Freya put a hand on his clenched one, ensuring him it was going to be alright. He gave her a small smile. At least he wasn't alone in this.
'If it's not with Ka, how about Ri?' He acted strangely a bit. As if he was focusing on something in his head, he stopped responding to the real world. 'I need to talk with both of them. They should know they can count on me.'
The car stopped, and Freya too late realized she had forgotten to get out sooner. She pushed herself back, but girls outside saw her.
"Is that Freaka?"
"Seriously?"
"No way!"
The cameras flashed, and Aiyoku blocked the door. "Is there a problem?" His cold stare put a blizzard to shame, and the girls jumped back, clearing the road. He stepped aside, offering Freya his hand.
'Oh well. Here goes nothing.' She pushed herself outside, accepting his hand as if she was a princess.
A murmur spread around them, and she let go of Aiyoku, walking side by side to the school. The stares didn't leave any impact on her, but for some reason, the tension in her stomach strengthened. It was a long time since she was in the center of attention.
Going to her locker, she found people watching her with curiosity. The jealousy of girls was ever-present, it only shifted from one target to another. Now it rested on her shoulders for driving with the Greek God.
'I should have walked here.' Opening her locker, she saw the pear sitting there. She made sure to block it, so people wouldn't see it. Losing it once was enough for her nerve system.
'I guess I should decide who gets it, right?' She finished sorting her books, locking the small locker. 'But what would happen next?'
Rigaku's theory about the losers going through punishment or penalty made her scared. No matter how annoying they could be at the start, she would never wish them any harm. Letting somebody learn their lessons was something completely different.
'I should ask Rigaku if he knows something new. With the recent events, I didn't even notice if the pear followed me or not.'
With a nagging feeling, she entered her first class. One period after another, her day went by in front of her eyes without the rest of the brothers appearing.
'I wonder if they are okay. Aiyoku said Rigaku was never late for anything except for the time he overworked himself.'
Climbing the steps, she aimed to meet with Kaneko, the girl that was part of the hand-craft club and helped Kagetsu made the jester of her childhood. Speaking of the toy, she had it in her bag since that day. She didn't allow it to leave her side.
As childish as it could be, she didn't care. Cuddling with it every evening, falling asleep by its side, she could rest protected from nightmares.
Passing by fellow students, she reached the club. 'What?' She pressed the handle, but the door remained closed. 'Shouldn't the club be open by now?' She took a step back, trying to get a better view.
The paper, stating what club it was, was gone. Freya racked her brain, trying to find a reason why it would be closed. She had talked, even if she mostly listened, to Kaneko only once after she got the plush toy.
'She mentioned something about being the only member. Is it the reason it's closed now?' She put her hands behind herself, rocking on her heels. 'Perhaps she pulled down the name to rework it.' A sigh escaped her. 'I wanted to see the cross-stitched pictures Kagetsu talked about.'
She turned around, heading to the theater when she noticed Ueno walked toward her. Blood boiled inside of her.
'You!'
The ginger-haired girl clenched her fists, her gaze set firmly in front of her. 'Could she force it to close down?' Ueno always looked for an opportunity to make others miserable and boost her own ego.
Freya only tightened her fists, passing by Ueno without any interaction. 'I'll ask Kaneko first.'
Heading outside, she marched toward the theater. With her pounding heart, she reached the place, finding it open. A huge boulder had fallen down from her shoulders.
'At least, this place is fine.'
The members greeted her, and she answered with a wave. Inside, she had found pacing Sakura with a script behind her back.
"Freya-chan!"
The ginger girl jerked, getting goose-dumps.
"Do you know where Kagetsu-san is?" Sakura stopped a step in front of her.
Freya shook her head, realizing this Friday they had one play and the last one tomorrow.
"Dang it! And he was so adamant to continue!" An angry huff escaped from her nose.
The staff members set up the scene, going through all the props they had. Freya noticed some of the background scenery had got a few more details.
In a spur of a moment, Freya tugged on Sakura's sleeve, gesturing to herself.
"You... You mean you can play Snow White?"
Sparks ran through Freya's body, realizing too late it might be beyond her abilities, but she nodded. 'This is something I can do.'
Sakura thought about it a bit. "You don't need to be a member to be a substitute, but you are mute, aren't you?"
Freya gave her a sheepish smile, sticking her head between her shoulders.
Sakura pondered about it. "Well, it would be no problem if the play remained silent, but I've heard a lot of praise over the twist. It would be a shame to skip it, but still..."
The girl let out a sigh, unsure if she was glad or not.
"Freya-chan!" Aiyoku called her from the door, rushing to her. "Can I borrow your phone? I've forgotten mine at home."
Nodding, she fished out her device.
"You are a life-saver!" After a small shock of seeing the ancient model, he pressed the numbers, calling Kagetsu's phone. His brows frowned after the first beep. "Is his phone dead?"
He bit his lip, walking a bit away from the girls as he tried to call Rigaku's one. "Please, pick it. Pick it," Aiyoku mumbled as the phone rang on the other side, but he ultimately had fallen into voice email. He ended the call with a huff.
"Neither Ri is picking the call." With those words, he returned the phone. "They must be still sleeping, or the phone is too far from them to wake them up. How tired they could be?" His teeth dug into his thumb.
"We can go on," Sakura said. "We only need to find a substitution actor."
"Do you have anybody on your mind?"
"Well..." she looked around. "We all know how the plays go, but not everybody is fit to stand in front of the crowd. Kagetsu-san came out... naturally."
"Sakura-san!" a voice yelled from the entrance.
All eyes moved to the newcomer.
"Kosuke-kun?" Sakura couldn't believe her eyes. "What are you doing here? Didn't you stay at home?"
He strode towards her, his fists balled. "I... I'm sorry!" His body bent in a perfect ninety-degree angle. "I abandoned my duty! I promise it won't happen again!"
"Kosuke-kun..." Sakura whispered, lost with her words.
The boy narrowed. "I'll play the prince! Please, accept me back!"
"But why are you here?" Aiyoku asked. "I've heard you decided to stay homeschooled."
A blush settled on Kosuke's face after a few seconds. "I couldn't stand up for myself and decided to run away." The light from above sparkled inside of a small tear sliding down his cheek. "But then I've seen the school newspapers on the internet. They praised our play, yet I..."
Kosuke leaned his head back, holding back his tears. "I was so ashamed. It reminded me how much I've put into this play! How much I've tried to be perfect!" He looked her straight into the eyes, grabbing her hands. "I can't be called a man if I can't keep my promise to fulfill my duty!"
Their faces blushed, and the shade deepened even when their hands separated.
"A-alright. Get ready! I won't forgive you any more slacking."
"Yes!" He saluted. "Where is Kagetsu-san?"
"He"—Aiyoku trailed off—"may not make it today."
"Seriously?" Kosuke bristled. "But who will play Snow White?"
"That's..."