“A temple, huh? This area used to be so peaceful, but it’s suddenly gotten so busy,” Kent said, gazing at the carriages continuously entering the temple as he and Josette, Caro, Rachel, and Patty left their shop to head to school.
“Indeed. Even though it’s still in the preparation stages and not fully operational, it’s such a large facility, I imagine quite a number of people are working there just as staff,” Josette replied, as if she knew some of the details.
“So, the person in charge is Catherine? It’s amazing that she can manage such a large facility.”
The massive temple, which stood imposingly next to Marie’s cozy bakery (or rather, in the rear, considering their relative positions), stood out from the surrounding buildings, giving it a unique presence. “It’s an unusual sight, so it’s natural to find ourselves looking, but shouldn’t we be heading to school? We don’t want to be late,” Rachel said, watching it.
“Oh, right. Well then, shall we head to school?”
“Yes!”
When Patty urged them to head to school, they all began to move.
“Yo, morning, Kent.”
“What, Bobby? Good morning.”
“Hey, that’s rude!”
Upon arriving at school, as Kent entered the classroom with Josette and Patty, Bobby spoke to him.
“You two always say the same greeting,” Patty said with a giggle.
“Morning to you too, Josette and Patty.”
“Good morning, Bobby-san.”
“Morning, Bobby.”
Bobby greeted them when he noticed Josette and Patty.
“By the way, Kent, you remember what’s happening after school today, right?”
“After school? Was something scheduled?”
“Come on, man. You mean you don’t even know about today?”
When Bobby asked about after school, Kent had no recollection and replied so. Bobby looked disappointed and exclaimed loudly enough for the whole classroom to hear.
“Uwah. You’re no fun.”
“We promised we’d all go, didn’t we?”
The other male students booed Kent.
“Kent-san, it might be best to go along with everyone. I’ll tell Marie-san about your work for you,” Patty whispered into Kent’s ear.
“Thanks, Patty-san.”
“Ah, sorry, sorry. Come to think of it, it is today. I forgot since it’s after the holiday,” Kent said.
“I’m counting on you, Kent. Please stay in the classroom after school,” Bobby said.
“Alright.”
Kent decided to go along with it, even though he had no idea what kind of gathering it was.
“And that’s what happened.”
During lunch break, Kent, Josette, Caro, and Rachel were gathered behind the school building as usual, eating lunch. Josette recounted the morning’s events to Caro and Rachel.
“Oh, really? It seems like the boys in your class are close,” Caro said.
“Bobby-san seems to be good at bringing the class boys together. The boys in my class don’t really do things like that together,” Rachel commented.
Bobby, as the leader of one of the largest trading companies in the country, although they were jointly named, had gained considerable influence within the class and was respected. People naturally gravitated towards him, and he had become a central figure in the class.
“But often, these kinds of gatherings involve things that women can’t know about. Are you sure you don’t know what your older brother is up to?”
“Hmm. I really don’t remember anything.”
Despite what Rachel said, Kent still had no memory of any gathering being planned. In reality, Bobby had simply forgotten to tell him, but since he had already agreed, he had no choice but to go along with the flow.
“Kent-san, I’m curious too. Could you please tell me later what kind of gathering it was?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Kent casually agreed to Josette’s request, a decision he would later regret.
“Alright, everyone, it’s time. I’ll explain this mission.”
After school, all the boys remained in the classroom, and the girls had all left. As soon as the classroom door was shut, Bobby began to speak with a serious expression.
“I’ve briefly explained it to everyone, but it seems the theater run by Eroni’s grandmother isn’t doing well. So, the plan is for all of us to go there and see for ourselves to find the problem. If you can’t afford your admission, I’ll cover it for you, so don’t worry. This is a top-secret mission, so Eroni’s grandmother hasn’t been told. Now, let’s head to the venue. Eroni, please lead the way.”
“Thank you, everyone, for doing this for me. I heard the theater’s business was in trouble, but I’ve never actually been there before, so I don’t know what kind of plays they put on.”
According to Bobby’s explanation, it was a plan for all the boys in the class to visit the theater run by Eroni’s grandmother. There was an admission fee, but Bobby would pay for those who couldn’t afford it. Eroni himself seemed unaware of what kind of theater his grandmother managed.
“Bobby, are you really inviting everyone based on such vague information?”
“Heh heh. Eroni himself doesn’t seem to know what kind of theater it is, but when I heard the location, I had a hunch. This is something all the guys should see.”
When Kent asked Bobby, he replied with great confidence. The boys in the class then proceeded to the theater, guided by Eroni and Bobby.
“Alright, this is our destination.”
“…Wait a minute. Could this be…?”
After leaving school, the group walked into the bustling downtown area and entered a back alley, arriving at their destination. As they were in a busy area lined with various adult shops, even Kent realized this wasn’t a normal theater.
“Excuse me. We’re a group, is that okay?”
“Welcome. So many young gentlemen. Are you returning from school? Then the admission fee is one person…”
Bobby opened the door and stepped into the theater to check in.
“I’ve paid for everyone for now, so you can go in,” Bobby said, poking his head out of the theater and beckoning them. The boys then streamed into the theater.
“Welcome. There are no other customers, so this is a private event for you students. Please take any available seats.”
The man at the reception left his counter and guided them inside. The seating area was dimly lit, and even the available seats were few enough that when the boys sat down, it was almost full. It seemed they would have to stand in the remaining space at the back.
“I guess you could call it a small theater.”
“It seems so. It’s smaller than I expected.”
There were about 20 seats and a small stage at the front where something was to be performed. As Kent said this, Bobby, sitting next to him, seemed to feel the scale was smaller than he had anticipated. He expressed his candid thoughts.
“Thank you for waiting. The performance will begin shortly. First, a word of caution: the distance to the stage is close, so please refrain from touching the performers without permission. Now, let the performance begin.”
As all the male students sat in their chairs waiting for the performance to start, the man from the counter stood in front of the stage and gave pre-show instructions. When he finished, he moved to the side of the stage and began to beat a drum.
(That guy is doing everything himself… that must be tough.)
Kent was impressed by the man who played multiple roles by himself. As the drum began to beat, most of them had no idea what kind of performance they were about to see, but they clapped along, building anticipation, and an unusual excitement filled the venue.
“Thank you for coming here after school today. I’ll give you my all, dears.”
The stage brightened, and a woman, presumably the performer, appeared. Clad in a flamboyant dress, she was an old woman far too old to be called an “older sister.”
“Grandma…”
“Oh, my. Eroni, is that you? You’re old enough to come here now. You’ve grown so much.”
The old woman on stage seemed to notice Eroni and spoke to him. This was also possible because the stage and audience were close, creating a strange sense of unity between the audience and the performer.
“I’m a little embarrassed performing in front of my grandson, but I’ll do my best. Here, this is my breast.”
The old woman moved the upper part of her dress, exposing both her breasts. Two sagging mounds appeared before the boys.
“Now, I’ll take it all off.”
The old woman then shed her dress. She wasn’t wearing any underwear, so at that point, she was completely naked in front of everyone.
“These are a girl’s private parts. Oh my, you all seem to be looking with great interest.”
The old woman sat down, spread her legs wide, and showed her private parts to everyone. The boys, seeing a woman’s private parts for the first time, looked at them with great interest.
(This is a strip theater, isn’t it?)
The theater run by Eroni’s grandmother was a rundown strip theater.
