Getting a Script

Takahashi held his head in his hands as he sat at his desk. He had finally gotten his students to commit to doing a play for the school festival, but he had forgotten to take care of the most essential part: the play they were actually going to perform. As usual, his students were unable to come to a consensus on the play, so Takahashi decided to nip the problem in the bud and told his students that he would be deciding himself. No more spending a week trying to convince his students to decide on a story. He would have to take on the burden himself.

Well, at least he could finally tell the vice-principal that his class had figured out what they were going to do for the school festival. As he gathered his things, he noticed Fukuda walking up to him with a concerned look on her face.

“You said you'd take care of it, but do you have anything planned?” Fukuda asked worriedly. “If you pick a play that's too complicated or too long, the other students will complain.”

“I don't think there's too much to worry about,” Takahashi answered. “I'll just go to the library and look at some books. We've got a wealth of options, so how hard can it be?”

As Takahashi mulled over his options, he remembered another task that needed to be settled. He stood up from his chair and called out to a blonde-haired female student, whose uniform was covered in gaudy accessories.

“Yada-san! The Student Council sent out a survey asking what prizes students wanted to see in the raffle. You were supposed to collect those surveys and hand them over to them today. Did you do that?”

Yada spun around and clapped her hands together apologetically. “Sorry, Teach! It totally slipped my mind. You can do it for me, right? Thanks!”

With that, she idly skipped out of the room before Takahashi could utter a response. Instead of getting mad, he simply sat back in his chair with a sigh.

“Yada-san's supposed to be the class representative, isn't she?” Fukuda asked. “How did she end up getting that role out of the entire class?”

“You don't remember?” Takahashi sighed in exasperation. “The class did a lottery to decide the class rep, and she got picked. Not that she ever does her duties, mind you.”

Of course, Yada could have refused the role if she wanted to, but she didn't, saying that it would be cool to brag about it to her friends. He let it slide since he thought she'd still perform her duties, but the only representative-like thing she ever bothered with was leading the class in their salutes.

As Takahashi sighed, he noticed Fukuda still standing awkwardly around his desk.

“Did you need something, Fukuda-san?”

“No. I was just thinking that there might be someone who could help you with the play, if you needed it.”

“There is? Who is it? I mean, I know Ueda-sensei teaches literature, but I coudn't possibly...”

“Not Ueda-sensei. Kentaro Izumi. He's in your class.”

“Kentaro Izumi?” Takahashi glanced at his class roster in front of him. He found Kentaro Izumi pretty quickly, as he stood out with his rough-looking face and wild hair. Takahashi wondered why it took so long for him to remember him, but he realized the answer after glancing at his attendance sheet.

“It looks like Izumi-kun hasn't been coming to school recently,” Takahashi muttered. “Fukuda-san, would you happen to know why?”

“I can't say,” Fukuda answered. “I don't really know him that well. He just lives in the same neighborhood as me.”

“Hmm,” Takahashi wondered. “I think his parents called in to let us know he'd be absent for a while, but they didn't happen to say why.”

As he mused over this, another student named Kuroda suddenly chimed in. “Isn't Izumi-kun absent a lot? There were rumors that he just skips school since he's not here all that often.”

“Oh, I heard about that!” another student piped up. “Wasn't he a delinquent in middle school, too?”

“Those are just rumors, right?” Takahashi pointed out. “Don't go spreading around something if you don't know it's true.”

“Okaaaay.”

As the students left, Takahashi thought about Izumi's situation. Rumor or not, he was a little concerned about his recent absences. Besides, didn't Fukuda say that he'd be helpful in figuring out what to put on for the play? Takahashi still didn't know exactly what she'd meant by that, but there was no harm in finding out.

“Alright!” Takahashi declared as he stood up. “Let's go to Izumi-kun's house, then!”

“Today?” Fukuda asked worriedly.

“Why not? I'll just check in on him for a little bit. I don't think it'd be too weird for a teacher to do that, would it?”

“Has anyone ever told you how much of a busybody you are, sensei?”

Takahashi ignored her snide comment and walked out of the classroom. “I'll go turn in the application to the vice principal, so meet me outside! I need you to guide me to Izumi-kun's house, so don't ditch me, okay?”

Takahashi ran over to the teachers' office and quickly handed his application over to the vice principal, enduring a heated scolding as he did so. Once that was over with, Takahashi jogged outside and found Fukuda waiting for him by the gate.

