April
Chapter 13
The school gym was full of people in that warm April morning. The freshmen class was aligned in the middle of the gym, looking forwards the stage where the teachers and instructors stood, among other members of the faculty. They were listening to the welcome speeches; everyone was just thrilled to be there. After all, all the 37 new students admitted to the freshmen class had to work really hard to show that they deserved to be there, wearing that grey uniform.
They were in silence when the Hokansei class entered the gym. All eyes were on them. They had just one year left on their training to become full Siennes, and the teachers expected a lot from them. Especially from the top students. They had their stage gender assigned and were supposed to find their new name during the time they had off.
For the teachers, that was a very strong class, with many good candidates to thrive in the revue. In their very competitive world, any advantage could make a great career. So they needed to grasp that opportunity, of this being their last year and just be amazing. Because the world of a Sienne was so much more than sparkles and smiles and this class needed to start understanding that.
Haruka was the last one in line, since she was the tallest girl in her class. It was her first time walking into the gym as a second year student and she felt like she would burst with pride. She looked different, with her hair short and she felt different, for being so close to her dream. And she smiled.
The entrance ceremony was basically the same from last year, only this time Haruka and her friends were in a different class. They sang a song, had speeches, welcomed the newcomers and got ready for their day. Nothing too fancy or different from the years before. After all, tradition was very important.
*****
Due the entrance ceremony, the second year class would only have classes in the afternoon. Even practicing almost every day, Michiru missed dancing inside the school walls. She missed being in a place where people were glad to see her there. After her fight with her father, their relationship deteriorated even faster. Daiki barely said two words to her during her days off, preferring to spend his time practicing or helping at the conservatory.
Her mother had asked her to have patience, maybe now he would understand. Daiki wasn't the kind of man who changed his mind easily. He was too bound to his old-fashioned ways, locked inside an ever-changing family. Natsuki was worried about him: he was quieter than usual. Maybe he was just processing everything that had happened.
She sighed, getting ready for her long day. At least Haruka and her friends were there and she hoped the school year ended as fast as it had started.
****
The first class for the second year students was more an orientation. They learned, although their time being responsible for cleaning the school grounds were over, they got freshmen assigned to them, so they could supervise. Haruka didn't really have a lot of time with her supervisor during her first year, but she vowed to make some time for the girl the school chose for her.
They also learned the class would be divided in two, one with the musumeyakus and one with the otokoyakus. They would still have many classes together, but their training would be different in some points, since their gender roles required different things. The tall girl felt bad, because she would be alone most of the time, since she was the only otokoyaku within her group of friends. Nevertheless, this could give her some necessary time with her classmates, the girls who were now her companions in this year, since now they would need to learn everything on how to be a believable man on stage.
Haruka wasn't really worried about that, she had two older brothers and a male best friend, and being a tomboy herself, she didn't exactly felt too feminine in her entire life. Her voice was naturally deep; she just needed practice to be a better singer.
The girl was feeling happy and excited about the year she would have. Haruka also knew the bond she formed with her friends on their first year wouldn’t easily disappear; even if they didn't spent a lot of time together. She looked around, looking at all the other girls’ faces. They would be always the 115th class, no matter what.
*******
Kino Makoto woke up and felt like she didn't really want to get up. Checking the time, she realized she had less than 20 minutes to get dressed and leave her room. She wasn't one to be late and in fact, she hated being late.
She sat on her bed and sighed. Her routine was so hard and she was already feeling pretty tired. Of course, the girl already felt terrible for feeling like this in just one month as a music school student. She was always someone who had a lot of energy, but waking up this early every day pretty much drained her whole.
She got dressed in a record time, jumped on a train and joined her fellow classmates in the line front of the school. It was still dark outside, but at least it wasn't cold. With summer just around the corner, it was expected to get warmer and warmer.
The girl looked around to see the other girls she went to school with. Everyone was looking down and some of them seemed more tired than she was. Maybe it was a common thing, since they were still getting used to being students in a highly demanding place. Makoto missed her family back in Kyoto, since she barely spent any time with them, and life at school was much harder than she ever imagined. Maybe if she had listened to her ballet teacher, she would be feeling better now. After all, Mayuko was a former Sienne.
But for a 15 year old teenager, whose reality didn't involve a lot of responsibilities, giving herself to her studies in the way the revue demanded was a little too much. Makoto hadn’t know what she wanted to be when she grown up. Her father inherited their family karate dojo, where she quickly learnt her family style of fighting. However, the girl also had a very delicate soul. Her mother worked as a baker until she bought a small cafe in their neighborhood. Kyoto was a very picturesque town, with a lot of history and tradition decorating the streets, so her mother's cafe brought a modern setting for their residential neighborhood.
