“Hotcakes stall is decided, and next is……”
The class president of Class E pushes up his glasses and continues the good atmosphere.
Recently, the mood among the third-year students was great, thanks to Mei having taken care of all the troublemakers, leading to a generally peaceful vibe.
‘Of course, I’m taking care of those who are boasting while I’m temporarily away.’
I even heard rumors about how some seniors from the fourth year who suddenly appeared and bullied the kids were dealt with.
‘Gotta focus on dating during the festival, you know.’
It was shocking to hear that he didn’t want any needless noise before the festival started.
Now that he’s become so proactive, it feels like the hierarchy between us has flipped compared to before.
“So, with Tana serving as well, that makes everyone decided? No objections from anyone?”
The class president organized things pretty neatly, but I scanned the chalkboard and raised my hand.
“President, I’m not listed.”
Seeing my name nowhere made me wonder if I was being left out, but instead, the president looked flustered and turned to me.
“Uh? Aren’t you participating in Professor Veritio’s play? I took you off the list on purpose for that.”
“Nope, I’m gonna decline that.”
At that, my classmates started whispering among themselves.
Ive, who was sitting next to me, leaned on her desk with pleading eyes, but I completely ignored her.
“Sigh, it’s really a good opportunity.”
Tana muttered.
Rumor has it that if you participate in the main roles of the play, you get to join Professor Veritio at the social party, meeting famous nobles and knights.
It’s a chance to make a name for yourself, and while some professionals say it’s lucky and filled with jealousy,
“Anyway, once I graduate, I’ll be living in the woods, so what’s the point?”
By the time I graduated, Rin would have safely returned to her original state, and I planned to return to the forest and wait for Eris.
Not knowing what Eris was up to before I found Sherpa made it impossible to go looking for her first.
As the president subtly glanced at Professor Amanda sitting next to him, she slowly stood up and approached me.
“Do you know who Professor Veritio is?”
“I’ve heard of him.”
“And yet you’re saying you won’t participate? This is a chance to make your name known to the nobles in an instant. Apparently, some royals will be attending this time.”
The classroom buzzed with excitement once again.
But I remained unchanged.
“Yeah, no thanks.”
“Huh.”
Professor Amanda didn’t say more, turning her body and signaling to the president, who wrote my name under miscellaneous tasks.
*
After school.
Huff! Huff! Please save me!
Grr, get bitten…!
Gasp, I see Grandpa waving at me from across the river!
“Isn’t your grandpa still spry?”
“Right? So who was that?”
With Eve and Tana bickering annoyingly, I was training hard when Rin rushed over to me.
“Daniel, Professor Veritio is looking for you. He’s asked, when’s the script reading? Didn’t you know?”
“I said I’m not doing that, right?”
Wasn’t Amanda supposed to tell me?
Rin looked puzzled, tilting her head.
“Huh? Everyone’s waiting for you?”
“No, I said I’m not doing it. I returned the script.”
“R-Really? I thought it was because of you…”
Rin looked at me with a disappointed expression. Just when I had something to say, it worked out perfectly.
“You know, you were sleeping in my room last time…”
“I-I’ll take my leave now!”
Suddenly, Rin’s face turned red, and she dashed off.
It felt overly embarrassing, but anyway, I decided to secure my room better in the future.
It felt odd thinking that nothing was missing, considering we used to share the bed when we were younger.
‘Even if it was when we were kids…’
Worrying about teasing Rin might lead to who knows what.
Lately, dealing with just Mei has been overwhelming enough.
Leaving the two downed female students behind, I went back to exercising when a man in a black suit ran over urgently.
“P-Professor Veritio?”
I heard Eve, who had fallen, shout out as she hurriedly got up.
That lanky guy must be Veritio, who looked quite flustered.
“D-Daniel? Are you really not going to take part in my play?”
“Yeah, I don’t really want to.”
If I’m going to do a play, I’d need to prepare already, and I just find it bothersome.
Was it too blunt of me? Professor Veritio wiped the sweat dripping from his forehead with a handkerchief and asked,
“I told Amanda to give you the script. Did you receive it?”
“Yeah, I got it.”
“Did you see the role and content?”
“I saw the role, skimmed through the content.”
Then he clapped his hands excitedly and nodded vigorously.
“Good! While reading that, what do you think about the character Gary?”
“Huh?”
Do I really have to answer this? But since he was sparkling with eyes, I decided to share my personal opinion.
“He’s a bad dude. Rough and wild, right? But he’s got a sense of loyalty too…”
“Exactly! That’s it! Gary is the antagonist from his first appearance to the middle of the story, but his perception is gradually flipped in the latter half, engaging the audience’s focus!”
