The Actor's Craft

? You don't mind helping, but, Senior...

You're standing awfully close.

The purple-haired girl with her hair in buns rose onto her tiptoes and took Ayanokoji's hand in hers, bringing herself within three inches of him.

Her gaze flickered. Her four buns rose and fell with each breath as she gazed tenderly into Ayanokoji's eyes.

The upper buns stayed as still as mountains, while the lower ones pressed right up against his chest.

The girl's fragrance washed over him, intoxicating him.

This was too much. Way too much!

Fortunately, Ayanokoji had been an FPS ace in his previous life. Otherwise, his recoil control would have been a complete disaster.

With the girl so close he could feel her breath, even Ayanokoji's usually expressionless face showed the slightest change.

His pupils widened a little, his irises constricted in response, and a glimmer briefly flashed in his dead-fish eyes.

"Junior, you wouldn't turn me down, would you...?"

The girl spoke with a faint smile, but when she saw that Ayanokoji's expression remained as calm as ever, a trace of uncertainty crept into her heart.

Ayanokoji calmed himself down. Luckily, he was expressionless by nature.

He said flatly, "I can help, but..."

"You'll have to give me something in return."

Ayanokoji flashed a sly grin, looking as though he expected her to know exactly what he meant.

"Huh?"

At his words, the purple-haired girl's expression changed drastically. She instinctively took a step back, her shoulders hunching slightly.

Had she just gotten herself into trouble?!

"N-no, that's not what I meant, Junior. Please, listen to me. I'm not that kind of person."

The girl began to panic, her voice trembling.

She'd only wanted to play a prank on her cute junior! Had she just thrown herself into the tiger's den?

Heh heh heh...

Watching the girl tremble in fear, looking like she'd tried to prank him and ended up getting teased herself, Ayanokoji felt strangely pleased.

That was a pretty novel trait.

Ayanokoji didn't take things too far. After teasing his mischievous senior a little, he calmed down and said slowly, "You've got the wrong idea, Senior."

"Actually, I wanted to ask you about the exam."

"Huh... Huh?!"

At those words, Tachibana Akane deflated like a balloon. She let out a sigh of relief and relaxed her tense body, blinking twice. She looked utterly exhausted, like she'd just escaped a tiger's jaws.

"You should've said so! I thought you were..."

"What did you think I meant, Senior?"

Ayanokoji asked with a faint smile.

"It was nothing!"

Tachibana Akane looked guilty and awkwardly turned her eyes away.

Heh.

Cute.

Ayanokoji stopped teasing her. If he didn't get back soon, he'd be stuck with whatever lunchboxes were left.

He flipped over the flyer in his hand, took the glue from his senior, spread it on, waited a few seconds for it to dry, then slapped it onto the blank space at the very top.

The last flyer was firmly attached.

Tachibana Akane was surprised by how smoothly he'd done it. She'd spent ages putting them up, and still wasn't sure every one was secure, but he'd finished in just a few quick movements.

"Are you a professional flyer-poster?"

Tachibana Akane asked with a smile, her eyes narrowing into slits.

"To be honest, I'm good at everything."

That was the truth.

But Tachibana Akane assumed he was just trying to be funny despite his deadpan expression.

Once they were done, Ayanokoji asked Tachibana Akane for her contact information, and she happily gave it to him.

On the way back, Ayanokoji opened his phone's contacts:

Hirata Yosuke... The Universe's Cutest Senior Tachibana Akane?

Ayanokoji's expression stayed calm. He tapped Edit, deleted the entry, typed in a new name, and refreshed the list.

"The Universe's Cutest Senior Tachibana Akane" had become "Senior Maruko."

How strange.

Ayanokoji mused.

The next day, Ayanokoji received a message from Hirata.

"We're holding a study session in the library. Come join us if you're free."

Hirata, I don't think you get it.

Do you have any idea how hard it is for a top student to pretend to be a slacker?

He didn't want to stand out by doing too well and attract a pile of trouble. Besides, at this Comprehensive Competitive Academy, grades couldn't determine everything and were only an added bonus. Standing out would just make it easier to gain enemies.

Incidentally, Comprehensive Competitive Academy was Ayanokoji's own description of the school, not its official designation.

Ayanokoji woke his phone and typed a message:

"Sorry, I have something to do this morning."

Send.

Done.

In the library, Hirata's phone lit up.

"Well? Is Ayanokoji-kun coming?"

When she saw Hirata pick up his phone, Kushida asked eagerly.

"Uh, he said he has something else to do, so he can't make it."

After reading the message, Hirata shook his head at Kushida and smiled.

"Oh, I see..."

Kushida's eyes dimmed, and she looked as though her hopes had been dashed.

Her shoulders drooped in disappointment, as if she'd lost half her enthusiasm.

Hirata was a little surprised by Kushida's reaction. He stared at her, lost in thought for two seconds, then his eyes lit up as if he'd realized something wonderful.

"Kushida, could it be..."

"Do you like Ayanokoji?"

Hirata asked with a smile.

Huh?

Why?

Hirata's out-of-the-blue question left Kushida Kikyo confused. She raised her eyebrows helplessly and gave him an awkward smile. "No, I don't have feelings for Ayanokoji-kun~"

"Huh? Really? I think you two would make a great couple," Kei Karuizawa said, intrigued by the gossip. "Look, you're the only one in class who's talked to him besides Yosuke. He must like you a lot."

"No, it's not like that..."

As Kushida spoke, she twirled the ends of her hair. Her pale thighs brushed against each other, her cheeks flushed pink, and she looked like a bashful young girl.

"How could someone like me ever be good enough for Ayanokoji-kun~?"

An actress! A born actress!

The Oscars would lose all meaning without nominating you.

"Come on, that's not true. Kikyo-chan is super cute,"

"Exactly! You were especially cute when you got all shy just now, Kikyo-chan!"

"We'll support your love, Kikyo-chan!"

Karuizawa, Sato, and Wang Meiyu all voiced their support and approval.

At their words, a sweet smile bloomed on Kushida's face again.

"Thank you, everyone~"

Now all she had to do was toss the piece of eraser she'd mangled in her left hand into the trash.

In the library, as she watched everyone studying, a sharp glint flashed in Kushida's eyes.

Ah... These people were such a pain. They'd made her ruin a perfectly good eraser.

Ayanokoji hadn't come, which meant that woman Horikita wouldn't come either, yet Kushida still had to waste time here.

The thought filled her with intense anxiety and unease, and she clenched her fist tighter.

Like Ayanokoji?

What a joke.

What did a dull, antisocial, deadpan shut-in like him have going for him that would make me date him?

Oh, maybe his only good point was that he was kind?

Recalling what had happened on the bus, Kushida magnanimously added "kindhearted" to Ayanokoji's list of traits.

In short, he was an unremarkable, deadpan guy who kept his thoughts to himself.

Done. She just needed to find an excuse to leave.

In the boys' dormitory, Ayanokoji had finished his nap and changed clothes. He was about to head to the convenience store to get lunch when an irritating tickle crept into his nose...

Achoo!

? - _ - ?

Ayanokoji rubbed the tip of his nose. Had he caught a cold?