Hikigaya, the Son-in-law of Three Surnames

Because Nakano Yotsuba and Satsuki were standing not far away, and Haruno didn't lower her voice when she was talking nonsense just now, and now she was looking at him with a depressed expression.

May next to him seemed to be paying attention elsewhere: "Wow, what cute little bear toys, and there are two of them. What's wrong with your expressions? They seem a little weird."

Hachiman slapped Mayu on the head, and Mayu said in dissatisfaction: "Why did you hit me? It hurts."

"I don't want you to talk too much." Then he twitched again. This child doesn't know how to read the air, right?

It's somewhat of a personal grudge.

Chapter 17 The Happy Prince Opens

After giving the little girl a lesson, Hachiman asked the two sisters, "You are here to see Ichika's performance, too, right?"

Zhu Wuyue nodded gently and said, "Well, I have asked my friend to help me watch the sausage stall for a while. After all, this is a rare performance for Ichika."

As for Yotsuba, after hearing Haruno's dirty words, she simply ignored Hachiman and even pulled off Mayu's clothes, as if to keep Mayu away from the filth of the world.

"Yotsuba, why are you pulling my clothes? I'm still talking to Mr. Hikigaya."

But May's next stupid words made Siye a little annoyed. Does this guy know how to read the air?

"I'm really looking forward to it. I wonder what stage play Ichika will choose. Will it be Romeo and Juliet?"

When it comes to stage plays, this is the only one May seems to recognize.

Hachiman is somewhat rebellious. After seeing Yotsuba's behavior, he smiled and said, "Who knows? Your sister didn't tell anyone for half a month just to give us a surprise. Oh, we just happened to meet, why don't we go and see it together?"

Mayu nodded quickly and said, "Okay, okay. I was originally planning to invite Nino and Miku, but I don't know where they went."

Hachiman shook his head and said, "I just ran into them. They said they were planning to watch the live broadcast on the classroom TV."

Don’t underestimate the status of the Shuchiwon Drama Club. The performances of the drama club are clearly marked in the guide booklet of the Sacred Heart Festival, and are one of the must-see performances of the Sacred Heart Festival every year. After all, it is a decent and artistic performance that can be presented.

The school stipulated that at least ten students from each class should be present to watch the event, and the remaining students could watch the live broadcast on TV in their classrooms. After all, there were cameras arranged on site, so it could be said that the event was fully attended to.

When they arrived at the track of the football field, they found that the drama club had already set up several small stalls and were distributing play brochures. The person closest to Hachiman and the other four was also an acquaintance.

"Welcome, the drama club's performance is about to begin. After receiving the program brochure, you can find a suitable seat and sit down." Mizuhara Chizuru said while distributing the program brochure.

"Chizuru-san, aren't you going to perform? Why are you here?" Hachiman couldn't help but ask.

Chizuru didn't seem surprised at all when she saw the man. Ichika had originally asked him to come and watch the performance. As for the reason, Chizuru, who had participated in the stage play practice throughout the whole process, naturally knew what this good play was going to express.

"Mr. Hikigaya, Vice President Yukinoshita, welcome. And Ichika's sisters, welcome. Here is the program brochure, please take it. It contains the poster of the stage play and an introduction to the theme content, etc. You can take a look at it to kill time before the stage play begins." Chizuru smiled and distributed the program brochure to everyone.

Then he said to Hachiman, "Well, I will also go in to put on makeup and change clothes soon. It's just that there are not enough people just now, so I came out to take care of it. The student union will come to reinforce soon."

Hachiman nodded gently. Yotsuba stared at the contents of the program and said, "The name of the stage play is "The Happy Prince"? Um, is it the fairy tale by Oscar Wilde?"

May blinked and said, "Isn't that the one our mom told us before we went to bed when we were little?"

Although she didn't like this fairy tale very much after listening to it, there were some parts that she didn't understand, and the ending made her feel a little uncomfortable. It was not as easy to understand as "The Little Mermaid".

