Iām trying to learn Japanese and I like attempting to translate! **DISCLAIMER** I am by no means an expert at this so my translations are gonna be pretty janky. Iām mostly self-taught so I donāt guarantee these to be accurate. Iām just having fun with this!
As the curtain rises, miracles bloom. And there, we shall FLEUR.
Summary
The Mecca of TheaterāVeludo Way. It refers to the main street in front of Veludo Station, where theaters line the streets and actors perform improvised plays known as "street acts."
It is here, at this base for theater companies of all sizes, that new member of the Fleur Award Board of Directors Yukio Tachibana announced the debut of the "Fleur Cup"āa competition in which everything from the eligibility criteria to the selection process for Japan's most prestigious theater award has been completely revamped.
Although MANKAI Company was temporarily pushed to the brink of crisis by the "devilish environmental destruction" that turned its entire history upside down, each of its four troupesāSpring, Summer, Autumn, and Winterāstaged sequels to their debut performances. They successfully made it through the preliminaries and were selected as one of the top ten nominated theater companies.
It's been a year since then. The theme assigned by the board of directors to the theater companies competing in the Fleur Cup finals was "Shakespeare"āa name that remains synonymous with theater and is loved worldwide to this very day. During the finalsāa head-to-head tournament where a single loss means immediate eliminationāthe recent theater craze continues to gain momentum.
Enthusiastic crowds and opposing forces. What was the unprecedented, earth-shattering event that they brought that shook the world of theater to its core?
This is the climax in full bloom. The story of the one and only "miracle" they bring forth.
Chapter 17: Players' Records
To be here for this momentāthat's why we keep acting.
[A3!] Sakuya Sakuma | [SR] A Weaver Spinning Love | Cooling Off with Your Feet in the Water
Izumi: Do you guys have any plans for the weekend?
Taichi: I havenāt really decided on anything in particular. I was actually just thinking about what to do.
Sakuya: I havenāt got anything planned yet eitherā¦ Now that you mention it, it would be kinda nice to go somewhere.
Taichi: Then why donāt we no-planners go somewhere together?
Izumi: Thatād be nice. Do you have any plans, Tsuzuru-kun?
Tsuzuru: Iām planning on going back home to look after my little brothers.
Taichi: Man, that reminds me of that time we big bros and Director-sensei all went to your house, Tsuzuru-kun!
Izumi: While everyone was playing in the water, Tsuzuru-kun got completely soaked.
Tsuzuru: I sure did. Well, thatās usually how it goes when my brothers are playing in the water.
Tsuzuru: Oh, right, theyāve been saying how they want to have some of your sandwiches again, so would you be willing to put some lunches together for me, Director?
Izumi: I can, but wonāt it be rough trying to handle all of them all on your own? What if I were to come with you again?
Tsuzuru: Wait, really? Itād be a huge help if you came along.
Taichi: And Iād love to play with your little bros again, so is it fine if I come with?
Sakuya: If thatās the case, I could also come along. I might be able to be of some help given my job at the daycare.
Tsuzuru: Iām sure theyād be thrilled if you two came along.
Taichi: Alright, so all four of us will go! Iāll head out and pick up some drinks and snacks before we go.
Izumi: Oh, and I remember them being pretty happy when I brought the shaved ice machine.
Sakuya: Really? ā¦I wonder if thereās something I could bring along too then.
Izumi: Iāll pack some side dishes to go with the sandwiches.
Taichi: Iāll bring some juice and snacks!
Tsuzuru: I appreciate it, but really, you donāt have to do anything over the top.
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Tsuzuru: Iām home.
Izumi: Hi.
Sakuya: Hello.
Taichi: Itās been forever! Do you guys remember me?
Yuzuru: I do!
Takeru: Youāre Taichi-nii-chan!
Ataru: You played with us before.
Taichi: Woohoo! Iām so glad you guys remembered me!
Sakuya: Itās been a while, Tooru-kun.
Tooru: Yes, it has been.
Tsuzuru: Yuzuru, Takeru, Ataru. This is Sakuya.
