Chapter 42 Growing Up

I never thought rice wine could make me drunk. Nekono Ikuya: QAQ~ He originally wanted to work hard to improve his alcohol tolerance and get rid of the miserable nickname of being a one-cup wonder, but unfortunately, he was banned from drinking by the adults because of his age.

Forced to obey, Nekono Ikuya sighed again: QAQ~ Sigh, I can only wait until I grow up to practice.

"We'll deal with growing up later," Nekono Ikumi thought. His inability to hold his liquor for even one drink only troubled him for a short time before his attention was drawn to something else.

The much-anticipated school festival is finally here!

"I finally agreed to take the role." Rei Furuya stared at his handsome costume for a long time in silence.

Why couldn't they resist persuasion? No wonder she's the pillar of the performance club; the president is really good at talking.

"Zero, you're here." Morofushi Kagemitsu pushed open the door. Thanks to his two friends from the performance club and his own good relationships, he, who was not a member of the performance club, also entered the backstage area under the guise of helping out with odd jobs.

Upon seeing Furuya Rei, Morofushi Kagemitsu's eyes lit up: "Wow, you look great in that outfit."

He slowly circled around Rei Furuya, carefully admiring his half-blood prince look, then gave him a thumbs-up and praised him generously, "Very handsome!"

Rei Furuya touched his exceptionally bright blonde hair, which the stylist had styled for him today, and smiled somewhat embarrassedly: "N-no, not at all."

"Don't be modest, everyone thinks you look really handsome today." Morofushi Kagemitsu gestured with his chin, indicating to Furuya Rei to look at the crowd of people secretly glancing at him as they passed by.

Then, looking around, she asked in confusion, "By the way, Zero, I haven't seen Yu Mi at all. Where did Yu Mi go? Did you see him earlier?"

“Nekono-kun,” Furuya Rei’s breath hitched, and his expression suddenly became subtle.

He choked back a sharp pain, his gaze drifting unsteadily to another group of people not far from them, and said with difficulty, "Nekono-kun is right here..."

"Kagemitsu, I'm here!" Nekono Ikuya knew that Morofushi Kagemitsu had arrived, but he had been busy discussing lighting with the president and hadn't paid any attention to him.

At this moment, the president had already left to check the props. Nekono Ikuya then keenly heard Morofushi Kagemitsu asking him a question, so he slowly turned around, answering while waving to Morofushi Kagemitsu.

As Nekono Ikuya slowly turned around, Morofushi Kagemitsu's eyes also gradually widened.

When Nekono Ikuya's figure came into full view, Morofushi Kagemitsu was completely stunned by Nekono Ikuya's appearance.

Zhu Fujingguang: Stunned and speechless.jpg

“Ikuya, you…” Morofushi Kagemitsu stared wide-eyed at Nekono Ikuya, instantly becoming incoherent.

Rei Furuya glanced left at Kagemitsu Morofushi, whose mouth was agape and eyes were wide with surprise, and right at Ikuya Nekono, whose eyes flashed with cunning and whose face held a deep smile.

He turned his head, raised his hand, and "slap!" covered his face, unable to bear looking at himself. Rei Furuya: He knew it!

Nekono Ikuya gracefully walked up to Furuya Rei and Morofushi Kagemitsu, looking at them with a smile.

Morofushi Kagemitsu calmed down quickly. He lowered his hand that had been impolitely pointing at Nekono Ikuya, but did not give up asking questions.

His tone was hesitant, as if he hadn't fully recovered from the shock, "Yu Mi, what's wrong with you...?"

He glanced at Nekono Ikuya's long, smooth black hair that fell over her shoulders, and then at her clear, blue eyes that were both romantic and cunning.

Although Nekono Ikuya is still dressed in neutral pants, her demeanor and expression make her seem like a girl.

Zhu Fujingguang was in a daze: My best friend has changed gender in the blink of an eye?!

He had seen Nekono Ikuya's back when he came in, but Nekono Ikuya's back gave the impression of being a girl. This wasn't just because of Nekono Ikuya's longer hair, but more importantly because of her completely changed demeanor. So Morofushi Kagemitsu didn't recognize her at all.

Morofushi Kagemitsu took another look at Nekono Ikuya's face and expression, his eyes gradually turning to amazement.

