The Reading Rainbow

Side by side, Tairabayashi Kaede and Hagihara Kasturou begin the game at Charl’s particular podium. Behind them are students and fans jostling for position and snapping photos, the steady din of their voices combining to form a wave of constant noise.

Charl greets them with his usual smile, he tips his cowboy hat and smoothly says, “Howdy?”

“Hello there.” Hagihara replies, and then reaches out his hand.

Charl freezes, it takes him an awkward second to realize what is being asked of him before he reaches out and returns the actor’s gesture. His hand is squeezed firmly, almost like there was an intentional pressure added.

As soon as he lets go, Charl grabs the TV remote and says in English, “Let’s get started.”

The screen lights up and plays an old American western style jangle, the scene is set in a desert landscape with banjos and the click clacking of horse hooves to fit the theme. In front of all that, a red white and blue roulette wheel pops up, Charl presses the button on the remote and it starts spinning, clicking away before slowly landing on a color.

Some text jumps onto the screen within a rectangular box, prompting Hagihara to look and read while Charl says in English,

“In the year 1969, the first person to walk on the moon was an American by the name of - A: John Wayne. B: Richard Nixon. C: Neil Armstrong. D: Frank Sinatra.”

Hagihara tilts his head and chuckles before asking, “Are you serious?”

Charl pretends he doesn’t understand, and simply smiles, replying in English, “Would you like me to repeat?”

The awkward silence builds a unique amount of tension.

“It’s A!” Taira excitedly chimes in.

“That is correct.” Charl replies in English.

Tani, as the MC, walks up to them and says rather abashedly, “This is supposed to be a game for one person, actually.”

Hagihara runs his fingers through his hair and puts on his charm, using a wink to accompany his words. “Don’t you think this should be considered a special occasion? I mean, how often do you get a chance to have a celebrity play a festival game that you created? I think you should let it slide.”

The tone of that delivery causes Tani an inexplicable toothache. He masks his grimace with a cordial smile and replies, “Sure, I wouldn't want to disappoint all these people I guess.”

Charl sends him a quizzical glare, unable to fathom that his strict club leader would so easily capitulate. Tani doesn’t react with words, he instead uses a head movement to communicate his desire for Charl to finish up his part of the game.

Charl reluctantly hands Hagihara his prize--- a glazed donut.

Hagihara scoffs at the sweet and immediately holds it over his shoulder. “Anybody want this thing?”

The crowd pines over getting their hands on something he is offering up, swarming past Taira to grab at it. In a flash, the donut is gone.

Charl gestures towards the next podium, and his smile turns sour as soon as they turn away; he even lets loose an insulted spit that most certainly would have drawn the actor’s attention if not for the throng of people fighting over the scraps of donut and making a ruckus while doing so. Knowing who these two are to Ume, Charl can no longer keep his face from twisting in disgust. His past experience with bullies gives him the keen ability to spot one right away.

Mariko is next. She tries her best to remain composed, but the growing unease is visible to someone paying close attention, the evidence being a bead of sweat on her temple and the slight nervous twitch of her forced smile.

Hagihara stares her down, his piercing sky blue eyes seemingly peering into her soul. He spots her nervousness right away. This instills him with confidence, he smoothly runs his finger through his hair while investigating the LED screen behind her.

On the screen is a picture of Paris's famous skyline, and the sound of a Parisian accordion playing a lovely tune is heard through the speakers.

“French, huh?” he asks.

Mariko tilts her head, she mutters under her breath, “What gave it away?”

Anyone with half a brain can see the themed podium for what it is, Mariko just decided to poke at him to slash the nerves and help her reestablish her role as this character she’s supposed to be playing.

Though Hagihara didn't catch her words, he asserts his dominance by taking a powerful step in and thrusting his face close to hers.

“W-W-Wha!?”

Before Mariko can back away, she is grabbed, and Hagihara leans in for a La bise. Their cheeks touch, and he does the classic kissing sound in the process. The girls of the gallery squeal, and Mariko’s head just about explodes due to the unexpected contact with the idol.