“Sorry about the wait!” Takahashi called out. “Alright, let's go to Izumi-kun's house!”

“I really don't think this is necessary,” Fukuda remarked as she followed him through the streets. “Can't you just wait for Izumi-kun to come to school to talk to him?”

“I don't know when that'll be, will it? Besides, the sooner I speak to him, the better. At the very least, I'd like to tell him about the school festival. That's not too much of a bother, is it?”

Fukuda sighed, but she didn't say anything further. She knew exactly how pushy her homeroom teacher could be. Takahashi expected her to help him reach out to Izumi, but she felt like she was more likely there to rein him in before he got out of hand.

The duo walked past rows of suburban homes until they arrived at the local shopping district. Grocery stores and mom-and-pop shops passed them by until the two of them stopped at a rather old-looking place set up on the corner of the street.

“This is Izumi-kun's house?” Takahashi asked curiously. “Isn't this a restaurant?”

“That's right,” Fukuda explained. “Izumi-kun's family has been running this place for about twenty years now. It's right at the edge of the shopping district, so it sees a decent amount of traffic, but the students don't really come here since it's out of the way.”

Takahashi hummed thoughtfully. “That's pretty interesting. Let's see if he's in.”

Takahashi pulled open the door and walked into the restaurant. It was rather empty inside, with only a couple customers eating alone. It was still too early for dinner, so it wasn't out of the ordinary.

As they were looking around, a tall young man with a bandana tied around his head came up to the two of them with a menu in his hands. “Welcome! How can I... Sensei?”

Takahashi turned his attention to the young man and realized that it was Izumi. He looked a little odd in a greasy apron and his hair tied back. “Izumi-kun? Are you working here?”

“What of it?” Izumi answered cagily. He caught sight of Fukuda standing behind Takahashi and realized what was going on. “Fukuda? Did you tell Takahashi-sensei where I live?”

“Sorry,” Fukuda replied sheepishly. “I didn't think he'd actually come here.”

“Well, I was worried since you haven't been to school recently. I just wanted to check on you and make sure things were okay.”

Izumi groaned. “As you can clearly see, I'm working here. My old man threw out his back the other day, and I'm just filling in until he recovers.”

“Is that all? Why didn't your parents say so when they called?”

“They were worried that the school might take issue with me having a part-time job,” Izumi explained. “It's against school rules.”

“No, it's not,” Takahashi said flatly.

“Huh?”

“It's not against school rules to have a part-time job. I mean, it used to be, but it was a few years ago now that they changed it. I had some other students come to me with similar concerns, so that's how I know.”

“What the hell?” Izumi scratched his head irritably. “They got all worked up for nothing.”

“Well, I'm glad it wasn't anything serious,” Takahashi laughed as he patted Izumi on the shoulder. “Some of the students were saying you were a delinquent, you know?”

“Like I care,” Izumi grumbled. “Anyway, if you're done here, can you leave? I do have a lot of work to do.”

“Well, hold on a minute. I still have to talk to you about some other things, so do you mind if I hang around for a bit?”

Izumi was clearly annoyed, but he repressed an urge to complain and simply gestured towards the tables. “Are you gonna eat? I won't kick you out if you are.”

“Great! I was hoping to see what kind of food you had here.”

“Sorry, but we don't have anything interesting. Our customers mostly come here for our rice bowls.”

“That sounds great! I'll have a beef bowl then.” Takahashi glanced at Fukuda. “You can order something too. It's my treat!”

Fukuda seemed too embarrassed to answer. Izumi sighed and scratched his head awkwardly. “You like katsudon, right, Fukuda? I'll have your orders out in a few minutes.”

Fukuda nodded quietly and Izumi headed back towards the kitchen. As the two of them sat down at a nearby table, Fukuda noticed a rather odd smile on Takahashi's face.

“What is it? You're so creepy.”

“Eh? I'm just happy,” Takahashi explained. “I was worried because you didn't seem to have all that many friends, but it looks like you're close with Izumi-kun.”

“That's not true,” Fukuda denied glumly. “We were classmates as kids. We don't really have much of a connection otherwise.”

Takahashi sensed a story behind that statement, but decided not to pry. It may seem a bit ridiculous to say now, but even he knew when certain subject were a bit too touchy to talk about.

