Chapter 18 – “Casting Chaos”

The bell rang sharply, signaling the start of the afternoon announcement. The entire class leaned forward, curious, as their homeroom teacher, Ms. Fujimoto, cleared her throat.

“Class 2-B,” she began, hands clasped behind her back. “This year’s cultural festival theme is… a school play! And your play is ‘The Princess and the Brave Prince.’’”

A stunned silence filled the room.

Riko’s eyes widened. “Wait, what? A play?” She looked around, half-expecting someone to admit it was a joke.

Ms. Fujimoto continued, “We’ll be assigning roles today. Everyone will participate. Riko Tachibana… you’ll be the princess. And Daichi Moriyama… you’ll be the prince.”

Riko choked on her pencil. “W-what did you just say? Princess?!”

Daichi blinked, then muttered, “And I’m supposed to be a heroic prince… right. Sure. Why not.” His tone was flat, but his eyebrows twitched with disbelief.

“Wait, hold on!” Riko yelled, standing on her chair. “I’m not some delicate princess who faints at the slightest thing!”

“You’re tall enough to reach the chandelier,” Mina whispered to a friend, smirking. “They definitely got the wrong person for fragile elegance.”

Daichi leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. “And I’m not some heroic prince cliché who fights dragons and saves girls. I just kick soccer balls… and sometimes lunchboxes.”

The class erupted in laughter. Some students cheered. Mina clapped dramatically. “Ohhh, this is going to be fun! Finally, a chance for our favorite couple to shine!”

Riko froze. “Couple?! Did you just—?”

“Shh,” Mina whispered, pretending to be innocent. “The school’s shipping you already. You’re basically trending before rehearsals even start.”

Riko groaned, grabbing her head. “I’m going to die from embarrassment.”

Daichi muttered under his breath, “Why am I paired with her… of all people?”

Riko shot him a glare. “And why am I paired with you?!”

The teacher, oblivious to the chaos, continued. “You’ll start rehearsals after lunch. For now, read your lines and begin practicing stage blocking.” She handed each student a script. “Remember, this is a romantic story. Feelings matter.”

“Romantic story?” Riko whispered. “Feelings?!”

Daichi shook his head. “This is going to be a nightmare.”

During lunch, Mina couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease. She leaned over, waggling her eyebrows. “You two make a perfect pair already! Just imagine the chemistry on stage!”

Riko groaned, shoving a piece of rice into her mouth. “Mina, I swear…”

Daichi buried his face in his hands. “Why did I have to get the princess’s partner? Why not anyone else?”

Later that afternoon, they finally stepped onto the rehearsal floor — the gymnasium, temporarily transformed into a makeshift stage.

Riko clutched her script tightly. “Fine. Let’s just… get this over with.”

Daichi tried to muster a heroic pose, but his awkward stance made him look more like a flailing bird than a prince.

“Okay, so first scene,” Riko read aloud, trying not to panic. “‘Your Highness, the kingdom is in danger! Will you save us?’”

Daichi cleared his throat. “I… I will, Princess Riko. Fear not!”

Riko blinked. “…Did you just call me Princess Riko?”

He shrugged sheepishly. “It’s in the script.”

The class, watching from the sidelines, snickered. Mina was nearly rolling on the floor. “Awww! Look at them! Hands already touching for stage blocking!”

Riko’s face turned bright red. “Stop staring at us! This isn’t… nothing!”

Daichi muttered, “Yeah, it’s nothing… except my heart is apparently racing…”

The pair spent the next twenty minutes awkwardly practicing. They tried standing side by side, holding hands as the script instructed. Every accidental brush of fingers or bump into each other made both of them freeze and blush.

At one point, Riko tripped over the corner of the stage platform. Daichi caught her in a reflexive motion, his hand lingering against her waist for a split second.

Riko’s cheeks flamed. “I-I’m fine!” she stammered, stepping back quickly.

Daichi muttered, “Yeah… me too…”

The teacher clapped her hands. “Good start! Remember, confidence on stage!”

Mina, from the sidelines, grinned. “Confidence? Sure. But the heat level between them is off the charts!”

Riko groaned and pressed her face into her script. “Why did this have to happen to me?!”

Daichi, trying to look stern, muttered, “I can’t believe I’m paired with her… as my princess.”

And with that, rehearsals continued — a chaotic, blush-filled start to the festival play that promised both disaster and something much more… complicated.

---

> “I can’t believe I’m paired with her… as my princess.”