The actor is smooth and unflustered, and gives her a princely look when he says, “Ask away."

“O-O-Oui!” she says, clasping at her chest to quell her pounding heart.

Charl is in the background fuming.

The blue, white and red roulette wheel spins and lands on this question, which she pronounces in French,

“I-I-In 19th century Paris, the tallest structure in France at the time was built. What is the name? A: The Louvre. B: Notre Dame. C: The Mona Lisa. D: The Eiffel Tower.”

This question is supposed to be easy, after all, the most important part is that Mariko does her best to present the question in French. All things considered, she pulled it off spectacularly. But Hagihara freezes, and she isn’t sure if he is messing with her or if he genuinely doesn’t know the answer and is stalling for enough time to allow Taira to answer on his behalf.

Even his sidekick initially doubts whether he’s supposed to answer for him, but after a long couple seconds, Taira chimes in and correctly chooses D.

Looking on from a short distance away, Tani ponders on this pattern that has presented itself to him. He remains silent however, watching Mariko hand Hagihara the marmalade croissant, and then watching Hagihara carelessly toss it over his shoulder towards the gallery. Like a bouquet of flowers tossed by the bride at her wedding, it is promptly jumped upon and fought over like a pack of desperately single bridesmaids.

Mariko tried in vain to reach out and catch the croissant in flight, but she couldn’t react quickly enough. She fires a scowl his way, yet she manages to bite her tongue and not make a scene about it.

How the actor is acting piques Tani’s interest. He folds his arms in contemplation.

“Emi-chi!” Taira says, casually leaning up against her podium as though they were long time friends.

Emilia doesn’t know how to react, the entire spectacle is quite overstimulating. Even with her big dark sunglasses on, she can’t help but feel like the eyes of the entire world are trained specifically on her at this moment, waiting anxiously for her to smile and present the next batch of questions.

“Um…”

“Hey hey, you really about to speak Italian?” Taira asks while looking up at the screen showing the rolling Sicilian hills of southern Italy.

The Tarantella Napoletana song is coming from the speakers, setting the mood that was supposed to match Ume's outfit if she were here manning the podium.

“Yes.”

“So cool! You’re chalk full of surprises, all that’s left is for me to see what’s underneath those glasses.”

He leans in towards her and playfully reaches out his hand to snatch the glasses off her face.

She shrinks back, and Taira dramatically throws himself onto the podium and sulks.

Using the pressing of the button on her remote as the reason to create space, the red, white and green roulette wheel spins.

Once the clicking stops and her question is presented on the screen, she sucks in a big breath to steady herself.

Before she can though, Hagihara steps in close to her and stands there in silence, glaring at her as though expecting something. She finds it hard not to go catatonic, the mere thought of having him do a La bise with her is enough to shut her brain down completely. She’s going to have to avoid that like the plague, so she decides to hold her hand out for a shake instead.

Hagihara complies, and his eyes seem to try and stare holes through her dark glasses.

Emilia blushes, and Taira agonizes.

“C’mon Hagi-senpai, I thought I begged you not to do this to me this time!”

“I’m simply greeting her like an Italian would, relax will you?” Hagihara shifts his attention to the screen and addresses Emilia. “Let’s hear it.”

“Okay…” she says in Japanese, before shifting to Italian and saying, “In the city of Rome, there is a structure that once held a wide range of events over 2000 years ago, the most popular being chariot races. What is this structure called? A: The Colosseum. B: Palatine Hill. C: The Forum. D: Circus Maximus.”

Now here is the first semi trick question of the whole game thus far, of course, ancient Rome is a topic studied in Japanese high schools, and even more so in college, but even one who has a relatively good grasp on Roman history could make a mistake and choose the wrong answer. Both the Colosseum and Circus Maximus held gladiatorial events, and if one isn’t careful, they could bypass the very hint present in the framing of the question.