As they waited for their order to come, Takahashi noticed a little boy in overalls wander out into the restaurant. The boy walked by with a book in his hands, and he seemed to be looking for someone.

“What's the matter?” Takahashi asked as the boy passed by their table. “Are you looking for your mother?”

The boy shook his head. “Ken-niichan.”

“Is this Izumi-kun's little brother?” Fukuda wondered aloud. “He looks like he couldn't be more than four years old.”

Takahashi noticed the book in his hands. “What's that you have there?”

“Story.”

“Story? Oh, is that a book?”

The little boy nodded his head vigorously. “Wanna read.” He held out the book to Takahashi.

“Oh, you want me to read it for you? Sure thing.” Takahashi took the book and glanced at it curiously. It wasn't an officially published children's book, but a notebook. The title, “The Vengeful Knight”, was scrawled on the front of the page in pen.

Takahashi flipped to the first page of the notebook and began reading. “In a time when dragons still roamed the land, and kings and queens ruled from great castles, there was born a prince with a destiny greater than most.”

“Is that a fantasy story?” Fukuda observed idly. “Sounds a little generic so far.”

“Well, I've only started,” Takahashi remarked. He looked back down at the page and continued reading. “This boy was born to the king of the greatest kingdom of the land, Garlandia, under the great star of the Hero, which foretold that he would do great things. Such was prophesized by the great sage Armalin, who saw fit to-”

“Aaargh!”

Izumi suddenly rushed over and nearly ripped the notebook out of Takahashi's hands, his face red with embarrassment. As he caught his breath, his younger brother walked up to him and tugged on his pant leg.

“Ken-niichan.”

“Jin!” Izumi bent down and put his hands on his little brother's shoulders. “Didn't I say I'd read to you later?”

“Izumi-kun,” Takahashi interjected cautiously, “I apologize if I'm wrong, but would you happen to be the writer of this story?”

“What?!” Izumi whirled around, his face still beet red. “What made you think that?”

“I don't know, I think it's pretty obvious at this point.”

“W-Well, so what if it is?!” Izumi asked, his voice stammering. “I don't see why that has to do with anything.”

“Well, actually, part of the reason I came was to tell you about the school festival. You know that it's coming up soon, right?”

“And? I wasn't really planning on going. There's a chance that I'll be working when it comes along, after all.”

“Well, our class is planning on doing a play, but we haven't decided which one to do yet. I thought we'd probably just do some fairy tale, but I think it might also be possible to do an original story as well. What do you think?”

“Sorry, but no thanks,” Izumi answered bluntly. “Didn't I just say I wasn't planning on going to the festival?”

“Don't say that,” Takahashi pushed. “It'll be a lot of fun, you know?”

“No! I don't even write anymore.”

“That's a shame,” Takahashi sighed. “I really thought what you read was really good, you know?”

“Eh? Really?” Izumi's attitude seemed to change.

“Yeah. I mean, I didn't read much, but it seemed well written.”

“I-Is that so?” Izumi suddenly seemed bashful. “I mean, I wrote that stuff in middle school, so I'm sure I could do way better with my eyes closed...”

“No, it's honestly really good! You mind if I keep reading?”

“Well, if you really want to keep reading... Oh no! Your orders!” Izumi rushed back into the kitchen, leaving the notebook on their table.

Takahashi flipped open the notebook again as Fukuda let out an exasperated sigh. “I'm honestly never going to be able to predict what you'll do.”

“Hey, I didn't lie when I said I thought his story was pretty good. ...Well, maybe I exaggerated a bit. Still, this is a great outcome. I'm glad you had this guy in mind.”

“...I didn't know.”

“Huh?”

“I didn't know he wrote stories. I knew he liked to read books, but I didn't realize he'd started writing.”

Takahashi nodded as he began to read through Izumi's story. He didn't know their history, but it was clear that their relationship was pretty complicated.

Eventually, their orders arrived and the two of them ate quietly while Takahashi read through Izumi's story. The story was pretty juvenile, but it was surprisingly inventive. He couldn't say if this could stand up to professional criticism, but he did like the story.

Eventually, the two finished eating, and he handed off the notebook to Izumi as he paid for the meal. As the two walked away from the restaurant, Takahashi decided that he wanted Izumi to write a script for the play. But how should he convince him?

“Fukuda-san,” Takahashi muttered quietly. “How good are your memorization skills?”

