Chapter Text
"Mr. Park, forgive me for being a nuisance, but I was coming to ask if you took my proposal into consideration."
Yamaguchi Mako, the president of Hisakata High Class 3B, an exemplary and correct student, was standing straight in front of Principal Park; who looked tired behind his desk.
"I thought long and hard about it, Yamaguchi-san, and I think you're absolutely right. Last year the drama club didn't raise enough with their winter musical." He said, listlessly. "I'm going to take your proposal seriously. If they don't raise anything this year, then the club will disband."
"Thank you very much for everything, Mr. Park. Besides, you know, the drama club has had a lot of favoritism towards Oe Riku with the leads. The other students haven't had a chance. A drama club that doesn't give opportunities to all students shouldn't exist." She smiled at him, proud. She always had him eating out of her hand.
"Miss Oe is talented, and Miss Suzuki knows it, although yes, she should include the others more, I suppose.... We'll have to wait until December to see how it goes. If they don't fill the theater, then yes, the club is going to close."
Mako left the principal's office very happy, having achieved her goal after insisting for a long time. Since the beginning of school in April she had been insisting to Mr.Park, and it was already September, coming back from summer vacation. She had finally succeeded. Oe Riku was going to graduate after watching her beloved drama club fall to pieces...and because of her!
Yes, Mako hated Riku. She always got the leads. Her angelic voice, her laugh and her charisma...they made her stand out. Mako always struggled in her auditions only to end up acting as a tree. Worst of all, the drama teacher, young Miss Suzuki, was well aware of her own favoritism, but she didn't hide it.
Yet the students kept auditioning, and kept going to see the annual plays, because of Oe Riku herself and her undisputed popularity.
That wasn't enough, though. They couldn't fill the school theater.
The drama club had five definite members.
Arai Ayaka, the teacher's assistant, is the president of the club. She is in charge of promoting the play and helping to organize everything to do with auditions. She is quiet and has stage fright. She dreams of being a manager one day.
Hanabashi Rio, the costume designer. She is in charge of putting together the actors' costumes. Sometimes she sews them from scratch, sometimes she improves an old garment with her imagination and creativity. She clearly dreams of becoming a fashion designer.
Katsumura Maya. The girl behind the scenes. She is in charge of the lights, the music, the microphones, the scenery...she is the soul of the club.
Rio always helps her to set up the scenery, although she loves to paint and decorate it.
Nakabayashi Rima, the queen of makeup. She has a lot of fun doing the actors' makeup. She makes do with old makeup products and does a great job.
Last but not least...the face of the club.
Oe Riku. Hisakata High's Emma Stone dreams of winning an Oscar, and is adored by everyone. She is very good at memorizing her dialogue and a fan of the sound of clapping.
Two days before the auditions, Riku was feeling super confident. Her best friend Miihi was helping her rehearse her song, and doing vocal exercises as usual. They practiced at Miihi's house, where they hung out almost every day.
"Jake's going to audition!" Riku smiled, plopping down on her friend's bed, sighing in love. "Mafuyu managed to convince him. Too bad I have to do his English homework for a month."
Jake Henderson, the schoolboy beau, is British. Although, he has lived in Japan since he was a child. He is intelligent, quite tall but not very athletic. His light brown hair and honey eyes have the school spellbound.
But there is something wrong. Jake likes a girl, who is not Riku. It's Ogou Mayuka.
Riku had always disliked her, but they had never spoken, even though they were in the same class. Anyway, Mayuka hardly noticed Jake, so, she wasn't considered a threat.
She wasn't considered a threat until Miss Suzuki walked her towering heels past the door to the music room. Which, to Mayuka's misfortune, was ajar.
The teacher heard a sweet voice accompanied by a piano and marveled. She entered the room, startling Mayuka. She introduced herself to her and spoke to her, briskly.
"On Tuesday we have auditions for the Beauty and the Beast musical. At the theater, obviously." She grinned from ear to ear, to a pianist nearly scared to death.
"Thanks for the offer, but I don't think it's my thing." She answered her. Her voice was charming even when she spoke.
