As they left the front stage, there was a deafening silence behind them.
Did they hate it?
Was our performance that bad?
I should've practiced more...
Negative thoughts began to cycle through Takei's mind as he considered the worst case scenario.
However, those negative thoughts were quickly dispelled by a benevolent figure that was standing next to him.
The radiant girl, who was always by his side, grabbed his hand and squeezed tightly.
Her soft and delicate skin helped soothe the anxieties that were sprouting in Takei's mind as a result of the play.
This girl who so wholeheartedly believed in him was none other than his girlfriend, Akari Akazawa.
"It'll be okay, you were amazing."
Akari's gentle voice tickled his ears which ended up simultaneously releasing a large amount of dopamine in his body.
"You mean, we were amazing?"
Feeling more confident about his performance, Takei laughed along with Akari.
As they were enjoying themselves backstage, a loud noise erupted in the auditorium.
It was so loud that Takei wondered how none of the glass broke in the noisy auditorium.
"That was a spectacular play! The twist at the end was unexpected, but it played out very well!"
"I agree, a twist that results in a happy ending for a tragic story is always welcome in my book!"
"That couple was amazing at acting, they had me thinking that they were actually in love with each other!"
Peering out behind the curtains, Takei saw firsthand what a satisfied crowd looked like.
The loud cheers and clapping suddenly registered in his head as the crowd adoring them, albeit a bit late since he wasn't expecting this type of reaction.
"We did it..."
Surprised by the crowd's enthusiasm, Takei's inner thoughts unknowingly leaked from his mouth.
"You sure did!"
Approaching from behind was none other than the theater committee president himself, Hiro Shirogane.
He happily slapped Takei's back, which hurt Takei quite a bit due to Hiro's sturdy physique.
"Oi, that could've injured me."
"Congratulations, you two. I knew you guys would do amazing and live up to my expectations."
Ignoring Takei's annoyed comment, Hiro praised both Takei and Akari for their good acting skills.
After a few moments of the pleasantries passed, a loud voice announced something on the intercom.
"All actors, please report to the front stage for a final send-off."
Doing as the voice had instructed, Takei and Akari walked back to the front stage and lined up alongside their crew members.
Everyone including the technical and behind-the-scenes crew had assembled here to give their thanks to the crowd for supporting them.
With all of the cast on stage, Takei felt a sense of unity amongst everyone.
Being a loner is cool and all, but there are times when having friends can be great as well.
As if a higher being had heard his thoughts, Takei noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
Peering into the crowd, he saw a row of familiar faces.
Eiji, Rikka, Ryuto, Arisa, Helena, and even Airi were here to support them.
Once they saw Takei's surprised expression looking back at them, all of his friends put on a satisfied smirk in order to tease him.
"Everyone..."
Takei was so overwhelmed with emotions that the words had trouble escaping his mouth.
As all of the cast began to bow for the audience, Takei mentally thanked all of his friends that had shown up to support him and Akari.
Thanks for coming, it truly means a lot.
Smiling ever so brilliantly, Takei bowed towards the audience with a truly genuine smile.
***
A celebratory after-party at a local karaoke place was set to happen after the play finished, but Takei politely refused the invitation.
After the adrenaline of the successful play wore off, Takei realized that he was a lot more exhausted than he initially thought he was.
As a result, he decided to call it quits early and go home for the night.
Of course, Akari decided to go with him as well.
At this point, it was a given since they were practically attached by the hip.
When they got home, the two realized that they were now home alone late at night since Airi had suspiciously declared that she was going to spend the night at a friend's house.
"Ah..."
"..."
Akari had accidentally bumped into Takei when they were heading to his room, which elicited a cute noise from her.
Hearing the adorable sound that escaped Akari's lips ended up being the final straw for Takei.
He had been holding back all night since they were in public, but Akari just looked so beautiful that it had put him in a trance.
"Kyaaah!"
As soon as the door of Takei's room closed, he shoved her down onto the bed with a complicated expression on his face.
There was a feeling inside Takei's heart that was corroding his common sense and made him want to become a big bad wolf.
However, his strong iron will was fighting back against this feeling with an outrageous amount of tenacity.
Torn by his respect for Akari's will and his own manly desires, Takei was sweating bullets and fretting about what to do.
Akari was happy to see him on the offensive, but she was concerned about his expression.
"You know you don't have to hold back right? I'm yours and only yours~"
She knew about his gentlemanly behavior and his refusal to do anything that would bring her discomfort.
That's why Akari needed to nudge Takei just ever so slightly in the right direction.
"So, go on. Take a bite of me and have your fill. In return, I won't stop until I'm satisfied~"
After he heard Akari's affirmation to his actions and her bold declaration towards him, Takei was no longer able to hold back.
Towering over Akari, he was ready to pounce on her at any moment.
