(I can't believe I finally get inside this fandom and start writing a FANFIC of all things... Don't look at me. It's all their fault. It's all Nagisa and Ryouha's fault. *hugging my knees on the corner*)Hello, everyone! I'm new here and this is my first 48G fanfic (and the first fanfic I write after a long time...) so please go easy on me. Ha ha. I was tempted by the lack of NagiUha around here so I just decided to make my own. The story itself was inspired by the song "
Pierrot". I suggest watching the PV before reading this fic for the feels >
here. And even though I said this is a One-shot I will divide this story into two parts:
the main act and
the epilogue. And it's quite a long fanfic so forgive me beforehand.
Well then, without further ado...
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
嘘つき ピエロ
The Lie-Tainted Clown: -Main Act-
It’s okay, it’s alright
It has always been my job to play the fool
I’m just a nameless pierrot
From the tiny circus of your heart
=0=0=0=0=0=0=0=0=
“…and thus, the young girl fled the bustling town and broke down crying. Under the tree where she wept, a single clown appeared.”
A gentle music started to play while the stage light slowly faded in, showing a figure of a girl sitting by the makeshift prop of a tree. The girl covered her face with her hands. Her body shook slightly, as if she was crying. Suddenly a playful whistling could be heard and the girl raised her face, searching for the source of the voice.
“Hello ello, lil’ miss~ Why arth thou crying so?”
A tall girl with wavy black hair popped out from behind the tree, her red nose matched perfectly with the wide goofy smile on her silly face. The crying girl took a quick breath in surprise.
“Mr. Clown…”
“What a pity, yes, for such beautiful face to be stained by tears.”
“I…I’m just…
…
…
uuh, sorry…”
“Alright, cut!”A loud stern voice boomed, halting the play into an abrupt stop. The room soon returned to its normal lighting and all of the casts ceased their activities; some fell to their knees panting, some simply sighed with sweats rolling down their face. But only one of them didn’t move, sitting silently in her spot in the middle of the stage, her long black hair hiding her face like the curtain itself. The director let out an exhausted sigh as she saw the girl, trying to calm herself down.
“Ryouha… How many times has it been now…”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“You know that this play is very important to our club, right?”
“…”
Yes. It was a very important play indeed, the one that might decide the future of their club. The drama club had been facing a crisis lately, with the third year members graduating and lack of second year members, they had to gain enough people or else the club would be shut down. It was a small club but it’s still a precious place full of memories for them, so the members simply couldn’t let it being disbanded. That’s why they decided to do a play on the upcoming Freshmen Welcome Party to attract new members.
There’s only two weeks left until the actual performance but somehow Kitagawa Ryouha, the main heroine of the play, still couldn’t pull off her act perfectly. And it surely troubled the whole group.
“We can’t rely on helpers all the time, Ryouha. You and me, plus Miki, Nagisa, and Mako. If we couldn’t get at least two more members that’s the end! Do you want that to happen?”
“…I’m sorry …”
“Then I’m counting on you.” Nana sighed and checked her watch.
It’s getting late. School started early tomorrow and she still needed to check the student council office for some documents. Even though she was a bit disappointed with today’s result, it’s about time to call it a day. She clapped her hands.
“Okay, that’s enough for today. All of you but Ryouha can leave.”
Ryouha tensed as she heard that, suddenly feeling all nervous. Would she get another scolding? Or maybe she’ll get substituted for different role? That’s much worse. Remembering the script all over would be like hell for her. A certain clown seemed to notice the worries in Ryouha’s eyes and she skipped on her feet, stepping in between the girl and the slightly angry Nana.
“Aww, stop being so stingy Naachan! It’s not Ryou-chan’s fault that she forgot her lines; my clownish face was just too funny that she ended up laughing! See?”
The girl tilted her head and put her index fingers to her cheeks, showing Nana her silly smile.
“That’s the problem, Nagisa. She is NOT supposed to laugh at your face on that scene.”
“Eeeh~ ”
Nagisa dropped her shoulder in a dramatic way to show her disappointment, before jumping up with a bright smile on the next second. She took a deep breath.
