The Pain of an Inferior: A Blistering Love Comedy That Begins After a Broken Heart - Chapter 91

Chapter 91 – Taking the Helm.

“Hello~”

Haruka greeted in a clear voice as he entered the clubroom.

Sayaka was performing in the middle of the room, while Ruriko was watching her.

Ruriko glanced at Haruka, but immediately returned her gaze to Sayaka.

Closing the door behind him, Haruka stood next to Ruriko and together they watched Sayaka’s performance.

Haruka can only speculate, since he just came, but it seemed that Sayaka was playing five roles by herself.

The way Sayaka transistioned between roles was formidable. In an instant, she became a different person with a different atmosphere.

A girl, a boy, a young man, a woman, and a mysterious stranger. All of them were played to perfection, and the story moved forward without a moment’s notice.

Eventually, the curtain came down and Sayaka’s one-woman show came to an end.

She picked up the water bottle on the table and quenched her thirst, which has been dried up by her solo performance.

After taking a breather, Sayaka finally noticed Haruka.

“You’re here, Obi.”

“Hello, Sayaka-senpai.”

Sayaka must had heard about Haruka’s bad reputation, but her expression was bright and she was smiling to Haruka.

“It’s getting lonely in this club room, isn’t it?” (Haruka)

“Whose fault do you think it is?”

Sayaka asked in amazement. However, Haruka doesn’t sense any blame in her words.

Haruka gave a dry laugh.

“Have you heard bad things about me?”

“From Owada-kun. He heard it from his juniors.”

“Senpai is so kind even though you had heard bad things about me.”

Sayaka turned away while Ruriko answered with a wry smile.

“Sayaka is the type of person who doesn’t believe in rumors.” (Ruriko)

“Even if you are as bad as your reputations suggests, you’re still an important asset to us, so we’d appreciate if you can continue putting on a sweet face[1]” (Sayaka)

“Okay~”

Haruka smiled cherfully.

Then, the club activity for just the three of them started.

?

“If Owada-senpai and the others are not coming for the time being, shall I call my friend?”

Haruka suddenly suggested during the break after doing basic abdominal breathing, muscle training, and vocal exercises.

Sayaka frowned and asked him.

“You’re talking about your friend that’s attending in Mirage?”

“That’s right. She sometimes practices with me in VR for two to four hours.”

The timerate inside the VR space is four seconds, so it would be around 30 minutes to an hour in reality.

Although Yuuku was a rather busy person, she always found time to invite Haruka to have practice sessions with her.

Recently, she even suggested for a joint training with A-10.

“Hmm.. Well, that might be a good idea.”

“In that case, I’ll ask her if she can come when we have a standing practice in VR.”

“Now that you mention it, who is this friend of yours? I’ve been to a joint training camp with Mirage over the summer, so I might know her.”

“She’s a girl named Kisara Yuuku.”

“”Yuuku?!””

Sayaka and Rurko were astonished when they heard Yuuku’s name

“You know her?” (Haruka)

“She obtained outstanding achievements among her generation, and she’s a genius in acting. You, how did you get to know her?”

Ruriko asked in interest.

“We went to the same elementary school.”

“Ah, I see.” (Ruriko)

“If Yuuku is coming, our practice session will be productive. Obi, if she’s okay with it, call her. She’s more than welcome here.” (Sayaka)

“Aye aye.”

On that day, Yuuku, who was invited by Haruka, agreed to join the A-10 drama club’s practice sessions as much as possible.

?

A few weeks had passed since Haruka first joined the drama club.

Always cheerful and friendly, Haruka was adored by Ruriko and Sayaka.

The only male member of the drama club until now, Owada Kazuma, had always looked sluggish and lacked a sense of drive.

Therefore, it was refreshing for them to have a cheerful junior boy like Haruka. They liked his presence in the club.

“Obi, can you pause there a little longer?”

“Got it.”

He was usually nonchalant, but when it came to acting, Haruka was very serious. Sayaka loved the moment when Haruka’s gears switch when acting.

Haruka readily accepted Sayaka’s advices, and enacted it splendidly.

Haruka on the other hand, adored Sayaka, who was a strict instructor when it came to acting.

Haruka’s mother, Matsurika, who seemed to be strict at first glance, and his big sister Yuzurika, who sometimes scolded him, have in the end pampered Haruka. So, a strict way of teaching was a new experience for Haruka.

While Sayaka and Haruka were happily talking with each other, Ruriko was checking the scripts for the free play.

Their personalities came out in the way they teach acting to their juniors.

Ruriko basically let each member perform freely, leaving them up to their own interpretations.

Sayaka, on the other hand, was the type of person who proactively pointed out mistakes to enchance the perfection of the play.

Kazuma, Nanami, Eris, and Mio did not like Sayaka’s way of doing things, though they weren’t vocal about it.

In the end Sayaka sighed and left their instruction to Ruriko.

Haruka, on the other hand, happily accepted Sayaka’s criticisms and actively engaged with her.

Although she was strict, Sayaka’s attitude was purely based on her desire to improve the quality of their performance, there was no trace of malicious intent from her.

Haruka looked up to Sayaka as a good senpai.

Today, Haruka and Sayaka are engrossed in talking to each other.

Ruriko quietly observed them.

Although he doesn’t make any distinction between them, Haruka somewhat responds differently when it came to Ruriko and Sayaka.

He smiled amiably to Ruriko, while with Sayaka he always had a big grin on his face.

Ruriko was always surrounded by Kazuma and the others.

While talking to her beloved juniors, she often found Sayaka and Haruka creating a space for just the two of them.

Hearing that Kazuma and the others are going to practice on their own for the time being, the drama club was now just the three of them.

Ruriko secretly hoped that she would be able to join their space just a little, but..

“At minimum, the Kanpe System guarantees the quality of the stage. It’s very handy when your head goes blank and you can’t remember your lines. Though don’t rely on it too much, otherwise your acting may come out as unnatural.”

“I’m very confident in my memory though.”

“That’s very encouraging.”

In the end, Ruriko did not engage Haruka in a serious conversation, though they talked a little.

She was somewhat envious of Sayaka, who was so well liked by Haruka.

TL Notes

[1] ???? (neko o kaburu) – japanese proverb. means “to wear a cat” or “to put a cat on one’s head”. This expression is used when someone is putting on an appearance of sweetness or friendliness, while hiding their true personality.