[CH.40] All About the Recital

I Reincarnated as a Beautiful Girl and Aim to Become a Top Actress! (WN)

⇐ Previous            Index            Next ⇒

[CH.40] All About the Recital

**TL Notes: So as not to confuse you all, I made a list of the characters that get mentioned in this chapter that you may have forgotten before.   Sumire Matsuda: MC Yoko Ando (Yoko-san): Sumire's manager. Kotone Mimura (Kotone-sensei): Piano teacher Yumiko Kurita (Yumi): Sumire's senpai at the dormitory. Ai Shinonome: Sumire's senpai at the dormitory. Maho Iida: Sumire's senpai at the dormitory. Natsumi Shirakawa: Sumire's senpai at the dormitory. Touka Kimura: Sumire's close friend and classmate in Tokyo.

Perhaps the successful change of mood during the work in Kyoto, though initially it felt like being crushed under the backward pressure, was the reason. Upon returning, that feeling seemed to disappear completely.

Strangely, my fingers glided better, and areas that I had trouble with before became easier to manage. I felt the overall flow was right, so I spent the rest of my spring break on piano practice.

The new school year came by quickly, and I checked my new class with bated breath. When I thought about it, it seemed like I only had friends through Touka. I do talk to my classmates from the third and fourth grades, but I haven't really developed friendships. If Touka and I were placed in different classes, I'd have to make an effort to make new friends. It might be challenging, especially since I'll be busy with filming after the summer.

But my expectations were pleasantly off base. Touka and I were in the same class. In addition, two of Touka's friends, Ikuyo Yoshida and Kumi Sasaki, whom I've been friendly with, were also in the same class. We became friends during our third year, so we may not be best friends, but we have a good understanding of each other's personalities and preferences. I think this year will go well.

With no worries in my school life, my piano lessons improved even further. Two weeks before the big performance, I could play the whole piece without major mistakes, which surprised my piano teacher, Kotone-sensei. From here, my focus shifted to how to add expression to my performance.

The piece, "Für Elise," is said to have been written by Beethoven for a woman named Therese, whom he loved. Honestly, I don't quite understand the concept of love or romantic feelings. After all, in my past life and even in this life, I never had a romantic relationship, and at most, I held hands with someone. My life was one of being ridiculed by the same gender and avoided by the opposite gender. I've had such a history that it's no wonder I don't grasp the nuances of romantic affairs.

For me, love means cherishing people like Nao and Fumika and others, a sense of camaraderie I feel with everyone in the dorm, and various other forms of love or affection, like the gratitude I have for my parents. With those feelings of gratitude and the desire to continue forward, I let my fingers glide across the piano keys. When I finished playing, Kotone-sensei smiled and gave me the green light, saying, "Let's go with this feeling."

Once the direction was set, all I had to do was proceed straight ahead. I spent a week concentrating on practice and the final week adjusting my physical condition while waiting for the performance. In that time, I also had the fitting for the outfit I'd wear to the recital, and that outfit was spectacular.

It was a pure white dress with fabric that felt incredibly high-quality and had an amazing texture. I wondered what kind of fabric was used, although I'm often dressed in various clothes as a magazine model. I couldn't immediately identify the type of material used. I suppose I should study these things, but I'm hesitant to bring it up myself, so I'll consider it after Yoko-san mentions it.

It had a lot of small rose motifs at the chest, layers of lace on top of the skirt, giving off a sense of luxury, and the frills were elegantly adorned on the shoulder straps and neckline. I suppose girls should be delighted with the quality and cuteness of such an outfit. However, all I could think of were, "I wonder how much this cost," and "What should I do if I stain it?"

Moreover, considering that Kotone-sensei wore it when she was around my age, it was most likely at least 10 years old. Yet, this dress showed no signs of discoloration or fabric deterioration. You could tell how well Kotone-sensei's parents had taken care of it based on its condition. I couldn't help but wonder if it was okay for me to wear such a precious outfit; this thought just wouldn't leave my mind.

"Sumire-chan, could you please turn this way and stand up straight for a moment?"

"Yes."

Kotone-sensei's mother, Marie-san, was kneeling in front of me, carefully pinning the dress with straight pins. She looked like an elegant lady both in appearance and character, and I instantly recognized her as Kotone-sensei's mother. I heard she was in her fifties, but she didn't look a day over it, appearing incredibly youthful.

She was helping me make adjustments because there was a size difference between me and Kotone-sensei at the time. It was a generous offer on her part, and she was preparing the dress accordingly. In reality, it couldn't be precisely altered without trying it on.

