—Three voices echo with cheers inside the little cabin.
And just like that, a theater unit with me, Shiranui, and Oshimi-senpai is smoothly formed.
After school, our time turns into a kind of pep rally.
While Shiranui munches on some sweet potatoes, I lean closer and ask her quietly:
“…Are you really okay with this?”
“Huh?”
Shiranui responds with a clueless look on her face.
Seriously, what’s with that act? You should take a few notes from Kimiya.
“Don’t ‘huh’ me. I mean, aren’t you just going along with the flow here?”
Shiranui always prioritized school life over acting.
That’s why the student council approached me about her in the first place.
I wanted to double-check, but Shiranui, with a calm expression, replied:
“Well, now that you mention it, I guess I did just go with the flow… but I’m fine with it.”
“Really…?”
“Yeah. I’ve always admired this kind of thing—gathering with others and doing something together.”
“…I see.”
I get it now. That’s the kind of youthful experience Shiranui has been longing for.
I understand the feeling. Before I even entered high school, I used to think about that kind of stuff too.
“—Actually, Kageyuki, thank you, really.”
Shiranui says that and smiles.
I respond,
“I don’t remember doing anything worth being thanked for.”
“But you joined, didn’t you? And that was… because of me, right?”
“………….”
“I ended up spilling a lot earlier, too. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have had a reason to help out, right?”
“Well… I…”
“I can tell at least that much. So, thank you. —That made me really happy.”
Shiranui smiles shyly, giggling softly.
I instinctively look away—I couldn’t keep staring at her pure, honest expression.
She wasn’t wrong. I didn’t refuse the offer because of her. But it wasn’t for the reason she was imagining, either.
—It was just more convenient that way.
To fulfill the student council’s request, staying close to her made things more efficient. Since they offered to let me in, there was no reason to say no. My reasoning wasn’t out of kindness.
And that’s exactly why this sticky guilt keeps clinging to my chest.
Getting involved with others based on calculations and benefits—it’s not easy.
Pretending to be a good guy actually feels more comfortable to me.
Even so…
“It’s fine. I also wanted to see Shiranui up on stage.”
I say it anyway.
It’s not a lie. Not a front either. That’s truly how I feel.
But the fact that I said it based on calculation—there’s no denying that, either.
“Wha… Kage… geez, come on!”
Shiranui turns red and waves her hands wildly in embarrassment.
Looks like she’s happy, at least. That alone made saying it worth it. And as I realize I calculated even that—I almost hated myself, but held it back with sheer willpower.
Feeling self-loathing over your own choices is just pointless.
“Yeah, but… I see. You want to see me, huh. That kinda fires me up.”
She makes a small fist pump. I avert my eyes from her and turn to Oshimi-senpai.
“—So. What exactly do we do now?”
I’m just trying to change the subject. Senpai nods and replies:
“Well, first things first—we need to gather more members, of course.”
“Got it.”
I nod.
Then add,
“Not sure how much help I’ll be right away, though.”
“Same here!”
Shiranui says cheerfully beside me.
Don’t say that with a smile.
“At least you should be able to do something, Shiranui.”
“Even if you say that… I don’t have any friends at this school…”
“………………”
Apparently, being a famous child actress doesn’t help at all in school life.
No, honestly… maybe Shiranui is just that socially awkward.
“Hmmm, this might be a rough road ahead!”
Oshimi-senpai laughs cheerfully. She always seems to be enjoying herself.
But now that I think about it, this is a pretty big problem.
Just the three of us isn’t nearly enough. I turn to Senpai and ask:
“So what should we do?”
“Well, I’ll try to do something about that. I planned to ask some of our club members to help out from the beginning anyway. Of course, I’ll make sure to pick people who won’t clash with Shiranui-chan. That okay?”
“Eh? Ah, yes. That’s fine.”
Shiranui nods.
As long as it’s not an official club, she seems fine with it. Probably.
Then Oshimi-senpai continues:
“But if it ends up being mostly our club members, it won’t mean much, so I’d really like you two to help recruit from outside too…”
“Mmmghh.”
Shiranui groans. She glances at me and says:
“…Kageyuki will take care of that.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
For someone who used to be on TV, her social skills are unbelievably bad…
Well, maybe expecting celebrities to have good social skills is just a stereotype.
Anyway. She’s not wrong. That’s probably something I should handle. Since I’m not that knowledgeable about theater, I need to be useful in other ways—otherwise, I don’t even belong here. I’ll try my best to promote us.