Makoto and her brother Tadashi started early at the dojo, but Makoto had a very unique and restless soul. She divided her time between school, karate class and helping her mother with her cafe. At 12, she was already a very accomplished baker and a decent fighter.
But always restless, she decided to join her school ballet and traditional dance classes. She was always so eager and full of energy, in no time she was already the best student in the class and her teacher was the first to suggest she could try for Takarazuka Music School when she finished junior high. Makoto was tall and lean, a little bit tomboyish, so maybe it would be a good idea.
The girl, who had never had heard of the revue before, ended looking up about it and decided to give it a chance. She knew she would be bored soon with ballet and stuff, so she didn't really wanted to build any hope to get into TMS.
But everything she did, she did amazingly. She was the best dancer, she could excel ballet moves really fast and by the age of 14, she was getting ready to become a black belt at her father's dojo. But the only time she felt centered and at ease was at her mother's cafe, helping her baking delicious goods. It was like working with her hands, using frosting to create beautiful cakes, was everything she needed to stay focused.
However, she broke her right hand during karate practice, so she got another thing to focus on in her life: her dance, since she couldn't work with her hand for a while. Her mother then had decided to take her to study for the TMS exams in Osaka, in a small, but well renowned ballet studio, owned by a former Sienne. She saw true talent in her daughter, so why not try?
Makoto didn't minded going to Osaka twice a week. She liked to dance and her instructor seemed content to have her there. She was still adamant in just letting things follow their course, just practicing hard to avoid thinking about her hand. She knew everyone expected a lot from her, and Makoto felt as if she shouldn't let them down, but her heart just wasn't on this.
Everything changed when one of Mayuko's former students, her pride and joy and most successful case, went back to the studio to help her instructor during her time off. Seeing how fluid, how serene, how beautiful that aquamarine haired girl moved, and Mayuko's efforts in presenting the revue to her students as a place where dreams were made, Makoto couldn't help but feel the change in her heart.
Now she was a proud, but tired, student of the Music School. The commute was the worst part of her day, but since her mother was working to open another bakery in Osaka, she would stay there until she finished school. So the girl was looking forward to that. Kyoto was about one hour and a half away from Takarazuka, so the distance wasn’t enough to guarantee her a dorm at school.
"Good morning, Kino-san," her supervisor's deep voice woke Makoto from her thoughts. She looked up and saw Haruka, who was assigned to her after the entrance ceremony. Haruka was this bright and incredible future Sienne and Makoto was completely infatuated with her. They didn't have a lot of time together, just a few minutes before classes and after lunch, where Haruka checked her cleaning work and explained to her how everything worked at school. And Haruka was friends with Mayuko's pupil, Michiru, who Makoto secretly admired and was one of her main inspirations to become a student at TMS.
Haruka knew she couldn't spend too much with the younger student. Being a second year made her even busier than ever and she was starting to feel pressured to thrive again, since she was one of the best in her class. The second year class was already practicing for the fundraiser that happens every May, where they would put colorful kimonos and perform to a very restrict public. It wasn't like the bunkasai, but it was the first event of the year, and Haruka wanted to show she was indeed a good performer, not someone who got lucky.
She felt weird having the first years looking up to her, but she would do her best to be an example to those girls.
******
Naru was excited to be in Takarazuka again. She had a couple of really busy months, balancing school and work at her mother's jewelry store and the girl felt like she deserved a well spent time off everything. Still felt foreigner to her this feeling of crescent devotion she was harboring in her chest and Mayumi, her mother, couldn't be prouder. Her daughter's heart had choose a really young girl, still a student at TMS, and Mayumi was curious to meet her.
So mother and daughter cleared their schedules and decided to enjoy their day off back at the city they both held dear in her hearts. It was the annual fundraising event and a chance for them to show their love and respect for the revue. And of course, to meet the new students. For Naru, it was another chance to meet the young student who stole her heart. She still felt really awkward for the change that happened in her life, especially since she knew next to nothing about the said student.
When they parked their car, Naru could see the students were already positioned perfectly at the stairs that lead to the theater complex. They wore colorful kimonos and polite smiles on their faces. It was a sunny day, perfect for a day out and Naru smiled when she saw her student, looking so happy in her yellow and green kimono.
A TV crew was working at the moment mother and daughter got there, probably working on a segment for the Sky Stage, the revue cable channel. The students looked pretty happy for doing that job and having some closer contact to the public.
Naru smiled when she saw how composed her student was. How tall she had become since the last time she saw her saw. How beautiful her smile was and how good she looked with her short blonde hair. Naru didn't even know if that girl's career would turn out in the future.
But if she had to make a choice, she would follow her heart and support that girl in the day she fully graduated.
And maybe even beyond...