*BZZZ*
That was, until Takei's phone loudly buzzed with a text.
Glancing over at the screen of his phone, Takei realized that it was his mother texting him.
Mom: I saw a recording of the play, you two look amazing! Also, I hope you're taking advantage of us being gone and getting some baby making going. Your dad's been getting anxious for a grandchild, so please hurry up~
"..."
Takei was speechless about what his mother had sent him, but Akari was giggling at the familiar behavior of her mother-in-law.
"That's really just like her, isn't it?"
"Undoubtedly."
Flora's text ended up dispelling the passionate and intense atmosphere between them, which was a good thing for Takei since he didn't want to do anything he regretted.
Scooting up right next to Akari, he began to play around with her silky hair.
"Can you wait just a little bit longer for me? I want to make sure to do it right. It has to be something special for the both of us."
Takei explained his reasoning for why he wanted to delay this ritual.
It wasn't that he was a coward, he just wanted it to be a magical event.
In response, Akari happily agreed to his decision and had no complaints.
"I think it's lovely that you're thinking about our future. It shows that you're being serious about our relationship and that's why I love you so much. So go ahead, I'll wait patiently for you."
Takei felt so grateful to have such an adoring girlfriend who fully understood him and his true feelings.
However, a mischievous smile appeared on Akari's face once she realized that Takei began to relax.
"Although I am a patient woman, patience doesn't last forever. So attack me whenever, okay?~"
Leaning her head onto Takei's chest, Akari let out a sigh of satisfaction.
As a result of seeing her blissful expression, Takei realized that they were both content with the current state of their relationship and didn't need any radical changes just yet.
Fixing something that wasn't broken was always a surefire way to get into trouble, and trouble was something that Takei planned to stay far away from.
Although, some trouble might not be so bad from time to time.
With his feelings on the matter finally cleared up, Takei returned to peacefully stroking his lovely girlfriend's hair once more.
---
Idiot Couple Meter: 96 -> 100%
-=+=- LEVEL UP! -=+=-
With this, the extremely sugary volume 4 has concluded. This volume had a bit too much sugar, so I will have to write a very serious arc next volume to make up for the lack of seriousness in this volume.
Serious-san: My time has come.
Sugar-chan: Yeah, in like 10 chapters. There's still some fluff before the seriousness starts.
A/N: Afterword coming... maybe tonight? Maybe tomorrow? Sometime this weekend? Who knows?
As they left the front stage, there was a deafening silence behind them.
Did they hate it?
Was our performance that bad?
I should've practiced more...
Negative thoughts began to cycle through Takei's mind as he considered the worst case scenario.
However, those negative thoughts were quickly dispelled by a benevolent figure that was standing next to him.
The radiant girl, who was always by his side, grabbed his hand and squeezed tightly.
Her soft and delicate skin helped soothe the anxieties that were sprouting in Takei's mind as a result of the play.
This girl who so wholeheartedly believed in him was none other than his girlfriend, Akari Akazawa.
"It'll be okay, you were amazing."
Akari's gentle voice tickled his ears which ended up simultaneously releasing a large amount of dopamine in his body.
"You mean, we were amazing?"
Feeling more confident about his performance, Takei laughed along with Akari.
As they were enjoying themselves backstage, a loud noise erupted in the auditorium.
It was so loud that Takei wondered how none of the glass broke in the noisy auditorium.
"That was a spectacular play! The twist at the end was unexpected, but it played out very well!"
"I agree, a twist that results in a happy ending for a tragic story is always welcome in my book!"
"That couple was amazing at acting, they had me thinking that they were actually in love with each other!"
Peering out behind the curtains, Takei saw firsthand what a satisfied crowd looked like.
The loud cheers and clapping suddenly registered in his head as the crowd adoring them, albeit a bit late since he wasn't expecting this type of reaction.
"We did it..."
Surprised by the crowd's enthusiasm, Takei's inner thoughts unknowingly leaked from his mouth.
"You sure did!"
Approaching from behind was none other than the theater committee president himself, Hiro Shirogane.
He happily slapped Takei's back, which hurt Takei quite a bit due to Hiro's sturdy physique.
"Oi, that could've injured me."
"Congratulations, you two. I knew you guys would do amazing and live up to my expectations."
Ignoring Takei's annoyed comment, Hiro praised both Takei and Akari for their good acting skills.
After a few moments of the pleasantries passed, a loud voice announced something on the intercom.
"All actors, please report to the front stage for a final send-off."
Doing as the voice had instructed, Takei and Akari walked back to the front stage and lined up alongside their crew members.
Everyone including the technical and behind-the-scenes crew had assembled here to give their thanks to the crowd for supporting them.
With all of the cast on stage, Takei felt a sense of unity amongst everyone.
Being a loner is cool and all, but there are times when having friends can be great as well.