I'm really looking forward to Disney's live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid". What kind of cute and beautiful girl will they find to play the little mermaid?

I get excited just thinking about May.

"Oscar Wilde, this is really a topic that is not suitable for a family-friendly occasion." Yang Nai said with interest.

After all, many parents bring their children to watch this stage play during the Sacred Heart Festival.

Although Oscar Wilde's stories are also called fairy tales and he is called a representative of aestheticism by the outside world, the core of his stories is mostly realistic and cruel. Unlike the Grimm's Fairy Tales and Andersen's Fairy Tales, which were interpreted as "dark" by later generations, Oscar Wilde's works themselves have a strong sense of realism.

That's why Yangno said that Ichika chose a topic that was not suitable for a family-friendly occasion, and she was actually not wrong.

Chizuru did not refute this, but whispered to Hachiman: "Ichika did not come outside to greet the guests, not for any other reason, but just because she did not want to see you before the performance, and she did not want to say anything to you for the time being. But as a friend of Ichika, I think I should tell you that everything about Ichika is on this stage, please watch her performance carefully."

As Xiaoyanzi, as a messenger, she had completed her mission. So after the reinforcements from the Student Union arrived, she also went backstage to prepare.

After all, she is also one of the most important characters. There are only two main characters in the story of "The Happy Prince", the Happy Prince and Xiaoyanzi, and the rest are supporting roles with few roles. Therefore, although Chizuru herself is destined to be a foil, she has decided to bring out the brilliance of Ichika.

Absolutely, I will not let today's performance fail.

Perhaps Nakano Nino's performance can arouse the emotions of ordinary people and easily create a popular momentum. However, when it comes to touching stories that run through people's hearts and endless aftertaste of emotions, LIVE can never compare to stage plays.

In the end, due to Mayu's insistence, Yoko and Go finally sat next to Hachiman and Yukinoshita Haruno.

May also had her own reasons. She said, "Mr. Hikigaya, if there is something I don't understand and I ask you, will it disturb your mood for watching the stage play?"

Mayu was mainly afraid that she wouldn't understand Ichika's performance and would waste it, so she asked Hachiman to be the narrator of the stage play.

After all, judging from the impressions from other sisters, Hachiman, who works as a teacher in Shuchiin, should have a high level of literary attainment.

Yotsuba curled her lips and thought it would be nice if Fuutarou was here. Although Fuutarou was a science-oriented student, he was not bad at Chinese either. It was not a good idea to let a simple guy like Satsuki get close to Hikigaya Hachiman.

As for why she didn't personally help May to commentate, it was because she was also the same kind of idiot, hahahaha.

An electrical beep sounded, indicating that the stage play was about to begin, and the curtain gradually opened.

The unhappy Happy Prince began his journey of redemption which was doomed to fail from the very beginning.

Chapter 18: Scene : In the Castle

Act One: In the Castle With the background music of The Blue Danube as soft and heavy as flowing water, the play gradually opens its curtain.

The stone buildings imitated by foam, the huge city walls and the tops of the towers all seem to be saying that this is an ancient castle in medieval Europe. There seems to be a gorgeous banquet being held inside the castle, with golden dishes, singing and dancing stages, and all the splendor seems to indicate that this is a feast for the nobles.

The biting cold wind outside did not seem to affect the warmth inside the castle at all. Countless upper-class people in gorgeous dresses were toasting each other. Amidst the singing and dancing, a fat noble with a big belly raised a wine glass made of gold and gemstones, and the amber wine was accidentally spilled on the Vadodara pearl carpet made of cashmere wool. The slightly drunk noble shook his double chin and shouted.

"Cheers to our Happy Prince."

"cheers!"

After the crisp sound of clinking glasses, a big businessman murmured to himself.

"Why can't I be as happy as the Happy Prince? Is it because I don't have his handsome face and cheerful temperament?"

