After breaking up, my ex asked me to win her back

Chapter 194 Two Women Fight For One Man

"The Phantom of the Opera, huh..."

Gazing at the script in his hand, Kagura Hikaru's mind seemed to connect some thoughts together.

In fact, it was only after arriving at the auditorium that he realized he was not suited to perform on stage as an actor.

He was indeed skilled at acting, with a level 4 acting skill, completely top-notch professional standard; he would have been enough even for a real performance at the Paris Opera House.

But, before that, Kagura Hikaru had a significant problem, or rather a defect, as an actor.

He couldn't smile.

He just couldn't bring a smile to his face.

Due to various psychological pressures, he had developed a slight after-effect; until now, Kagura Hikaru had only smiled twice in the presence of Ai Cheng Hua Lian. If he consciously tried to control his muscles to smile, the scene would turn out to be very unsightly.

Kagura Hikaru had also tried it in front of a mirror, and recalling that awkward expression was truly undesirable.

A smile is a common emotional expression.

Even when playing a cool antagonist, there would occasionally be the need to give a cold smile, let alone in traditional drama.

The acting method in drama requires some 'exaggeration,' after all, when performing on stage, the audience is quite far away, unlike the close-up view of facial expressions and movements in films and TV dramas, hence the need to rely on the actors to convey character emotions through clear body movements, language, and expressions.

That is the nature of drama, and of course, there is no blame in that.

But for Kagura Hikaru, it became a major problem.

An actor with a poker face who can't smile, no matter how expressive their words and actions are, would still cause a strong sense of disconnect and have no value on the stage of drama.

Of course, this depends on the role.

For example, a role without a head wouldn't need to worry about this issue at all.

His reason for coming here this time was not only to join Ayakoji Chiyoko and the Drama Club for the rehearsal but also to speak with Kohinata Motoyo in person about possible solutions to this problem.

But after Kohinata Motoyo told him about the role he was supposed to play, Kagura Hikaru realized there was no need to remind her; she had probably noticed it long ago.

The Phantom of the Opera is a disfigured musician who, because of his ugly appearance and suffering discrimination, could not blend into the crowd and thus hid like a vampire beneath the Paris Opera House.

And his classic screen image is one wearing a mask, concealing the frightful ugliness of his face.

It matched Kagura Hikaru's needs perfectly.

The mask could cover his face, and the defect of not being able to smile would disappear.

With his acting skills, he was more than capable of compensating for the lack of facial expression with body movements and voice.

Kohinata Motoyo must have known this, which was why she gave him the role of the Phantom.

Kagura Hikaru met her gaze and said, "I have taken the role of the Phantom. So, who will play the female lead?"

On the side, Ayakoji Chiyoko was all ears.

The name Kohinata Motoyo was about to say would be the person who had a kissing scene with Kagura Hikaru at the end of the play.

"Of course, it's me," Kohinata Motoyo said with a smile, patting her chest.

Ayakoji Chiyoko almost exploded with anger.

It was indeed a trap!

"I disagree!" she immediately cried out.

"President Ayakoji?" Kohinata Motoyo widened her eyes innocently, "If the President disagrees, then you can take the role of Christine, and I can play the lead actress who is replaced by the female lead."

"You..."

Ayakoji Chiyoko felt like she had been played.

This person clearly knew that having her play the female lead would lead to a bull-headed tendency, and that's why she had deliberately said this!

"Let Raoul be played by you, and I will play Christine!"

"That absolutely won't do. I'm not tall enough. If President Ayakoji plays Christine, I will end up shorter than you, and it would greatly affect the audience's perception."

"That's a small matter, can't we just ignore it?"

"President Ayakoji, please don't forget this is an important recruitment performance for our Drama Club. As the Student Council President, you wouldn't intentionally cause us trouble, right?"

"You... fine, I get it. Let Hikaru play it! Let him play Christine, then you'll have nothing to say!"

Kagura Hikaru: "???"

Wait up for me!

"Mister Hikaru playing the leading lady... I'm a bit interested," Kohinata Motoyo teased, her gaze circling him twice before returning to Ayakoji Chiyoko's face. "But I'm sorry, it won't work. Our president wouldn't agree to it either."

"..."

Ayakoji Chiyoko's face darkened with visible resentment.

When she played a male role, the script was strong.

But this time, she was the one being strong-armed?

It was the familiar Green Grass Farm all over again.

She had no intention of compromising, locking eyes with Kohinata Motoyo in a chilling standoff.

In the end, it was Kagura Hikaru who broke the awkward silence, "Suse, can we cut the kissing scene at the end?"

If there were no kissing scene, Ayakoji Chiyoko might be able to accept it, and he felt the same way.

Kagura Hikaru was a bit annoyed at Kohinata Motoyo for blindsiding them with this private agenda.

She hadn't mentioned this part before.

But Kohinata Motoyo shook her head and said, "Sorry, I can't compromise on this. The final kiss is a crucial moment in The Phantom of the Opera's change of heart, as well as an iconic moment on screen. We could change other parts, but not this one."

"...Alright, I understand. So, can we angle it, misalign the kiss, and keep as much distance as possible?"

"Eh~~ Mister Hikaru, I'm a girl and even I'm not saying anything, are you a boy feeling shy?"

I'm worried if you keep this up, we won't be able to leave the campus today.

Kagura Hikaru glanced at Ayakoji Chiyoko, who looked murderous, feeling his hint was already quite clear.

Kohinata Motoyo got the message, shaking her head as she spread her hands helplessly, "Alright, we'll do it that way."

"Are you satisfied now?"

Kagura Hikaru turned to Ayakoji Chiyoko.

Although the latter was still disgruntled, her expression had softened somewhat, but she still turned her head and warned Kagura Hikaru like a mother cautioning her child, "You're not allowed to get close to this woman, got it?"

"Oh."

"If you dare actually kiss her, I'll kill her, then kill you, and then myself!"

"...Oh."

This conversation was in no way private; Kohinata Motoyo, standing to the side, listened till her smile became stiff.

And thus, the script and roles were set in stone.

Kagura Hikaru would play the leading man: The Phantom of the Opera.

Kohinata Motoyo would play the leading lady: Christine.

Ayakoji Chiyoko would play Christine's lover: Raoul.

Interestingly, from the perspective of those in the know, the relationship between these three was actually the opposite of the script.

The Phantom of the Opera ardently pursues Christine but fails to win her favor.

However, Kagura Hikaru, who plays The Phantom, is actually the one being chased by Kohinata Motoyo, who plays Christine.

In the original plot, Christine loves Raoul, but Kohinata Motoyo and Ayakoji Chiyoko, who portray them, actually have a mutual disdain for each other as romantic rivals.

But in reality, it was Raoul (Ayakoji Chiyoko) and The Phantom of the Opera (Kagura Hikaru) who were a couple.

So, don't always associate actors with their roles.

Otherwise, you'll end up creating a lot of odd couples like these.

Continue your journey at My Virtual Library Empire

After giving them an overview of the script, Kohinata Motoyo took them on stage to rehearse their lines, mainly to get the inexperienced Ayakoji Chiyoko accustomed to the feeling of standing on stage.

Watching them exchange words with one laughing and the other wearing a cold expression, Kagura Hikaru's gaze flickered.

He recalled a conversation with Kohinata Motoyo after a recent meeting, when she had contacted him privately to explain the significance of casting them for this play.

It was part of a strategy for breaking up.

The goal was to make Ayakoji Chiyoko initiate the breakup herself.