It was clearly the same face, without heavy makeup or deliberate softening, yet a change in her eyes seemed to subtly alter her entire gender. If Nekono Ikuya hadn't deliberately pointed it out to Morofushi Kagemitsu, she might have even suspected that these were Nekono Ikuya's twin sisters.

What amazing acting skills! What incredible Nekono Ikuya!

But Morofushi Kagemitsu still wanted to ask, why? Why did Ikuya suddenly change into a girl?

“This is Sakura-ori's outfit, Kagemitsu. Sakura-ori is my little sister.” Nekono Ikuya winked rapidly at Morofushi Kagemitsu. He spoke in a female voice, which confused Morofushi Kagemitsu.

"???" Morofushi Kagemitsu asked, bewildered. "Okatori...is your sister?"

"Mhm." Nekono Ikumi's eyes still held a hint of amusement, but she nodded seriously upon hearing this.

You must be kidding me! Just a few days ago you said Sakura was your nickname. Morofushi Kagemitsu chuckled, thinking that this younger sister was probably a clone of Ikuya herself.

"Yuya, why are you dressed as a girl? I thought the script was for two male leads (emphasis)?" Morofushi Kagemitsu asked curiously.

Compared to the ordinary classmates who were clueless and speculated that Ikuya Nekono would play a role like a half-blood prince because of her frequent blonde hair and dark skin outfits recently, Morofushi Kagemitsu, a mutual friend of Ikuya Nekono and Rei Furuya, naturally knew more.

He knew that Rei Furuya had also been persuaded to participate in the performance, but the acting club kept the news a secret as a surprise. Little did he know that there would be more surprises than one!

Morofushi Kagemitsu had not seen the performance club's rehearsal before, and Nekono Ikuya and Furuya Rei had not mentioned it either, so he only found out now.

Nekono Ikumi raised her chin, glanced at Furuya Rei, and deliberately drawled, "Well, we'll have to ask our Furuya-kun about that."

Rei Furuya didn't even look at Ikuya Nekono or Kagemitsu Morofushi. He put on a look of utter despair and sighed heavily, "Sigh!"

Hmm? There's a story behind it? Morofushi Kagemitsu's curiosity was immediately piqued by Furuya Rei's expression. He quickly looked at the suspenseful Nekono Ikuya, his eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge and curiosity.

It's okay if Zero doesn't want to talk; he believes that the more Zero refuses to talk, the more Yumi will want to talk.

Don't panic, Morobuchi Kagemitsu is not panicked at all.

Morofushi Kagemitsu: Victory is assured.jpg

As expected, Nekono Ikuya didn't keep him in suspense for long. Nekono Ikuya casually twirled a strand of long, black hair that had fallen over her shoulder with her fingertips, and said to Morofushi Kagemitsu with a half-smile:

"Why did Kagemitsu suddenly agree to take on the role? Because he heard that the female lead in the other script was a gender-swapped version of me!"

Nekono Ikuya feigned grievance and slightly furrowed her brow.

"And in order not to disappoint everyone, I will definitely appear in the show. Sigh, so after all sorts of negotiations, this is the situation you see now."

Nekono Ikuya gently clasped her hands together and then slowly opened them, smiling helplessly as she showed her outfit to Morofushi Kagemitsu.

Nekono Ikuya smiled innocently: Oh dear, my sacrifice is huge! Okuriri was forced into it!

This guy makes himself sound so innocent. Despite having expected it, Furuya Rei was still dumbfounded. Impressive, good acting really does give you the freedom to do whatever you want, huh?

After listening, Morofushi Kagemitsu was speechless. He squinted. Wow, there's a pervert here!

The president of the acting club who wrote this script is such a pervert! And I heard that Rei Furuya, who agreed to participate in this script under certain conditions, is also a pervert!

Although it's easy to guess that Nekono Ikuya's role in this matter is far from innocent, like a pitiful little thing being persecuted by a malicious friend.

But this didn't stop Morofushi Kagemitsu from taking advantage of the situation and looking at Furuya Rei with the eyes of someone looking at a pervert. Because he also had bad intentions and wanted to take the opportunity to persecute Furuya Rei.