“…”
Did I give the right answer? Professor Veritio cut me off, excitedly replying.
Eve next to us chimed in, “Yeah, yeah!”, nodding with her hands clasped.
“And I imagined this Gary character while watching you take the second practical combat exam.”
“…Huh?”
Are you talking about that exam where I teamed up with Mei and smashed Hayun and Ares?
“You’re very primal, rough, and instinctive! Could you possibly take your shirt off?”
“N-No, wait a minute!”
What on earth is this guy talking about?
But somehow, Eve tugged at my collar, and Tana jumped in saying it was revenge for the exercise.
As I tried to shake them off, even Professor Veritio joined in, and eventually, the button popped off and my uniform shirt came undone.
“Oh, my shirt.”
I was fuming with irritation, but Professor Veritio was clapping his hands, eyes shining, and shouting.
“Perfect! This is it! Yes, this is Gary! The ruler of the dueling arena! A scarred man who, starting from the lower ranks, has seized wealth, women, and power with a fist!”
‘What a crazy guy.’
“Especially that gaze. It’s like looking at a magical beast! As if you’re about to rip your enemy’s throat out!”
If he weren’t a professor, I would have punched him right then, but I wanted to pat myself on the back for holding back.
“Wow.”
“…”
Tana and Eve giggled, starting off as playful while stripping, but now, looking at me with an odd mixture of swallowing.
I tried to cover my chest out of shame but decided to leave it as it was, as it felt weird.
“Give me my shirt.”
Though the buttons popped, I managed to put on the shirt and turned my body.
“Daniel McLean! It’s you! We need you!”
“No thanks. Find someone else.”
With that, I headed back to my room to sew the button back on, but things started to get quite a headache from the next day onwards.
“Is Daniel here?”
Of course, he showed up at Class E during every break.
“What do you think this man’s psychology would be like?”
He even applied for special lectures in our class and provided in-depth explanations about the character Gary.
“Is there anything you like? I’ve brought some things that kids your age might like.”
The gift bombardment had begun.
Isn’t it just easier to go to someone else? Why’s he so obsessed with me? It was annoying, but Eve just laughed, saying, “That’s the stubbornness of an artist.”
Eventually.
“So, you called me here?”
Standing there with a face like I’d eaten something sour in the dean’s office, I saw the dean watching me closely, and Professor Veritio rubbing his hands together in excitement.
This guy convinced the dean that if I didn’t participate, the play set to feature even the royalty would come to a halt.
“But I’ve never acted before?”
Acting? I’ve never even stood on a stage; what is with this obsession?
Yet, Professor Veritio was adamant.
“Acting can be taught from now on. Don’t worry; I can make you completely immerse in a role, even if it’s just a short time.”
“…”
After glaring at the dean, who was stuck between the two, she subtly lowered her head and avoided my gaze.
Neither could she side with Veritio nor with me. The situation was peculiar.
I was seriously about to blow up when Professor Veritio pleaded.
“This is truly my magnum opus! And you’re the final piece to complete it. I’ll give you everything you want. I’ll support you as much as possible, and if you want, I can even introduce you to people you can hardly meet. I’m close with not just nobles, but also dwarves, and elves.”
“Um, no, I said… wait a minute. You know elves?”
Once I showed interest for the first time, Veritio seemed to jump at the chance, getting all worked up.
“Of course! I’ve mentioned it, right? I’ve visited the only forest city of elves, Yggdrasil!”
“Yggdrasil…”
A massive city of trees inhabited by a race of elves that have a low population. No other races were allowed entry.
“The elven queen became a total fan after seeing my play. If you want, I could even write a letter of introduction for you.”
I’ve heard that Eris held a quite high position.
If I could go to Yggdrasil, maybe I could meet her?
The festival would end, and then after the exams, there would be vacation. If I could get a letter of introduction, maybe I could spare some time to visit Yggdrasil then.
“Haah.”
In the end, I extended my hand to Professor Veritio, who was grinning with anticipation.
He quickly grabbed my hand and shook it up and down with glee.
He mentioned that we’d have the script reading again tomorrow and left.
Staring at the door he walked out of, I wondered if I’d made the right choice, but the dean suddenly interjected.
“Weren’t you fond of Rin? At your age, if it’s an elf, it must be thrilling.”
“Seriously, please stop. I’m about to burst.”
“…I’m sorry; how about you hurry out before that happens?”
At the dean’s request, I let out a heated breath and stepped out the door.
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