Hikarizaka High Drama Club: My Oshi is Too Precious, I Can't Even! - The Kyou Fujibayashi Route, Out of Control! - A Good-for-Nothing Guy Finds His Oshi ~The Old School Building and a Terribly Bad Play~

*Kiiin-koon-kaan-koon.* A cheap electronic chime echoed throughout the school. I, Okazaki Tomoya, closed my textbook. Outside the window, the sky was overcast. I could faintly make out the streets of Misaki City and the sea beyond. The same scenery as always. An unchanging, boring everyday. On my desk sat a single sheet of paper, nearly blank. It read: Career Path Survey Form. I hadn't written anything on it. No dreams for the future, nothing I wanted to become. Nothing at all. "Yakisoba bread! Hell yeah!" The classroom door burst open. In came a guy with a messy brown soft mohawk. His round eyes were sparkling as he grabbed my shoulders. "What is it, Sunohara?" This guy is Sunohara Youhei. My partner in crime, and the biggest weirdo at Hikarizaka High. He's always thinking about stupid stuff, but I can't bring myself to hate him. "Lunch break's almost here! I'm going to buy yakisoba bread from Kamomedou! Today, I'm definitely getting it!" The school store, "Kamomedou," is a tiny shop tucked away on the first floor of the main building. An older lady named Tamura-san runs it by herself, and the yakisoba bread is a hundred and fifty yen. Lunch break there is always a war zone. I let out a sigh. "Don't you always lose?" "Today, I'm gonna win! I came up with a plan yesterday!" Sunohara pulled a crumpled memo from his pocket. On it was a nonsensical diagram. "Operation Bread Get: Final Form" was written in messy handwriting. "Don't tell me you're gonna start shouting about a miraculous walk-off grand slam again." "Haha, of course I am! Today, a miracle's gonna happen!" This guy says the same thing every single time. But that's what's good about Sunohara. He never gets discouraged, no matter what. Something I could never imitate. The bell rang. "Alright, let's go, Tomoya!" I sluggishly stood up. ... The school store was already a complete madhouse. People were packed in tight, everyone desperately reaching for bread. Tamura-san was yelling, "Get in line!" but no one was listening. Sunohara was jumping up from the back, trying to see the bread shelf. "Where is it, where is it, the yakisoba bread!?" At that moment, something caught my eye. In the corner of the shelf, a single yakisoba bread remained. I moved unconsciously. I slipped through the crowd and reached out my hand. In that instant, I saw Sunohara making googly eyes at a group of girls. "Hey there, ladies, you're all looking cute today~" In that opening, I grabbed the yakisoba bread. "Traitorrrrrrrr!" Sunohara screamed and charged at me. I ran. I dashed down the hallway. Sunohara's angry shouts chased me from behind. "Tomoya! You bastard, you used my girl-hunting as a distraction!" "What are you talking about? You were just making googly eyes on your own." "You're so cruel! I spent a whole week devising a plan for today!" I laughed as I ran up the stairs. Stupid days like this. But I don't think they're so bad. At least, it's better than being at home. At home, there's a father who does nothing but drink. My mother isn't around anymore. She went somewhere when I was little and never came back. If I have to go home to a place like that, I'd much rather be messing around with Sunohara. ... After school. I was called in by my homeroom teacher. It was because I'd handed in the Career Path Survey Form blank. I got a lecture, but it went in one ear and out the other. When I returned to the classroom, Sunohara was waiting. "Yo, Tomoya! Let's go slack off on the rooftop. The lock's still broken, so we can get in." "Not today. I'm gonna go for a walk by myself." "Huh, that's rare. You turning down slacking off? You got a fever or something?" "Idiot, it's the opposite. I just want to clear my head a little." With that, I left the classroom. I had no particular destination in mind, and before I knew it, I'd wandered over to the old school building. The old school building is made of wood. The hallways are always dim, and the floor creaks with every step. But I didn't dislike this place. Because no one else is here, because it's quiet. I used to think this was the only place I belonged. When I went around to the back of the building, there was a large ginkgo tree. It must have been decades old. In autumn, it turns a brilliant color, its leaves dyed yellow. Someone was standing under that tree. ... It was Fujibayashi Kyou. She's in my class, a well-known figure around school. She ties her long black hair, which reaches