“Everyone!!" Nagisa shouted on top of her lungs
"Nana said she’ll treat us to that yummy strawberry daifuku in front of our school! The last one to reach the store will be paying!!!”Nana's eyes widened as she heard that, feeling a shiver crept up her spine.
“What, I didn’t—
hey, STOP!”
She yelled with all her might but nobody was listening. They were already running out of the auditorium in a mad rush. Why of course! Nobody would refuse a delicious treat after a tiring rehearsal, especially from the usually very strict president of the club.
Nana paled as she saw the chaotic scene. 5 regular members and around 20 helpers in total...
she'll broke! Nagisa could only laugh as she saw the overly serious girl ran with everything she had and tried to stop everyone like crazy.
“Oops, we better start running, too. Let’s go, Ryou-chan!”
Nagisa jumped down the stage and offered her right hand to Ryouha. The quiet girl stared at the smiling clown before her in awe, before touching the hand gently.
A small smile unconsciously formed on her face.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
=0=0=0=0=0=0=0=0=
“Whooo, I’m beat! But that daifuku was yummy indeed~ ”
“You’re right.”
Nagisa and Ryouha strode down the empty sidewalk dyed in the color of spring, with all its pink-colored petals dancing in the air accompanying their way home. The two of them walked side by side, matching each other's steps in a perfect rhythm.
“Ha ha, that face Miki-chan made when she ate them was priceless! But I didn’t expect Naachan to pout and ask for one, too. In the end I'm the one who have to pay for all of them... Geez, I’m totally broke now!”
“It’s because you’re such a slowpoke, Nagi. And it’s your fault in the first place.”
“Eeh, well if you put it that way…”
Ryouha saw the girl wiping off the little sweats remaining on her forehead, skipping down the sidewalk happily beside her. Despite all her complaints Nagisa was smiling. And that radiant smile among the fallen petals of cherry blossoms looked so beautiful to Ryouha. Really, how could someone smile that much? She could never understand.
“Hm? Is there something on my face, Ryou-chan?”
“N-no. I was just…thinking to myself.”
“Is that so?”
Ryouha switched her attention to the ground, absentmindedly staring at the broken petals scattered around her feet. She could never be like Nagisa. A person so cheerful, so kind,
so much that it felt like a lie. She was so dazzling that sometimes it hurt to see. Compared to Nagisa, she…
Drip, dripHuh? Ryouha felt something wet on her cheek and she raised a hand to touch it.
Tears? Was she crying?
So after envying her bestfriend, she ended up crying? How pitiful, she thought to herself. The girl silently sobbed.
“Hello ello, lil’ miss~ Why arth thou crying so?”“Eh?”
Ryouha blinked and raised her face to meet the red nose of a clown. She slapped the clown in surprise, making it stagger backward like a broken puppet.
“Ah, s-sorry! Are you alright?”
The clown raised an index finger to shush the girl, before showing a silly face.
“What a pity, yes, for such beautiful face to be stained by tears.”
“…what are you doing, Nagi?”
“Pardon? Who, may I ask, is this ‘Nagi’ person?”
Nagisa bowed in a clumsy manner, grinning from ear to ear.
“
Pierrot is how I am called. And it is my job, milady, to bring laughter to your beautiful face.”
The kansai girl switched her balance to one leg and jumped a few steps backward. She didn’t realize there was a cat sleeping nearby until it was too late.
“N-nagi, look out!”
HISS! “Whoaaa!!!”
The cat lashed out as it felt Nagisa stepping on its tail, making the girl lost her balance and fall to the stack of cardboard boxes by the road side. She fell down with an ‘oomph’.
“That was scary…uh-oh…”
Nagisa’s eyes widened as she saw the tall stack of boxes shook dangerously, before falling onto her in a huge clatter. Ryouha gasped and ran to her side.
“Nagisa!”
“
*cough cough* I’m fine. It’s just cardboard boxes.”
The clumsy clown popped her head out of the sea of cardboards and smiled, totally unharmed. Seeing that, Ryouha let out her own laugh.
“You’re such an airhead…”
“Well, I am your airheaded clown.”
“W-what do you mean by ‘your’…?”
Nagisa laughed as she saw Ryouha tried to hide her face with her hands; She took the girl’s both hands on her own, preventing her to cover the beet red face.
