The Ugly Duckling

From Akira's Perspective

"The Ugly Duckling!?"

I never expected to hear the name of an Andersen fairy tale in this world.

It’s the classic tale where the ugly duckling, bullied for its appearance, matures into a beautiful swan.

Indeed, it’s a story with a plot that seems like it could emerge from any society, but I never imagined it existed here exactly as is.

"For the cultural festival's performance?"

"Yes, it’s a popular play," Sonata replied nonchalantly to my question.

A popular play, huh?

In the world I came from, it certainly wasn’t a popular theatrical piece.

Among middle and high school girls, perhaps Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet might be a favorite.

Fairy tales are usually dismissed as something for younger audiences.

But now, it’s a well-known fact that the first performance by a famous all-girls opera company was Momotaro, which follows the history of theater, showing that fairy tales are indeed mainstream for adult theater productions.

"However, from my perspective, it seems like a lackluster choice."

"That's not true at all. It was highly contested by other classes too," she countered.

Hearing that, the story suddenly seemed more interesting.

A tale where a character thought to be weak turns out to be a genius.

That such a story would resonate in this elite magic school, where societal winners congregate, was an intriguing discovery.

Do the students of this school, perceived as winners, have their own societal grievances?

"And so, our class got it."

"That's right."

"And what does this have to do with me?"

"The role of the swan, that’s Elize."

"What!?"

"The swan, or should I say, the main character of The Ugly Duckling."

"Lucky draw, huh? I'm jealous."

Sonata gritted her teeth in envy.

"So why did you call me here?"

"It seems Elize is worried," she explained.

"Worried about what?"

"This play, it hinges on the girls' transformation magic skills, right?"

"Ah, I see. So it's not about wearing costumes. They actually use magic to transform into animals?"

"Exactly. And it seems she's struggling with something. Since you're her partner, I thought maybe you could find out what’s bothering her."

"I see..."

I'm no magic specialist.

Can I really be of any help to her?

"Take a look at this."

"Ah, this is the musical score for transforming into a swan... Hmm? This is a pentatonic scale?"