down to her waist, into high twin-tails. Her defining feature is her strong-willed purple eyes, and despite her cute face, she has a sharp tongue. If something displeases her, she immediately throws a dictionary at it. Everyone, half-jokingly and half-seriously, feared the "Fujibayashi Hammer." I've been on the receiving end of that dictionary a few times myself. I don't remember the reasons. I think it was usually because I said something unnecessary. Kyou was holding something that looked like a script, muttering to herself. "...Why... how could you..." Her voice was trembling. Whoa, wait. That Kyou? "No good! This is totally no good! There's no way I can show this to anyone!" She ruffled her own hair wildly and shouted, her face bright red. I hid in the shadows, secretly watching. Kyou took a deep breath and held up the script again. "...Um, well, I... I've wanted to tell you... for so long..." It was wooden. Her movements were awkward too, like a child taking its first steps. Her voice was cracking, and her hands were trembling. But. But, how should I put it. She was incredibly desperate. Thinking no one was watching, she was still trying her hardest, acting with her whole body. That Kyou. The strongest empress in the school. Who would ever imagine her showing a side like this? My heart started pounding loudly. What is this? It's hard to breathe. My heart is so loud. It's a strange feeling. Even though it's just the most violent girl in school practicing her terribly clumsy acting. But I can't take my eyes off her. Kyou practiced the same lines over and over. "...No! That's not it! The truth is, I..." At that moment. *Crack.* I stepped on a dead branch underfoot. Kyou's movements stopped completely. "...Huh? Who's there?" She turned my way. Her face grew paler and paler. I gave up and stepped out of the shadows. "...Yo." Kyou turned bright red in an instant. "Wha— wh-wh-wh-wh...!" Then she grabbed the Kojien dictionary lying nearby. It was thick. The seventh edition. Three thousand one hundred pages, a 3.4-kilogram lump of iron. "W-Wait, hold o—" *Thwack.* Stars flew before my eyes. An intense pain shot through my nose. I collapsed on the spot. Blood gushed from my nose. "How long were you there!? What did you see!?" Kyou screamed in a voice that sounded like she was about to cry, throwing a handkerchief at me. "...Pretty much from the beginning." I answered honestly, holding my nose. "N-No way... Everything?" "Everything." Kyou raised the dictionary again. "You stalker! Pervert!" "Wait, wait, wait." I stood up, wiping the nosebleed. And then, I just said what I was thinking. "That was amazing." Kyou's movement stopped. "...Huh? What was?" "Your acting. It was super clumsy, but it was really good. Like, it was desperate, and real. Watching it... it got me right in the chest." Even as I said it, I didn't understand myself. What am I even saying? But I wasn't lying. "...W-What's that supposed to mean? Are you making fun of me?" "I'm not making fun of you. I really watched your acting for the first time. It was incredible." Kyou fell silent. Then, she murmured quietly. "...Don't tell anyone." Her voice trembled faintly. "I won't tell anyone. It'll be my secret alone." I smiled. Kyou made a face that was hard to read—troubled, angry, something in between—and didn't say anything more. ... On the way home. I walked alone down Sigh Hill. The town of Misaki City was dyed red by the setting sun. The wind blowing from the Hikari River felt good. I was thinking about Kyou's face from earlier. Drama, huh. That Kyou. That girl who's always throwing dictionaries at me. I don't really get it, but... I can't forget it. Ever since my mother disappeared, ever since I grew disillusioned with my father, I've lived thinking nothing really mattered. I've never thought about the future, not once. But. Watching her act, somehow, my chest felt warm. Is the sight of someone desperately trying their best at something really this incredible? "...I..." No matter what anyone says, I'll become your biggest fan. I made that decision in my heart. If the day ever comes when Kyou's clumsy but desperate acting can be properly seen by someone. For that day. What should I do? I still didn't know the answer, but the very fact that I didn't know was something special for me today. For the first time, I thought maybe it was okay to think about it.

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Episode 1

Name: Hikarizaka High Drama Club: My Oshi is Too Precious, I Can't Even! - The Kyou Fujibayashi Route, Out of Control!
Author: Novelia

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