I Chose the Plain Girl Instead of the Class’s Top Three Beauties, and Somehow She Became the Heroine - 45

Chapter 45: The Final Check

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《Sora Mukei’s POV》

Changes in environment and circumstances happened little by little all the time. As the lively culture festival drew closer, the atmosphere of the school also began to change. And in the middle of all that, I found myself unable to stop following Anno-san with my eyes. I knew I had to focus on my own work, but still.

After school, when I peeked into the costume team’s classroom, Anno-san was surrounded by the three girls, smiling. Until now, she had often spent her time alone by the window, reading a book. But ever since Yua Miura-san had spoken to her, Anno-san’s world had steadily expanded.

There was the small and cheerful An Kogure-san. The tanned girl whose flashy makeup suited her, Fuuna Tokitou-san. And the coordinator of the group, Yua Miura-san. Maybe because all three of them dressed and did their makeup like gyaru, they took the costumes and stage makeup very seriously and now Anno-san was included among them.

Somehow, that made me both happy and a little lonely.

“Hiro-chan, don’t move for a moment.”

“…Okay, I’ll fasten it.”

“Thanks. Next, let’s pair it with the white one.”

“…Yes.”

Anno-san was doing her best to project her voice. It was louder than before, and her expression was softer. I figured she had probably made friends. I hadn’t talked to her much before either, but Miura-san was a good person.

“Ah, Mukei-kun! Can you check the cane length real quick?”

An Kogure-san stopped me, and I checked the prop cane meant for the blind young man character. I placed the tip on the floor and adjusted the height of the grip.

“For Hino-san’s height, here. Just a little below the wrist.”

“Got it. I’ll fix it at that length.”

Kogure-san and Fuuna Tokitou-san stood beside me and checked the cane and the costume. Being surrounded by girls smelled nice. Above all, both of them worked fast. In no time, they brought out sewing tools and a tape measure and began checking things briskly and efficiently. I hadn’t talked to either of them much before, so I felt a bit nervous.

“Hiro-chan, how does it look?”

Kogure-san held the costume against me while asking Anno-san for her evaluation.

“…Yes. I think it’s fine. It suits him.”

It was a costume for Hino-san, but if Anno-san said it suited me, well, that wasn’t so bad.

“Thanks. But it’s not for me. It’s for Hino-san.”

I felt like the three of them were teasing me. After saying goodbye to the four of them, I took the completed script and cue sheet to Akai-sensei for confirmation.

“I see. You marked the standing positions. Make sure you’re the one giving the safety cue.”

“Yes.”

The culture festival was tomorrow. We hadn’t been able to secure a day to run the full rehearsal for our play until the final day. Once we finished today’s rehearsal, tomorrow would be the actual performance. Kiritani-san put on the white temporary costume robe and checked her position on stage.

“Is this lighting okay?”

A classmate running the lights asked for confirmation.

“Yeah, keep it like that.”

“I’ll say my lines a bit softer, okay?”

“Is your throat hurting?”

“I’m sorry. I just haven’t felt well since this morning.”

Kiritani-san played the ghost role for us. But she lacked the drive she’d had during practice. Her throat seemed to be in bad condition. The sound crew played the BGM for Scene Two, and Okabe checked the length of the cloak.

“If it’s above the knees, it won’t snag.”

“We cut it here for this scene, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, I see. Isn’t it a little big on me though?”

Okabe, Akira, and Hino-san checked their movements and costumes. Anno-san held a stopwatch, writing down notes beside me.

“Scene One: six minutes thirty. Scene Two: seven minutes. Scene Three: four and a half. Total: eighteen minutes.”

“We’re within time. Let’s go over the final scene again.”

We rechecked only the ending of Scene Three.

“Cue on three. One, two, three.”

Once today’s rehearsal ended, the gym wouldn’t be available until the real performance. In the prep room, we did the final check on props. Three unfinished letters, a scroll, a small vial, a feather pen, spare wire, double-sided tape, cloth gaffer’s tape, a sewing kit. The penlight and spare batteries. A bundle of plastic bags for the side of the stage. Extra safety pins—plenty. The first-aid kit went in the stage wings as well.

In a small voice, Anno-san said to me.

“Can we go over my ‘thank you’ for tomorrow one more time?”

“Sure. Once in the wings, okay?”

We did a two-person line run in the wings. Short and clear. Anno-san’s voice didn’t waver.

“That version works.”

“Yes. I think I can do it.”

I completed my final checks and had the teacher review them.

“You pass the run-through. Stay calm during the real thing. Mukei, do your best with the narration. You make the final call. If something looks dangerous, stop the show.”

“Understood.”

Dismissal. Time to head home. The costume team took home the dresses and cloaks for minor adjustments.

“Hiro-chan, tomorrow let’s do your hair half-up.”

“Yeah, I’ll help too.”

“Thank you very much.”

With her new friends beside her, Anno-san looked happy as she nodded. On the way to the station, An-san and Fuuna-san passed me.

“Mukei-kun, we’re counting on you tomorrow!”

“Yeah, counting on you!”

“Same here. Thank you for adjusting the cane earlier.”

“Leave it to us. Hiro-chan will have a nice expression tomorrow too.”

They waved and ran off toward the convenience store. They had so much energy. After I got home, I sent out the LINE update to the group chat.

『Meeting tomorrow at 7:40. Only one full run. I’ll give the cue before the kiss. Anyone feeling unwell must report immediately.』

Read receipts appeared one after another.

Hino: “Got it.”

Mizuki: “Roger. Vocal volume notes OK.”

Akira: “Leave it to me.”

Okabe: “Cloak finished.”

Miura: “Costume in final touches.”

An: “Cane fixed OK.”

Fuuna: “Bringing extra safety pins.”

Anno: “I’ll come early tomorrow.”

I put the checklist into my bag and set two alarms. Then, I took a deep breath. I had worries, but we prepared. We practiced together.

Tomorrow… All we had to do was perform.

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