“Y’know what, Ryouha? You have very beautiful eyes. The brightest and most dazzling ones I ever see.”
“Eh?”
“That’s why…”
Nagisa wiped the remaining tears from Ryouha’s eyes gently.
“..I won’t let tears ruining them. Besides, I think a smile suit your face a lot
loooot more~”
Ryouha turned her face to the ground as she heard that.
“Thank you, Nagi.”
“You’re welcome~”
Nagisa released the girl’s hands and stood, taking off her red clown nose. Ryouha followed suit and helped her dusting off her dirty uniform. The two girls started walking again, Ryouha hugging Nagisa’s left arm tightly this time. After a few seconds of silence Nagisa chirped.
“Oh yeah, about our club performance, I think I can help you.”
“You do?”
“Yup! You see, the problem’s that you keep laughing when you see my face, right? And that sometimes you forget your lines here and there.”
“Yeah…”
“
Then let’s just train a zillion more! On lunch break, before school, after school—
well, sometimes I gotta help the other clubs after school though, but anyways, let’s train in every spare time we have. Just the two of us!”
“The two of us?”
“That’s right. Nana and Mako have been busy with student councils while Miki has her idol jobs, so we can’t ask them to spend all their time. I can ask our club supervisor for the complete scripts; you just have to play your role while I’ll play the others.”
“But will you be alright? Memorizing that many on your own, not to mention your helper jobs…”
“Eh, who are you kidding? I’m the famous airheaded clown~!! My head’s all empty so I can fit any role without a prob, clank clank!”
Nagisa knocked her head lightly as she let out the sound effect, earning another soft laugh from Ryouha. They continued their walk together for a bit further until they reached a certain crossroad; Nagisa released her arm from Ryouha’s grip by then, much to the girl protest. She waved as they parted ways.
“Well then, Ryou-chan. See ya tomorrow~”
“Wait, Nagi!”
“Hm?”
Ryouha clenched her fist and gulped, gathering her courage.
“U-um, you… you live alone, right? I haven’t thanked you properly for today so, uh…”
“….”
“I-I can …”
“…”
“
I can…cook you some dinner if you want…”
Nagisa stared at the girl with blank eyes, which made Ryouha felt a bit uncomfortable.
“…what are you staring at?”
She instantly looked away, scratching her nose.
“Um, no, sorry. I thought you gonna say something else back then.”
“…?”
“Well, ahem, anyways I’ve gotta go somewhere after this so I have to refuse. See ya!”
Something else?
…
…
Oh…
Ryouha instantly blushed as she realized what Nagisa was hinting at, but the kansai girl had already run for her life. She covered her burning face in embarrassment.
“
Mou~ Nagisa, you idiot!!”
=0=0=0=0=0=0=0=0=
I try to balance myself in the center
Of a tiny ball so round and shiny like the moon
I’ll trip in a dramatic way and make everyone laugh
Then get back up and smiles like a buffon
=0=0=0=0=0=0=0=0=
“
*cough* Alright, let’s see… The story of this play
"The Lie-Tainted Clown" is about a clown and a country girl who were childhood friends. The country girl was such a crybaby so the clown always came to cheer her up whenever she’s sad. As they grew older they secretly started to love each other. But one day the country girl was engaged to a rich gentleman from the city.
‘The clown knew about it but he didn’t say anything because he wished the country girl to be happy. The country girl hesitated. Meanwhile, the rich gentleman felt that the clown was a hurdle so he decided to get rid of the clown.
*cough cough* He bribed the other circus member to loosen the rope used for the clown’s performance. Once the clown walked on it, the rope collapsed and he fell to his demise.
‘The country girl quickly ran to the bloody clown, holding him as she cried. The clown smiled and told the country girl that he had always loved her, so he didn’t want to see her cry. The girl said that she always loved him too but she was too late. The clown had died and left her forever.
‘The end. Eeh, what a sad story… ”
Nagisa coughed some more and put away the synopsis beside the neatly arranged scripts, taking the narrator and the clown scripts with her. The two girls had been doing their special practices for about two weeks now. They would spend whatever spare time the had in the club room, rehearsing the play over and over into perfection. It was one day left until the real performance so they decided to re-check the whole scenes.