*****

To Takahashi's surprise, Izumi showed up at school the next day.

“What happened to working at the restaurant?” he asked, a little worried. “Did your father's back get better?”

“No, we're just closed for the day,” Izumi explained. “My mom went to the hospital, and I can't run the place by myself.”

“I see. I suppose it was a little presumptuous of me to visit, then.”

“Whatever. Doesn't really matter to me what you do one way or another.”

“Well, this is good timing. I need to talk with you during lunch, so can you meet with me then?”

“Eh? I guess...”

“Good! I'll see you in a few hours.”

Takahashi waved goodbye as Izumi headed off to his classroom, then sent a text to Fukuda.

You've got everything prepared, right?

Fukuda replied rather quickly. I did, but do you really think this is going to work?

Don't worry. My plans are foolproof.

That's why I'm worried.

Takahashi put away his phone as the bell rang. His plan may be a little unorthodox, but he was sure that it would work.

Lunchtime rolled by in an instant, and Izumi went to the teachers' office to meet with Takahashi.

“Alright, you're here,” Takahashi said when he saw Izumi. “Come with me for a bit.”

“You mind telling me what this is all about, sensei?” Izumi asked irritably as he followed Takahashi through the halls. “I don't want to lose too much of my lunchtime.”

“Don't worry about that. Just follow me, okay?”

Takahashi led Izumi past empty classrooms until he arrived at the one he was looking for and threw the door open. “Come on in, Izumi.”

Izumi walked in and was stunned to see Fukuda standing in a large green dress that Takahashi had borrowed from the drama club. Fukuda's face was done up with makeup, and she was wearing a blonde wig that made her look like a European noblewoman. Beneath all that, Izumi spied a sharp blush on her face, which was a telltale sign that she was a little embarrassed at being seen in such a gaudy ensemble.

“Sensei, what is all this?” Izumi asked.

“What do you mean?” asked Takahashi, who had also changed into a rather generic-looking villain costume. “This is Andromeda's heartfelt speech from Chapter 12!”

“Chapter 12?” Izumi quickly realized what Takahashi was talking about. In that scene, the cruel Baron Griver demanded that the kidnapped Andromeda swear her love to him. Were they going to act that scene out right in front of him?

As if to answer his internal question, Takahashi gave a twirl of his wrist and spun towards Fukuda with an exaggerated flourish. “Now, my lady Andromeda! I have given you enough time to consider my request. I will have your answer, or your blood will spill upon my blade!”

Takahashi's acting was overly dramatic, and his voice was somewhat uneven. Izumi felt a little annoyed by his performance as well. He had imagined Baron Griver as a more dark, brooding figure, but Takahashi made him sound like a generic tokusatsu villain.

Fukuda placed her hands together and recoiled from Takahashi. “If you would slay me, then do it now, for you will never have my heart even if you were to give me the world!”

“Foolish woman! Do not think that I hold you so precious that I would forgive any insult to my honor!”

“What honor have you, baron? You have slain my brother by deceitful means, and drove my mother to despair. Now you threaten me for my hand, knowing that I love the Fairy Knight!”

Fukuda found herself blushing as she continued to perform. She was honestly doubtful that this performance would convince Izumi to write for the play. Takahashi swore that this performance would do the trick, but how did Izumi actually feel about all of this?

Fukuda stole a glance at Izumi and was surprised. He was crying! Fukuda had never seen him cry, even when they were kids. Did their acting really touch him that much?

Takahashi and Fukuda quickly finished up the scene as Izumi wiped the tears from his eyes. Even Takahashi seemed to be surprised that Izumi was this moved.

“You know, when I was kid, I always thought it would be so cool if the stories I came up with could become an anime,” Izumi explained, still sobbing. “But I needed to help out at the store and take care of my little brother, so I decided that dream was unattainable.”

“I think it's great to have that sense of responsibility,” Takahashi remarked. “Still, don't you think you can get a little taste of that dream if your story becomes a play?”

“You're right,” Izumi declared. “I'll do it!”

“Eh? Are you sure?” Fukuda asked worriedly. “Are you sure you're not just being pulled along by Sensei's momentum?”

“Nope! I'm really pumped for this!”

“That's great! Oh, but this story is a little long for a school play, so we'll have to cut it-”

“No need! I'll write a completely new story for the play!”

