Chapter 63
School Festival Day 2âĄ
The second day of the KĆchĆ« Academy Festival began.
The main attractions today were not only each classâs displays but also the final campfire.
If you werenât dating anyone, you couldnât dance closely with a partner of the opposite sex. I wondered who my best friend, Seiya Kaminagi, would dance with.
Noâconsidering the aggressive girls around, he might be forced to dance with everyone. The only real conflict would be the orderâŠ
There was no girl who would dance with me. Well, that wasnât entirely true. Probably, if I asked, some girl would gladly dance with me.
But inviting her on campus would be impossible. She was the top of the yearâor maybe second, having lost the beauty contestâand there were always crowds around her.
Seiya and I were together because it was an observation day.
âThanks for keeping me company last night, Tsukiyo.â
âAh, no problem. Did you enjoy yourself?â
Yesterday, they apparently held a celebration for Mr. and Miss KĆchĆ« Academy late into the night.
The atmosphere suggested that the entire class was still exhausted.
âIt was the first time I talked that much with the classmates.â
He usually kept a cold exterior. Hopefully, this would help Seiya fit in better.
As for Mizusato, she was surrounded by both boys and girls, clearly the center of attention.
âStill⊠exhausting.â
This wasnât about being tired from yesterday. He was speaking of being tired right now.
Seiya had six hours free before participating in Tsukiyoâs class play, but hungry girls were circling him like predators. A real harem scenarioâit was terrifying.
Mizusato, HĆjĆ, Yumisaki, KudĆ, and Hii-chan were competing for one hour each with Seiya for a date. Then there was the question of how to spend the remaining hour⊠In front of five girls, he said to me:
âTaiyĆ⊠I want to stay with you.â
What a passionate confession! I instinctively stepped back.
And just like that, I had joined Seiyaâs harem.
âWhen Mizusato said my biggest enemy is you, TaiyĆ-kun, with those pitch-black eyes⊠I thought she might attack me in the dark.â
âIs that so? Then thatâs good, isnât it?â
âYour cheerful response is weird.â
For that hour, we just sat on chairs in front of the festival booths, chatting.
But after an hour, Seiya was whisked away by the next girl.
His life must be so complicated. Maybe he really has a âwomen troubleâ fate.
I met up with some other male friends and enjoyed the festival until it was time for Tsukiyoâs class play.
Two hours before the play began⊠my phone rang.
âCaller⊠Sera-san?â
The second day of the festival, gymnasium, 4:30 p.m. slot.
It was the very last performance, so almost all the remaining students had gathered in the gym.
There were many external guests as well. Chairs were set up throughout the gym, but it was so packed that there was no room to sit.
It was nearly miraculous for a first-year class to secure this final slot. Usually, the senior classes, putting in all their effort, performed here.
The Student Council managed the scheduling for this slot, indicating how valuable it was.
Flyers had been posted in advance on school bulletin boards with the title: âTwo Knights and the Moon Princess.â
Of course, our class also distributed them at the café booth.
The flyer featured photos of one knight and the princess. The appeal of YĆ«sa Ten, Mr. Contest 2nd place, and Kaminagi Tsukiyo, Miss Contest 2nd place, was tremendous for attracting an audience.
The curtain rose.
The narrator introduced the setting.
“Two nations at war: the Star Kingdom and the Sky Kingdom. Between them lay the Moon Kingdom, home to a princess said to be the most beautiful in the world.”
A ten-minute play couldnât have a grand story. It would likely feel familiar. But even a simple story can become extraordinary through the actorsâ performances.
âAh, Prince of the Stars⊠Prince of the Sky⊠why have you changed? We were always together as childrenâŠâ
Tsukiyo, playing the Moon Princess, was illuminated by the spotlight.
âOooooooh!â
The audience cheered her beauty.
The costume made by the Home Economics Club was exquisite, resembling a twelve-layered traditional Japanese outfit. Tsukiyo looked like a real-life Princess Kaguya.
The Moon Princess addressed the people, her beauty leaving the audience breathless.
The opening was strong⊠and she showed no sign of yesterdayâs fatigue. She moved closer to the audience and smiled, captivating everyone.
“He is the Prince of the Sky. He takes the Moon Princess as his wife, pledging to use her as the cornerstone of a revolution.”
âMy name is the Prince of the Sky. Moon Princess⊠walk with me and become the symbol of revolution!â
“The Prince of the Sky, in white robes, lowers his sword and swears on the ground.”
YĆ«sa Ten, extremely popular among first-year girls, captivated the audience. No wonderâMr. Contest 2nd place. He instantly commanded the atmosphere.
The audienceâs cheers continued, though they were still minor compared to the upcoming surprise.
âMy name is the Prince of the Stars. I take the Moon Princess as my wife and shall become the King of the Sky!â
“The Prince of the Stars, in a black cloak, lowers his sword and swears on the ground.”
Kaminagi Seiya, with his sweet face, ideal physique, and striking features, drew the womenâs loudest cheers.
I thought I heard some familiar voices, but I ignored it. Few expected him to make a surprise appearance in a first-year play, which unsettled many in the audience.
âAlways⊠helping me, traveler. Who are you?â
âPrincess⊠when you are in trouble, I will appear. Be true to your feelings.â
This was apparently the key characterâthe traveler. Though his face was hidden, it was Sera-san performing. He must have practiced many times; his words were flawless.
Then the play reached its climax. The final battle between the Star Prince and Sky Prince began.
It was a spectacular sword fight, both actors skilled. The Moon Princess stepped between them.
“The Moon Princess⊠using her own life⊠rained sorrow⊠and brought the two back to reason.”
âMy dream⊠was to be a gentle king under whom the Moon Princess could live safely.â
“The Star Prince lowered his shoulders.”
âI⊠only wanted to protect the Moon Princess. I just wanted her to smile.â
“The Sky Prince bowed his head. Before the two princes lay⊠the princess, in eternal slumber. Then the traveler appeared.”
âMoon Princess⊠accept my power!â
“By the travelerâs power, the Moon Princess was revived. The two nations ended their conflict. The princes joined hands, vowing never to make her suffer again.”
âThe war ended, and the two princes went their separate ways. Yet my heart remained unsettled.â
“The Moon Princess searched, to finally be true to her feelings, thus she cried out.”
âI am in trouble now!â
“The traveler responded to the Moon Princessâ cry.”
âYou are a troublesome one.â
âYes⊠traveler, no⊠Moon Knight.â
“Yes, the traveler was the knight of the Moon who disappeared in childhood. The princess had been saved by the knight in her youth. She realized this when she revived from the brink of death.”
âI gave you my power and became merely a traveler.â
âThatâs fine, traveler⊠turn around and accept my feelings!â
Then⊠the princess turned, looked at the knightâs face⊠and froze.
âEh⊠wha⊠whyâŠ?â
In front of Tsukiyo, the Moon Princess, was me, disguised as the traveler. The lines were spoken through the mic by Sera-san, and until this scene began, he had indeed been performing the traveler.
How it came to this⊠goes back two hours earlier.