Taira is wracking his brain, yet he’s found himself unsure of what is the best option. The pause prompts members of the gallery to shout out their hints, some conversing amongst themselves loud enough are giving the correct answer entirely.

Both Hagihara and Taira turn to ask if anyone confidently knows the answer, and the correct answer D is decided upon.

Emilia’s shoulders droop, and she fiddles with her hands when she looks towards Tani. “Um… that’s correct, but…”

Both the boys have just cheated, and they cheated quite casually to boot. Yet Tani, still with that friendly smile on his face, waves it off when he replies, “It’s just like Hagihara-san said, today’s a special occasion. Our goal here is for them to learn.”

Mariko and Charl can’t believe he just said that. There is no way that the club leader they know would ever let someone take a shortcut. Even Emilia is in disbelief.

She shakes it off, making her way to the small freezer and scooping up the gelato of Taira’s choosing before handing it to him. He covets it like someone who was just given a solid gold bar, and his senpai pays him no mind as he makes his way to Anita’s podium.

“Oh?” he queries with a tilt of his head. “You’re supposed to be the one representing Japan?”

“I am.” Anita replies.

Hagihara gives her a little bow, which she returns in kind.

He then stares at her as though expecting a reaction out of her befitting of the others he has met so far in this game. To his surprise, she gives him nothing. She has no idea who he is other than what he once was and currently is to Ume, so she’s treating him neutrally, purposefully remaining balanced so as to not broadcast what she knows.

Throughout her time here in Japan, Anita has yet to meet a person she hasn’t liked, as someone ill equipped on recognizing social cues, she should consider herself lucky she hasn’t stumbled upon a person with bad intentions. With a hint about his personality and a wrap sheet of his actions presented to her beforehand, she knows to at least not trust him.

Hagihara finds her indifference to be charming, this time, he is the one who leans up against the podium to get close to her.

Anita doesn’t shy away, asserting herself by not reacting and just pressing the button to her roulette wheel, which is simply the Hinomaru spinning in place with the numbers 1, 2, and 3 orbiting it.

The clicking arrow stops on the number two on the screen, which is an old Edo period castle, accompanied by the audio of a koto being played. Judging by the presentation, one would guess that a tough Japanese historical question is about to pop up.

Instead, the all Japanese text is read aloud by Anita, “Ayaka was a famous J-pop Idol in the 2000’s, and in 2009, got married to a fellow entertainer. Who was the man she married? A: Ken Takayama. B: Hiro Misuki. C: Ken Hirai. D: Hiro Mizushima.”

Hagihara, and everyone else in the gallery did not see that kind of question coming. The famous pop star Ayaka was at her most famous before most of them were born, so pulling this answer is going to take the entire hivemind working together to figure it out.

They all converse amongst each other, and Ume, who has spent this entire time hidden underneath Emilia’s podium, immediately knows the answer as someone who considers herself somewhat of a scholar on J-pop history. Despite knowing it right away, she is internally rooting for them all to guess incorrectly.

When the answer D is decided upon, Anita is forced to congratulate him on answering correctly, and kindly gives him the sweet taiyaki that Tani made earlier in the day.

Hagihara tosses it aside just like the other treats, and he moves right onwards to face Tani.

As relieved as Anita is to have made it through her part of the job, Tani is as apprehensive to finally face the actor and his old friend head on.

“Congratulations on making it this far, you’re one of the very few.” Tani says with a smile.

The rest of his clubmates can see that his entire demeanor is fake, they just don’t understand why he’s choosing to behave this way.

Hagihara doesn’t seem to mind the placating nature of the boy in front of him, in fact, it’s something that he’s entirely used to. This gives him more confidence, and he seems to grow larger in stature, towering over the meek club leader like a cat that has cornered a mouse.

“I got to say, this game of yours is pretty easy, Akihiro-kun.”

A blatant insult.

Coming from someone who just as blatantly cheated, the insult is especially poignant.

