Over at the auditorium, Ichika was led by Yae to the stage. In that auditorium, there were a multitude of people cheering on Ichika. Yae had to put earplugs in her ears in order to stop her going crazy. She quickly wrote down something on a piece of paper and handed it to Ichika.

Yae:"I didn't expect this many people."

Ichika gave a shy laugh.

Ichika:[That's kind of what happens when you announce my name to the entire festival.]

Ichika was handed another piece of paper.

Yae:"I knew you were an actor, but to be this popular. It's a shame I'll have to do this in front of so many."

Ichika turned to Yae in confusion. She mouthed off "What do you mean?" Yae then signaled everyone to quiet down. While still plugging her ears, she tried her best to speak into the microphone.

Yae:"Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming over. As you can see, we've brought the star Nakano Ichika over. The point of this exercise is quite simple. The two of us will act to our utmost best and you, the audience, will vote on who you believe is the better one."

With that, the curtains began to close, signaling the preparation that would be needed.

Ichika:"You can act?"

Yae:"Better than you, at least."

Ichika:"E-Eh…? Kind of a weird time to have a competition, is it not? And about the principal. I understand that you met him prior to this, but how did you know he wasn't here any-"

Yae put a finger over her mouth.

Yae:"You're too loud. I agree that this isn't the best time, but Take-chan insisted it had to be today."

Ichika:"Who?"

Yae:"...Oh, right. You never met her, did you? She's Uesugi Fuutarou's first crush."

Ichika:"Eh!?"

Yae:"Now, come with me. I'll tell you the rules."

Ichika:"I-I don't really feel like doing such a thing…"

Yae:"Ah, I had wondered what was so great about the actress Nakano Ichika. But, it seems you were just as much of a coward as those other four."

Ichika suddenly changed her aura.

Ichika:"...Yeah, I can't deny I'm a coward. But I'll be damned if I let someone bad mouth my little sisters. Apologize."

Yae:"Only if you beat me."

Ichika:"Tch. Very well, I'll have to force the apology out."

Yae:"That's more like it."

...

After some preparation, the curtains were opened to show the first sister, ready in her costume. While not perfect, it had the appearance of a character in the upcoming movie Ichika was going to be in. Upon seeing the similarity, the crowd erupted. As she waited for the crowd to calm down, Ichika thought back.

{Yae:"Our competition is simple. Simply act out your most recent role with as much heart as you can."}

Ichika:[Despite the movie not being out yet, this is the last role I did, so those are the lines most fresh in my mind. I already called my manager and he gave me the go ahead as soon as he heard my sisters were talked down on...But…]

With a signal, Ichika began to act out her lines and queues as best she could. Her acting was captivating, clearly getting every beat right. Any cameras that were on her noticed the perfect choreography in her moves. However, there was something missing. It wasn't obvious at first, but as the crowd's excitement slowly died down, they began to notice it too. The shine that was originally there seemed to be gone.

Before, whenever Ichika took up the mantle, her acting would shine as bright as the sun. The audience would feel as if they were in the scene with her. If she felt anger, the audience would too. If she felt sadness, they would too. Ichika was always on track to be a heavy hitter in the industry. However, now that was gone. Online, some concerns about how her acting had seemingly lost its flourish were popping up from time to time, starting from her summer commercial. But, these claims were ignored for favor of how beautiful the song she did afterwards was. Now, those feelings seemed to have more proof. There was nothing quite wrong with it, but it left much to be desired. The whole time, Ichika's mind wasn't all there.

Ichika:[I don't...like this role. I don't...feel anything anymore. Ever since that trip to Kyoto, acting has felt wrong. The production behind the movie was almost delayed because the director thought they were doing something wrong, by not realizing my potential. But it wasn't their fault. I...I simply can't get into it anymore...]

With that, Ichika's performance ended. She didn't smile, nor did she wave. She simply stood still. The audience still cheered for her, having still seen a great performance. But neither Ichika nor the audience felt anything of note.

Now, it was Yae's turn. As opposed to Ichika, she had no fanfare. Only a few pity claps for the girl no one knew about trying her best. Some were talking or checking their phones, but the atmosphere in the room suddenly shifted. As if the sun had been in the room it felt like everything lit up. Ichika widened her eyes. Yae's acting was truly wonderful. While not as textbook perfect as Ichika's, there was true passion behind all of her moves. The normally stoic face suddenly could perfectly replicate numerous expressions and feelings extremely quickly. The audience was entranced by her. It was as if they were all transported to another world. Despite having no context, they could immediately understand her happiness and sadness. Ichika couldn't believe what she was seeing. But, she thought back to another thing Yae had said right before they started.

{Yae:"You know, I was a fan of your before."}

Ichika:[This acting, could she be…?]

…

…

Several years ago, in a certain school.

"Hey, where did she go?"

"Did she skip class again?"

"What's wrong with that freak?"

Outside, hidden in bushes, was a crying girl covering her ears.

Yae:"Please, stop saying mean things. I can't help it…"

End of Chapter 111