Fifty-Sixth Spell: The Mabuki Theater Club
Dragging Haru by the hand, Hikari took him out of the courtyard and into the theater where he had participated in the Ceremony of Kimonos. There were a bunch of students there, some of whom were older than him.
"Ah, Genma-Chan!"
Haru's attention was drawn to a tall older student standing onstage wearing a shimmering gold kimono with yellow embroidery. They also had long blonde hair tied into an upward ponytail and carried a harisen-style fan.
"Is that the boy you were talking about?" asked the blonde-haired student. "Bring him over so I can get a better look at him!"
So Hikari did as the blonde-haired student asked and brought Haru before them.
"Ryuji, this is Otoma Wan. Wan-Sempai, this is Haru Ryuji," Hikari said as she introduced Haru to the blonde-haired student. "He's an Osozaki who transferred here during Spring Semester."
"Oh, really?" Otoma leaned down toward Haru's face. "That's why I didn't recognize him. But he does look familiar for some reason…."
"You probably saw him in the Maichi Yosoku story about the Boy Who Vanished," Hikari said.
"Holy Kami!" Otoma exclaimed. "You're the Boy Who Vanished? I thought he'd be more scary-looking. But you're just a cute little dork."
"Dork?" Haru didn't like the way Otoma said that word. "Is it because of my glasses?"
"I meant it as a compliment, silly!" Otoma then rubbed Haru's head which ruffled his short dark hair. "You look like a guy that needs to lighten up a little."
"That's why I brought him here," said Hikari. "So do you think he's perfect?"
Otoma stopped ruffling Haru's hair and looked at him from head to toe. "Yes, I think he'll be perfect for the role."
"Role? What role?" Haru blinked in confusion.
"Wan-Sempai is the head of the Mabuki Theater Club, which everyone here is a member of including myself," Hikari explained. "And we're currently holding auditions for a play that will premier next month."
"But what do you need me for?" Haru said, not understanding why Hikari brought him here. "I have no experience in acting."
"You don't need acting experience," Otoma assured. "Anyone who's interested in theater can join whether they want to be onstage or work behind the scenes."
"In other words, some students choose to do more of the productive side of theater like building the background sets, running the stage lights, and so forth," said Hikari, noticing Haru was still confused. "Because without them, our plays wouldn't be captivating enough for the audience."
"That's right," Otoma nodded. "And that's why we need you, Ryuji-Kun."
Haru shook his head. "I still don't get it! What specifically do you want me to do?"
"Didn't you tell Ryuji before bringing him?" Otoma asked, glancing at Hikari.
"No, Wan-Sempai, I didn't," Hikari apologized. "Sorry!"
Frowning, Otoma used their harisen fan to bop Hikari in the head.
"Shame on you for not telling Ryuji-Kun the truth!" Otoma scolded.
"I didn't have time to tell him, I'm sorry!" Hikari said fervently.
To prove Hikari was being honest, no white lines appeared on her pink kimono.
"All right, I believe you," Otoma decided and withdrew the harisen fan. They then addressed Haru, "Our next play will be Jiraiya the Gallant, and it'll retell the historical events surrounding Jiraiya, his lady-love Tsunade, and the evil Orochimaru! What we need you to do is help operate the puppets we're going to use."
"Puppets?" Haru exclaimed. "Like a Bunraku play?"
"Something like that," replied Otoma. "You'll be dressed in all black and move the puppets we are building that represent the giant toad Jiraiya rides, the giant slug Tsunade turns into, and the giant snakes Orochimaru summons."
"Not to mention the Yamata no Orochi that possessed Orochimaru to begin with," added Hikari.
"Will I have to use my hands?" Haru asked.
"No, you'll be using your wand," answered Otoma. "And I'll teach you the necessary spells to move the puppets."
"It's just the kind of thing you need to get your mind off things," Hikari said to Haru. "What do you say?"
Haru looked at the other students in the theater, who all seemed busy either reading lines out loud or putting sets together using magic.
"Can't you get any of these guys to help you instead?" Haru said to Otoma.
"They don't want to do it," Otoma said. "And if we don't wrap up auditions by the end of this week, it'll delay our premier by another week which will really cut into our Fall Semester Midterms."
Everyone in the theater groaned when they heard that.
Feeling guilty, Haru paused. "Can I at least have a day to think about it?"
"Sure!" Otoma rubbed Haru's head again. "Let me or Genma know what you've decided as soon as you can, okay?"
"Okay," Haru agreed.
Then as the crowing noise signified the end of Lunch Period, Hikari and Haru cleared out along with the younger students.
"What did you think of Wan-Sempai?" Hikari asked Haru. "I know she can be a bit overly theatrical at times."
Haru did a double take. "Wait, Wan is a girl?"
Groaning, Hikari looked disappointed. "I thought it would've been obvious, but I guess you're too stupid to notice such details. Yes, she's a girl—but she dresses like a boy."
"Does that include the robe and the way she did her hair?"
"No, the robe is her school kimono! Didn't anyone tell you about the different colors it can change into?"
"Um, I know the robe is pink when you start Primary and Secondary School. Then it changes to white when you've broken school rules."
"It also changes to gold when you've excelled in all your classes. That's what my robe used to look like in Primary School before it changed back to pink. And Wan-Sempai's blonde hair is just a wig, not her real hair!"
Reeling from all this information being thrown at him, Haru felt suddenly lightheaded.
"Hebi…."
A sudden pain erupted from Haru's chest. But it was immediately replaced by a brief warmth. Looking downward, Haru saw the omamori charm glowing brightly.
When he looked back up, Shō-Sensei was standing at the end of the hallway he and Hikari were in. She looked perplexed, though as soon as she spotted Haru she immediately walked down a perpendicular hallway.
To be continued…