Sakuya: Itās nice to meet all of you.
Takeru & Yuzuru: Nice to meet you!
Ataru: Itās nice to meet you.
Tooru: Nii-san, Iām going to leave soon.
Tsuzuru: Oh yeah, youāre headed to the library, right? Be safe.
Tooru: I will.
Yuzuru: Tsuzuru-nii-chan, Iām hungry!
Takeru: Me too!
Tsuzuru: Well, it is already noon.
Izumi: Iāll start getting things ready right away.
Tsuzuru: Iāll help you.
Sakuya: Alright, while they do that, do you guys wanna play with Sensei andā¦
Sakuya: Ah.
Yuzuru: Sensei?
Taichi: Looks like Sakkunās stuck in work mode!
Sakuya: Ahahaā¦ I guess I did that out of habit. Umm, what I meant to say is, do you guys wanna play with us as your big brothers?
Takeru: Yeah, letās play!
Sakuya: What should we play?
Taichi: We have until lunch is ready, so we donāt have a whole lotta time.
Sakuya: Yeah, good pointā¦ ah! How about we do origami then?
Ataru: Origami?
Sakuya: The kids at the daycare had tons of fun when we did that with them recently.
Sakuya: We can make paper fortune tellers out of origami, and then you guys can use them for fortune-telling and stuff.
Yuzuru: Fortune-telling!?
Takeru: I wanna do that!
Sakuya: Okay, weāll all make them together.
Ā· ā āā Ł ā Ł āā ā Ā·
Sakuya: First, fold it into a triangleā¦ Yeah, just like that. If you line up the edges perfectly like that, itāll turn out really nicely.
Takeru: Like this?
Sakuya: Yeah, thatās great! Next, open it up and fold the other side into a triangle too.
Ataru: Ummā¦ is this right?
Sakuya: Yep, thatās exactly how it should be!
Yuzuru: This is hard.
Taichi: Just fold it right here like this, and then youāll have it.
Yuzuru: Like this?
Taichi: Yeah! Good job!
Takeru: Done!
Ataru: Iām done too.
Yuzuru: Me too!
Sakuya: Okay, then you guys can write in what you want your fortunes to say right in here.
Sakuya: It can be whatever you want. You can write out yes and no, or you can use a gold star, a circle, and an X, so just draw whichever you like the most.
Takeru: Hmm, what should I drawā¦
Yuzuru: A circle and an Xā¦
Ataru: Iām done!
Sakuya: Are all of you guys done? Alright, why donāt I give you guys your fortunes with the one I made first?
Sakuya: Iāll move it like this, and then you tell me when to stop when Iām at a place you like, okay?
Takeru: Stop!
Taichi: That was fast~!
Sakuya: Takeru-kun, you gotā¦ ah, itās a yes. Your fortune is that youāll get to have ice cream today!
Takeru: Ice cream!? Yay!
Yuzuru: I wanna do one!
Taichi: Okay, do you wanna give me my fortune?
Yuzuru: Yeah!Ā
Taichi: ā¦Stop!
Yuzuru: Ummā¦ you get a gold star!
Taichi: Heck yeah! Something good is bound to happen!
Izumi: Lunch is done, guys. Can you get the table cleared up?
Tsuzuru: Weāve got fried shrimp and fried chicken too.
Ataru: Waah, yummy!
Takeru: Smells tasty~!
Yuzuru: I wanna eat a sandwich!
Izumi: Go and wash your hands, and then you can eat, okay?
Younger Brothers: Okay!
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Takeru: Thanks for the food!
Yuzuru: It was yummy.
Ataru: Iām stuffed.
Yuzuru: Tsuzuru-nii-chan, I wanna do chilly feet with everyone!
Takeru: Me too!
Tsuzuru: Alright, letās go out in the garden then.
Sakuya: What do they mean by chilly feetā¦?
Izumi: Thatās what Iām wondering.
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Yuzuru: Letās put the water in the tub!
Takeru: Iāll help!
