They never saw it coming--the Shadow Girls, I mean. When it came to matters of making elaborate costumes, pantomimes, or moral tales, there was no one more talented. If something was happening at Ohtori, one could assume the Shadow Girls knew about it; even if they were rather cryptic when confronted. They suspected many things, but they never suspected Mitsuru Tsuwabuki.
A-Ko had just finished sewing the buttons onto her trenchcoat for that afternoon's performance (even though they wouln't be visible in the shadow, it was always important to remember the details; any good actress knew that) when there was a knock on the door of the Drama Room.
"Oh, go away!" she huffed dramatically, "we have all this work to do before sunset, the last thing we need is interruptions!"
From behing the stage doors, B-Ko emerged, a paper mache assault rifle slung over her shoulder. "Now, don't be like that, it might be someone important. If you're so busy, I'll answer it."
"I don't know if you ought to..." A-Ko eyed the gun warily, but her partner was already heading towards the door, manuevering between a box of fake beards and a cat puppet twice as tall as she was. The knocking continued, very softly, as if whoever it was had misgivings about actually coming inside.
"Do you know? Do you know? The Student Council's undersecretary is here." B-Ko announced. She swung the door open, and there, sure enough, was Tsuwabuki, looking highly uncomfortable. His cream-colored uniform appeared several sizes too big for him; his hands were covered by his sleeves, and he'd folded back the cuffs of his trousers so many times that they balled around his ankles like miniature flotation devices. Still, with his notebook in one hand and a stopwatch in the other, he was a passable doppleganger of his mentor, Miki Kaoru.
He looked around the room, with its odd assortment of props and costumes, and an expression of bewilderment came over his freckled face. "I, uh," he coughed, lowering his high, childish voice, "this is the Drama Club, isn't it?"
"Well, it's not the Flower Arrangment Club!" A-Ko and B-Ko retorted in unison, using one of their favorite inside jokes. They still had the cactus somewhere, just in case of an emergency.
Tsuwabuki took another look around the empty auditorium. Still uneasy, he sat down in one of the spindly chairs and opened his notebook. "You may have heard this news already, but the Student Council is trying to find space to hold an art studio. The students could sketch live models, and things like that."
"Oh! Juicy!"
"We'd be honored to inspire the students with our beauty!"
Tsuwabuki shook his head. "That's not what I mean. Arisugawa-sempai has been trying to get the funds together, but right now it seems like we're going to have to convert some existing space." He flipped through the pages of his notebook. "It says here that you two are the only members of the Drama club right now."
A-Ko puffed up her chest proudly. "Of course! We're by far the most qualified women for the job."
"That wasn't exactly a compliment." Blushing, Tsuwabuki stared down at his shoes. "We've been evaluating all the clubs and groups, and yours is, well, it's the smallest by far. So I...we, the Student Council, were wondering if you'd consider giving up your club's space to make room for the studio?"
"Never!" B-Ko cried, lunging forward with the gun thrust in front of her. "The Drama Club is essential; the death of acting means death of the imagination!"
A-Ko nodded sagely. "A school without imagination...it's a terrible thought!"
"Don't you agree?" They asked Tsuwabuki, leaning in close.
He bit his upper lip nervously, and a bead of sweat trickled down his temple. "I suppose so..."
"Just think of it this way: all the knowledge and experience of the human race, it's collected in stories. The Bible, Shakespear, The Oddesy, they're passed on by the glorious art of acting. It might not mean anything to you, but every story is important to someone. If we can tell even one person the story they need to hear, isn't that more valuable than drawing a bowl of fruit?" The Shadow Girls looked at him expectantly for a long, uncomfortable moment. Then, quite suddenly, he glanced at his stopwatch and yelped.
"I'm going to be late!" Tsuwabuki snapped the notebook closed and stood up rather stiffly. "Please excuse me, I have to go interveiw the Astronomy Club next."
"What about us?" B-Ko asked, waving the rifle, "Is the Greek Chorus going to be muted by beaurocracy?"
"I'm sorry," He said, bowing, "but I can't say for sure right now. The Council will consider what you've told me before we come to a descision." He turned to leave, then hesitated. "I thought you should know, I do understand what you mean. Having somone to guide you in the right direction, someone to give you advice; it can be quite helpful." Smiling shyly, he waved (still clutching the stopwatch) and dissapeared into the hall.
"He's a nice boy, isn't he?" A-Ko chuckled, leaning on her friend's shoulder.
"Seems that way. Actually, I feel a bit sorry for him." B-Ko turned and gave the other Shadow Girl a significant look. "Do you think we should have told him about Ko--"
"Be quiet!" A-Ko hissed, "you'll spoil the ending!"