A minibus left the schoolyard and its destination was the Hiroshima Bunka Gakuen Hall, situated in Hiroshima.
Today is the day of the second round of the Drama club tournament. Some veterans would say that this is the official first round of the competition.
That is because the first round was used to filter out any Drama club schools that showed no promise or were not up to that level.
The judges did not like to waste time so whenever any school made a mistake or the performance was boring, they would stop midway and write their name off the tournament
Ruthless but necessary. Some people have to understand that those few judges had to monitor and decide who would stay, out of the hundred of schools participating.
Even though it was regional, there was still a lot of schools.
After doing some selection, only schools with great promise are here. Meaning the real fight starts in the second round.
There are only great adversaries here so the competition is getting tougher.
The first years' nervousness crept to them even heavier than when they first debuted.
Especially Rina and Fujita since they were so weak at heart. Nami though was more adept than those two.
Anyway, the rest of the members of the Drama club all looked calm on the outside, however, they had that tinge of anxiety at the back of their minds.
The probability of failure was there. It was not impossible to get expelled this early.
Despite being one of the schools that qualified in the final, there was a chance of not even reaching the semi-final. Every scenario is possible.
To an extent, the fear was there. Including in Kagome's mind.
Daisuke, the scary second year was seated next to Paro. He saw that she was completely fine on the outside but what about the inside?
He struck a conversation with Paro. He figured it would be a good way to alleviate his nervousness until they reached their destination.
"Paro-senpai, you are surprisingly calm."
"Ara, Daisuke-kun. Are you not?" She was appalled.
He awkwardly laughed and scratched the back of his head.
"I may not seem like it but I am a little scared."
"That is no good, Daisuke-kun. At least you should not be feeling that way."
"Eh? Why? I am still human you know."
"Haha," She lightly chuckled, "I did not mean it like that."
"Then how?"
Paro looked forward and smiled while she pondered about it. She did not want to indirectly transmit it to Daisuke. Straightforward is what she desired.
She reverted her sight to him and thinly grin.
"If the scary Nakagawa Daisuke-kun is scared himself, then wouldn't that be detrimental to the morales of the club members?"
Daisuke understood her intentions. Nevertheless, he thinks that the way he was, he was not fitted for that reliable kind of role.
"....Even if you say that, I am not much of a leader you know."
"Hm? You may be right."
"I agree with you but it still stings when it is coming out your mouth." Daisuke clutched his heart as if he has been pierced with a spear.
"But, Daisuke-kun. You should not aim to be a leader."
"..."
"Instead what we need..." She clenched her fist and proudly declared, ".....is a hero!"
He was shocked by her expression and pose. It almost made him burst out laughing. He stopped just in time so that it won't hurt Paro's pride.
Rather than ridiculing her, he agreed with her.
"...I-If you say so..."
He very much wished for the conversation to digress. Frantically, he searched for any topic he could think of until he found one.
Paro herself had aided him unintentionally.
"Ah, speaking of heroes, I have a request that I have been meaning to ask, Senpai."
"Hm? What is it?"
She was interested in what he wanted to say since Daisuke is someone who rarely asks for requests.
He fidgeted, worried that she would mind.
"Can you....make me.....act as the main character?"
"...Daisuke-kun?"
"I.....wanted to be some kind of a leading figure in a performance, a hero of the sort. I never cared about it during my first year but I now have that desire."
She attentively listened to him.
"I always did the villain. So, if you can and if you don't mind.....Can you at least make me the protagonist?"
"...."
She contemplated about it with her hand supporting her chin. The gears in her head turned fully, searching for an answer.
It has been a few minutes before she replied to Daisuke.
He was seeing that Paro was in a dilemma. He felt a little down. In the end, he gave up.
".....Senpai. It is okay if you don-"
"Yeah. Let's do it."
".....Huh?"
Paro brightened her face and veered quickly towards the upset Daisuke.
"The next performance we will do, we are going to have you as the protagonist. I have got an outline of a story that goes well with your appearance."
She had a smirk as if she was plotting a scheme.
"Uh, senpai, your face is a bit scary."
"Oops, sorry for that display. I get like this whenever I have thought of a decent story."
"Hoh....."
His expectations elevated when Paro accepted his request. Notwithstanding, part of what she said pricked his curiosity.
"Earlier what did you mean by a story that goes well with my appearance'?"
"Ah. Sorry if this comes out as rude but I thought of a story when I saw your scary face."
That does not sound reassuring to Daisuke. In many ways.
"...Am i....even the main character in the story you thought of?"
To that, Paro confidently stated.
"Of course you are. If not then the story is pointless. There is no other person that can convey the message that this story's protagonist has."
"Y-You are flattering me too much, Senpai."
"What do you mean? I am telling truth."
"....." He felt elated.
