To be more specific, it was about an hour after school.
In the empty school gymnasium, a slightly higher-pitched, cold voice echoed through the room, adding a strange sense of depression to the stuffy air.
"ready, go."
"Don't pronunciate the lines here...!"
"wrong……!"
"Cut...!"
Accompanied by a loud "dong" sound, the girl slammed the paper tube rolled up from the script on the armrest of the seat, and showed off her cold tongue mercilessly.
"No, no, no, no, no, no! The rhythm, timing and emotional expression of the speech are all wrong...!"
Contrary to the master's beautiful appearance, the irritability and anger in his words were clearly transmitted to everyone's ears, making the atmosphere seem extremely heavy.
On the stage were a group of ugly-looking young actors.
Under the stage, there is a beautiful scriptwriter with a cold expression.
However, in this unequal confrontation, the situation was always firmly in the hands of the latter, so much so that many people did not even dare to take a breath.
It was under such a situation that a tall figure came from outside and ignored the current atmosphere, pulling up a chair and sitting down next to the aloof girl.
"Please use the condolences." The young man said in a calm tone and handed over the can of coffee in his hand.
"...!?"
The temperature was transmitted to her face through the metal, causing the girl's expression to soften slightly. She then raised her hand obediently and took the coffee against her cheek, saying thank you softly.
Seeing this scene, the students on the stage were stunned for a moment, and then immediately expressed surprises.
"President!"
"President Kato...!"
"Kato-kun...!"
…
A group of people all greeted him enthusiastically, with expressions on their faces as if they had seen something that could rescue them from hell.
But then——
"Boom——!"
There was another soft sound.
"Be quiet! It's still being rehearsed now...!" said the dark beauty who knocked on the script scroll, and everyone was silent again, but they all unanimously turned their praying eyes to the young man next to them.
One of the second-year girls, who seemed to be a minister, couldn't help but stand up and said: "Well... well, Kasumigaoka-san, we have been rehearsing for so long, I think it's better to let everyone take a rest first."
"Well, that's right. After all, it's almost five minutes in terms of performance time. It's indeed quite a long time."
In contrast to this "friendly" tone, Shiyu's left leg covered in black stockings was shaking all the time, truly expressing the extent of the negative emotions accumulated so far in the rehearsal.
"Although...even though it is like this."
The girl who heads the drama department already had a cry in her voice: "But in this short five-minute play, we have failed thirty times! Everyone's nerves can no longer bear any more pressure.
, so please... ugh...!"
A pair of tearful eyes kept looking at Kato Yusuke.
It seemed to have triggered a chain reaction. As soon as this happened, the other students also showed a look of concern on their faces.
"...Is this Kasumi Shiko's version of Les Misérables, Shiwa-senpai?" Kato Yusuke turned to look at the girl next to him, his tone becoming a little subtle.
Shiyu curved the corners of his mouth, but said nothing. His expression was quite playful, showing a unique charm.
He then carefully considered his words and said, "Otherwise, let's let everyone take a break. Senior Shiyu, I happen to have something that I need to confirm with you. Is that convenient?"
The voice was neither too loud nor too quiet, but it was just enough to be heard on the stage, so everyone looked nervously and focused their attention on the two of them.
As if waiting for the verdict, the venue suddenly became a little quiet.
Facing all kinds of eyes, the girl calmly lowered her head and took a sip of the coffee in her hand, the expression on her face seemed to be thinking.
Then he slightly agreed to the stage and said: "Okay, let's take a five-minute break... Please use this gap to remember all the key points just mentioned in your mind."
The moment the words were settled...
"Okay...yes!"
"Finally, finally saved..."
"Ah, I can't do it anymore, I've reached my limit...!"
…
As soon as the tense nerves relaxed, the students lowered their shoulders as if a huge burden had been lifted, and gathered together to complain.
At the same time, he did not forget to cast a grateful look at Kato Yusuke, and he calmly shook his head in response.
Then he said to the person next to him: "It's all because the senior sister was too strict. As a result, all the favors have fallen to me now. Is that okay?"
"Haha... wouldn't that be just right? I'm not interested in these things anyway. If they can respect you more because of this, I'd be happy to see it happen."
Shiyu turned her gaze to him, "Or, don't you like this? President." The tone at the end of the sentence rose slightly, and there was a faint smile on the corner of the girl's mouth.
"I can't tell whether I like it or hate it."
Kato Yusuke said calmly: "I just think this will affect the reputation of the senior sister. If it is just this, I should be considered disgusted."
After finishing speaking, he added: "Especially when this favor was returned to me in the end, I feel a little uncomfortable."
"This sentence means..."
Shiyu's hand movements paused slightly, "Can I understand that you care about me? Kato-kun."
"Well, senior sister is right to understand it this way."
The young man nodded, then picked up the coffee in his hand and took a sip. "After all, Senior Shiyu is my friend, so don't do this kind of thing next time."
Different from the black coffee he often drinks, the coffee in his mouth has a rich milky aroma and sweetness, giving him a novel experience.
When Shiyu heard these words, his eyes moved slightly and he nodded gently, "I know, I won't do this again next time."
"Well, thank you."
A faint smile appeared on Kato Yusuke's lips, and then he changed his words: "But having said that, is it true that we rehearsed NG thirty times? Isn't this too harsh, Shiba-senpai?"
"severe……?"
The girl turned her gaze to the stage and thought for a moment, then said: "I think this level is just average, but the director once complained to me about superficial things like too many lines and the exaggerated thickness of the script."
In his words, he didn't seem to feel that he had done anything excessive, but was just disappointed with this group of people.