Taira snickers behind the actor like a henchman would behind a mob boss.

Tani shrugs it off with a smile and replies, “I think you might find the final question to be much more difficult. Shall I start?”

“I insist.”

“So then, we at the Languages club of Kokusai pride ourselves in our ability to speak to each other in a multitude of languages. As you have learned, there are a few foreigners in our club. But what you might not know is that not everyone who has spoken to you is from the country they are representing.”

This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, Hagihara turns his gaze to Anita, who is obviously not a native Japanese girl.

Tani stands in front of the podiums, spreads his arms as though presenting them all to the crowd and declares, “For you to win this game, you must accurately guess which country each club member is from.”

The confusion is visible on Mariko, Charl, and Anita's faces to anyone observing them. The question that Tani has presented is completely unexpected, they had all prepared for a different scenario and can’t understand why he chose to improvise it now.

Taira jumps in and groans, “Are you kidding?? There’s no way we can do that.”

“Hmm,” Hagihara holds his chin and says, “That explains why you didn’t let them tell us their names.”

“That’s right. Do you think you can do it?”

“I know I can.” Hagihara replies, “As an actor, I have the ability to read someone’s character the moment we meet. How else would I be able to use a simple script to embody someone I am not?”

Hagihara paces the podiums starting with Anita, making his way down to Charl, and then back to Anita. He moves like a merchant inspecting cargo, scrutinizing every detail to make sure he isn’t receiving a defective product.

“This one,” he says, pointing at Anita. “She isn’t Japanese, my guess is that she’s from somewhere in Europe.”

“That’s correct.” Tani says, entirely unimpressed despite feigning otherwise. Anita was always going to be the easiest guess out of the four.

Hagihara pauses at Emilia’s podium, but then he makes his way right past her to Mariko.

“This one,” he says, his point towards Mariko causes her shoulders to jump. “She isn’t French.”

“Oh? How could you tell?” Tani asks.

“Like I said, I read characters for a living. I always know when someone is playing a role. When she didn’t give me a proper La bise, I figured it out right away.”

For Tani, he could tell in someone’s accent where they are and aren’t from, so he does find himself intrigued by the methods Hagihara is using to come to these conclusions.

“Wow, that’s amazing. Well done. You’re only two away from the grand prize.”

Hagihara puffs, turns to Charl and says, “I could read this guy the moment he returned my handshake, his hand was as soft as a noodle. No true American would shake my hand like that, he’s playing a role too. He's definitely not who he says he is.”

Tani claps his hands. “You’re right! Only one more to go.”

When Hagihara finally shifts his attention to Emilia, so does the rest of the gallery, which is now abuzz with anticipation to see if he can win the game. Emilia does well to hide her embarrassment underneath her glasses, but she is adding the bottom of her maid dress to use as a mental crutch, her tiny fingers squeezing it tightly.

“This one is tricky, though.” the actor says, he looks towards Taira and asks, “What do you think?”

“Me?? I have no idea, I don’t really know what Emi-chi actually looks like, I haven’t seen her eyes yet.”

“Akihiro-kun, don’t you think that this game is a little unfair?”

“Pardon?”

“If you were going to hide the identity of one of your club mates, you would have been better off putting them all in glasses. I think it’s a little cowardly to try and fool your patrons.”

Tani masks another cringe, presenting the same smile he’s held this entire game. “Aha, you know what? You’re right.” He gestures to Emilia and says, “Go ahead and show him your face.”

“...But...” She hesitates, not just for the obvious reason that he’ll accurately guess her ethnicity, but also because that means that all the benefits of her glasses will disappear the moment she removes them.

She trembles at the very thought of having all these people become able to see the features of her face. The dreadful images of being sneered at inflicts her with enough anxiety that she feels as though the world beneath her feet is shaking.

The others disagree with this development too, it’s bad enough that Tani has wildly gone off script--- giving this entitled actor an easy enough ride to victory, but to have Emilia suffer over it as well?