“Right, let’s get back to the play. Are you ready, Ryou-chan?”
Ryouha didn’t answer. Her attention was locked at the script on her hand, deep in thought.
“
Beep, Beep, Hello? Earth to Ryouha, do you copy?” Nagisa approached her and poked her nose.
“ ..! Ah, sorry…”
“Finally reach you~ What’s wrong, need some help with the script?”
“No, I was just…wondering about something…”
Nagisa let out a hum in response before sitting on the nearby props of a crate.
“Well, Are you ready now?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright then
*cough* I’ll start from the narrator.”
Nagisa took a deep breath.
“…the country girl went up the circus backstage to find the clown. And there he was sitting atop the huge crate. The girl approached the clown.”
She put away the narrator script, changing to her clown role.
“So we meet again, lil’ miss. Why, did you enjoy the show?”
“…” Ryouha stared at Nagisa’s silly face in silence.
Something was strange, she thought. Normally she would laugh at that face, but lately, as she saw it over and over again, she could no longer feel the same joy she used to feel from that dazzling smile. Instead, it made her felt uneasy. So, just like the country girl troubled by the clown unwavering smile, she would cry.
Ryouha turned her gaze to the floor and pretended to sob, playing out her script perfectly. Nagisa too, tilted her head innocently as the clown would.
“Why must you cry so much?”
“
Your lies. It saddens me.”
That was partly a script and partly her true feelings.
The more she saw Nagisa, the more she felt like the bubbly girl fit the role perfectly.
Way too perfectly. nagisa pierrotAs if she was
the clown herself, drowning in a lie.
“Really? But I told no lies, hm?”Nagisa put her index fingers to her cheeks, grinning. The same innocent gesture both she and the clown shared. Ryouha clenched the script on her hand tightly.
What is this? Why am I feeling so afraid?Nagisa lowered her fingers and pouted as Ryouha stopped following the suppose script.
“..oi, Ryou-chan~" She whined. "You’re supposed say the next line here~”
“…”
Ryouha switched her attention from the script to Nagisa, gazing into her jet black eyes. The girl tilted her head innocently.
“What is it? Is there something on my face again?”
“…you…
you’ve been coughing a lot lately.”
Silence.
“Did something happen, Nagi?”
“…”
“Are you alri—”
“HEY, YOU!!!”Ryouha jumped in surprise from the sudden shout, closing her ears as she watched Nagisa leaped down the props she was sitting and ran toward the door.
“Wait, don’t run! I just wanna talk with you!”
Nagisa disappeared behind the club’s door, some shrieks and shuffling sound following her right after.
Meanwhile Ryouha was watching the whole scene with wide eyes. What's going on? She thought to herself after the sudden turn of events. After a while the sounds stopped and Nagisa returned to the club room with a huge grin.
“Hey, Ryou-chan! Look what I found!”
“…”
“Aww, come on in you two. Don’t be shy.”
There was a few moment of silence until two figures appeared on the door.
One was a girl with long hair tied in a ponytail. She seemed to be wearing a dangerous glare while the other girl with shorter hair desperately tried to hide behind her. Ryouha narrowed her eyes as she saw their uniform.
Junior High students? What are they doing here? The two girls stared back at Ryouha with the same puzzled expression.
“…who are they, Nagi?”
“Dunno. I found ‘em by the window. Say, won’t cha tell us your name? Ah, don’t worry about the tiger cub, she won’t bite.”
“Hey!”
Nagisa laughed as Ryouha yelled at her. Her action seemed to lighten the atmosphere a bit as the two younger girls looked less scared now. The one with the ponytail spoke.
“Um, excuse me.”
“Hm?”
“My name is Tashima Meru, and this is my friend Tomonaga Mio. We will be attending this high school starting this semester.”
“So you two are freshmen? Nice too meet cha!" Nagisa gave them a huge grin. "Oh yeah, I’m Shibuya Nagisa, just call me Nagi, and that’s my clubmate Kitagawa Ryouha.”
“Nice too meet you, too. Shibuya-senpai, Kitagawa-senpai.”
The two girls bowed at their seniors.
