[I]Ah the Yamaku Talent Show twas a time honored tradition exhibited by all be they student or faculty. Everyone would be in attendance with the Talent Show being more or less the real mark of the start of the school year with the previous weeks of introduction for first years and resettling in for the older years now come to terms and everyone seemed to find the rut and gutter they belong inside of. The students appreciated it because even if they did not have a special talent to perform the teachers would always slack off on the work just a little bit on the days leading up to the show and the faculty well they acknowledge it served as a great outlet for the expulsion of excess energy and doubts that had been accumulated so far. 

This climate of social happiness and excitement and the general forgettting of reality was the main reason that Ueda hated the whole event with every fiber of his being. It encapsulated the talk of everyone and all their activities so he did not even have an escape from it. Hell even Toke was going to perform one his “legendary routines” and spent most of his time hidden away wherever demons go to sulk to practice. They even made him commit his own time to it working with the art club to make the flyers and such. No matter where he looked reminders of it seemed to follow him everywhere he went stalking him with the ferocity of a passive-aggressive serial killer. He debated whether or not it would just be easier to kill himself but decided against it because than his death would always be associated with the damn talent show.

Mr. Nobuyuki did know one thing though. He would not be going to that talent show, hell would have to freeze over and pigs would have to fly. He was just going to stay in his dorm room and wait for the whole thing to blow over and nobody could stop him.[/I]
---

As the succubus were making snowmen in the second ring and a mad man had successfully attached a jetpack to a pig and watched it soar through the air Nobuyuki Ueda was currently getting ready to go out. Now Ueda was well aware of the concept of irony and yet he still felt like he was getting screwed over in one way or another. As the faint sound of music coming from a speaker set to low droned out through the room quietly Ueda looked himself over face freshly shaven and his hair actually looking like he took the time and effort to use that new invention he had soo much trouble adopting called the brush. Beside that he looked relatively normal though he had switched out his standard thick grey and beaten coat for a slimmer black jacket that hugged his frame. He looked like a proper monkey all dressed and civil and ready to go out and fraternize with the other monkeys. 

[B][I]Tap, Tap, Tap.[/I][/B] Three taps in quick succession came against his door, that must of been Hideo. Hideo was one of the reasons that Ueda was being dragged to the talent show today when he could easily be sleeping. Ever since that day Hideo and Maaya that deaf girl in their class had been paired together they had become two little inseparable love birds if he remembered correctly that was the same time when he and that girl O’Bryan...no...O'Flannigan...O'Connor Yes that was the name had went on a magical journey through the land of advance calculus together. 

Well turns out her and Hideo had the brilliant idea to try and hook up one of Maaya’s friends with Ueda. Ueda wanted to strangle the boy when he told him. strangle him and shove his face into his wood desk until he stopped struggling. But he somehow found the gentlemanly composer to refrain from killing him just yet. And soon afterwards he was informed of another more important reason he had to attend the talent show anyway so it was almost serendipitous in a way. [B][I] Tap, Tap, Tap. [/B][/I] Calling out a response to the figure standing outside of his door he shook his head and let out a sigh turning off the speaker and letting silence drift into his room. He looked at his desk and at the bottle of pills resting on top of it opening it he carefully rolled two out of the white capsule and into his hand and then raised it in one quick motion popping them into his mouth as he swallowed them down. Feeling as they traveled down his neck. After one last check he looked around and nodded grabbing his cane that was resting by the door and open the door and set forth into the world.

They were walking down to the path from the dorms towards the main building where the auditorium would be and in extension the talent show. Many others milled around them in the quickly darkening night everyone excited and talking to one another. The occasional performer running late could be seen sprinting past or sometimes through the crowd mumbling apologies as they tried to make it in time. Hideo and Maaya were to the right of him, Hideo’s hands moving about as communicating with somebody that could not hear you required another set of skills. Hideo looked them over and they seemed happy at least... maybe Toke was right maybe that was enough for some people

His so called “date” was another girl in their year, Ueda had seen her around the school and had actually talked to her maybe three times in total before the meeting. They had to amputate her left leg because of a tumor that could not be removed otherwise. She took up running because of that she explained to him at first because told her to get back into using her new leg and later because she fell in love with it. She was a member of Yamaku’s track team and she seemed nice enough. She was pretty by the standard definition of the term and a think tank composed of mostly teenage boys would agree that she was what considered attractive. Though that didn't do much for Ueda wasn't really her fault either Ueda’s little Grinch sized heart just did not seem to have the capacity for love and affection inside of it despite the numerous times he had awaken from a drug induced haze to find himself with a member of the fairer sex. So as she talked to him he respond following the standard social procedures once again he used for mostly everyone seemingly had her fooled like everyone else, he even found the capacity to hold her hand as they walked. 

But his mind was somewhere else entirely as the rest of his body worked on the self-programmed parameters. He was thinking about the other reason he was asked to come. As a favour called in by his friendly neighborhood drug pusher. He was to have a small chat with a first year that was performing during the second act. He had gain some popularity due to his ability to play the guitar and by being reasonably attractive, and so was beginning to think himself to be some sort of big shot. A big enough deal to have “forgot” to pay Toke the fee for some product of his that he was indulging himself in.

Toke just couldn't let that slide for he was trying to run a business and thieves and cheats were bad for business. So Ueda had to go in to sort out any misunderstandings the first year seemed to have in the agreement. Ueda being the figure of questionable morals that he was had little problem doing this and on the plus side it allowed him to not have to pay for his own dark desires that Toke provided for him and that was good enough for him.

They soon found their way to the auditorium entrance where everyone was waiting outside talking to one another or beginning to enter and find good seats. He saw a kid with juggling bats run by at top speed in panic yelling something about a missing club or something. It was at this odd sight that Ueda excused himself to go to the bathroom and slip through the crowd. He would not be going towards the lavatories but instead made way towards the hallway that lead down towards the backstage area where most of the performers would be gathering. He passed through this area despite being a performer rather easy having been with the Art Club it was assumed he was helping backstage with something. He entered the backstage area which consisted of the hallway that had the doors that lead onto the right and left wings of the stage. Performers sat about in bunches or isolated a sense of nervousness was present in the air. He saw some girl standing about with puppets one of which seemed to be some sort of tree like abomination it was intriguing and if he had the time he would of liked to just find a spot to watch the tree “talk” but this was not a time for fun it was business. 

He did not see Toke anywhere so he assumed he had not left as of yet or was hiding out somewhere waiting for his act. But he did see the first year he needed to have a talk to. Sitting in a corner and tuning his guitar. He needed somewhere a little more private for such a sensitive conversation but he at least had an idea. Shambling up to him with an urgent expression on his face Ueda looked down with pleading eyes.

“Hey Kid... I need to bring in some musical equipment from the back entrance to the stage. But as you can see I’m pretty useless in the whole lifting things department and they are using the cart for something else. So can you help me?” 

“Oh! Uhhh Sure!!” The kid got up leaving his guitar on the ground he began to follow him down the hallway and towards one of the many exits of the building. Ueda thanked him and the two of them headed to go “pick up the equipment”.....

[I]Sometimes it was too easy.[/I]