"This story is meant for you."
Daisuke had a wide and innocent grin.
"Thank you, Paro-senpai. For accepting my request."
"It is not a problem. Moreover, you helped me with another story for the tournament."
"...I am glad to hear that...".
"With that said, do your best!"
With a good mood and all, Daisuke and the others arrived at their final stop. Just like last time, they passed through a spacious entrance and got to the auditorium.
They sat at an appropriate distance from the stage and observed the other Drama schools participating.
They noticed that there was less students than what they have seen in the first round. They got to see that difference in numbers when they roamed around the huge entrance.
The story that Paro and the others were going to go through was set in modern high school days. Well, it has romance, small action and most of all, drama.
Well, the drama part was a bit complicated to some of the acting members but not to the point of confusion.
Overcomplicating a story is definitely a no. However, Paro implemented a small characteristic of complexness which can boost the story's plot points.
Now it will depend on the actors that will act and bring out the true potential of the story.
They all were wearing the play's costume because it would quicker to prepare for their performance. Besides they do not seem to be out of their place as the costumes consisted of a school uniform.
Many schools were performing before them. Some got stopped midway and got sent off the stage.
That instilled fear in the ones that haven't participated yet.
Finally, after many performances, it was their turn.
"Fujiidera High School!" A staff member yelled.
"Yes!" The club advisor, Yoshida Chitose, stood and confirmed her school's turn. After having a small talk, she signalled the others to follow.
The first one to stand up amongst the club members was Daisuke.
With a confident aura, he beckoned the others with determination.
"Let's go, everyone!"
That elevated the morales of the club members seeing that Daisuke's voice does not contain even a shred of anxiousness.
He was here to win and he wants to deliver results. That's what he conveyed. Paro lightly giggled when she saw that Daisuke took her advice seriously.
"Yes, everyone, it is time."
Paro was next to them. She stood up and she was being followed by the others who were now feeling less nervous.
Before entering the stage, behind the curtains all of them gathered together. With all their hands lifted to the centre, Paro grinned and yelled.
"What are we going to be!"
All of the club members felt their adrenaline shoot up as they exclaimed with pride.
"""Number One!!!!"""
Yes. They will be number one.
........
Later, in the afternoon at around 6 p.m, the sun was over the horizon. It started becoming dark and the light posts automatically lit up.
The orange sun rays pierce through the transparent glass windows onto the bed.
It was a certain girl's bedroom that was messy. She laid on her back, exhausted as judged by the sound of her pants.
"Haa~.....That was.....great, Senpai~"
Laid next to her was a boy, older than her who blankly stared at the ceiling. Both of them were naked and they went through an exhilarating experience.
With his handsome feature and well-built body, he could entrance every woman that he can. If Harue saw him, he would recognize this guy.
Because it is his best friend, Watanabe Kouki, who was with this girl.
He was covered in sweat but he was unfazed, unbothered by the girl's presence.
"Senpai?"
The girl nudged him with her shoulder and successfully snapped him back to reality.
"Huh?"
"What happened Senpai?"
Kouki smiled at her as he ran his fingers gently along her smooth cheeks. She had her black spectacle on. For Kouki, he thought that the spectacle surprisingly held well during their intimate time.
"I was amazed at how excited I felt. I could not believe it. It was a first for me."
The bespectacled girl blushed and pouted at him.
"Don't tease me like that, Senpai."
"How cute~" Kouki's manly and charming voice just made the girl blush even more.
"Kouki-senpai~" she proceeded to smooch him on his lips.
He smiled gently at her which made her squeak in her mind. She is a second-year in the school as same as Kouki's. She was very happy that he was with this handsome senpai.
"I am happy that you are my first."
Kouki grinned, "Congratulations."
He then hugged her tightly. After a few seconds. He looked at the girl's face again. He pondered whilst staring at her face.
"Senpai?" She noticed him but he did not budge his sight from her face.
"What's wrong?"
After a few nudges again, Kouki slowly brought her hand near her spectacle. She wondered what was going on with him.
Kouki grabbed the spectacle and removed it from her face. He stared at the girl's face so adorably.
"Yeah, you would look cute without glasses too."
"E-Eh? Too?"
"A-Ah? I mean. Why are you even wearing a spectacle? You are so beautiful without it."
"Haha Senpai~ If that is what you want then I will not wear it."
She snatched the glasses from him and threw it at the corner of her room. She then embraced Kouki. She buried her face into his chest and closed her eyes.
"Better..."
Kouki patted her head and stroke her long black hair playfully. He again silently stared at the ceiling.
He contemplated on what he had just done. A bitter feeling intruded his mind and soiled his thoughts.
The image of another girl kept flickering in front of him. His hand stopped playing with the girl's hair.
He squinted his eyes with disappointment.
'This isn't it.'