“You are? That'll be a lot of work.”

“It'll be a piece of cake! You just wait and see!”

Izumi dashed out of the classroom. Takahashi sighed as he pulled off the costume he was wearing. “Well, at least he's motivated.”

“Yeah,” Fukuda agreed. “He seems like he's having fun.”

*****

Three days passed since Izumi first declared that he'd write the script for the play. Takahashi was pretty ecstatic at first when he announced it to the class, but he hadn't realized just how long it would actually take for Izumi to write a story. Sure, it'd be shorter than an actual play, since it was just for a school festival, but even a thirty to forty minute play was still a lot of writing.

Izumi, however, wasn't one to complain. In fact, he had insisted that he was making good progress, and that he would be fine. But Takahashi knew that Izumi was still helping out at his parents' restaurant in addition to looking after his younger brother.

All the while, the students had started to get a little worried about how long it was taking for the script to come along. After all, the play was the most important part; without knowing what story they were doing, they couldn't do rehearsals, get costumes, or even assign roles.

“Sensei, is this play really going to be all right?” asked a couple of students who came up to Takahashi after class.

“Of course!” Takahashi replied reassuringly. “Once Izumi finishes the screenplay, we'll get right to work! The school festival's still a few weeks away. We have plenty of time!”

“Yeah, but it's already been several days already. Everybody thinks we're just slacking around 'cause we can't do anything without a script!”

“I mean, is Izumi even doing anything? What if he's just flaking off and going to arcades or something? We could end up waiting forever, right?”

“The script is almost done, okay?” Takahashi claimed, even though he actually had no idea how far the script was. “I've been keeping track of his progress, so don't worry about it!”

The students seemed unsatisfied, but they let him go with that. Takahashi sighed as he loosened his tie. He wondered why Izumi's reputation at school was so bad. It didn't seem like he deserved it very much.

Takahashi decided that, at the end of the day, it would be a good idea to check on Izumi. He made a beeline straight for the restaurant, only to find it unusually busy for the time of day. In the middle of it all, Izumi was running to and fro, attending to customers while also bussing tables.

“Izumi-kun? What's going on here?”

“There's an issue with the train, so a bunch of people wandered around here looking for something to eat while waiting!” Izumi yelled out while bringing food to a table. “This is the busiest that we've been in years!”

Before Takahashi could respond, two office ladies entered the restaurant behind him. “Excuse me! Do you have a table for two?”

Izumi lightly pushed Takahashi aside and pulled out a ticket. “We're currently full. Please take a ticket and we'll call your number when we've got a table free!”

“Well, we don't know if we're gonna be here that long. Do you guys do take out?”

“Sure! Just let me get your orders.”

Once Izumi wrote down the women's orders, he headed back to the kitchen to cook up the orders. When he walked behind the counter, he was stunned by a rather peculiar sight: his homeroom teacher in an apron, cooking up a storm.

“What are you doing back here, sensei?!” Izumi shouted out. “You're gonna get in the way!”

“Relax!” Takahashi laughed. “When I studied abroad, I spent a good amount of time working as a cook, you know. A renowned restaurant owner called my cooking 'unrefined but nostalgic'!”

“Is that a compliment? No, that doesn't matter right now. You gotta get out of the kitchen!”

“It's fine, isn't it?” remarked an older woman in an apron, who Takahashi assumed was Izumi's mother. “You've got such a talented young teacher.”

“More like an annoying busybody.” Izumi sighed and tightened his bandana. “Fine! I'll handle the orders! Your arms better not slow down, Sensei!”

“Just relax, Izumi! With me in the back, these orders will be done in no time!”

Takahashi ended up helping out at the restaurant until long after the dinner rush was order. At some point, Fukuda came by and was roped into helping as a waitress. By the end of the day, all three of them were completely exhausted. Takahashi, who had been cooking in a hot kitchen for hours, was collapsed in Izumi's upstairs living room completely conked out.

“He's crazy,” Izumi groaned as he sat down on the floor and wiped the sweat from his brow. “He must have been cooking for like six hours straight. No wonder he knocked out at closing.”

Fukuda sighed as she drank a glass of ice cold water. “How did I get roped into this? I only came by because I heard that your restaurant got a crazy new cook while I was out getting groceries.”

“Guess you were just unlucky,” Izumi laughed. “Don't worry; Mom will definitely pay you for your time.”