“Ah, we’re sorry for watching without permission! We just happened to pass by and we got curious…”
“Chill out~ Nobody said you can’t." Nagisa patted the girl on her head.
"So, how’s it? Me and Ryouha’s performance?”
Meru turned to Mio and the timid girl gulped, gathering her voice.
“U-um, it’s amazing! I can feel all the feelings the two of you pour into it!”
“He he, y’hear that Ryou-chan? All those special practices were a great success~”
Ryouha nodded and smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed from the compliment. She started to forget the uneasy feeling from before. Nagisa sighed in relief as she saw the smile on Ryouha’s face. A light bulb clicked in her head.
“By the way, our club will be performing on the Freshmen Welcome Party tomorrow. Don’t forget to watch us, ‘kay?”
“Y-yes! We will!”
The two freshmen shouted at the same time, earning another laugh from Nagisa. They gave another bow and left the clubroom hand in hand. Just as they left, the school’s bell rang.
“Seems like it’s time to for us to go too. Oh and Ryou-chan? Can you come here for a bit?”
Ryouha blinked.
What is it now? She walked toward Nagisa, eyeing the girl suspiciously. Suddenly Nagisa flicked her on the forehead.
“Ouch! What was that for?”
The taller girl sighed and took the heroine’s script from Ryouha’s grip, straightening the crumpled papers.
“For this. It’s an important script y’know, don’t just go breaking it.”
“…sorry.”
“Oh, well. Tomorrow is the big day, so makes sure to re-check the script over and over, ‘kay?”
Ryouha nodded, mouthing a small ‘ok’. Nagisa smiled and gave the script back to the girl, stuffing the other scripts into her bag. Suddenly she started coughing again.
Ryouha turned to see Nagisa covered her mouth as her coughing getting worse; she cringed as she heard the painful sound.
“Nagi—”“
It’s just a minor cold, don’t worry...”
Nagisa quickly slipped her right hand into her pocket as her coughing stopped and continued to pack her bag with one hand awkwardly. Ryouha stared at her partner. It was the first time she saw the kansai girl looked so agitated, so she decided not to press the matter any further. She tried to change the topic.
“…did you volunteer to help another club today?” Ryouha said quietly to lighten the mood.
“Hm? Yup, you know me! People’s been busy here and there so I just gotta help ‘em out.”
“Which club are you helping this time?”
“
Broadcasting Club. Yamada-senpai is graduating shortly, so I’ll be helping Jonishi-senpai with the radio until they find a replacement.”
“Then you get that secret schedule afterwards.” Ryouha said teasingly.
“Eeh, it’s a part-time job I told ya.”
She sighed and crossed her arms.
“Don’t tire yourself out. And eat properly.”
“A ha ha, I got it mommy~”
Nagisa lifted her backpack to one shoulder and walked past Ryouha, waving her goodbye.
"Well, see ya~"
Ryouha followed her movements with her eyes until the girl reached the door.
“Hey, Nagi…" The quiet girl asked in hesitation. "I was wondering earlier…”
“Hm? About what?”
“If the country girl noticed the clown’s true face a bit faster… would they be able to reach a
Happy End ?"
"..." Nagisa stopped on her track, one hand planted on the doorknob as she glanced at Ryouha.
She didn’t answer.
She only smiled, a very soft and sad smile,
before leaving through the door.
=0=0=0=0=0=0=0=0=
I saw you crying there in the audiences
Please don’t look so sad, I’ll wipe away those tears for you
As long as you laugh for me I won’t feel any pain
So look as this clumsy clown trying and falling once again
=0=0=0=0=0=0=0=0=
“Alright, everyone! It’s thirty minutes before show time, make sure that everything is ready!”
It was finally the day of the performance and Nana’s voice could be heard throughout the whole backstage commanding the helpers here and there, busy with the show’s preparation. Meanwhile Ryouha was sitting quietly on the corner, gripping her phone tightly in her hands. She was already dressed as the country girl, with the long dress and all, but something was bothering her.
The clown was still nowhere to be seen.
And it seemed she wasn’t the only one bothered by it.
“WHERE IS NAGISA!?”Nana asked the nearby student but they only shook their head, not knowing anything. Ryouha bit her lip.
