Kono Monogatari O Kimi Ni Sasagu - Volume 1 Chapter 2.4

A week had passed, July had ended, and August had begun.

The sound of cicadas seemed distant in the drama club room on the fourth floor of the school building.

It was 11 a.m. The club room, an unused classroom, had no air conditioning, and the stifling heat made everyone sweat. The occasional breeze through the open windows offered only a slight reprieve. With a total of twenty club members, plus Yuto, combined with the sets, props, and costumes, the room was unbearably hot and dusty.

Yuto uneasily watched the members scattered on chairs and the floor. No one said a word. They occasionally wiped the sweat from their foreheads. All of them were focused on the A4-sized stack of printed scripts in their hands.

It was the script Yuto had printed using the school printer this morning.

He had finished writing it yesterday. After a night of revisions and an unexpected event or two, he had contacted Watanabe, the club president, to gather the members to read the finished script. This was the first time anyone other than Yuto would read it.

Even Kotoha hadn’t read it yet. Moreover, Kotoha wasn’t present at this meeting.

Despite eagerly awaiting Yuto’s story and serving as the editor, Kotoha had caught a cold and couldn’t attend today.

To be precise, Yuto had ordered her to stay home.

***

Last night.

“How’s the manuscript?”

It was a progress-check email from Kotoha.

Something felt off.

Given her personality, it wouldn’t have been surprising if she called or visited directly.

Yuto, having just finished the first draft, immediately called Kotoha, who would likely have her smartphone at hand. But contrary to his expectations, the call didn’t connect immediately. It took ten rings before Kotoha finally answered.

“Hi, what’s up?”

Her voice sounded artificially light and hoarse, and Yuto immediately knew.

“Do you have a cold?” he asked. After a pause, Kotoha reluctantly replied, “Yes.”

“But I’m fine! How’s the manuscript?”

“It’s done.”

“As expected of you, Senpai! Send it to me!”

“No.”

Yuto could sense Kotoha’s stunned silence on the other end.

After a moment, her voice, now subdued, spoke.

“I told you, didn’t I? I’d risk my life for my editorial work.”

“It’s just a cold. Get well soon. I’ll show the script to the drama club first and get their feedback. You can read and revise it after that.”

“But…”

“I can’t trust someone who’s not at their best to read it. Just rest.”

Yuto’s firm response left Kotoha weakly agreeing, “Okay… sorry,” and then the call ended. He felt he might have been too harsh, but otherwise, Kotoha would have pushed through her illness to read the script and attend the meeting.

***

A sudden noise brought Yuto back to reality.

Looking up, he saw a female club member hurriedly leave the room.

The script she had been reading was left on her desk, flipped over. Had she finished reading?

What was that about?

Did she just go to the restroom? She seemed awfully rushed.

Could she have left in anger over the script’s quality?

Yuto felt a pang of anxiety.

Despite the president’s request, to the club members, Yuto was an outsider who had criticized their script. If the new script he brought was bad, their anger would be justified. Yuto knew he would be angry if he were in their position.

Sweat that wasn’t due to the heat trickled down his back.

Then, another disturbance occurred in the club room.

Three female and two male members left the room in the same hurried manner.

Yuto thought this might be really bad when—

Amid the cicadas’ chorus, he heard sniffling and faint sobs.

Yuto looked around the room and gasped.

Some members were staring blankly at the last page.

Others were covering their faces with their hands, shoulders shaking as if holding back something.

Some were hiding tears.

They were all trying to suppress their emotions, but like a boiling pot with a lid on, their efforts only made the emotions overflow.

Yuto could only watch them in a daze.

Even during his time as an active writer, he had never seen someone read his story right in front of him.

So while he understood what was happening, it didn’t feel real.

But there was no doubt.

His story had moved them deeply.

Eventually, when the members who had left the room returned and everyone was present,

“…Everyone, listen up.”

Watanabe’s voice echoed.

The members looked up at Watanabe, who was sitting at the back near the window.

He didn’t seem to be holding back tears or overwhelmed with emotion, but his expression was serious, causing everyone, including Yuto, to straighten up.

“What did you think of the script?”

Without expressing his own opinion, Watanabe spoke.

“Feel free to discuss it.”

That prompted the members to start sharing their thoughts with those nearby.

“What did you think?”

“It was so moving.”

“Hiyori was adorable.”

“No way, Ren was the best.”

“The supporting characters were great too.”

“Did that guy write this? What’s going on?”

“It’s practically professional.”

“He wrote this in a week? Unreal.”

“I’ve never cried just from reading a script before.”

The room buzzed with their reactions.

They couldn’t help but talk about what they had felt.

However, a few members remained silent, their gazes fixed on the script. These were mostly the ones who had left the room earlier and returned with red, swollen eyes, revealing the reason they had left.

A female club member who had been silently looking down raised her face.

“Excuse me.”

Her words were directed at Yuto.

“For the role of Hiyori, is that supposed to be me?”

It was a probing question from the vice president. Yuto, feeling a bit hesitant, opened his mouth. Having been tense and silent while observing the members, his mouth felt dry.

“…Why do you think that?”

“While reading, I felt this character was just like me. I’m not sick or anything, and I’ve never met a shinigami, but if I were in that position, I think I’d say and do those things naturally.”

Her words made Yuto exhale in relief.

“…That’s good to hear.”

“Huh…?”

She looked puzzled, but Yuto said nothing more.