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As Nene finished her solo song, she didn't get a chance to catch her breath before continuing the scene. Although she was tired, she was going to try to keep pushing through the scene joined by the rest of the Phoenix Stage and Wonderlands x Showtime cast, but then the director stopped them.
"Kusanagi, your singing that time lacked a bit of emotion, which in turn made the rest of the scene feel a bit empty." Explained the director.
"Oh, sorry.. I'll try to do better next time..." Replied Nene. She knew she was more tired today, but she didn't think it was that noticeable.
"Do you think we could do that scene from the beginning?" He suggested.
Nene looked around nervously. "T-The whole thing..?"
"We're not short on time at the moment, so if you could that would be great."
"I-I..." Nene looked around at everyone who was waiting for her to say something. She could tell they wanted to continue working on the rest of the scenes, but now they couldn't because of her mistakes. She felt her throat start to close up for no apparent reason.
"I'm.. gonna go to the bathroom..."
Before the producer could say anything, Nene left the stage, not worrying about if everyone was looking at her. She dashed through the halls and instead of going into the bathrooms, she instead made her way to the locker area. She sat next to her backpack with her knees tucked in front of her chest, and soon after, tears started forming in her eyes and falling down her face. She knew she shouldn't be crying, but she couldn't help it.
A minute or so later, Nene heard footsteps coming towards the locker room, and somehow she was able to immediately slow her tears. When she looked up, she was expecting to see Rui or someone else from Wonderlands x Showtime, but to her surprise she saw Sakurako Seiryuin from the Phoenix Stage. This surprised her because she hadn't particularly talked with Sakurako many times, and they had really only interacted during the Christmas show and a few times during rehearsals.
"I knew you hadn't actually gone to the bathrooms." Sakurako said while standing at the entrance. She waited for Nene to say something, but Nene didn't respond because she wasn't sure what to say, and she knew if she opened her mouth she would probably start crying again.
"Well are you gonna come back to the stage? Everyone's waiting for you y'know."
"I-I..." Nene tried to say something but couldn't.
"Are you upset because of what the director said? You know, you're gonna hear much worse things, so you cant be soft if you want to be an actre-"
"N-No, it's not because of that... well, it is a little... it's just..."
"It's just what?" Sakurako questioned.
When Nene didn't respond, Sakurako waited a moment before eventually deciding to sit down next to her.
"Tell me why you're upset or I'm gonna leave. I have better things I could be doing right now."
Nene took a deep breath before replying. "Well... It's just... Ive kinda had a.. bad day today, I guess..." Sakurako didn't say anything and waited for Nene to keep talking.
Nene sighed before telling the rest of the story. "My friends at school recently stopped talking to me... and some of my classmates keep teasing me for being quiet..." She explained in a hushed voice. Sakurako's eyes widened slightly, but she quickly returned back to her usual stubborn expression.
"A-And... my parents have been arguing recently... so... I guess everything has just been building up today..." During the last part of her sentence, Nene felt her throat close up once again and she covered her face as if that would stop Sakurako from noticing her tears. She tried easing the cries, but moments later she was surprised to feel Sakurakos arms around her, to which she gladly returned the hug.
"I'm sorry about your parents.." She began, talking quietly. "I guess I can sorta understand how you feel..."
"And... I'm sorry about what's going on at school, but... just know we'll always be here waiting. Me, everyone in WxS, and everyone in the Phoenix Stage. We'll always be here for you." As Sakurako finished, Nene could almost feel the tears get stronger. She had never heard her talk like this, but it was oddly comforting. Sakurako let go of the embrace and looked around. She checked the time before rummaging around the bags next to them. "Here, drink some water." She said as she handed Nene her drink bottle.
After Nene had calmed down, Sakurako began getting up. "Are you able to go back now?" She questioned.
"Uh.. Yeah, I'll be fine..." Nene replied hesitantly.
"I'll talk to the director for you, okay?" Sakurako waited for Nene to get up and took her hand, but then immediately let it go and turned away.
"Oh, and... can you please never tell anyone about this?" Sakurako Requested, seemingly embarrassed.
Nene giggled a little. "Sure."