Please be okay… The girl silently prayed as she pressed the dial button for what seemed to be the countless time.
…
…
“Hello?”Ryouha’s eyes widened.
“Nagisa, are you alright?
Where are you!?”
There was a few moment of silence on the other end, before a voice answered.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not Nagisa.” “..eh?”
A woman voice; A voice that Ryouha didn’t know.
Nagisa’s supposed to live by her own, so who is she?
“Sorry to startle you, I’m Nagisa’s older sister. I just came from Osaka to look after her.”Ryouha blinked, trying to register what’s going on.
Her sister? Well, Nagisa did tell her that she had an older sister. But what is her sister suddenly doing in Tokyo?
“Err, is there something you need?” “Y-yes!" Ryouha tried to compose herself. "I’m sorry for shouting earlier, I thought you were Nagisa…”
“Nah, it’s fine. It’s that girl’s fault for forgetting her phone. She’s always been such an airhead.” “ …forgetting…so Nagisa is not there with you?”
“No... Actually that girl hasn’t been answering her phone since the morning. I thought she was sleeping so I entered her apartment with a spare key, but I can’t find her anywhere. I’m looking for her now, too.” “…I see.”
Ryouha felt a bit disheartened as she heard that, but there was still something she was curious about.
“Um, excuse me for asking this but…
What do you mean by looking after Nagisa? Is her cold getting worse?”
The person on the other end sounded a bit surprise at the question.
“Are you Nagisa’s friend?” “Yes. My name is Ryouha; Kitagawa Ryouha.”
“Kitagawa? Ah, I see… so she didn’t tell you.”Ryouha gripped her phone tighter, her voice trembled.
“W-what are you talking about?”
“That girl, Nagisa is—“The conversation stopped instantly as Ryouha felt her phone disappear from her grip; someone just forcefully snatched her phone. She glared at the culprit, but once she recognized the person, the anger on her eyes was quickly replaced by shock.
“...Na..gi?”
The said girl looked at the phone screen and pushed the end call button without hesitation, before turning to Ryouha with a smile.
“Sorry I’m late, Ryou-chan...”
Ryouha stared at her partner as if she was seeing a ghost, but before she could say anything Nana came between the two.
“Where were you, Nagisa!?" The distressed club president yelled. "There’s only fifteen minutes left until the show and—“
The clown patted the restless girl on both shoulders.
“Aww, calm down Papa~ I know you’re worried, but I’m all fine~”
“Wha—who’re you calling ‘papa’!? And I’m a girl!”
Nagisa laughed.
“Then stop being all tense~ Just give me a minute to breath and I’ll be ready, ‘kay?”
“...fine. I’ll tell the crew to get your costume and props ready shortly.”
“Gotcha~”
Nagisa gave Nana a playful salute and watched her disappear once again into the busy backstage. She returned her attention to Ryouha.
“Ready to roll, Ryou-chan?”
Ryouha brought her eyes to the floor.
“…don’t give me that, Nagi.”
“Hm?”
“
Stop playing dumb and tell me what’s going on! I just talked to your sister and—”
“Ah, don’t mind her. My sister’s always been overprotective, ha ha.”
“…”
Nagisa let out an awkward laugh, trying to lift up the heavy atmosphere. But it didn’t seem to work.
Ryouha clicked her tongue.
She didn't like that response. Oh no, not a bit.
She took a step forward, alerting Nagisa.
“Err, Ryou-chan? Are you angry?”
The quiet girl didn’t answer and keep walking. Nagisa gulped and took a step back, standing rigid as Ryouha stopped only a few feet away from her. She flinched and closed her eyes as Ryouha raised her hand, ready for any impact.
TAP--A warm hand touched her cheek and Nagisa reopened her eyes.
“…you’re cold. And you look pale.”Her gaze instantly met Ryouha’s; she could clearly see the tears hidden behind the brown orbs, threatening to spill.
“You’re sick, aren’t you?”
“…”
“Nagi…”
No. She couldn't let that happened. The girl took a safe distance away from Ryouha's touch.
“Eeh, it’s probably the cold. But don’t worry, I’m still all pumped!”