Morofushi Kagemitsu stared at him, feigning surprise and disbelief. "Zero, so this is the kind of person you are!"

Rei Furuya's eyes gradually hardened into crescent shapes: "..."

Hmph, two drama queens!

"That's not how it is at all, okay?" Furuya Reiki laughed, staring speechlessly at Nekono Ikuya.

"I just wanted to make things difficult for you, but who knew you would agree without even hesitating. And afterwards, you even held the president back from revising the script!"

He originally wanted the president to revise the script! Although the president was reluctant, he also decided to revise the script. It is said that the script had already been revised once.

While exclaiming, "Oh my god, how could you people do this? You insist on making me, a guy, play the female lead. That's so mean!" Nekono Ikuya quickly took the script and said, "Since you're all so sincere in your request, I'll reluctantly agree. It's not that I want to play the role, it's just for Furuya-kun's sake."

How come I didn't know I had such a big reputation? And who sincerely begged me?

"You're the one who's eager to try and enjoying it!"

Rei Furuya was completely baffled back then, and now this is all his fault? That Nekono-kun is just so awful. Rei thought to himself, a self-deprecating voice pointing fingers at him.

Rei Furuya crossed his arms: "Kagemitsu, don't be fooled by Nekono's innocent appearance."

"No way, there's another pervert here!" Morofushi Kagemitsu pretended to shift his gaze to Nekono Ikuya. "Ikuya, you're actually this kind of person!"

Nekono Ikuya looked back at Morofushi Kagemitsu, then at Furuya Rei, who was the clam and the snipe, and at himself.

"..." He puffed out his cheeks slightly.

Oh dear, it seems we've inadvertently let the fisherman Jingguang profit again. That cunning Jingguang.

I hereby declare that Morofushi Kagemitsu, who played the non-stick pan in this match, is once again the MVP. Morofushi Kagemitsu: (laughs)

A few lighthearted words eased Rei Furuya's tension. As the emcee announced, the moment for Ikuya Nekono and Rei Furuya to appear was approaching.

"Good luck, Zero and Ikuya." Morofushi Kagemitsu smiled as he watched the two leave, offering them words of encouragement in a soft voice.

"Thank you, Hikari." Nekono Ikuya walked towards the waiting area first. His expression was very calm. It was just a performance and there was no reason for him to be nervous.

He gently patted Rei Furuya on the shoulder, raised his head, his black hair flowing, his clear blue eyes radiating a unique charm: "Let's go, Furuya-kun."

Even before he stepped onto the stage, the spotlight seemed to be focused on him. The eyes of those around him were involuntarily drawn to him. He had become the center of attention.

“Okay.” Furuya Rei was slightly taken aback, but quickly recovered and nodded to Morofushi Kagemitsu, who was smiling beside him, before following Nekono Ikuya to the other side of the waiting area.

They stood on either side of the stage at the same time. Furuya Rei took a deep breath, but it didn't help much. His heartbeat was still gradually becoming more intense, like the beat of a drum.

"Thump, thump, thump." He started to get nervous.

With a "whoosh," the curtain rose, and in his peripheral vision, he saw a dense crowd of audience members below the stage, their gazes shining like searchlights upon him.

The pressure suddenly increased.

Rei Furuya paused for a moment, but calmly and steadily stepped onto the stage.

One step, two steps, and the bright spotlights moved with his steps, illuminating his brilliant light blond hair, highlighting his healthy wheat skin, and revealing his mysterious purplish-grey eyes.

But what shines brighter than the lights is him himself.

The audience below the stage suddenly exclaimed, "Wow!"

He should have been more nervous, yes, he should have been more nervous. But watching Nekono Ikuya calmly walk towards him from the other side of the stage, Furuya Rei suddenly felt no nervousness at all.

He stared intently at Nekono Ikumi's cunning yet bright emerald eyes, watching them intently until, under his gaze, those eyes gradually lost their childish roundness, their corners elongating slightly, inexplicably becoming alluring and passionate.

"After several years, Miss Sakuragi is finally making a limited-time return, along with our Prince. What a rare moment, quickly record it!" A muffled but excited voice came from the audience.

Looking at his no-longer-childish reflection in Nekono Ikuya's eyes, Furuya Rei suddenly realized that they had grown up.