execution.
This was considered a complete exhibition of the school to the general public.
But Sobu High School wasn't worried. Yukino had handled it very well; the school leadership had discussed it specifically and found no flaws.
With less than a minute left before the opening, the inside of the gymnasium became a sea of silence.
Everyone held their breath, no longer whispering, together feeling this moment.
Hachiman turned on the headset again and said softly, "Last ten seconds."
His finger stayed on the button.
"Nine."
His eyes were fixed sharply on the clock.
"Eight."
His breathing became steady.
"Seven."
With each second of the countdown, he exhaled.
To be honest, he was feeling a bit nervous.
"Six."
I wonder where Sensei is watching from. Has Komachi arrived yet...
"Five seconds countdown."
Someone else picked up the count, continuing the countdown.
"Four."
The voice was very calm, with a slight chill.
"Three."
Entering the final three seconds, he stopped counting aloud.
However, someone gave a 'two' signal with their fingers.
Hachiman looked up from the corner of the stage. Yukino was standing at the window of the sound control room on the second floor, monitoring the stage.
Yukinoshita Ryuichi looked up at his own daughter, showing a smile; beside Yukinoshita Ryuichi was Yukino Haruno, who was wearing a constant, wide grin.
"I didn't expect Yukino-chan to have become this amazing." She felt moved, then sighed.
In the midst of the silence, the final second passed.
Hachiman pressed the button decisively.
Instantly, the stage exploded with magnificent lights.
A shadow appeared on stage—it was Shiromeguri Meguri. She held a microphone, her voice full of energy: "Hehe, is everyone enjoying today's School Anniversary celebration~~"
"Waoooo..."
The audience responded with a roar of cheers.
"A famous place in Chiba, a festival, and what?"
She pointed the microphone toward the audience.
"Dancing!!"
"Fellow fools, let's dance together-myao..." She hopped around enthusiastically on stage, making a (๑＞ڡ＜)☆ expression.
"Sing a song~~"
After Shiromeguri Meguri warmed up the atmosphere, the students all went wild. Moving from silent to high energy took only three sentences.
The next second, deafening dance music echoed through the venue.
Now entering the warm-up program of the opening ceremony, the performers were all the members of the Dance Club and Cheerleader Club.
Earlier, Shiromeguri Meguri had led everyone in shouting slogans, and the enthusiasm continued to rise. There were students dancing along funnily, and students raising both hands high to wave. It was incredibly lively...
"Akishin, isn't it interesting? It was like this last year, too. These kids still have so much energy. Every time I see it, I feel like I've returned to my school days..."
"Huff~, it feels quite good. This is also the result of the effort they've put in..."
Akishin and Shizuka declined to sit in the center area. They stood in the staff hallway on the second floor, looking down at the hall, watching the performance on stage.
They wore headsets, listening to the coordination of the entire hall. They weren't participating, but if an emergency occurred, they could immediately give intervention instructions.
They were watching and enjoying it at the same time.
Akishin found it very interesting. He had never experienced a School Anniversary; at most, he had only participated in school sports festivals before, which naturally couldn't compare to Sobu High School's School Anniversary...
"PA here, the music is almost over!" the sound controller gave a notification.
"Received, I'm heading down now."
Yukino nodded, leaving the sound control room, leaving Yui alone to manage the situation.
Shiromeguri Meguri, acting as the host on stage, also received the signal. After the performance ended, the dancers went behind the curtain on the left side of the stage. Shiromeguri Meguri stood in the center again and announced: "Next, a speech from the Chairperson of the School Anniversary Executive Committee."
After she spoke, Yukinoshita Yukino, wearing the white autumn uniform of Sobu High School, her long black hair flowing, walked onto the stage with a cold, beautiful face.
Her expression was calm, her steps steady.
The gaze of thousands of spectators was focused entirely on her.
She walked to the center of the stage, marked earlier with tape, stopped, accepted the wireless microphone from Shiromeguri Meguri's hand, and then delivered her speech before the thousands in attendance.
"Good morning everyone. This year's promotional slogan is: Chiba's Signature Product..."
Her words were clear, her tone objective. Just from this calm demeanor alone, it wasn't the air of an ordinary high school student.
She didn't use a script; she had memorized the words. She looked across the entire audience evenly, stopping only for a moment on her own father.
Soon, the speech ended, and there were several items following.
No need to worry; everything had been arranged perfectly.
The big figures nodded, offering their affirmation to Yukino. Some recognized Yukino and conveyed their praise to Yukinoshita Ryuichi.
...
The opening ceremony ended, and the School Anniversary officially began. The School Anniversary activities lasted for two days. In the past, the first day was only for internal students, and only the second day was open to the general public.
But this year was different. From today, the public was already welcome, simply because the community had been looking forward to Sobu High School's School Anniversary for a long time.
"The cakes in Class J are quite good. It seems Yukinoshita taught them how to make them... then the udon noodles in Class C, they might have prepared too little..."
"Where to next?"
"Class F, Hachiman's class. They're performing the drama 'The Little Prince.' Let's go see... Akishin, Suzuki-san and the others have arrived. Do you really not want to accompany them for a bit..."