As if a higher being had heard his thoughts, Takei noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
Peering into the crowd, he saw a row of familiar faces.
Eiji, Rikka, Ryuto, Arisa, Helena, and even Airi were here to support them.
Once they saw Takei's surprised expression looking back at them, all of his friends put on a satisfied smirk in order to tease him.
"Everyone..."
Takei was so overwhelmed with emotions that the words had trouble escaping his mouth.
As all of the cast began to bow for the audience, Takei mentally thanked all of his friends that had shown up to support him and Akari.
Thanks for coming, it truly means a lot.
Smiling ever so brilliantly, Takei bowed towards the audience with a truly genuine smile.
***
A celebratory after-party at a local karaoke place was set to happen after the play finished, but Takei politely refused the invitation.
After the adrenaline of the successful play wore off, Takei realized that he was a lot more exhausted than he initially thought he was.
As a result, he decided to call it quits early and go home for the night.
Of course, Akari decided to go with him as well.
At this point, it was a given since they were practically attached by the hip.
When they got home, the two realized that they were now home alone late at night since Airi had suspiciously declared that she was going to spend the night at a friend's house.
"Ah..."
"..."
Akari had accidentally bumped into Takei when they were heading to his room, which elicited a cute noise from her.
Hearing the adorable sound that escaped Akari's lips ended up being the final straw for Takei.
He had been holding back all night since they were in public, but Akari just looked so beautiful that it had put him in a trance.
"Kyaaah!"
As soon as the door of Takei's room closed, he shoved her down onto the bed with a complicated expression on his face.
There was a feeling inside Takei's heart that was corroding his common sense and made him want to become a big bad wolf.
However, his strong iron will was fighting back against this feeling with an outrageous amount of tenacity.
Torn by his respect for Akari's will and his own manly desires, Takei was sweating bullets and fretting about what to do.
Akari was happy to see him on the offensive, but she was concerned about his expression.
"You know you don't have to hold back right? I'm yours and only yours~"
She knew about his gentlemanly behavior and his refusal to do anything that would bring her discomfort.
That's why Akari needed to nudge Takei just ever so slightly in the right direction.
"So, go on. Take a bite of me and have your fill. In return, I won't stop until I'm satisfied~"
After he heard Akari's affirmation to his actions and her bold declaration towards him, Takei was no longer able to hold back.
Towering over Akari, he was ready to pounce on her at any moment.
*BZZZ*
That was, until Takei's phone loudly buzzed with a text.
Glancing over at the screen of his phone, Takei realized that it was his mother texting him.
Mom: I saw a recording of the play, you two look amazing! Also, I hope you're taking advantage of us being gone and getting some baby making going. Your dad's been getting anxious for a grandchild, so please hurry up~
"..."
Takei was speechless about what his mother had sent him, but Akari was giggling at the familiar behavior of her mother-in-law.
"That's really just like her, isn't it?"
"Undoubtedly."
Flora's text ended up dispelling the passionate and intense atmosphere between them, which was a good thing for Takei since he didn't want to do anything he regretted.
Scooting up right next to Akari, he began to play around with her silky hair.
"Can you wait just a little bit longer for me? I want to make sure to do it right. It has to be something special for the both of us."
Takei explained his reasoning for why he wanted to delay this ritual.
It wasn't that he was a coward, he just wanted it to be a magical event.
In response, Akari happily agreed to his decision and had no complaints.
"I think it's lovely that you're thinking about our future. It shows that you're being serious about our relationship and that's why I love you so much. So go ahead, I'll wait patiently for you."
Takei felt so grateful to have such an adoring girlfriend who fully understood him and his true feelings.
However, a mischievous smile appeared on Akari's face once she realized that Takei began to relax.
"Although I am a patient woman, patience doesn't last forever. So attack me whenever, okay?~"
Leaning her head onto Takei's chest, Akari let out a sigh of satisfaction.
As a result of seeing her blissful expression, Takei realized that they were both content with the current state of their relationship and didn't need any radical changes just yet.
Fixing something that wasn't broken was always a surefire way to get into trouble, and trouble was something that Takei planned to stay far away from.
Although, some trouble might not be so bad from time to time.
With his feelings on the matter finally cleared up, Takei returned to peacefully stroking his lovely girlfriend's hair once more.
---
Idiot Couple Meter: 96 -> 100%
-=+=- LEVEL UP! -=+=-
With this, the extremely sugary volume 4 has concluded. This volume had a bit too much sugar, so I will have to write a very serious arc next volume to make up for the lack of seriousness in this volume.
Serious-san: My time has come.
Sugar-chan: Yeah, in like 10 chapters. There's still some fluff before the seriousness starts.
A/N: Afterword coming... maybe tonight? Maybe tomorrow? Sometime this weekend? Who knows?
