The Golden Pear [YA - Featured]

♫~Notes 49~♫

 When the late Saturday morning turned into early afternoon, Kagetsu woke up with a big yawn. Curling up into a ball, he confiscated most of the blanket. Nobody pulled it back as it had happened in the last days since he was alone in the bed.

After a couple of minutes, he tossed the cover away, heading to do his morning routine. Sharing one flat with his older brother didn't bother him. He remembered times when all of them lived in one room. But truth to be told, it wasn't always easy or smooth.

They had their share of fights, but as they grew older, they learned to control themselves, and they also got their own room or, in this case, a flat. At first, Kagetsu loved having his own room. He could roll in his bed as much as he wanted.

Nobody pushed him away or pulled the blanket he had stolen in his dreams. Only months later, he realized how lonely the nights turned. No more stories from his oldest brother whispered into his ears. No more teasing from his older brother.

Nothing but absolute silence.

Kagetsu squinted at himself in the mirror as he brushed his hair. As messy as it looked, he never bothered with proper care like picking three shampoos or conditioners. 'Should I get some hair care products?' He dug his fingers into it, feeling the texture.

'Ai has tons of extras now.' The thought of letting his hair grow never crossed his mind until he had seen his older brother cutting his. He looked so different, he almost didn't recognize him, yet he didn't think Aiyoku looked repulsive.

'Is this what being a teen is about?' He returned the hairbrush, exiting the bathroom. 'Not sure if I wanna be one.' After changing his clothes, he headed outside, finding a note on the door.

"So they are in Ri's room." He headed there, knocking on the door and entering, finding the group sitting in the living room. "Good morning."

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

"Ohayo gozaimasu."

Kagetsu rolled his eyes. "Isn't it too early for teasing, Ai?" Ha sat down on the couch. "What's for breakfast? I'm staring."

"It's almost noon," Rigaku corrected him. "Let's head outside to get a meal."

Nobody voted against, and so they went to enjoy themselves. They kept their mouths stuffed, spending their time in the presence of munching sounds.

When Kagetsu swallowed the last morsel, he leaned in the chair, stretching his back. "I feel alive!" He let his limbs and head hung down, watching the clouds upside-down. He let out a slight sigh, narrowing his back.

"I owe you an apology."

"If it's about your late returns, that's—"

Kagetsu interrupted his oldest brother, "No, I should have talked about it earlier. I've said you can lean on my shoulder, yet I wasn't honest with either of you." He let his head hung low. "I thought I can do it on my own since you all were so busy with the club. This was supposed to be an only one-time job."

"And what it is?" Aiyoku asked. "You are a lot of general."

"You know, let's go there. I have a meeting with them for today anyway."

\\_(''>_<'')_//

Aiyoku watched around as he didn't see this building when Ueno gave him the tour. Observing the exterior gave him the answer to why. Its many flaws would ruin her image of the perfect school.

"Sakura-san!" Kagetsu called as he entered the theater by the main door.

"Kagetsu-san, we are waiting for—Who are they?" She took her glasses by frame, pushing them up. "We can't have unrelated people here."

Kagetsu scratched on his cheek. "They are my brothers, Rigaku and Aiyoku, and our friend, Freya-chan."

One by one, they greeted her.

"I thought showing them would be better than me telling them."

"Alright, alright." She shooed him into the backstage. "Go get ready, I want to have this play ready before the Summer Fest."

"Okay, I'll leave the rest to you, Cap." He bowed with a wide smile, happy he could relay the duty to somebody else, leaving for the changing rooms.

"Welcome to this shabby theater, my name is Sakura Hanasaki, and I lead Drama Club."

"I've heard this place used to be very popular," Rigaku noted.

She listed in the folder she held. "Yes, that was some ten years ago, right? Rumors tell a heartbroken girl committed suicide here, a random toilet ghost decided to haunt this place, or that the leader at that time disbanded the club. I don't care what rumor is the truth, but I want to revive this place."

"That's a noble goal." Aiyoku traced the chair next to him.

"Yes, we simplified the story of Snow White a bit to fit it in thirty to forty minutes." She turned around, leading them to the stage. "Move that tree more to the left! Yes! Perfect!"

Freya stretched her neck as she had never seen backstage of a theater. Students moved, adjusting props, checking the marks on the wooden floor, trying lights, and going over cables to provide proper audio output.

"Our main actress, Midori, had broken her arm when she had fallen from her bike. There is no way she can make it for the premiere. I've brought the costume to Kanako-chan for a few repairs and asked her if she wanted to play."

Her head moved back to the stage. "As you see, we need everybody here, or the play can't go smoothly." A hint of sadness flashed in her eyes. "That's when I met your brother Kagetsu-san. He just spurted, 'I can do it!' without a second thought." She grimaced, expressing her confusion. "Does he usually have this thick skull?"

Rigaku cleared his throat. "He can be stubborn."

"Just like you." Aiyoku grinned.

"It runs in the family."

'Busted.' Freya giggled.

"The thing is the costume fits him perfectly, and his argument that guys played girls in the theater is true, but still..." She shook her head. "In any case, in a few days, he has taken over the role and is doing quite a fine job. With a bit of make-up and adjustments to the costume, nobody will notice Kagetsu-san is a boy."

Their eyes cast onto the podium where Kagetsu appeared. He already had a wig and a slight make-up on his face.

'Looks good!' A bit of jealousy spread in Freya's heart. When a guy looked better in a dress than a girl, that meant something.

"Okay! Get ready! We have a few guests here but proceed as normal. We'll start from the first scene!"

Ohayo gozaimasu – Good morning