During this spring's physical measurements at school, I found out that I had grown by three centimeters since last summer, making my height 135 centimeters. My weight was 28 kilograms, and the school nurse expressed concern, asking me, "Are you eating properly?" Unfortunately, I still had lingering traumas from my past life due to suffering various misfortunes while being overweight. Consequently, I can only eat around five or six bites of food at a time. To ensure healthy growth, should I make an effort to eat more?

However, although I can't confirm it now, something my previous life's middle school physical education teacher used to say bothers me. According to him, human cells tend to "remember" their size around the age of 14. In other words, if my cells "remember" a larger size when I was overweight, even if I dieted afterward, they would eventually "rebound" to that size.

If I were to start eating normally and became overweight, I wouldn't be able to continue my career as an actress. Considering such implications, my struggle with food intake over the past few years has become a recurring dilemma.

For these reasons, I, who is slightly smaller than my classmates, apparently couldn't even match Kotone-sensei's physique during her elementary school years. I thought it was a bit of a hassle for her, but while we were working, Marie-san suggested something quite astonishing.

"If we just have it lying around and no one can wear it, would you like to have this dress, Sumire-chan?"

"Huh? But isn't this dress a precious memento of Kotone-sensei...?"

Surprised by my response, Marie-san chuckled humorously.

"Even if we kept it ourselves, it would just sit in the back of a costume case. Besides, don't you think it would be more meaningful for Kotone's student to wear it?"

"That may be true, but..."

When I attempted to decline once again, I felt a gentle pat on my back, and Marie-san said, "Just take it, okay?" with a reassuring tone. At this point, I couldn't refuse any longer.

I said, "Thank you," and Marie-san smiled happily. The size adjustment was completed the day before the recital, and when I tried it on, it fit perfectly, as if it were a custom-made dress. Marie-san's joyful expression upon seeing me in the dress left a significant impression on me. I was determined to give my best performance at the recital as a way to express my gratitude for what she had done for me.

Finally, on the day of the recital, I had my hair styled with a two-sided updo by Ai-san in the dormitory. Unfortunately, Ai-san had work and couldn't make it to the venue, so she offered to help with my hair and makeup as her way of supporting me.

Yumi-san had been busy with her stage play since the day before, so she wished me good luck and patted my head before leaving early in the morning. Despite her busy schedule, I felt bad for inconveniencing her before her departure. I hope she does well in her play.

Maho-san and Natsumi-san had the day off today, so they were coming to the venue to support me. I wanted them to enjoy their day off however they liked, but I was grateful for their support, so I would gladly accept it.

"Oh, Sumire, wait a moment."

Yoko-san came to pick me up, and as I was about to leave the dorm with her, Maho-san called out to me. I turned around curiously, and Maho-san took out a small, lipstick-like tube from her pocket.

"Turn this way, and just stay still," she said.

She lightly grasped my shoulder and directed me towards her. Then, she gently lifted my chin, tilting my face upward slightly. Before I could wonder about what she was doing, Maho-san twisted the bottom of the tube and lightly traced my lips.

"Since you're dressed up all cute, you should add a little bit of style," she said with a mischievous smile.

After making some minor adjustments with her thumb, Maho-san grinned playfully. She seemed to have applied colored lipstick on me. I felt a bit anxious, thinking it might not suit my childish look, but both Maho-san and Yoko-san complimented me, saying, "You look adorable."

"The subtle pink color is perfect. It gives the impression that a sweet, mischievous girl is trying to act more mature. And your lips are naturally plump, so adding color makes your face look radiant. I thought it'd turn out even cuter than expected," Maho-san explained.

"Exactly! I also wanted to do something special for Sumire. It's her big day," Yoko-san chimed in.

As they continued to praise me and I was sandwiched between them, I started to feel a bit embarrassed. My cheeks became slightly warm. I thanked Maho-san and she responded with a shy smile.

"Maybe until the actual performance, you might want to drink tea or something, and the lipstick could come off. So take this with you," Maho-san said.

She placed the colored lip balm she had applied earlier into the pocket of my jacket. I felt like I should say something like, "Is it really okay?" but she had already put it on me, and declining her kindness would be rude. With that in mind, I thanked Maho-san once more and then left the dorm with Yoko-san.

---

We had arrived at the venue, and I was greeted by Kotone-sensei, who was involved in the event, as well as Marie-san who had come to support me. In the changing room assigned to us, they helped me put on the dress, and Marie-san tidied up my slightly disheveled hair. When I checked my reflection in the mirror and was asked, "How is it?" I noticed that there was a small silver tiara perched on top of my head. Wait, I don't remember bringing this. 

