When I Brought The Lost Little Girl To Her House, The One Who Came Out Of The Front Door Was The Most Beautiful Girl In The Grade.

“Done!”

“Can I take a look?”

“Yeah! Go ahead and use that hand mirror.”

Upon those words, I peer into the hand mirror and realize that the face I’m used to seeing is not there. Instead, I see a woman’s face, with notably fair skin.

I’m surprised. I didn’t expect such a drastic transformation…

“What do you think?”

“I, well… all I can say is that it’s amazing.”

“You really look like a girl now. Oh, like a princess.”

Right, I have to act as a princess from now on.

At first, I’ll play Cinderella being bullied by her stepsisters, and then I’ll wear the dress and go to the castle to meet the prince.

Thinking about it that way, I start wondering if I can actually do this now.

“Alright! Let’s head to the gymnasium, everyone!”

When Mimura says that, we all head to the gymnasium with our props and costumes.

“Kuroda, are you okay?”

“It’s not a big deal anymore, I guess…”

That’s a lie. It might not be okay. I’ve been swallowing and trying to hide my trembling hands since earlier.

However, the nervousness doesn’t seem to ease.

“I see, that’s promising.”

“How about you, though?”

“Me? My legs are shaking like an electric massager.”

Looking at Mimura’s legs, they are indeed shaking. But his comparison was so amusing that I ended up laughing.

But somehow, seeing even someone as enthusiastic as Mimura being nervous made me feel better.

It’s said that seeing someone more nervous than yourself can alleviate your own anxiety, and that might actually be true.

I felt a great sense of relief.

We entered the gymnasium and positioned ourselves backstage. During that time, some people practiced their lines, others chatted, and there were those who nervously glanced at the audience.

I’m wearing the costume provided for me. I can’t put it on myself, so someone else is helping me.

“Somehow, it’s hard to believe you’re Kuroda.”

The guy helping me put on the clothes says that. When I looked at myself in the mirror earlier, I had thought the same thing. I guess everyone would think that…

“I feel the same way.”

“Your voice is still Kuroda, though.”

“Don’t be so disappointed.”

“If Kuroda were really a girl, you’d be a super attractive one.”

“Come on, don’t take it too seriously.”

When I said, “Cut it out,” to stop him, there was a brief pause before he laughed and said, “I get it! Just kidding!”

That brief pause was quite nerve-wracking though…

“Everyone! Gather up!”

With Mimura’s call to assemble as the general director, everyone gathered in one place.

The legs that were trembling and shaking just a moment ago are now completely still.

“Everyone! Let’s form a circle!”

“Great idea, General Director!”

Everyone enthusiastically agreed. They put their arms around each other’s shoulders, forming a circle.

“For the sake of our chairperson, let’s make this a resounding success!”

“Yeah!!”

Stepping forward, their voices reverberated backstage. It probably even reached the audience in the gymnasium.

“Come to think of it, what should I do about my voice?”

“Well, about that…”

“Don’t tell me… there’s nothing?”

“Well, maybe use a falsetto?”

“Don’t mess around!”

“No, use your natural voice. That would be more amusing.”

I wondered if it would really be okay, but Mimura added, “At first, people might find the voice a bit odd, but the audience will get used to it as the play goes on.”

And at this point, there’s no way to do anything about it. So, I might as well give it my all and do what I can now.

Sighing deeply.

“I’m sorry, Kuroda-kun. I’m causing you trouble.”

“Chairperson…”

I think the chairperson feels a greater sense of responsibility. That’s why we have to make this a success.

“It’s okay, I’m not really bothered.”

“When I told everyone, they all said the same thing.”

“They’re really good people.”

“Yeah, they truly are…”

Since the chairperson couldn’t play the role of Cinderella anymore, and there was a shortage of people for the audio work, the chairperson is helping with the audio work.

I felt relieved to hear that. When I heard about it, I felt a sense of relief.

“Kuroda-kun, you’re surprisingly easy to talk to right now.”

“Huh? Wasn’t I always like this?”

“Well, maybe it’s because you’re in women’s clothing?”

“Even the chairperson is teasing me… please, stop.”

Even the chairperson is teasing me… feeling a bit sad, I couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“Hey! We’re about to start in a little while!”

With that statement, a sense of tension spread among us. Finally, or rather, our play is about to begin.

The play begins with me as Cinderella cleaning. And then, it starts with the scene where Cinderella is being treated badly by her stepsisters.

As the play progresses, everything goes smoothly. Even the concern I had about my voice, which was initially laughed at and ridiculed with laughter that made me feel foolish, turned out to be true according to Mimura’s words. As the story unfolded, the gymnasium fell silent.

I wondered if they were asleep, so during the scenes I wasn’t in, I peeked at the audience from the stage wings. Everyone was watching intently.

Seeing that, my heart felt strangely warm. The play hadn’t even ended yet, but my eyes were getting teary.

We entered the final scene. It’s the scene where the prince meets Cinderella again using the glass slipper and they get married.

In the final moments, as Cinderella, played by me, and the prince, played by Mimura, embrace, I hesitated briefly before the embrace, but quickly reminded myself that this is acting.

As the play ends, the lights dim, and the curtains close.

Then, a tremendous applause echoed from the audience.

“Can we consider this a big success?”

Everyone was taken aback. It felt like a dream. I was even starting to wonder if I had really been Cinderella all this time.

“You can be proud of yourselves. This was a great success.”

When the teacher came to the stage wings and said that, we each expressed our joy in our own way.

Some were quietly celebrating, while others expressed their happiness with their whole bodies.

Among the girls, there were even some who were crying.

I felt a sense of accomplishment. Despite all the challenges, I felt glad that I did it.

“Now, I’d love to bask in this moment, but there’s another presentation coming up. So, everyone, get ready quickly and head outside.”

“Yes, sir!”

Saying that, the teacher went to each student on stage, saying, “Great job, well done,” and giving high-fives.