It was ten in the morning.
Director Takemura Mine arrived on set.
After briefly giving several instructions, all the actors present introduced themselves one by one according to the importance of their roles in the play.
After the introductions, the actors found their scene partners and gathered to read the script together.
Three days later, separate rehearsals began.
The so-called separate rehearsals are a method of rehearsing scene by scene, following the script.
Since Akikawa Kyousuke plays the last person to die, he is one of the last to perform.
"Everyone is incredible. Even though they only read the script before, now they are all acting so well."
Misaki Itakura, who was watching, thought this to herself and, for a moment, began to worry about her artist Akikawa Kyousuke.
"Everyone performing before you did so well. I hope Mr. Akikawa doesn't perform too poorly!"
"And..."
Misaki Itakura was thinking to herself, secretly glancing to the side with her peripheral vision.
Not far away, she saw Yoko Okino, with her beautiful long brown hair. Like the other artists present, she was quietly observing the actors' performances on stage.
"I really hope Mr. Akikawa can make a good impression on Miss Yoko."
"Act Five, Scene One!"
The assistant director called the next scene number, and finally, it was Akikawa Kyousuke's turn.
Misaki Itakura immediately perked up. She couldn't help but feel nervous inside.
"Come to think of it, it seems I've never seen Mr. Akikawa in action until now."
Misaki Itakura was panicking but also looking forward to it.
While she was worried about Akikawa Kyousuke's poor performance, she secretly hoped that Akikawa Kyousuke would surprise her.
"Act Five begins with an introduction to the background of Sae Otani, a high school sophomore."
"The actor must portray the image of a popular and energetic sophomore."
"In films, you can set scenes on campus and use background actors to highlight the protagonist's popularity."
"But since plays have fewer actors than film scenes, Mr. Akikawa has to rely solely on his acting skills to make the audience think he's very popular."
"This is quite challenging without supporting roles."
Misaki Itakura clasped her hands tightly, so nervous that her palms were sweating.
All eyes were on Akikawa Kyousuke.
At that moment, Akikawa Kyousuke stood in front of the classroom door, with his head slightly lowered, his garnet bangs naturally falling with gravity, covering the upper half of his face.
Akikawa Kyousuke already had a gloomy temperament, but now that his cheeks were covered by his bangs, he looked even more somber and withdrawn.
Many artists in the audience frowned.
This image of Akikawa Kyousuke could be said to be completely opposite to the energetic and popular class president, Sae Otani, from the book.
And unnoticed by anyone,
Yoko Okino, who seemed as calm as always in the audience, had her hands clasped at that moment.
"Ready—"
"Scene 5-1, start!"
When the assistant director's voice faded, Akikawa Kyousuke extended his hand, opened the door, and entered the classroom.
However, the moment he stepped into the classroom and lifted his head, everything changed.
The gloomy young man who seemed to always have a dark cloud hanging over his head had disappeared.
Instead, there was a young man with piercing eyes and a sunny aura that made his whole being seem to shine.
It was as if a flame had suddenly ignited in a dark world with no trace of light.
Everyone present was instantly captivated by Akikawa Kyousuke.
"Hello, everyone, good morning~"
The energetic voice that Misaki Itakura and Akikawa Kyousuke had never heard after knowing each other for so long filled the theater with a touch of youth.
Akikawa Kyousuke gently greeted the classroom, a smile naturally appearing on his face.
At this moment,
except for the corner where Akikawa Kyousuke, disguised as Sae Otani, stood, the whole world seemed to lose its color.
Blue eyes shining like gems,
facial lines that seemed carefully drawn with a pen,
and a smile as clear as morning dew, full of youth.
There was no need to debate if Akikawa Kyousuke successfully portrayed the role of a popular high school student. Just by greeting and smiling, he drew the attention of almost the entire audience.
They no longer had time to focus elsewhere.
Although the stage dressed as a classroom was actually empty, no one felt uncomfortable with Akikawa Kyousuke's performance.
Because Akikawa Kyousuke's acting had a strong authenticity that was believable.
There was no doubt that with the overwhelming presence of "Otani Sae," he would definitely be the center of attention wherever he was.
Annoying? This was impossible!
By now,
many people realized something.
This artist, who had exuded an inaccessible aura from the start, was actually so handsome that he overshadowed all the other artists present.
Even in an entertainment industry with so many handsome guys,
Akikawa Kyousuke's appearance was still outstanding.
The look of astonishment on Misaki Itakura's face lasted almost from the beginning of Akikawa Kyousuke's performance until the end.
Her black eyes reflected the figure on stage that had drawn the entire audience's attention, and a wave of emotion surged in her heart.
"It's like in a game, where you can instantly change characters by pressing a button."
"Is this... is this really the Mr. Akikawa I know?!"
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes—Akikawa Kyousuke stepping onto the stage and opening the door—
she feared that if she had seen the brilliant high school student Otani Sae on stage in person,
she wouldn't have recognized him as the gloomy artist she'd been with for half a month.
Misaki Itakura looked at Akikawa Kyousuke on stage, deeply surprised in her heart.
This feeling was very similar to when she first saw Yoko Okino on television.
The overwhelming sense of presence that makes people unable to look away and the delicate face that makes people feel no jealousy.
It was as if he were destined to be the protagonist of the stage from the moment he was born.
Originally, Misaki Itakura had hoped that Akikawa Kyousuke would surprise her,
but at that moment, she was confused and overwhelmed by the bombshell Akikawa Kyousuke had just dropped.
On the other side,
Yoko Okino, who watched Akikawa Kyousuke's performance, also widened her eyes, her mouth open in amazement.
However, it was different from Misaki Itakura, who was full of surprises.
At this moment, Yoko Okino's hands were tightly clenched, but they trembled uncontrollably.
"It shouldn't be like this. How could it be like this?"
Yoko Okino whispered words only she could hear.
——
**Didan High School.**
Class B, Second Year.
The melodious bell rang, and the teacher took the textbook and left the classroom.
Sera Masumi took out the sandwich she had bought earlier at the store and walked over to her classmate, Mouri Ran.
She was going to have lunch with Mouri Ran.
"Ran-Chan, you're so slow."
Suzuki Sonoko complained beside her, her voice full of displeasure.
"Don't worry; I have something for both of you."
As Mouri Ran spoke, she took two tickets from her bag and placed them in the hands of Suzuki Sonoko and Sera Masumi.
"These are tickets for the first day of the upcoming play *The Lost Lady, Voice of the Dead*."
"The organizer invited Dad, so he gave away a lot of tickets."
"Conan-kun will also be there. There are two more, so I want to invite Sonoko and Sera to go together."
"Oh~ So Uncle is interested in plays~"
Sera Masumi took the ticket and said with interest.
In her impression, Mouri Kogoro, who was usually lazy, didn't seem to enjoy sitting through a play.
"Because Miss Yoko is the lead actress."
Mouri Ran sighed and said helplessly.
"Oh, right, Ran-Chan's dad is Miss Yoko's number one fan!" Suzuki Sonoko also laughed.
"However, I think the reason Ran-Chan invited me and Sonoko to watch with her wasn't because of Uncle."
Sera's pure, dark green eyes looked intently at Mouri Ran.
Mouri Ran couldn't help but look away, her cheeks slightly blushing.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Suzuki Sonoko was confused.
"Because the author of this play is Kudo Shinichi's father."
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