"No need, I've already made plans to drink with them this afternoon. For now, let's just concentrate on enjoying the School Anniversary. Besides, there's nothing more important than accompanying you..."
"!!! You only know how to sweet-talk, hmph~ but, say a bit more, I like hearing it~... I actually wanted my mother and the others to come play, but they happened to be busy..."
Akishin and Shizuka walked through the school corridors, enjoying programs, tasting delicious food, reviewing the order, and watching every student strive for their respective classes.
It was full of energy, so different from the society outside.
Soon, they arrived at the door of Class F.
Hachiman and Yui, who seemed to have nothing to do, were sitting behind a table outside the class. On the table were honey cakes—bread baked slightly dark with a sweet layer of honey spread on top and decorated with dried nuts—the two of them were eating happily.
Beside them was a promotional poster for the drama "The Little Prince."
Seeing Akishin and Shizuka's arrival, both stood up to greet them.
Yui pushed the honey cake forward, saying with a broad smile, "Sensei, have some cake."
Akishin declined, but Shizuka took a piece.
"Has the drama inside started?" Akishin asked.
"It just started. Does Sensei want to watch?"
"I want to see it. I wonder how it turned out."
"...It's pretty good, worth watching."
Hachiman's words weren't very confident; after all, this was the program Ebina was responsible for.
Akishin nodded and pulled Shizuka inside.
Yui cast an anxious glance, and Hachiman shook his head. Hearing instructions from Yukino in the headset, both of them left.
Entering the classroom specifically set up as a dark environment, the arranged stage was lit by warm-colored lights, and behind it was a background painted on hard cardboard.
It really had just started; the actors hadn't walked onto the stage yet.
Ebina saw the two of them and enthusiastically pulled them to the golden position—in the center of the classroom—beside her.
Ebina bragged: "Both teachers, please enjoy. This is our class program that is the focus of the world's attention. It will absolutely surprise you and be unforgettable..."
On the other side, Miura Yumiko covered her face with her hand, unable to bear watching.
Akishin and Shizuka nodded with smiles, sitting in the chairs that had just been moved for them, surrounded by gathered students and the general public.
There were dozens of people in total; the classroom, which wasn't large, felt quite crowded.
First was Hayama's role as [I] (the drama character) performing a monologue.
The spotlight shone on Hayama, and the audience immediately erupted in cheers—at least half of the audience were Hayama's friends and fans!
On stage with a desert background, a simple airplane prop was placed. The picture described by [I] in the story was played by a real person wearing a mascot costume. During the scene where an animal is coiled by a snake, the two actors also coiled around each other. The funny sight made the audience burst into laughter...
Even Shizuka couldn't help but laugh.
Hayama continued his long monologue...
"Sorry, please draw a sheep for me." At this moment, Totsuka's voice was heard.
The other lead actor walked onto the stage.
"Eh, what?"
Hayama, playing [I], made a movement of not hearing the whisper clearly.
Totsuka Saika, playing [The Little Prince], repeated: "Please draw a sheep for me."
The spotlight randomly moved to one end of the stage.
Totsuka Saika's appearance in the performance costume was very cute and pleasant; the audience collectively let out a sound of admiration.
Outsiders who didn't know the situation wouldn't be able to tell this was a boy.
As the two main characters met, the story developed smoothly...
At this point, it moved to the part where [The Little Prince] talks about the rose on his planet.
A male student whose entire body was wrapped in tight green clothes and wearing a red shower cap appeared, speaking in a feminine tone as he recounted his past with the little prince.
The following plot was quite tragic. [The Little Prince], played by Totsuka, reviewed the planets he visited throughout his journey—almost all of them were shown in short skits, with complete character costumes. Although there were many flaws, for school students, reaching this stage was already a complete self-surpassing feat, worthy of praise:
The king whose only thought was showing off authority and defending power—wearing a stack of luxury carpets brought from a classmate's house, Yamato felt so hot he could barely stand it.
Everyone chuckled.
The narcissistic man who craved everyone's worship and recognition—from head to toe covered in tin foil, Tobe's entire body was so dazzling it was hard to look at.
Everyone clapped.
The drunkard who felt ashamed of his alcohol addiction and, to throw that feeling as far away as possible, drank even more alcohol to numb himself—beside him were stacked several liquor bottles and countless empty ones. Due to tension, Tahara's entire face was beet red, as if he were truly drunk.
Everyone cheered.
The merchant whose mouth was full of numbers, constantly shouting "Look! I am an important figure"—thanks to Ebina's guidance, the suit Bancho wore suited him perfectly.
Everyone laughed out loud.
The lamplighter constrained by rules, having to constantly light and extinguish the lamp—Ooka wore overalls covered in coal dust, constantly spinning around a lamp prop.
This role felt very fitting for him.
Shizuka clapped.
The geographer who confined himself to his study, never stepping foot outside and knowing nothing about the world—beside Oda were stacked maps and globes. His reading style quite reflected the air of a scholar.
Akishin clapped softly.
This drama, at least as seen now, was very good! Behind the simple performance were interesting and meaningful stories, like an old cartoon from long ago.
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