It’s a bridge too far.

However, it isn’t a bridge any of them dare speak up and try to traverse.

All they can do is stay silent and watch as the eager eyes of Taira and Hagihara await the big reveal with the energy of carnival goers awaiting the opening curtain of a freak show.

Tani doesn’t make an effort to comfort her, instead just using his hands to urge her along.

She doesn’t budge though, she’s just about frozen.

So he walks to her, reaches out his hand and whispers, “Remember, we’re doing this for your friend. It’ll be alright.”

“....”

She still doesn’t move, but she doesn’t shrink away either. She lets Tani pull the glasses off.

The crowd gasps, the sudden shift almost as audible as a gunshot.

“A gaijin??” Taira exclaims.

Hagihara chimes in. “So this one actually is Italian."

“That’s correct.” Tani confirms, “Congratulations! You have won the grand prize!”

Everyone around them claps, sending Hagihara compliments like falling confetti after a world championship win.

Emilia’s head droops low, her green eyes wouldn’t dare look up at the faces planted on her.

While Tani goes to the fridge and pulls out the Grand Cannoli, Taira steps up to Emilia and says, “Ever since yesterday I was wracking my brain wondering what you looked like, to think you’d be a foreigner. I never would have guessed!”

“...Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about, I think that’s so cool!”

She slowly lifts her head. “Really?”

“Yeah! I’ve actually never met anyone from outside Japan. You’re my first!”

Although usually unable to pick up on tones and social cues, Emilia feels like he is being genuine. And all of the sudden she isn’t so ashamed. If he thinks she’s cool, then she might even be able to trick herself into feeling something similar.

The edges of her lips slightly rise when she says, “Does this mean that I can get your real name now?”

“Hehe, yup.” he shake her hand and says, “My name is Tairabayashi Kaede. It’s nice to meet you, Emi-chi.”

“You can call me Emilia.”

“If that’s the case, you can call me Taira. It’s a special nickname of mine reserved only for my friends.”

Emilia just about melts.

Tani returns with the Cannoli in one hand and an envelope in the other, interrupting the celebration. Giving it to Hagihara, he says, “Not only have you won the Grand Cannoli, the pride and joy of my baking skills, you also got yourself 10,000 yen. I know it’s probably not much for a famous actor like you, but it's the maximum cash amount that the school allowed us to give out. To be frank, we didn’t think anyone would win it.”

“Heh, good deal.” the actor replies, “I’m glad I stopped by, this was an eye opening experience for me.”

“That’s what the Languages club was hoping for.”

Turning his back to Tani, Hagihara laughs down his nose and says, “Oh, I couldn’t care less about that.”

“...?”

“Say, I just did you a favor with your booth, answering all those questions… could I ask you to humor me with an answer to a pressing question of my own?”

Tani can sense the energy shift into something that makes his skin crawl, he feels the sensation grow as he watches Hagihara turn and step in close to him.

He’s close enough that no one else can hear when he asks, “I have a girlfriend named Kimura Ume… You wouldn’t happen to know where she is, would you?”

The bright blue eyes of the boy in front of him seem to turn cold and dark, like a shark on its way to attack. This is the monster Tani sees him as, no longer hiding behind a face and presenting pleasantries in front of a crowd.

The issue is that this isn’t the kind of monster he can simply tackle without the protection of some armor, he needs to meet the threat in a unique way delicate to the situation at hand. He needs to answer this question with tact.

He raises his eyebrows, lifts his head back and ponders.

After a short pause, he replies, “Kimura Ume? Ahh, there’s a name I haven’t heard in a while.”

Hagihara smiles and turns away. “You’re an interesting fellow, Akihiro Tani, but you’re a particularly bad actor. I told you, reading people is what I do for a living.”

Tani scratches his head and sheepishly laughs. “I don't doubt your talents, but you might have gotten it wrong this time. You can ask your friend Taira, we were all in the same class back in middle school. The last time I saw her was the last time I saw him.”