Then, he looked at the silver enamel plate that had been collected in the castle for three hundred years, and he couldn't take his eyes away.

"If there are angels in this world, then I think God's messengers are just like the Happy Prince."

Someone who had just become a member of parliament said sincerely. She looked at the magnificent Rococo-style chandelier above the castle, where each piece of crystal was made into fifty-nine faces. She said that only a messenger from God could use such a precious work of art as an everyday item.

Amidst everyone's praise, the long-awaited topic, the Happy Prince in the castle finally appeared.

He has a pair of fascinating blue eyes like the mystery of the aquamarine, which makes people unconsciously feel the noble temperament. His handsome face always has a refreshing smile, which will not be alienated because of his identity. He wears a golden robe and a decorative ceremonial sword on his waist, with a big ruby ​​embedded in the hilt.

He lingered in the grand banquets held in the castle every night, sometimes discussing with the nobles the difference in acidity between a ten-year-old Merlot red wine and a twenty-year-old Malbec red wine, sometimes singing and dancing with the noble girls who admired him, and sometimes chatting and laughing with the big businessmen about the gold cutting technology.

The Happy Prince seemed to be born with such erudition. Even though he had never left the castle made of gold and jade since he was born, he could have a pleasant chat with anyone. The food in the castle was so rich, the red wine and juice were so delicious, and those decent guests respected him sincerely. He never thought that he had any troubles, so he was always happy.

He forgot his name and became synonymous with happiness.

Regardless of the biting cold wind outside, the bright lights coming from the castle seem to indicate that this is always a city that never sleeps.

But impurities eventually seeped into this place that had been pure and noble for so long.

"Please, gentlemen and ladies, spare me a piece of bread?"

"Please, gentlemen and ladies, be kind and do me a favor. I am starving to death."

A dirty little girl wearing a cheap, torn blue and red coat sneaked into the castle from somewhere.

Then, panic began to form in the castle, as if some terrible virus was about to spread here.

The nobleman was so frightened that he accidentally dropped the golden wine cup to the ground. When it came into contact with the hard ground, the gems inlaid in it accidentally fell out.

"Oh my god, this is terrible. How did this dirty little bastard get in?"

Although they were far away, the big businessman covered his nose with disgust and said, "She stinks. She stinks too much. She is full of the stench of the poor. She is polluting the air here. Why don't you drag her out quickly?"

The congressman seemed to be ashamed and said, "Be gentle and don't splatter blood on the carpet."

Suddenly, a pure white Alaskan dog came up to the congresswoman, and the congresswoman's heart softened.

"Poor little thing, you must be hungry."

After that, she fed a large piece of roasted beef ribs to the Alaskan dog.

The little girl in the red hat was pinned to the ground by the guards and could not move. She only said in a weak voice: "Please, sir, give me a piece of bread."

Just when she was about to be crushed away, she saw the Happy Prince, who looked like a god, standing in front of her.

"Excuse me, are you an angel? Did God send you to greet me?"

The Happy Prince looked at the little girl in confusion and asked, "Why are your clothes full of patches? It doesn't seem to keep you warm enough."

This was the first time the Happy Prince had seen a visitor who had not come in through the main entrance of the castle, and he looked very interested.

"I" the little girl didn't know how to answer. Seeing such a noble person, she was hungry and nervous.

"Happy Prince, please leave that dirty bastard. He will taint your innocence." A guest said with disgust.

"Dirty poor people should dig for food in the stinking gutters, how dare they set foot in this castle." A guest said angrily.

"Please give me a piece of bread. I can't afford bread and I'm dying of hunger."

The little girl who was accused by the angry old man looked even more flustered, just pleading with the angel in her eyes.

The Happy Prince looked at the little girl in confusion. He also thought that the little girl had a strange smell, which was not pleasant. But he didn't know why the usually respectable guests were so angry. The smell was not unbearable.

