The noise from the auditorium grew louder. The stage lights began to flicker on.
A shiver ran down my spine.
The moment had come.
All the time we had spent rehearsing.
Every afternoon at the club.
It all came down to this instant.
I took a deep breath behind the curtain. Through a gap in the fabric, I could see the auditorium. It was completely full.
"Five minutes."
Harada's voice carried through the backstage area.
Everyone responded almost in unison.
"Yes!"
Everyone focused on their own preparations — some had a few odd little rituals to shake off the nerves before going on. The actors for the first act were already in position, Mei among them.
Then, all of a sudden, the murmur from the auditorium faded.
The main lights went out.
And the curtain began to rise.
The play had started.
The first act opened with a few supporting characters alongside Mei in her role as Ayaka, and Yuuna as her mother.
A small ripple of murmurs ran through the audience when they appeared.
I wasn't surprised. They looked really good.
From behind the stage, I could hear their lines perfectly.
They were completely lost in their roles…
Meanwhile, I waited for my turn.
My hands felt slightly damp.
My heart was pounding against my chest.
Harder and harder.
Faster and faster.
"Shimizu-san."
I turned my head.
Yuuna had just stepped off stage and was making her way back through the wings.
She stopped in front of me.
She looked at me for just a second.
Then she smiled — that calm, steady confidence she always carried with her.
And gave me a small nudge on the shoulder.
"Go."
I blinked.
"Huh?"
"It's your turn."
I looked toward the stage entrance.
She was right.
My cue.
Behind Yuuna, Rika, Harada, and even Arima appeared — Arima throwing up both thumbs with a goofy grin.
"Shimizu-senpai! Break a leg!... Not literally, though."
Rika elbowed him.
"Don't say that right now!"
Harada simply nodded.
"Do it like we did in rehearsals."
I took a deep breath.
I took one step.
Then another.
Until the lights hit me directly in the face.
For a moment…
I froze completely.
Too many people.
Too many eyes.
The entire auditorium seemed to be looking at me all at once.
...
...
...
Then I remembered another night.
Another stage.
Another kind of lights.
Black Lotus.
Reiko dancing like she owned the world.
Me…
Dressed in a corset, stockings with garters, heels…
Doing erotic dances in front of dozens of strangers.
A smile crept onto my lips on its own.
...Let's go.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Could possibly be more embarrassing than that.
So…
I took the first step.
And Haruto stepped onto the stage.
…
…
The words began to flow from my mouth naturally.
All those days…
All the effort I had put into this play was paying off.
I knew part of the credit belonged to the system's skills.
But I was the one who pushed myself to become someone else — and I'd say it was working.
In that moment, I stopped being Aika.
And became Haruto.
The first whispers started drifting up from the audience.
"Who is that boy…?"
"Wait, hold on."
"Isn't that Shimizu-san?"
"The second-year girl?"
"I didn't know she was in the drama club."
"She's actually pretty good…"
Scene after scene.
The first act went by almost without me noticing.
On stage.
Off stage.
Back to the wings while other characters took the spotlight.
Set changes happened quickly.
Each transition was a small sprint behind the scenes.
When the curtain fell on the first act, Harada came over right away.
"Well done."
Just two words.
But they were enough to make me smile.
Mei also passed by me while some students adjusted part of the set.
Our eyes met for just a second.
"You're doing great."
"So are you."
There was no time for more.
The second act began immediately.
Haruto's father appeared more frequently in it.
Played by Harada.
His presence was commanding even outside the character.
"You have dishonored this family's name!"
His voice rang through the entire auditorium.
"A son who cannot follow the military path is no son of mine!"
I responded with the firmness we had rehearsed over and over.
The scenes kept coming.
The conflicts grew.
The love between Haruto and Ayaka began to defy the will of both families.
Each act brought the ending closer.
Until…
The third one arrived.
…
…
…
The auditorium was completely silent.
The stage was set as the garden of the mansion where Ayaka was to say her final farewell to Haruto.
I knew this was the climax.
The most important scene in the entire play.
I took one step.
Then another.
I delivered my opening lines.
Mei responded exactly as she had during rehearsals.
Everything was going perfectly.
Until it happened.
My foot caught the edge of the set piece.
I felt my balance go.
"Eh…?"
Before I could react…
I stumbled.
And fell to my knees.
A sharp gasp swept through the auditorium.
My mind went completely blank.
...No.
No.
No, no, no.
Seriously?
Now?
I ruined it…
I watched the entire script vanish from my head.
Ah… I don't know why I'm even surprised… even if I look different, I'm still the same person…
Of course it would end like this…
I'm sorry, guys…
My throat started tightening, and for a moment I had to hold back the urge to cry…
I think I just ruined the play…
…
…
…
But then Mei reacted.
She didn't hesitate for even a second.
She ran toward me.
She dropped to her knees in front of Haruto, her expression filled with worry.
"Haruto!"
She took my hands.
"Are you hurt?"
That line…
It wasn't in the script.
She improvised.
She was saving me.
Yuuna grasped the situation instantly too.
She stepped into character without missing a beat.
"Ayaka!"
Her voice rang out firmly.
"Come back here immediately!"
I looked up and could only blink.
You guys…
The two of you…
It was hard to hold back a smile.
It's true… I might be the same person.
But things are different now.
Harada.
Rika.
Yuuna.
Mei.
Even Reiko's smile from before I stepped on stage flashed through my mind.
I'm not in this alone…
I breathed in deeply.
I tightened my grip — just a little — on Mei's hand.
And I got back up.
This time… things will definitely be different.
…
…
Mei — no, Ayaka — was staring at me, waiting for my next line.
I rose slowly, steadily. The auditorium was silent, waiting.
I looked directly into Ayaka's eyes.
And smiled.
"Even when the world abandoned me…"
I paused briefly.
"…you never did, Ayaka."
Her eyes began to glisten.
I couldn't tell how much of it was acting…
And how much was Mei.
I kept going.
"That's why…"
I squeezed her hand a little tighter.
"…if it's for you…"
My voice carried a conviction I didn't know I had.
"I would abandon the entire world if I had to."
I took a step toward her.
"Because no one…"
Another step.
"No one will ever stand between us…"
Only a few centimeters separated us now.
"…and what I feel for you."
The silence was so deep it felt like the entire auditorium had stopped breathing.
Ayaka looked at me, her cheeks faintly flushed with color.
Her lips trembled for just an instant.
But she didn't step back.
On the contrary.
She stayed right there, waiting for me.
I felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest.
I breathed in one last time.
And I kissed her.
Our lips met softly, and for an instant, everything disappeared.
The auditorium, the lights, the stage.
Only Haruto and Ayaka existed.
…
When we pulled apart, Mei slowly opened her eyes.
She was still completely in character.
But the faint blush that colored her cheeks…
That wasn't in the script.
The lights began to fade slowly.
The music swelled to its peak.
And the curtain started to close.
For just a second, there was silence.
Then…
The auditorium erupted.
A thunder of applause flooded the entire hall.
Some people even rose from their seats.
"Bravo!!"
"That was incredible!!"
"That was beautiful!"
I could hear several girls sobbing in the audience as they kept on clapping.
I didn't know if it was because of the kiss.
Because of how the story ended.
Or both.
But it worked.
We had done it.
…
…
…
The moment the curtain finished closing, all the tension vanished at once.
"WE DID IIIIIT!!"