“Thanks. Sorry about Takahashi-sensei making a ruckus, but that's kind of what he's like.”

“Well, I honestly appreciated the help. He's a strange guy, our teacher.”

“I'll say.”

Silence filled the room as the conversation died down. As Fukuda struggled to find something to say, Izumi suddenly spoke up.

“I was surprised.”

“Huh? By Takahashi-sensei?”

“No, by you. You seem pretty invested in this play thing.”

“Oh.” Fukuda glanced momentarily at Takahashi. “Not really. I wouldn't say I'm all that invested.”

“I mean, sure. But with what happened back then, I thought... well, it might be me overthinking things. But I'm glad that you've found something to be excited for.”

Over the last few days, Fukuda had only seen Izumi scowl or wear an irritated or exasperated expression. But right now, he was wearing a warm smile that made him look like a totally different person. It was a sight that made her think of old days.

They were maybe eight or nine years old. They went to the same elementary school, and they would always go to the library together while waiting to be picked up by their mothers. There, they would read books together, taking turns reading the pages.

The memory that resurfaced in her mind was the day they read a little-known story called The Flower Knight. It was about a knight that was born when a magical flower bloomed in the morning sun. He was powerful and righteous, and could defeat even the greatest monsters. However, he was fated to die when the flower he was born from wilted.

It was the first time she had ever cried from a book. Even Izumi was doing his best to hold back his tears. When the two of them had finished the story, Izumi stood up with a resolved look on his face.

“One day, I'll write a book that's just as good as this one!”

He looked down at her and flashed a toothy smile.

“That's why you have to find something that you're gonna do, too! Otherwise I'm gonna leave you behind!”

It was an odd memory to remember at that moment, but it was a surprisingly warm one.

*****

Takahashi woke up in an unfamiliar place. It certainly wasn't his apartment, and for some reason, he was sleeping on the floor. He picked himself up and glanced around. As he tried to shake off the sleepiness, Izumi came into the living room with a tray.

“Oh, you're awake, sensei. Here, my mom made you breakfast.”

Takahashi sat down at a table and sipped at the bowl of miso soup. “Sorry for the trouble. I didn't think I'd end up getting knocked out here.”

“No, it's fine. You really helped us out.” Izumi dropped a book onto the table Takahashi was sitting at. “Here. You were hoping for this, right?”

Takahashi glanced at the book and realized it was the script that Izumi was working on. “The script! You completed it?”

“Yeah. Took me some time, but I finished it. You helping out with the restaurant gave me the energy for that last spurt.”

Takahashi picked up the notebook and flipped through it. “Hey, this is pretty good!” he said approvingly. “It's going to be a hit, I promise.”

“Thanks,” Izumi laughed, scratching his head. “That's a relief to hear, since I won't be able to help out much with the play.”

“Are you sure?” Takahashi asked. “It's your play. Don't you want to be involved in putting it together?”

“Yeah, but... I need to help out with the restaurant, you know? So there's nothing I can really do about it.”

“How shameful!” shouted a voice from behind Izumi. The two turned around to see a tough-looking old man in an apron. Izumi immediately jumped up with a concerned expression.

“Dad! Are you seriously trying to work when your back still hurts?”

“I'm not that old, Kentaro!” Izumi's father roared. “I'm already much better, thanks to your mother picking up those painkillers from the hospital!”

“Painkillers? That means your back still hurts, doesn't it?!”

“Hush! I won't hear that from someone who's trying to use work to get out of his duties at school!”

“Huh?” Izumi realized what his father was saying. “That's not what this is about. I'm just prioritizing my responsibilities.”

“I won't hear it. You might think you're ready to enter the workforce, but you're still a kid! Enjoy your high school years while you can and help your classmates put on the play! You're not allowed to work at the restaurant until the festival's over.”

“Dad, that's weeks from now!”

“I'm still strong enough to run the place without your help,” Izumi's father declared. “So go put on the best play those kids have ever seen! Understand?”

Izumi still seemed concerned, but he ultimately let out an exasperated sigh. “You asked for it, old man. I'm going to put my all into this play, then.”

“Good! Your mother and I are more than enough, so don't worry about us!”

Izumi gave Takahashi a shrug. “Well, that's how it is. Guess I'll be helping to put on the greatest play the school's ever seen.”

“Glad to hear it,” Takahashi said with a smile.