Underneath the Moonlight || Osorō Shidesu x OC

7 - Kizano Sunobu & The Incident

I stepped out of his embrace with a smile. Before I could stop myself, my hands gripped his shoulders and my feet lifted me onto my tiptoes so I could plant a soft kiss on Osorō's cheek. "With you cheering me on, how could I not?"

I hurried away, waving at him one last time before turning around with a huge grin on my face.

As I stood in line to audition, however, my cheeks were ablaze as the weight of what I'd just done struck me. While it was true that I was beginning to like Aso, too, I couldn't shake the influence that Osorō had over me — his presence was like a magnet that I simply couldn't resist, regardless of how hard I tried to.

But I wasn't willing to give up just yet. After all, tomorrow I was seeing a movie with Aso. There was still hope of resisting that magnet's pull.

Finally, it was my turn. My heart pounding in my chest.

"What role are you auditioning for?" Kizano asked, holding his script as I approached him.

"I'd like to audition for the role of Belle."

My voice echoed through the room loud and clear, and hushed whispers and groans sounded immediately after I stated the role. I could hear the closest girl in front of me mumble, "Well, there goes my audition."

"Excellent. Act one, page thirty-one — Belle's first interaction with the Beast. Begin from the beginning."

I opened my script to the correct page as Kizano flipped to the page in his script. The page he wanted me to start on continued from the scene where Belle found her father being held captive, and the Beast catches her and accuses her father of being a thief. I took a deep breath, and all eyes were on me as I opened my mouth to begin reciting Belle's lines.

"You would hold my father captive... over a single rose?! Then take me in his stead, as I'm the one who asked him for the rose."

Kizano's eyebrows shot up, and he recited the Beast's lines with a small grin. "You would switch places with your father? Ha! You, such a frail young lady, willingly staying as a captive to save your dear father? You must be dumber than your father."

"I assure you I am far from frail. Release him at once and take me in his place!"

Kizano scoffed. "If that is what you so wish... let it be done."

In character, Kizano grabbed my arm and swung us, switching our places as if he'd just thrown me into a cell, and though he'd mentioned yesterday that no one needed to actually fall for the role of Belle's audition, I did so anyway, to add to the realism of the scene and further engross myself into the role. This action made Kizano's eyebrows shoot up once more, and I continued my next lines, "Don't worry, papa, he can't hold me forever. I promise I'll return."

Kizano broke character and reached down to help me up. Hesitantly, I took his hand, and his fingers shocked me as soon as they made contact with mine. His purple eyes gazed deeply into mine, and suddenly, everything moved in slow motion.

It was just him and I for a few seconds, and his twinkling amethyst eyes staring into mine.

The moment didn't last long, though. Around us, applause broke out louder than the auditions before mine as he helped me to my feet. I smiled, taking that as a good sign, and I was so distracted by the applause that I didn't notice Kizano was still holding my hand until his lips made contact with the back of it. My eyes snapped back to him in an instant, my cheeks flaring up with heat, and the room abrupt with louder applause and some gasps simultaneously.