Rika was the first one to break the silence.
She burst into tears, clutching the script to her chest.
"It went well! It went well! It went weeell!"
"It's not that big a deal…"
Arima took a step toward her, trying to play it cool.
"You have to stay calm in moments like—"
He put his hand somewhere he shouldn't have.
"AAAAAAAAAH!"
A small shock ran up his arm.
He jumped back, shaking his hand.
"Who left the wire exposed?!"
"I told you not to touch that!" Rika shouted through her tears.
Nobody could hold back a laugh.
Even Yuuna let out a small chuckle.
She walked over to me and gave me a pat on the shoulder.
"Good work," she said with a smile.
Just that.
But coming from Yuuna… that counted as an achievement, and for some reason it made me happy.
"Thank you…"
Then I heard footsteps approaching.
Mei.
She stopped in front of me.
For a moment she avoided my gaze, then cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Y-you were incredible, Shimizu-san."
She smiled.
A warm smile.
An honest one.
"Thank you for agreeing to be in the play."
She shook her head gently.
"If you hadn't come… I don't think we ever could have performed it."
Harada nodded.
"That's true."
"Yes!" said Rika, wiping her tears. "You really saved us!"
Even Arima gave a thumbs-up.
"Even if you almost wrecked the climax by falling over…"
"Hey!"
Everyone laughed again.
I watched them in silence.
Harada.
Rika.
Arima.
Yuuna.
Mei.
All the other members who were there.
I felt something strange inside my chest.
A warmth.
Soft.
Quiet.
It was a feeling I could barely remember having felt before.
And without even realizing it, a smile began to form on my face.
I even noticed my eyes getting a little misty.
I took a small step forward.
And bowed.
"No…"
I shook my head.
"I think I'm the one who should be thanking you."
Everyone went quiet.
"I never imagined acting could be this much fun."
I looked up.
Smiling.
"Thank you for inviting me to the drama club."
For a second, no one said anything.
And then…
"Shimizu-senpai!!"
Rika practically launched herself at me to give me a hug.
"You were amazing!"
I completely lost my footing.
"F-Fujii-san!"
Harada sighed.
Yuuna shook her head, amused.
And before I knew it…
We were all laughing.
Harada crossed his arms with a satisfied smile.
"Alright."
"I think we've all earned a little celebration."
A chorus of voices answered all at once.
"YES!!"
…
…
…
The celebration ended up being much simpler than I'd expected.
We just gathered in the club room, loaded with bags of food bought from the different festival stalls.
Takoyaki.
Yakisoba.
Taiyaki.
Drinks.
Someone even managed to get a huge box of karaage that disappeared in less than five minutes.
Rika swore it wasn't her.
The crumbs around her mouth told a different story.
"Don't look at me like that! I'm still growing!"
"You've been one hundred and fifty-five centimeters for two years now…" Harada muttered.
"That was a personal attack!"
Laughter filled the room again.
It was strange.
After all the tension that had built up over the past few weeks…
This felt incredibly calm.
We were just a group of students sharing food after finishing something important together.
For a moment, I felt like I was just another student enjoying the moment.
While everyone talked, my gaze eventually found Mei.
She was sitting across from me.
Following the conversation.
Smiling whenever Rika did something silly.
But…
She seemed distracted.
And every few seconds…
Her hand would drift up unconsciously to brush against her own lips.
…Huh?
I watched her for a few more seconds.
Yeah.
She was definitely acting strange.
When the others started debating which scene had been the best in the play, I took the chance to lean toward her a little.
"Hirano-san?"
She gave a small start.
"Y-yes?"
"Are you doing okay?"
She blinked.
"Huh?"
"You seem… a little off since the play ended."
"M-me?"
She pointed at herself.
Then let out a small, nervous laugh.
"N-no, it's nothing, I was just thinking that… you acted really well!"
…Why are you saying that with so much energy?
"…R-really? I'm not so sure about that myself… but I'm glad you think so," I replied, a little flustered.
"You were incredible too, Hirano-san."
Mei looked down slightly.
She seemed to be gathering courage to say something.
"Shi… Shimizu-san…"
"Yes?"
She stayed quiet for a few seconds.
Then she spoke so softly I almost didn't catch it.
"Do you think… we could start calling each other… by our first names?"
I blinked.
"Huh?"
She started fidgeting with her hands.
"I-I mean… if you don't mind…"
"After everything we've been through…"
"I think… it would be nice…"
She still couldn't bring herself to look up.
...
I couldn't help but smile.
I suppose…
After everything we'd been through together…
Keeping so much distance didn't really make sense anymore.
"S-sure."
Even my voice came out a little clumsy.
"Mei-san."
Her head snapped up.
Her eyes seemed to light up.
"Really?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
A huge smile spread across her face.
"Then…"
She took a deep breath.
As if saying those words required an enormous amount of courage.
"Aika-san."
I didn't know why.
But hearing my name come from her lips made my heart do a small little flip.
Before I could respond…
"EEEEEHHH?!"
The whole room turned to look.
Rika had practically jumped out of her seat.
"That's not fair!!"
She pointed at both of us accusingly, puffing out her cheeks.
"I want in too!"
She nearly startled me out of my skin, but I couldn't help laughing afterward.
"O-of course you can."
Rika's eyes started to shine.
"Really?!"
She clasped both hands to her chest.
"Then…"
She pointed at me with all the excitement in the world.
"Aika-senpai!!"
Then pointed at Mei.
"Mei-senpai!!"
She paused for a split second, thinking.
"…Or should I say Mei-chan?"
Mei let out a small laugh.
"W-whatever you prefer…"
What a strange girl… I thought to myself, smiling.
The whole table was laughing too, watching her intensity overwhelm Mei.
The conversation kept going for a good while.
Between jokes.
Memories from rehearsals.
And stories about all the mistakes made during the preparation.
As the sun started to set, the little celebration also began to wind down.
We all pitched in to clean up the trash.
Moved the tables back.
Turned off the classroom lights.
Before heading out, I paused for a moment in the doorway.
I looked at them.
Rika was still bickering with Arima about something silly.
Harada was halfheartedly scolding them both.
And Mei…
She turned around right at that moment, searching for me with her eyes.
When our gazes met…
She gave me a smile.
A smile so warm that, without realizing it, I smiled back.
…
If someone had told me a few months ago…
That I would end up being part of a group like this…
I wouldn't have believed them.
I looked down and murmured to myself.
"I guess… becoming Aika hasn't been so bad after all."
"What are you talking about?"
I flinched.
My head snapped up.
Yuuna had appeared behind me, watching me with a curious expression.
"Huh? N-no! Nothing!"
I waved my hands quickly.
"I was just saying… I'm really glad I joined the club."
Yuuna looked at me for a few seconds.
Then smiled, just barely.
"You're a little weird."
"But I think we're glad too."
…
Weird, huh?
I let out a small laugh.
I wonder what you'd say if you really knew just how weird I am.
"What are you laughing at?"
"N-nothing at all, it's a secret," I answered, amused.