I asked Marie-san, and she told me that she found it at home, so she brought it with her. She said she polished it yesterday because it was a bit cloudy. Looking at the tiara, which was shining and sparkling, I couldn't help but wonder if it was an expensive item. With glass beads that looked like they were cut like diamonds, and with a few of them as accents...this couldn't be real, right? This is just an imitation diamond, isn't it?

If, by any chance, she says, "I'll give you this, too," I'm going to refuse with all my might. Whether it's a real diamond or not, I can't give anything in return other than my performance, so if I receive more than this, it will be a curse.

Leaving that aside, after finishing all the preparations and sitting in a corner of the waiting room, I was lost in thought. But then, a 4- to 5-year-old girl who had come very close to me suddenly posed a question. She was wearing casual clothes and didn't seem particularly dressed up, so she was probably brought to the event by an older sibling.

"Are you a princess, big sister?"

I wondered why this child had asked me such a question, and I realized it was probably because of the tiara on my head. Every time the light hit it, it sparkled, and this little girl must have been drawn to it like a magpie.

"Can Naa-chan become a princess too?"

What should I say to that? I was struggling to come up with an answer when the girl repeated her question. Naa-chan must be her nickname. Hmm, what could I say to her?

"I think you can become one too. Don't worry."

Influenced by the sparkling eyes, I blurted out these words without much thought. After all, if I were to say, "You can't become one," this girl would probably be sad or might even cry. I didn't know her at all, but I didn't want to see a young child's face like that, especially if it was because of my words. The guilt would overwhelm me.

I watched Naa-chan excitedly bounce up and down in response to my words, saying, "Yay!" Finally, her mother, who had just noticed that her daughter had wandered away from her side, hurried over. She quickly picked up Naa-chan, and then she bowed to me before leaving.

"I'm sorry for the trouble my daughter caused."

"No, it's okay."

I was taken by surprise when they approached me, but other than that, I hadn't been inconvenienced at all. I smiled and waved at Naa-chan. The little girl, who had been suddenly picked up by her mother, looked at me with a somewhat puzzled expression and then waved her little hand back at me.

"She's such a cute little girl."

"Oh, Kotone-sensei."

Kotone-sensei had returned to the dressing room after being called away for a moment, and in her hand, she held a rugged digital camera. She looked at the camera with a puzzled expression, and then she raised it slightly, as if she'd figured something out.

"I have a hobby of photography. Since you're all dressed up nicely, would you mind if I took a picture of you?"

I gave her permission with a "Sure." I should have asked Yoko-san for permission, but since Kotone-sensei felt like family, I thought it would be okay.

I also used various poses I had learned from my modeling work to avoid looking too stiff, and I believe we managed to take some really good pictures that didn't seem like private shots at all. Kotone-sensei thanked me with a happy expression, and I was also satisfied with the results before returning to my seat. Afterward, with the nervousness of the performance looming, I had completely forgotten about taking pictures.

…

―Another story:

Even after the recital, my piano practice continued, and I opened the door to the piano class with renewed determination. There, on the most prominent part of the reception area, a picture of me was displayed on the wall. It was carefully framed in an expensive frame and larger than ordinary photos.

I hadn't heard anything about this, and I turned bright red with surprise and embarrassment. The biggest problem, however, was with the picture itself. It was a candid shot, and the focus was entirely on the little girl, Naa-chan, and the elegant girl in the white dress was me.

Unsurprisingly, it was a fantastic photograph where the warmth and tenderness coexisted, but it was just not right. It was a candid shot, and more importantly, I hadn't given permission for it to be displayed.

I protested to Kotone-sensei, citing my portrait rights, but she just brushed it off, saying they had an agreement with the management company. When I complained to Yoko-san, she said that many people from the entertainment industry visited that piano class, and having your face displayed there was a good thing. It was ironic, as she was usually nagging me not to take random photos in private, but Yoko-san was being rather selfish in this case.

In the end, my resistance was in vain, and that picture continued to be displayed. Some time passed, and the piano class eventually closed down. Until that day, the picture of me and Naa-chan continued to welcome the students. I heard about this when I had a performance alongside former students who had grown into adults. I couldn't help but look a bit distant when I remembered the existence of that forgotten photograph.

Support Tangerine Translation on Ko-fi! 🍊 ko-fi.com/tangerinetranslation 🍊

⇐ Previous            Index            Next ⇒