Week One, Thursday
Morning comes quickly for Ayano, and Osano isn’t far behind. He’s quiet the whole walk, but Ayano doesn’t question it. She reads through her lines for the play as she walks, memorizing quickly as she goes.
The story is as simple as Shozo explained it yesterday. She, as a girl named Jinx, is an emotionless girl who fears the idea of falling in love, because she’s afraid that once she has emotions, she’ll be left behind. The guy, Alonso, is smitten by her immediately and continuously tries his hand at winning her heart. The story ends with their scene, the one she auditioned with. It seems to imply that the future will be a beautiful one.
Ayano is content with it.
“Hey, guys! Wait up!”
The duo turn to see Taro running to catch up to them.
Osano seems shocked. “You mean you’re actually up on time for once? How’d you manage to do that?”
Taro laughs as he slows down to walk with them. “Hanakō felt bad about making me late yesterday, so he woke up early to make me breakfast and get me up.”
Osano nods at that. “Did he keep apologizing?”
“Yeah.”
“Even when you said it was fine?”
“Yeah.”
Osano sighs. “He needs to stop doing that. He doesn’t need to constantly apologize to you- not like I care about your brother.”
Ayano just blinks at Osano, and it’s enough for him to stop lying.
Taro shrugs helplessly. “It’s just how he is. He doesn’t like upsetting people, you know that.” Taro notices the script in Ayano’s hands. “Oh! Ayano, are you in the Drama Club?”
Ayano nods. “I auditioned yesterday and got in.”
Osano rolls his eyes. “She didn’t just get in . Aya got the lead.”
Taro seems impressed by that. “That’s amazing! What’s the play about, Ayano?”
Ayano dons a smirk. “You’ll just have to wait and see for yourself.”
“When are you guys performing?” Taro asks. “I haven’t watched a play from the Drama Club in a long time, but I’m happy to watch one if a friend is the lead.”
Ayano pauses to remember. “It’s next weekend.”
Osano is confused by that. “But that means you have just over a week to get ready!”
Ayano shrugs. “It seems pretty short, but they wanted to do a play that weekend. The club leader is supposed to return then.”
Taro nods. “Oh yeah, I heard that a year two is in charge of the club. That’s a smart idea. You’ll be able to wow him with your performance, I bet!”
Ayano smiles. “Perhaps.”
Osano scoffs. “Aya, if you’re good enough to be a lead, he has no choice. Kizano may be arrogant, but he’s not blind.”
“Are you coming to that play as well?” Ayano asks, curious.
“Well, I mean, I have nothing better to do, so…” Osano looks at her and his face softens. “Yeah, I’ll watch you perform.”
Ayano smiles at that. She opens her mouth to speak, but an excited greeting cuts her off.
“Ayano!” Kokona waves at her from the front of the school. “Come on! We’re hanging out in the Drama Club room right now!”
Ayano looks to Osano and Taro, and they smile and wave her off.
Kokona happily drags Ayano to the club room. The others are all there, looking through costumes.
“Kokona, Ayano, come on in,” Tsuruzo calls as he looks between two shirts. “We’re finding our costumes for the play.”
Kokona beams and heads over to a rack covered in dresses. “Ayano, this is one of the best parts in drama, after the actual acting of course!” She quickly sifts through dresses, searching for the perfect one.
Ayano just stands next to her. “How do I know what I should wear?”
“Just ask yourself what your character would want to wear. Would she want to look nice? Does she care about what others think? Oh, and if the play takes multiple days, you should wear different outfits if you can!”
Next to them, Riku speaks. “I read the script, and Jinx seems to have three different days, so three outfits should be fine.”
Ayano ponders this as she slowly inspects each piece of clothing. Her character starts without emotions, but if Alonso is so quickly drawn to her, then she should probably look nice. The second instance could be plain, and the third should wow the audience.
With this in mind, Ayano quickly pulls three outfits together. The first is a black skirt with a light purple top. The second is simply a pair of jeans and a blue shirt. The third is a black dress that reaches Ayano’s ankles.
“Wow, Ayano, you have an eye for this!” Kokona says, looking over Ayano’s choices. “You’re going to look wonderful!”
Shozo walks over and agrees. “The audience is going to be captivated by you. Great job, Ayano.”
He walks away, and Kokona gives Ayano a look that screams, ‘ I told you that he’s into you. ’
The bell for class rings before Ayano can figure out how to say, ‘ He really isn’t and I don’t care either way ,’ with her eyes, so she just shrugs and walks to her class.
Mrs. Rino is quick to assign plenty of work for her students, but says that they can work with a classmate until lunch. Osano quickly pulls his chair over to Ayano’s desk.
The two work quickly, and they talk quietly as they breeze through their tasks. Occasionally, Osano asks Ayano for help, but they mainly just talk about other classes.
It’s near the end of the class period, when both of them are done, that Osano starts to get fidgety.
“Hey, Aya?” Osano starts, and Ayano sets down her script and looks at Osano. He pauses.
“Yes, Osano?”
“Want to go with me to the movies after school? Not like a date, but I have a leftover ticket from a friend who cancelled on me! I just don’t want to waste the money, and-”
“What movie?” Ayano asks, cutting him off.
“Ah, um, Tide ? Have you heard of it?”
She has. “A romantic comedy?”
Osano turns red. “Yeah, why? Is there something wrong with that?”
Ayano shrugs. “No. I’ll go with you.”
Osano seems to wait for more, but Ayano doesn’t know what it is. So she just goes back to reading her script.
Soon, the lunch bell rings, and Saki quickly comes by the classroom to steal Ayano away.
“So,” Saki says as she drags Ayano into the Cooking Club room. “I heard you joined drama? What about us?”
Ayano smiles. “I figured I could do both? I’m officially signed up for drama, but I’m sure I can take time here as well. Once a week minimum, correct?”
Saki nods. “So you’re joining us, too?”
Ayano agrees, and soon enough she’s given a light pink bandana that she can wear to signify that she’s in the Cooking Club. She spends the rest of lunch making octodogs and handing them to classmates, fulfilling her weekly requirement for club time.
Afternoon classes are just like the morning, and Osano seems more flustered than usual as he works beside Ayano. When the day ends, Osano reminds her to meet him by the gate after club time.
Drama flies by, and the other drama members are impressed that Ayano already has a third of her lines down. Before Ayano realizes, it’s time to meet up with Osano.
He’s more impatient than usual as he waits for her, pacing as he mutters to himself. But he calms once Ayano arrives.
The walk to the theater is quiet.
The movie is okay.
Osano leads Ayano out of the theater, pulling her by the hand this time.
When they get to her house, Osano leans closer as she says goodbye. Ayano, confused, just stares blankly.
“Well, uh, see you tomorrow, Aya,” Osano finally gets out, and walks away before Ayano closes the door.
Ayano wonders if he liked the movie. Then she sleeps.
Notes:
Sorry that i left you all waiting for so long😭