I Chose the Plain Girl Instead of the Class’s Top Three Beauties, and Somehow She Became the Heroine - 41

Chapter 41: Original

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《Sora Mukei’s POV》

I compiled the first draft of the script on my laptop. The title of the play was 『Invisible You and Invisible Me.』 The theme was a romance between a ghost and a human.

The lead was Hino-san (playing a blind young man). The heroine was Kiritani-san (playing a ghost). I couldn’t create a story completely from scratch, but I added a little scenario to the world originally prepared by the teacher and completed the script.

The script was structured into three acts. I avoided using difficult words and kept the movements minimal. This was decided in order to highlight the two beautiful girls. Acting was important, but I wanted the story to be memorable for the whole class. I divided the scenes using lighting. The story ended with a kiss between the two. I had Anno-san read the printed draft.

“I finished writing it. Anno-san, can you read it?”

“Yes. I’ll check it.”

After school, in the library, Anno-san went over it. She held a red pen and started reading. Her reading speed was fast. She only underlined the parts that concerned her.

“The explanation in Act 1 can be two lines. Writing ‘The young man is blind’ first makes it easier for the actor to move.”

“Got it. I’ll fix it.”

“For Act 2 dialogue, shorten the sentences. If you end with ‘Thank you,’ Kiritani-san’s voice will stand out.”

“I’ll shorten it.”

Anno-san also checked the narration parts. After finishing the entire script, she added more notes.

“For the final cue in Act 3, add a signal before the ‘kiss.’ Something like ‘The young man nods slightly’ should be fine.”

“I’ll add it.”

I applied the revisions. The word count didn’t increase, only the phrasing changed. Reading it again, the movements became clear after Anno-san’s revisions.

“How’s this?”

“I don’t think there’s any problem.”

“I’ll submit it to the teacher then.”

“Yes.”

I went to the staff room. Akai-sensei was printing something, so I waited my turn and placed the script on the teacher’s desk.

“I’m submitting the first draft of the script.”

“Alright. Huh? This looks good. Overall, it has a calm feeling, but the two main characters stand out nicely.”

“Yes. No breaks, fifteen to twenty minutes long.”

The teacher read silently. He nodded and looked up.

“Clear. I like the short lines. I can imagine Hino’s movements… How will you stage the final kiss?”

I explained the plan I had prepared.

“Not directly front-on, slightly angled. Dim the side lights, keep only the center bright. The kiss lasts one second, then immediate blackout. The music ends it.”

“Good. Classic, but since both of them are popular, it works. Alright. Guardians will attend, so include this in the notice: ‘There is a scene with a brief kiss on the cheek.’ Is that fine?”

“Yes. I’ll do that.”

The teacher stamped it.

“First draft approved. Start the read-throughs tomorrow.”

“Thank you.”

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Back in the classroom, we started preparing for the read-through. Scripts were distributed according to roles. Hino-san received hers first and flipped through the pages.

“Short and simple. I can probably memorize this easily.”

“I marked the breathing points. Pause at those points.”

“Got it.”

Kiritani-san looked at the script and then at me.

“The lines seem easy to say. Thank you, Mukei-kun.”

“No, thank you. Keep your voice soft. I set ghosts to speak quietly.”

“Understood.”

Akira looked at the sidekick lines and laughed.

“My funny lines are short but effective.”

“Shorter works better. Just react to every third line.”

“Got it.”

Okabe played the knight. He tapped the edge of the script.

“My role has a lot of movement. Isn’t it a little pathetic?”

He was the “losing” role, so it was unavoidable.

“It’s an important role. You could say the success of this stage play depends on you, Okabe.”

“Seriously?! That’s a lot of responsibility!”

He smiled, satisfied. Miura-san showed her costume sketches. The protagonist wore a black shirt and vest, the heroine a white dress, the knight a simple cape, and the sidekick a traveler’s vest.

“We’ll have two costume changes. Makeup is important for the atmosphere.”

“Understood.”

During the first read-through, I gave cues for progress and Anno-san timed the rehearsal.

“Act 1, start.”

The young man (Hino) met the ghost (Kiritani). He was blind and she had forgotten her name. They met in front of a desolate mansion. Hino-san’s voice was calm. Kiritani-san’s voice was soft. There were no long silences between them. Everything proceeded according to the script.

“Act 2, start.”

The sidekick (Akira) helped the young man. The knight (Okabe) tried to break a shrine. The young man stopped him. The sidekick kept the scene moving. The lines progressed with good rhythm. In this fantasy world, the ghost faced danger.

“Act 3, start.”

The ghost remembered a past letter. The young man read it, helping her regain her memory.

“I’m glad I met you.”

The young man folded the letter. The ghost remembered her name. The young man stepped closer.

“Cue here.”

At my cue, Hino-san nodded slightly. Kiritani-san stepped forward. I signaled the lighting team. Only the center was lit. They stood at an angle. Hino-san slowly moved her face closer. And Kiritani-san closed her eyes. It was a brief, gentle kiss followed by an instant blackout.

“Finished.”

Anno-san showed the stopwatch.

“Within time. The last part is fine too.”

A small applause rose in the classroom. Hino-san wiped sweat and Kiritani-san took a deep breath.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Your cue makes it easy, Mukei-kun. Not scary.”

“Thanks.”

Okabe raised his hand.

“Can we add music before my scene?”

Akira also raised his hand.

“Do we need my ‘See you tomorrow’ at the end of Act 2?”

“Not really. We can end it at ‘Let’s go.’”

“Got it.”

Miura-san measured costume lengths.

“The dress goes to mid-calf. No steps, so no danger of tripping.”

“Thanks.”

At the end of the day, Akai-sensei came to observe. We showed only Act 3 to him. After the blackout, he briefly commented.

“Good. Clear. The final kiss is short, so no problem. Let’s go with this script. Do three full rehearsals. Don’t forget to have costume fittings next week.”

“Yes.”

Everyone responded together. After cleaning up, Anno-san quietly said to me.

“The final cue voice was good.”

“Thanks. It’s thanks to you, Anno-san.”

I patted the script cover. There was still much to do, but the path was clear. Tomorrow, I’d make the prop letter and adjust the lighting brightness again. The goal was the cultural festival performance and the final cue would be my responsibility.

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