I’m still the newcomer here… but even so, I’m probably better off than Shiranui.
“Well, let’s take a long-term view. We’re probably aiming for something next year anyway.”
With Oshimi-senpai’s final word, our general plan is set.
—But I wonder… is this really something I can report to the student council as progress?
That thought lingers in the back of my mind.
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5
“…This sure turned into something strange…”
I mutter that vague reflection quietly, letting it melt into the darkness.
It’s just past midnight. I’m in the kitchen, boiling water to make tea after finishing my homework in my room.
The after-school talk at the theater cabin eventually turned into a snack party.
I left the two of them once we reached a good stopping point and headed home alone. I figured they’d want to talk without me anyway—it’s not like I was supposed to be there from the start.
“——”
In the dim kitchen light, I stare at the teapot and finally begin to reflect on today.
I’m not about to say something like “Looks like I’ll be busy.” Honestly, I’ve been plenty busy already. So in that sense, today wasn’t really that different from usual.
And yet, to me, it felt like a turning point.
I knew why. Because today, in the school I enrolled in with a purpose, I finally took a clear first step toward that goal. That’s why I felt more tired than usual.
“—Huh? Kageyuki?”
Suddenly, a voice calls out from behind me, and I lift my head.
The dim lighting in the room suddenly brightens.
“Oh, you’re making tea? Then make some for me too.”
It’s my younger sister, Utai—the other half of the Kageyuki family’s twins. She tilts her head curiously.
Our mom and older sister haven’t come home yet, so it’s just the three of us here. Looking at Utai in her pajamas, I ask:
“Is Ei upstairs?”
“Yeah. But she’s probably already asleep. So just two cups is fine.”
“Got it.”
I was going to go with instant tea, but if it’s for two, I’ll use the teapot.
As I prep the tea leaves and cups, Utai sits at the table and suddenly says:
“You seem kinda down.”
“Hmm…? Do I?”
When I ask back, my now-middle-school-aged sister smirks.
“Ah, then I was right. Nice. If you’ve got something on your mind, you should tell your little sister, big bro.”
“Isn’t it weird that your reaction to me being down is ‘Nice’?”
I’ve always been fond of the younger twins, but for some reason they treat me with this weirdly cold attitude. Especially Utai—she’s harsher than Ei. Kinda hurts.
“So, what’s up? Love troubles?”
Utai says something totally middle school-ish. Well, she is a middle schooler.
Since she seems to be assuming I’m going to talk anyway, I pour the tea and start to explain.
“Well, I’ve just got a lot going on at school right now.”
“…‘Work,’ huh.”
“That’s right, work. I’m a guy who values strategic, contractual relationships in high school life.”
“Ugh, I hate it when you start saying stuff like that… It makes your sister sad.”
Well, now I’m sad too. But it’s true, so what can I do?
I’ve chosen to approach high school life like a business—even if it means throwing away love and youthful dreams.
Calculate the costs. Run the numbers.
That’s how I’ll build my relationships over these three years.
Looking at her brother who thinks like that, my wise little sister lets out a sigh in disbelief.
“Is this what they call highschool chuunibyou?”
“But I’m still a first-year… wow, I’m getting this a whole year ahead of time.,”
“Good grief… Exactly as Ryu-nee said.”
“Big sister?”
When this unexpected name came up, I tilted my head in confusion, and Utai nodded.
“Yes. She said, ‘After about a month of enrollment, he’ll start feeling guilty about calculating his relationships with people and become depressed.’ She said you’re really terribly unsuited for that kind of thing.”
“So that’s what she thought of me… that sister of mine.”
The fact that she never said this directly to me is truly just like my sister.
It seems Utai brought this up suddenly because of that incident.
To me, now speechless, Utai asked in a quiet tone:
“Do you regret it?”
“That’s not it,”
I immediately shook my head. I had no intention of saying such things.
It would be foolish to regret doing something I had decided to do.
“It’s just that… I was thinking everyone is surprisingly cunning.”
“…Cunning?”
“No, it’s just me complaining. Forget about it.”
Shaking my head, I cut the conversation short.
I poured hot water into the teapot. Utai didn’t say anything more either.
“Here you go.”
I carried the brewed tea to the table and placed it in front of Utai.
“Mm. Thanks.”
Facing my sister who accepted it with those words, I sat down in the chair opposite her.
I sipped my tea. I noticed Utai occasionally glancing at my expression, but I didn’t react. Eventually, she gave up and put her teacup to her lips.
—Perhaps I had brewed it a bit too strong.
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