"Please consider it, we need talent like yours." She read the name tag that was on her uniform. "Ogou Mayuka, you have potential." She said this as she handed her a booklet with audition schedules. After leaving Mayuka somewhat puzzled, the teacher left, giving a bow.
"You have to go, Mayu-chan!" Nina Hillman, her best friend, told her, as she ate ramen at her family's restaurant, Sei Ramen; which is barely two blocks away from the school.
As Mayuka served customers, with her signature ponytail, and her extreme shyness set aside, she laughed.
"Neens, you're crazy." She said, as she set a bowl of ramen on one of the black tables in the small shop. "Enjoy." She smiled at the regular customer.
"Look, Mayu. If you go...I'll buy you sushi this weekend." She was sitting at the bar, across from Chef Ogou and his eldest son, Masato, who were cooking with vigor. "That's a good offer, isn't it, Masato-kun?"
"I think so. Eating that much ramen is going to make her sick. Besides, that musical can help her finally make more friends..."
"Hey!" Mayuka complained. "Mom, tell Masato to shut up!"
Mrs. Ogou was cleaning one of the free tables. "Mayu-chan, your brother is right. Go with Nina-chan to the audition."
"Ugh...okay. But I want to eat some good sashimi!" Nina smiled as she noticed that her friend had agreed. Food always won her over.
Two days later, Miss Suzuki smiled from the stage as she saw Mayuka sitting in the seats.
The theater was an old dump, it was full of dust, cobwebs and had terrible acoustics. However, there were plenty of people there to audition.
Nina offered to play the old grand piano downstage as soon as she walked in. The teacher was glad she didn't have to play it, and asked if she wanted to stay for all the rehearsals.
"Yes, of course I do, Miss Suzuki." Nina didn't really feel like it, but as soon as she saw Arai Ayaka standing on the stage next to the teacher, she decided she wanted to be part of the club.
"Well, boys and girls. Welcome back to the auditions for this year's winter musical. In this case 'Beauty and the Beast'." She smiled. "Ayaka, the club president, and I, will be evaluating you. Now, those of you who want to be Belle raise your hand, that's how we start."
Riku hated knowing that her beloved Jake was sitting in the row behind her, next to Mayuka. What did he see in that basic, boring girl?
"Very good, Oe Riku as always." Miss Suzuki said, after seeing her hand in the air. "And...oh! A new face, Ogou Mayuka. No one else?"
Mayuka had raised her hand slowly and hesitantly under the gaze of Nina, who from her place at the piano gave her a thumbs up.
Riku turned to look at her, looking unfriendly, and Mayuka almost ran away. But she got to thinking about the sashimi and it went away. Sashimi was important, not fighting her shyness or making friends.
Ayaka wrote down the names of all the people auditioning in her notebook, along with their characters. After writing everyone down, they started with both Belles. Riku and Mayuka stood side by side on the stage.
Mayuka began to tremble, her nervous and shy nature reappearing as she looked at the less than twenty people in the audience.
"I'll start, shall I?" Riku spoke, her loud voice echoing through the theater.
"Yes, let's go. Action!" said Miss Suzuki, and Nina began playing the piano based on her sheet music. The song they had to sing was "Belle" and Mayuka hadn't learned it very well.
Riku threw the paper with the lyrics in the middle of her performance. All the notes came out perfectly. Her vocal technique was superb. Mayuka simply read and reread the lyrics beside her, waiting for her turn.
"Wooooo!" shouted Miihi from the audience when her best friend finished. Riku bowed in thanks, and before walking off the stage, whispered in Mayuka's ear:
"Top that, Ogou."
She came down with a smirk on her face, and Mayuka took a deep breath.
At first, when the piano started to play, she read the lyrics with a bit of fear. But she began to sing with passion when she noticed Riku's swaggering smile, who was whispering things to Miihi without even paying attention to her.
She sang the song with the emotion that Riku lacked, and shocked the entire audience, who gave her a standing ovation as soon as she finished.
Riku and Miihi didn't even applaud, obviously.
The rest of the auditions were not half as good as the first two. Jake and his friend Mafuyu's auditions were like comedy movies.
The next day, as soon as the lunch bell rang, everyone headed to the main billboard near the entrance to see the full cast.
Riku almost died right there.
"WHAT?"