Nagisa tried to cheer up her partner, but suddenly her coughing fit returned and she covered her mouth with both hands.
“That’s enough!" Ryouha grabbed her shoulders in panic. "I’ll call your sister right away and—”
Drip…
Drip…Ryouha’s eyes widened as she saw a pool of red slowly formed on the floor, watching how they seeped through Nagisa's pale white fingers and fell in a silent drip. She released her grasp on the girl and staggered back, her eyes filled with horror.
“So you finally found out…”Nagisa wiped the remaining blood from her lips, giving Ryouha a soft smile.
“Nagi…you…what…“
“Well, this is bad. The audiences will suspect something if I stand on the stage looking like this.”
She ignored the terrified girl and kept talking casually as she usually do.
“Wait, I know!" Nagisa snapped her fingers and walked to the nearby box, fumbling with it. "I’ll use this and WA-LA! Nobody will know anything wrong, right?”
She pulled out a silly clown mask and put it on, before showing her trademark innocent pose; a pose that could no longer made Ryouha laugh.
...
No response.
Nagisa drooped her shoulders and let out a whine as she saw the expression on Ryouha’s face.
“Aww, why do you look so sad? There’s nobody who can play this role better than me, you know that. So let’s make this show a big biiiig success for everyone’s sake. Okay?”
Ryouha didn’t answer. It was as if her tongue had gone numb, and she couldn’t say anything.
“Ryou-chan?”
She understood now, why the country girl was always crying when she saw the clown’s performance. Because right now, seeing that huge smiling face, she too felt like crying. She clenched her hands tightly, trying to stop her trembling.
“…why? …since when?”
“…”
“…why didn’t you tell me anything?”
“I’m alright...“Suddenly the clown hugged her gently and she gasped under her breath.
“As long as you keep smiling I won’t feel any pain.” Ryouha closed her eyes, trying to fight back her tears.
Liar...
That’s definitely a lie...
The girl shouted loudly in her head but her voice wouldn’t come out. She could only stand there, frozen against the clown soft embrace.
“So can you smile for me, Ryouha? Please?”Ryouha couldn’t hold her tears anymore. She hugged the clown back, sobbing quietly.
“--Eight minutes left before show time!!”The loud voice echoed throughout the whole backstage, and Nagisa quickly released their embrace.
“Uh-oh, gotta get my costume fast before Naachan start yelling again. See ya on stage, Ryou-chan...”
Everything was just like a fleeting moment, as she felt the clown’s cold touch leaving her,
and the curtain call started to signal
The End of
"Their Story".
Ha ha, but really...
Isn't it such a cruel joke? Ryouha hugged herself, feeling more tears falling down her cheeks.
--The curtain had been raised and the play "The Lie-Tainted Clown" started. In the end she was no different from the country girl…
--A wondrous and mesmerizing tale, of how ‘love’ tears two lovers apart. Weeping… crying…
--In the middle of the town, the smiling Pierrot balanced himself on top of a ball. Among the circle of town-folks, a country girl watched him with sad eyes.Unable to do a thing…
--He is one to live with a purpose to be laughed at; falling and smiling then falling all over again. A young boy threw a rock at the silly buffon, sending the Pierrot falling to the cold ground.Until everything is too late...
BAM!Ryouha snapped out of her trance as she saw Nagisa fell from the balancing ball in a huge crash. She gripped her long dress to calm herself.
Calm down, this is part of the script.
In the next scene the clown would stood back up with a silly smile. Time kept ticking...
...and the fallen clown didn’t move at all.
Whispers and murmurs started to spread among the audiences as they felt something was wrong.
“No…”
Ryouha watched the scene before her in horror.
“NAGISA!!!”=0=0=0=0=0=0=0=0=
It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt at all
I balance on a ball and fall, over and over
I’m fine, so you should laugh too
At this clumsy pierrot from our tiny circus show..._____________________________________________________________________________________________
The Lie-Tainted Clown: -Main Act- // END
TO BE CONTINUED in -Epilogue-
Topic: (OS) 嘘つき ピエロ ~The Lie-Tainted Clown (NagiUha) [Bonus Art +Extra Chapter] (Read 11355 times)