"Since you can't afford bread, why not eat cake? One piece of cake with butter and jam is enough to fill you up."

After hearing what he said, to the puzzlement of the Happy Prince, the guests all began to laugh.

"After all, our Happy Prince never left the castle, did he?"

"This is our Happy Prince."

"My God, he's so pure."

The Happy Prince blinked, not understanding why they reacted like that. Did he say something wrong?

When he didn't want to drink milk, he would use broth instead.

But before he could say anything else to the little girl, the guards dragged the little girl away at the guest's order.

The Happy Prince could not understand the sad and desperate look in the little girl's eyes when she was dragged away.

Why doesn't she smile?

The prince, who originally thought that he could get all the happiness in the world in the castle, became interested in the outside world for the first time.

However, throughout his entire life, the Happy Prince never stepped out of the castle, and every time he expressed such an idea, he would be persuaded by the people around him.

Until his death, he was still the happy prince in the castle.

In order to commemorate this legendary prince, the city council decided to build an unparalleled statue for him in the city center.

The statue of the Happy Prince stood on a tall column, and towered over the city. He was covered all over with thin gold leaves, and had a pair of sapphires for his eyes, and a large ruby ​​that shone red and blue on the hilt of his sword.

The Happy Prince finally came to the outside of the castle, and he finally saw the outside world. He saw the woman who was mending the ball gowns for her maids and changing the medicine for her sick children, the impoverished writer who was worried about not being able to buy paper to carry his script, and the little girl in the red hat who was holding a flower basket and selling it under the statue. The weather was very cold, and her hands and feet were almost frozen. But no one needed to use cheap marigolds to decorate their empty wallets.

The little girl sat on the cold pedestal of the statue. She took a marigold from the basket and placed it at the feet of the gorgeous statue.

"I have nothing to exchange. Can you please exchange this flower for me so that I can rest here for a while? I am really too tired."

Then he fell into a deep sleep and never woke up again.

The next day, people were surprised to find that the Happy Prince's face was no longer happy.

The councillor said in annoyance, "He is as beautiful as a weather vane, but why is he unhappy? However, for the sake of his gorgeous appearance, let's keep him here for the time being."

——Act 1. In the Castle——

As the curtains gradually closed, May blinked her eyes and said, "Ah, the little girl is so miserable. Why does she seem a little different from the Happy Prince that her mother told me about before?"

Yotsuba also said, "The original script of The Happy Prince does not include the life of the Happy Prince before his death. This should be Ichika's adaptation."

But in fact she didn't quite understand it. She just had a slight impression of it after listening to the radio drama of "The Happy Prince" a few years ago.

Hachiman said, "It was adapted from the autobiography of the Happy Prince. He once said that he lived a carefree life in the palace and never cared about the outside world. Ichika used the castle here to strengthen this image. The castle is both a paradise and a place where the Happy Prince was imprisoned. It is also a symbol of the division between the rich and the poor in the story. The rich are kind when they feed their dogs with a large piece of roast meat, and the poor are sinful when they ask for a piece of bread. This is also the social phenomenon of class division in Britain at that time criticized by Wilde."

Seeing that Hachiman took over her question and answered it, Yotsuba turned her head away, as if she didn't want to discuss it with him.

This guy, has he forgotten that he had badly cheated her yesterday morning?

Hachiman smiled and said nonchalantly, "But I remember that the beginning of the original text did not deliberately emphasize that the Happy Prince became unhappy. This adaptation should have other intentions."

Then he looked at Yang Nai and said, "What do you think?"

Yang No looked at the closed curtain and said with her usual faint smile, "From a story perspective, changing the opening scene entirely is to strengthen the reason for the Happy Prince's self-sacrifice and to make the audience's emotions more natural. Besides, why not eat minced meat? Hahaha, this is a bold adaptation that fits the spirit of the original work. I'm starting to look forward to it."

Come on, Nakano Ichika, let me see your potential, let me see how far you can go?