I Chose the Plain Girl Instead of the Class’s Top Three Beauties, and Somehow She Became the Heroine - 40

Chapter 40: Cultural Festival Duties

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《Sora Mukei’s POV》

We were having a class meeting over what we would do for the cultural festival. The blackboard had “Ideas for Activities” written in large letters, and Akai-sensei twirled a piece of chalk.

“Café, haunted house, theater. Is that about it? Let’s narrow it down to these three. First, we’ll do a vote.”

A murmur ran through the classroom as hands went up all at once.

Okabe raised both hands high and shouted, “Theater!” Akira muttered over his shoulder, “Theater’s good, but can we manage the preparation?”

In the end, the theater had the majority of the votes.

“Alright, theater it is. We’ll decide the theme later, but first, let’s build the framework for roles. Lead, heroine, script, direction, costume & makeup, props, stage set…”

As Akai-sensei listed the roles, several eyes turned toward Kiritani-san. Okabe raised his hand.

“If we’re doing theater, the heroine has to be Mizuki, right?!”

“Okabe, there might be volunteers too, right?”

Despite the teacher’s words, no one else had volunteered besides Kiritani-san. The class showed a clear desire for Kiritani-san to play the heroine.

“Um, I’ll take the role of heroine. I’m Mizuki Kiritani. Nice to meet you.”

Applause. She took a step forward with her calm tone, and even the teacher nodded, saying.

“She’s suitable.”

“I want to do costumes and makeup!”

Miura-san raised her hand energetically.

“I can make small props too, and I’ve been practicing hair and makeup. I’ll design costumes that are cute and easy to move in!”

“That helps a lot. I’ll leave you as chief, then.”

“Got it!”

Miura-san’s friends, flashy-girled and heavily made-up, reacted with interest. However, a problem arose here. When it came to deciding the lead (male role), Akira immediately raised his hand.

“I’ll do it!”

Okabe added. When the two stood side by side, the classroom buzzed a little.

“Alright, let’s do a quick read-through. I have prepared a provisional script, this is the last year’s version though.”

Akai-sensei handed out the printouts to both of them. Akira’s voice was careful but stiff and nervous, slightly high-pitched. Okabe spoke in his usual loud voice. Neither was particularly good. But their energy was there, and their lines rushed forward, overlapping in places. Just as a subtle tension lingered between them, Hino-san raised her hand.

“Sensei, can I try reading it once too?”

“Oh, Hino? Sure, go ahead.”

Hino-san stepped forward, tying her hair back and tugging her jacket’s hem, adjusting her posture. She held the script at chest height and calmly delivered the first line. She widened her steps just slightly, placed pauses properly, and maintained eye contact. She responded naturally to the other actor’s lines and kept her gaze steady. The classroom noise momentarily dulled. When she finished the last line, Akai-sensei clapped.

“…That movement is stage-like. Her voice is calm too. Could she do the male lead in a cross-dress?”

“I can. I’ll practice.”

Hino-san winked at Kiritani-san, who looked slightly troubled. Applause spread through the class. Akira swallowed his frustration and clapped along. Meanwhile, Okabe genuinely protested to Hino-san.

“Then, Hino is the lead. Takatou will be the sidekick with many lines, and Okabe will be the rival. Both of you have a pretty major role. That’s good enough, right?”

“Okay!”

“Damn, that should’ve been me!”

With the casting settled and a read-through complete, Akai-sensei turned to us.

“Script and overall coordinator… Mukei. You’re good at organizing words in Japanese class. And Anno, help Mukei out.”

“-!!! Me?”

“Yes, you’re top of the class in Japanese. Help choose the wording for the script.”

“Yes!!!”

Anno-san nodded after looking at me.

“Mukei is strong in Japanese. I want you to check the accuracy of the lines. The two of you together can handle script and progress management, rehearsal schedules, and draft the props list. Mizuki, help with assistant directing too.”

“Understood.”

“…Yes.”

Once roles were roughly assigned, Miura-san jumped into action. Other students’ roles, including stage sets, were also decided.

“Costumes will be easy-move pants and two dresses for the heroine. We’ll discuss colors later. Makeup should be versatile enough for transparency and stage presence. Anno-san, could you help with prop designs?”

“…If everyone is okay with me….”

“Thanks!”

The two, having just grown closer, naturally stood side by side. Kiritani-san peered at the script.

“Mukei-kun, there’s a part I want to add.”

Her gaze flicked to me for a moment. Anno-san and I nodded simultaneously.

“I think we can manage it.”

“Yeah. Let’s discuss it a bit.”

Since Hino-san also had club activities, she would prioritize those until the script was ready.

“Mukei-kun, you’re responsible for the script and managing the lead, so I’ll rely on you for the overall progress of the preparation. Don’t hold back.”

“Leave it to me.”

“Yeah. I knew you’d say that.”

With a few brief exchanges, the plan solidified. Mizuki let out a small laugh at that.

“…This team has a good balance.”

Miura-san said as she peeked her face in.

“Alright, I’ll sketch costume drafts in a few days. Anno-san, let’s look at the color scheme together later.”

“Yes.”

I wanted to do my best to help the class however I could. So, I decided to use last year’s stage script as a reference and adjust it to fit the current cast.

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