Taira’s attention shifts away from Emilia in a flash upon hearing his name, his face contorts into a glower. “So you do remember me…”

“Of course I do, I wouldn’t forget an old friend. I just needed my glasses to recognize you.”

“That so?”

Hagihara sighs, uninterested in any topic where he isn’t the center of attention. “Let’s go, Tai. I’ve gotten what I need out of this.”

Hagihara doesn’t spare a goodbye to Tani nor the rest of the club and walks off. He pockets the envelope with the cash and then unceremoniously dumps the Grand Cannoli in the trash bin, purposefully doing it within eyesight of Tani as a parting insult. The crowd follows him closely, and he disappears within them and out of view.

“H-Hey wait up!” Taira gives chase, but his arm is abruptly grabbed by Tani.

“...?”

“Taira,” Tani says sternly, looking him square in the eyes. “Whatever it is you guys are trying to do regarding Ume, I advise you to stop.”

Taira glances over to Emilia and hides his face from her, replying to Tani in a hushed tone so she can’t hear.

“Are you threatening me?”

“I am.”

“There’s the two faced bastard I know. What are you gonna do, punch me?”

“No, I won’t lay a hand on you.” Tani lets go of Taira’s arm and says, “But you stand to lose out on something much worse if you stick by Hagihara.”

Taira clicks his tongue, “Couldn't be worse than what you did to us three years ago. I'm gonna take you on this time, Aki-kun. I'm not a loser anymore.”

He turns away and hurries back towards Hagihara, disappearing into the crowd.

Tani purses his lips as though he was forced to chew on something as bitter as chalk. 

“Akihiro!” Mariko shouts, stomping up to him in a huff. “What the hell was that??”

Tani clears his throat and composes himself. “That, my dear student, was a flawless performance. Well done to you all!”

“I’m not talking about us, ya totally let that jerk walk all over us!”

“Oh, you mean that?”

Charl steps up and says, “Doesn’t seem like letting a patron win is in the spirit of our club.”

“Of course it isn’t.” Tani replies, “It’s in the spirit of strategy, though.”

“The strategy of losing?”

“Tch, putting it that way makes it sound bad. We didn’t lose today, team, we just won differently.”

“Ehhh,” Mariko lets out a groan. “Sound’s like a cope dude.”

“Ha! This is no cope!” Tani exclaims, throwing his hands onto his hips and sticking his nose up. “That Hagihara fellow is exactly the kind of person I predicted he’d be, they’re used to always getting their way, and they’ll instinctively leverage their advantages against you as soon as they see you as a threat. If he was even a fraction smarter than the good looking idiot that he is, I would have embarrassed him in front of all his fans.”

The two give him perturbed looks.

“....” “....”

“I’m serious!” Tani implores.

“I-I’m, I’m sure ya are.” Mariko says and sheepishly looks away.

“Anita!” Tani says, pointing at the yukata wearing foreigner who has stood silently by. “Help me out here.”

Anita shrugs her shoulders and gives him a face, communicating that he's on his own on this one.

“For real??”

“...Um.” Emilia steps in the middle of everyone and raises her hand. “Can someone finally tell me what’s going on?”

“Ah, yes. Sorry to keep you in the dark, we have a lot of explaining to do. It’d be best if Ume were the one to tell you though.” Tani walks over to the Italian podium and says, “Hey Ume, the coast is clear, you can come out now.”

He is greeted with silence. Investigating, he pokes his head behind the podium to find out that it is void of his childhood friend.

“!?”

‘Bzzzz’

With impeccable timing, his phone vibrates in his pocket. Pulling it out, he notices a text from Ume reading,

[I’m sorry Tani, I couldn’t bear to face you all after dealing with that. I’m going home.]

"What!?"

And just like that, the Gogatsusai Festival comes to a close for the Languages club.

Today’s UN Lesson --- Absolutely nothing