(MC POV)
Right now I was sitting on one of the theatre seats near the stage, waiting for the others to return. We had just finished a round of rehearsals and given some break time for lunch.
Fortunately I made my own so I stayed behind, finishing mine way ahead of the end of break time. I was taking the opportunity to try and understand the new going ons inside my body.
I know for a fact that the stars pulsate according to my heartbeat, but why it does so I have no idea. I can't even tell what they really are since trying to reach out to them will result in the same condition as the first time I tried.
With that reaching a dead end, I turned my thoughts to this little play that I'm currently part of.
So far, the script seemed rather tame to me.
The play is set in a fictional school where Mark, the character that I'm playing as, is attending for his studies.
Contrary to what I had thought would happen to a chuunibyou, Mark's 'coolness' actually made him rather popular in school. He's supposedly mastered the art of 'appropriate chuuni moments', using his normally cringy lines at the most opportune moments which makes him look cool and charming.
Like he'll stand by the window and say something dumb like "The wind… Is troubled today…" when the wind is blowing through the window.
But because the light was shining at just the right angle and the wind blew with just enough force to ruffle his hair, the guy would look cool instead.
But in reality, he's just a normal guy who fantasizes about all the random crap inside his head.
The interesting part about it was that the story revolves around him trying to get a girlfriend with his 'coolness'. Unfortunately for him, his 'coolness' backfires on him as everyone else thinks he's too cool and charming for them to have a chance with him.
I have yet to see the latter half of the script but I believe he's supposed to find love in the end, though I've yet to know how.
"You're a really good actor, you know that?"
I looked up at the person who was talking to me, finding the white haired fox girl standing a short distance away with her arms crossed.
Seeing no one else around, she must have returned ahead of the others. That, or she never went with them in the first place.
"Thanks," I nodded curtly to her. "You're not bad of one yourself."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
I shrugged, "This is the normal you right? The cheery one that dragged me in here on that audition day was a mask you wore."
A ghost of a smile graced her lips which promptly disappeared as soon as it appeared.
"And what about you? Am I talking to Mark or the real you which we still have no idea the name of?"
I ran a hand through my hair, "Well, that would be telling, wouldn't it?"
"I'm starting to wonder if you're really eight years old."
"I never did say I was eight, did I?"
She rolled her eyes at me, "Then what? Are you nine?"
"I'm actually over forty but I returned to the past, possessing my younger body in this timeline."
She sighed, "I guess you're really eight years old to even say that without shame. Can't believe I'm getting played around by one… If my sister sees this, she'll have a field day."
I perked up, "Oh? You have a sister?"
She nodded, "Twins, though she's a few seconds older. She's out there travelling the world right now with her mate."
Twins huh? Can't be Manami then.
I must admit that this girl looks familiar though I can't put my finger on where I've seen her before, definitely not in my current life though.
Still, I do want to know how she ended up in my hometown. Nine tailed fox youkais don't grow on trees you know? Not to mention the slime, nekomata and the Ryu youkai as well.
You would think the slime girl should be a common sight huh? It's true for Slime monsters but slimes that actually gain sentience and avoid becoming primal beasts are actually exceptionally rare.
The nekomatas are also really seclusive in nature and rarely move out of their own community, not to mention the Ryu girl is a pseudo-goddess as well.
This whole idol group is weird no matter how I see it.
"So how did a fox youkai like you end up in this town?" I asked.
She raised an eyebrow, "I know we may be colleagues now, but we're not that close are we? It's kind of personal."
Guess I'll have to try harder.
"Can't blame me for trying to get to know the idol group of this town better," I lied.
"I suppose not," She sat down to my right, an empty seat separating us. "I just want to get this silly skit done and over with."
I raised an eyebrow, "Not a fan of the book?"
She shook her head, "Not really into the BL thing that this town's females seem to be raving over and honestly, neither are the other three. We're just doing this for publicity."
Didn't know there was the concept of publicity here already…
Wait a minute…
"Wait, wait… This play is a BL?"
She narrowed her eyes at me, "I thought you were a fan of the book?"
"Again, never said I was. You just assumed I was just because I said one line from the book."
She frowned, "So why did you even audition for this? I'd thought only fans of either us or the book would try for it and I know for a fact that you weren't a fan of us then."
"Well, I thought it could be interesting, so I stuck around. It's no big deal, you don't really need to read too much into it."
Her frown deepened, "No big deal? Do you even know how many die hard fans we had to sift through before we got to you? I'm pretty sure every kid your age and beyond had turned up for the chance at our audition."
I smiled, "Just because they're fans doesn't mean they can act well, can they?"
This time her smile stayed, "You are… Interesting... I will admit that. I see why you got this role so easily. I had even suspected that the audition might be your attempt at trying to get benefits from us."
"Oh, am I not already getting benefits? I don't think anyone else can claim they are taking a break one seat away from one of the town's idol members?"
"Kukuku… You're also quite the cheeky one huh? I see you've already gotten over the fact that this play is a BL?"
"Ah that? I'm just trying to avoid thinking about it by concentrating on the good stuff. But just in case… There aren't any… Dangerous scenes are there?"
She looked away, "I guess you'll just have to find out."
Hmmm… Time to initiate secondary measures.
I puffed my cheeks and and looked at her with upturned eyes, throwing a Light Technique in to make my eyes sparkle as well.
"Won't big sister tell me, pretty please?"
She turned to look at me, her face impassive.
"No," She said simply before turning away again.
Huh, guess she doesn't like kids.
I reverted my face back to normal, "How mean, do you not like children?"
"Children are a liability, they are weak. There's a reason why I was not present for the auditions."
I raised an eyebrow, "I'm a kid though?"
She turned back to look at me with narrowed eyes, "You are… Different… I do not know why, but there's a different feeling from you. Most of the time I would sense weakness or cowardice in children, but not from you."
I'm guessing she has a real hard on for power, probably because she has felt powerless before?
Or it may just be the opposite where she was already strong from the start and looks down on those weaker than her? Honestly I can't tell which one she is.
Still…
Looking at her tails and how they're laid down comfortably, I can tell she is relaxed and at ease. Or at least, that's what Manami's tails would do when I let her sleep on my lap for me to clean her ears.
"I still don't know your name though?" I pointed out.
"And neither do I know yours," She shot back. "It's fine, we'll be going our own separate ways after this anyway. Just two more days of rehearsals and then it'll be the real thing the day after, really a waste of time."
I tilted my head at her, "You'd rather go back to doing your idol things?"
She glanced at me before heaving a long sigh, "You… No. Nothing. It's not something an eight year old like you would know."
I shrugged, figuring that she probably has her own problems.
Besides, once I get to know how well received this performance is in three days, I'll know how much to invest in them for that sweet, passive moola income.
Then I'll just have to lay back and let my disciples take care of me.
Heh, heh, heh… My easy life plan is coming together quite well!