Act I, Scene II

I, unsurprisingly, have never been a big sports fan. Sure, I watch the World Cup every four years, and I have relatives who get far too excited during Summer Koshien, but involvement in sports past the emotional fortunes of my relatives is very much beyond me.

Given this, I was not prepared for the sensory horror that was a packed high school auditorium. The piercing screams from the mostly female audience almost resulted in our momentum surf leaving me temporarily wheelchair-bound too. We thankfully managed to survive when I noticed that the seating area did, in fact, have wheelchair access.

The main performance area of Sakura Seishun had the majestic vibe of an ancient Greek amphitheatre. Marble floors with sakura petal carvings etched in, the pillars supporting the ceiling majestically, the half-moon-shaped areas the students were seated. If I didn’t already know how seriously Seishun took acting, I would now.

Nursing a few bruises, I made sure that Haruka was secure in her seat before collapsing in the one next to her.

“When are we going for ramen next? You owe me at least five bowls after all the heavy lifting I’ve done for… for you. Good God, woman! What are you doing!?”

“I love you, Ren! Marry me! Have my kids!”

Haruka had somehow managed to lift herself out of her chair and stood nervously on one of the guard rails in an attempt to get a closer look at the boy she desired. I did not like the way her knees were wobbling.

“Uhhhhhhh, Haruka? I definitely don't want to tell you how to live your life, but I feel like it's going to be shortened by quite a bit if you don't step down from the ledge. I'm a weak and feeble boy, I'm not sure I'll be able to catch you–”

“If I die, then I die doing what I love!”

“Precarious gymnastics?”

“Don’t take this away from me, you discriminating pig! REN! REN!”

In situations like this, I would normally feel secondhand embarrassment. Actually, in most situations I felt secondhand embarrassment, but looking around the stadium to see the entire female student body screaming for this Ren guy, and seeing Haruka join in with them, I couldn’t help but smile.

I felt a little jealous, too.

The room hushed somewhat as the curtain opened. Everyone held their collective breath and then relaxed again when they saw that it wasn't Ren emerging. Instead, out stepped a tall girl with long red hair. Her legs were wobbling. She hesitantly walked to her spot, covering her eyes with her hands and unable to control the shaking in her legs.

“She’s wearing a suit?” I asked.

“Hush! If the leading man is on stage, that means that soon the leading lady will be here!” Haruka could hardly contain her excitement. The crowd began to whisper before a few shouts of

“You can do it, Natsuki!”, “Just do your best!” and “God I’m so jealous right now” moved through the crowd. It clearly wasn’t making Natsuki feel any better though. Poor girl was on the verge of tears.

There was no fanfare for his entrance, but I could tell the instant Ren appeared because I developed sudden onset tinnitus as the entire auditorium erupted in a loud burst of excitement. I couldn't be sure, but I'm fairly certain that some of the girls fainted. Not as many people sat back down as stood up, and I could see some members of the crowd fanning people in the seats next to them.

Haruka had almost leapt off the railing she was standing on. I decided there and then that if I didn't pull her down from the ledge, she would injure herself or worse. Annoyingly, I got a bite on the hand for my trouble.

“Ouch! Thank God you’re not carrying any diseases. How would I look after you if I was refusing to drink water and frothing at the mouth?”

“Bite me, homewrecker!”

“You already did!”

“And I’d do it again! Ren! I love you! Ren!”

Okay, she was a lost cause.

At least I would get the chance to see what the fuss was about. Thankfully, we were close enough to see and high up enough that the obstruction wouldn't be a problem.

His eyes were the first thing that I noticed. The clear blue colour took me back to a childhood vacation with my family in Australia. The water was so clear that you could see all of the life that was swimming within it. His eyes were so alive, it was like they wanted to befriend everyone in the room.

His hair and figure reminded me of a recreation of a statue of Apollo that I saw in an ancient Greek exhibit during a visit to the National Art Museum in the fourth grade. I remember thinking that there was no way a man could be that handsome or muscular. I was much more interested in the statue of Aphrodite anyway. They really shouldn't introduce breasts that big to children so young, marble or otherwise.

His walk was so casual yet somehow androgynous. If I did not know firsthand that he was male, I would have instantly assumed, given the way that he carried himself in the vintage summer dress he was wearing, that he was a girl. Most striking of all was the calm purposefulness with which he approached the stage.

It was exactly how I would imagine I would do it. As if the wind itself was carrying him forward. He breezed past everyone's gaze like they weren't even there, oblivious even to his co-star who by now had turned to jelly. She had just enough about her to remember to go to the balcony area of the stage. Ren, in all of his gender non-conforming bravado, stood below.

Silence.

Then, Ren spoke.

“But why do you speak so haltingly? Has your imagination gone lame?”

Oh.

Cyrano de Bergerac.

A French play written in eighteen ninety seven by Edmond Rostand, it detailed the life of the seventeenth century novelist, though heavily fictionalised. Cyrano stands in the shadows beneath Roxane’s balcony, whispering the words that the handsome but tongue tied Christian can’t find, effectively attempting to court the woman he loves for another man.

I retrieved my copy from my bag and followed along, mouthing the words as they were spoken.

“Hush! I-I-It is... it is the d-d-darkness. In these shadows, my words must feel their way to your nose…ears! Feel to your ears!”

Absolute amateur hour. I covered my mouth to mask the accidental scoffing sound that I made. Thankfully, nobody noticed. Ren took all of this in stride, thrusting his arms out theatrically before belting out his line. “But my words find their way to you easily enough!”

“That is b-b-because they fall! I must climb to reach you, but your words descend like a weight of honey. Besides, my h-h-heart is so l-la-l-la–” Natsuki, overwhelmed by the situation, fainted in the middle of the hall. Thankfully, she landed on a soft mat. The audience fell into silence as she was attended to, but Ren, visibly angry at his performance being interrupted, stood at the top of the balcony unmoving.

Anyone clever enough would know the proper thing to do would be to respect what's just happened and maintain a respectful silence, following which they would move calmly out of the hall.

Apparently, I'm not clever enough.

I, too focused on the play itself, couldn't notice the situation, and what should've been a respectful silence was interrupted by me being a complete fool.

“Besides, my heart is so large, and your ears so small... and your words come down to me fast, but mine must take time to rise!”

Everyone in the auditorium was focused on me. I was so rude! How dare I take the plight of a poor young girl and make it all about myself. This is why I didn't have any friends. This is why reading social cues was like climbing Kilimanjaro. Even Haruka looked angry with me.

Well, that's my school life over and done with. I can never escape this. Forever destined to be the friendless loser that interrupted the school prince’s play. Time to live in the woods and maybe…

“They seem to be rising better now!”

Everyone’s attention was back on the leading lady. And the leading lady’s attention was squarely on me. Even from this distance, I could see that he was smiling. A radiant smile that seemed to add an extra layer of brightness to the room.

Directed at me? Why?

He made a come hither motion with his finger. “My Cyrano!”

The entire room went slack jawed. The eyes that were focused on me now radiated not hatred but utter confusion. That went for me too.

What the hell was I supposed to do now?