I’m a High School Boy and a Bestselling Light Novel author, strangled by my female classmate who is my junior and a voice actress.
This is my current predicament.
The ‘near-death experience’ referred to the swirling lights that could cause movie film to move.
Modern people would use such an expression ‘a fatal near-death experience’, and some would even shorten it to describe the moment ‘when people continued to recall the past before they died’.
I once read it in the books.
People would quickly see their past memories before they died.
It was said to be because the mind was searching for a certain something at full speed.
Seeking for a clue to escape the crisis from their past experiences.
Thus, I vividly recalled the past.
Recalling everything that happened from the first time I met her, till this point.
May had arrived.
The first week was commonly dubbed as ‘Golden Week’, but this day and the following day were still normal days. I had to attend classes on this day, and to visit the After Record the the following day.
After school, I changed from my uniform into plain clothes, and got on the same Limited Express train as usual.
The passengers on this day were a lot more than the previous week. It’s Golden Week, and there are many dressed up for hiking.
Having already anticipated this, I queued earlier than usual, and managed to secure the usual seat right at the back, placing the luggage right beside it.
There was still some time until the train departed. I wondered if Nitadori would wait till the train departed before coming over as per usual, so I continued to wait leisurely, without any worry
A few days ago, I realized,
Did Nitadori deliberately wait until the last moment to arrive at the platform, and came in from the other carriages?
This station was a little distant from school, but there were still students who would head to school from there. If any particular person was to see Nitadori and me walking side by side with each other at the platform,
“What are these two doing?”
There surely would be such rumors. As both of us would take leaves every Friday, I didn’t have belief that I could fool others if I was to be questioned.
And if she really did put in such thought—
I surely would have to thank Nitadori here.
I suppose it was because of my manly plea that she did not choose ‘Vice Versa’.
What did she choose then? Surely there wasn’t anyone who didn’t know what it was. The answer’s ‘Momotaro’.
She brought a picture book directed for children,
“A long, long time ago, at a certain place—”
And recited from the beginning.
It really was a ‘professional prank’.
With much poise and care, she narrated the text. Her voice was ostensibly a textbook example, each word spoken with such clarity there was no way any word could have been mistaken.
The lines themselves were really exciting. Nitadori showcased all her acting talents, not withholding anything at all, using different voices for the old granny, the old grandpa, Momotaro, the dog, monkey, pheasant and the demons.1
I was looking forward, so I really couldn’t see her, but she probably was acting with her entire body like what professional voice actors will do. I could see my classmates look on, completely flabbergasted.
“Congratulations, congratulations.”
Eri Nitadori’s solo performance ended after 6 minutes and 34 seconds.