A play away from freedom

Part 1 - A Friend to Rely On

After the meeting, you immediately went back to your dorm. You needed to think things through before rushing into the impending catastrophe. Would there be volunteers? How could you possibly convince people like Taiga or Jin? And how could you get them not only to learn and practice their roles in two weeks, but also to build the set?

Flipping through the pages again, you counted the roles that needed to be cast. "Please, no... they'll never agree to this..." you mumbled when you saw there were three female roles to be cast. This meant that two of the ghouls would have to agree to play female characters. Another eyebrow-raising fact was the number of extras that had to be played by the ghouls. Some might have to play multiple roles.

You let yourself fall onto your bed and screamed into your pillow. As if life wasn't hard enough already, this new task had to be added to the list of things you didn't want in your life. It's not that you didn't enjoy acting yourself, but the overall circumstances were anything but encouraging. You thought you had just built a relationship with all the ghouls, and now you had to hit this relationship with a sledgehammer and hope it didn't break.

Meanwhile, your phone was vibrating incessantly. One message after another arrived. You had to summon all your courage just to pick up your phone. Did you really want to read the messages...?

It's no use, you thought resignedly, and read the first messages. "What's all this nonsense about, servant?", "Are you serious? What has the school management come up with now?" and "If you find the time, I would be happy to receive an explanation" were just a few of the messages you received from the ghouls.

Maybe the cleverest way to handle this situation was to find allies who'd not only participate but also help you convince every other ghoul. "Okay, let's see..." You looked for Ritsu, who hadn't written to you yet, and texted him: "I need your help. The situation is just insane. Meet me at the diner ASAP."

You put the pile of papers in your bag and set off straight away. At the diner, Ritsu was already waiting at the usual table with a cup of coffee, just like he had never left the diner in the first place.

When you sat down with him, he folded his hands on the table. "I'm glad that you called me as your business partner first. What is the matter?" You explained the whole situation to him, and he just listened silently. After you were done, you handed him the script and waited for him to finish reading. "Easy. It's not like the ghouls have a choice. The only thing we need to do is make them see that."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Ritsu looked into space for a while before answering. "We just explain to them the situation and make them sign a contract so that they are granted freedom for their participation. I'll prepare the paperwork. It's best to start with Sinostra. Taiga has been in an especially good mood lately. We have to take advantage of that."

"Wait... we really start with Taiga and...?" You couldn't even finish your question when Ritsu interrupted you. "Yes. And then we move forward to Hotarubi and ask Subaru for help. I mean, as a real actor, he is predestined to help us."

The last part was a thought to your liking. A play with Subaru and seeing him in action was something you definitely wanted. "Have I already been able to dispel your doubts, or why are you suddenly smiling to yourself?"

You immediately stood up and turned to the exit to hide your blushing face. "Kind of. Let's go!"