Chapter 72: Inner troubles

[Kaede POV]

Yaoyorozu and others finally came back downstairs; she held a large stack of paper and handed it to each of us. We were surprised that Yaoyorozu had already made a draft for the play, and I read through the plot intently. It turns out it was a pretty simple and exciting idea.

It was a fantasy-type story where a Prince was tasked by his father to slay an evil witch who had caused havoc in the kingdom. The Prince went on a journey, and when he found the Witch, he realised that she was not evil and the king was the source of the corruption in the kingdom. The Witch agreed to help the Prince, and they fell in love and confronted the king about his horrendous act together.

"That sounds awesome! Eri exclaimed with excitement.

Eri's right, but I wonder who the roles will be? I flipped to the next page with the list of our names; some of us got non-acting parts, such as creating the props and effects or music production. I eventually found my name, and my jaw fell to the floor...

[3rd POV]

"Why am I the witch!?" Kaede screamed and blushed slightly.

"Simple, because Uchiha-chan's perfect for this role, of course! Yaoyorozu answered with confidence.

"But...."

"Come to one, Kaede-chan! Yaoyorzu-chan's right! You're perfect!" Mina persuaded.

The rest of the KSST praised Kaede for her compatibility with the female lead. Kaede eventually gave in as her eyes wandered to who will be playing the Prince. Kaede's face heated up, and everyone thought the kettle was burning.

Kaede clenched the paper as she blushed, she glanced at Shoto, and he was also staring back at her with the same stunned expression. Their eyes met, but both quickly averted their gaze from each other.

'Sorry, Uchiha-chan, but it's for your good.' Momo thought to herself as Kaede froze like a statue.

[Currently inside Kaede's head...]

Chibi Commander Kaede: "Tell me what's happening!"

Chibi Kaede #4: "Ma'am, the reactor has overheated, and it's becoming more and more unstable by the second!"

"Can you fix it?!" Commander Kaede hurriedly shouted.

"We're trying!" Chibi Kaede#2 said as she and Chibi Kaede#3 tried their best to repair the damage.

*Boom!*

Chibi Kaede#5 shrieked in fear as flames erupted from the reactor.

"Warning! Warning! Brain Malfunctioning! Repeat! Brain Malfunctioning!" A robotic voice sounded throughout the control room.

"Dammit! Everyone evacuate now!" Commander Kaede shouted as all the Chibi Kaede ran to the escape pod and got the heck out of there.

[Back to reality...]

"Earth to Kaede-chan? Anyone there?" Ochako said and waved her hand before Kaede's eyes.

"Wh..what." Kaede twitched before snapping out of her daze.

Everyone smirked, and Momo grabbed her class's attention. She then explained any additional details of the play during her lecture. Kaede and Shoto can't focus as they occasionally glance at each other.

A few hours later...

'What the hell is wrong with me!' I whined.

Fine, I will admit it! Mina's right! I think I like Shoto! No I don't just simple like him, I... I like him a lot!!

The talk with Mina and the others was like a wake-up talk, or a more extreme description, a smack on the face? I initially denied their claims; nonetheless, their prediction was slowly coming true.

However, even if I feel it's not like he likes me back or anything...

I'm scared of what he would say, and I'm afraid he will mock me for my foolish behaviour. Therefore, I will bury these emotions because I think that will be the best for everyone...

"Onee-chan?" Eri called for me while she was playing with plushies on my bed.

"Yeah, Eri?"

"When downstairs, why does your face look like a cherry tomato?" She asked with innocence.

"Eh, do I??" I yelped with surprise.

"Uh-huh, you're doing it right now!" Eri said while waving her arm to emphasise her point.

I took out a handheld mirror from my desk drawer. Sure enough, my face was red at even the thought of Shoto. I groaned and put the mirror away as I walked to Eri and lay on my bed.

I sighed: "I will tell you when you get older." I answered while yawning and rubbing my eyes.

Eri nodded before crawling closer and snuggling next to me. I chuckled and hugged her: "Are you excited about the festival?"

She smiled brightly: "Yeah, it sounds fun, and I want to try all the yummy foods!"

Seeing her so excited was heartwarming. I was afraid she wouldn't fully recover from the trauma. But my worry was for nothing seeing her smiling and enjoying her life.

"Good night Eri," I said.

"Good night, onee-chan," she responded.

I gently kissed her on the forehead before using Kamui to create a small portal by the light switch and turning it off. Eri snuggled deeper into my chest, and together we slowly fell asleep.

[3rd POV]

The play proceeded as planned. Class 1-A has finished all the props, costumes and effects. The actors have already memorised their lines, and all they needed to do now was rehearse before the festival officially starts in a few days.

Everyone was doing their job exceptionally. They were astonished that Kaede wasn't dying of embarrassment because even they must agree some lines were a little overboard. The class was correct about Kaede breaking of shame, but she was just not showing it.

This was because she didn't want to drag her friends down from her incompetence, so she would just lock away the feelings. Even if those emotions tried their best to burst out of their cage, Kaede held on.

Kaede knows it was an unhealthy way of dealing with this matter, but for now, her solution was to let Future Kaede solve this issue.

Unfortunately, the same thing couldn't be said with Shoto. Just like the KSST predicted, Shoto was about to crack; his feelings for Kaede were at their peak and were causing problems for everyone else. The main complication was in one of the scenes the Witch sneaks into the palace during a party, and she has a traditional ballroom dance with the Prince.

Kaede quickly remembered the moves, but Shoto continually messed up the beat and stepped on her foot. So much so that the rehearsal has to be put on a temporary halt and Shoto needs to fix his mistakes.

Currently, Kaede and Shoto are in an empty drama room at UA. Kaede and Shoto tried to dance in sync but just like before, Shoto was still causing problems.

"Sorry..." Shoto muttered with a flustered tone.

Kaede waved off his apology as she restarted the music, and they resumed their practice: "Let me guess, that problem was bothering you again?" Kaede suddenly said.

Shoto paused before nodding hesitantly; Kaede sighed: "When will you tell me what's wrong?"

Kaede patiently waited for his response but seeing Shoto remain silent, she smiled wryly: "Please help you; let's conquer your inner troubles together."

Shoto smiled back, hearing Kaede's encouragement; newfound resolve flashed in his eyes: "Soon, do you mind waiting just a while longer?"

Kaede giggled: "Of course."

"Now, show me what will happen when you let love win," Kaede repeated one of the lines from the script.

Suddenly, Shoto became more confident than before, catching Kaede off guard as he correctly played the leading role in the dance. Now, it was Kaede's turn to get serious or else she will be the one that would fall behind.

As the two danced, without realising, there was a bright smile on Shoto and Kaede's faces as they were in perfect harmony.

A few days later...

"We're ready!" Momo announced while looking at what she considers to be professional actors. The problem with Shoto was finally fixed, and the rehearsal went on without a hitch.

Everyone exhaled in relief and celebrated by throwing their scripts into the air. The school festival was upon them, and Class 1-A was determined to create the best play of the century!

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Hope you enjoy!