Tsuzuru: Whoa, hey, if you turn the faucet that much, youāre gonnaā.
Yuzuru: Wah!?
*Water sprays*
Tsuzuru: Uwhoa!Ā
Izumi: Yikesā¦!
Ataru: Iāll turn it off.
Sakuya: Are you okay, Tsuzuru-kun!?
Taichi: Youāre totally soaked.
Tsuzuru: Itās fine; Iām used to it. Besides, with how hot it is today, Iāll dry off fast enough.
Yuzuru: Iām sorry, Tsuzuru-nii-chanā¦
Tsuzuru: Youāre all good. Donāt worry about it.
Taichi: Iāll hold the hose!
Tsuzuru: Now, turn the faucet slowly.
Takeru: Okay!
Ataru: Is this good?
Tsuzuru: Yep.
Izumi: Wait, so by chilly feet, did they meanā¦?
Tsuzuru: Cooling their feet off in the water. We fill this tub with water, and they soak just their feet in it. Theyāve been kinda obsessed with it lately.
Taichi: Thatās surprisingly lowkey!
Sakuya: Hey, how would you guys feel about eating the ice cream I brought while you soak your feet?
Yuzuru: Ice cream!?
Sakuya: Yep, ice cream.
Izumi: I almost forgot you brought that along.
Sakuya: Yeah, I thought your little brothers would like this ice cream that you can win prizes from, so I asked Chikage-san to drive me to go and get some!
Tsuzuru: Chikage-san did?
Sakuya: Yeah!
Tsuzuru: Who woulda thought? Iāll have to thank him later.
Takeru: I wanna have some now!
Yuzuru: Me too!
Ataru: I bet itāll be even more yummy if we eat it while doing chilly feet.
Sakuya: Then letās all eat it together!
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Takeru: My paper fortune-teller's fortune was right about getting to eat ice cream!
Sakuya: Yeah, looks like it.
Taichi: Huh!?
Izumi: Whatās wrong, Taichi-kun?
Taichi: The stick of mine says I won!
Ataru: Ah, mine says that too!
Yuzuru: Huh, mine too!
Takeru: Woohoo! Same here!
Tsuzuru: ā¦Mine too.
Izumi: And mineā¦!
Sakuya: Mine is a win too!
Taichi: Wait, we all won!?
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Choose!
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Option 1: Thatās Sakuya-kun for youā¦
Izumi: Getting this many winsā¦ thatās Sakuya-kun for youā¦
Sakuya: Ahahaā¦ itās just a coincidence.
Izumi: But itās still incredible. Besides, it made everyone super happy.
Sakuya: Yeah, I guess getting ice cream that you can win prizes from was the right choice after all!
Option 2: Is it supposed to be this easy to win?
Izumi: Is it supposed to be this easy to win?
Sakuya: It happens to me every once in a while, butā¦ this is probably the first time Iāve seen everyone get so lucky like this.
Izumi: There are usually supposed to be more losses, so youāre usually guaranteed to get a few of them, and yetā¦
Sakuya: But anyway, it seems like everyone was happy to win, so Iām glad that everyone liked them!
Takeru: Can we exchange these at the convenience store!?
Sakuya: You can exchange them at any store that sells the same stuff.
Tsuzuru: Are you sure this isnāt the kinda ice cream where you literally canāt loseā¦?
Izumi: It says right here on the packaging that if there isnāt anything written on the stick, it means you lost.
Tsuzuru: You really are unbelievable, Sakuyaā¦ Who wouldāve thought youād end up only picking winning onesā¦Ā
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Sakuya: (I really had a lot of fun playing with Tsuzuru-kunās little brothers the other day.)
Sakuya: (Soaking our feet in the water was really nice, and everyone loved winning prizes from the ice creamā¦)
Tsuzuru: Sakuya.
Sakuya: Ah, Tsuzuru-kun.
Tsuzuru: Thanks for coming over to help look after my younger brothers the other day.
Sakuya: No, it was nothing! I had tons of fun!
Tsuzuru: They had a blast too.
Tsuzuru: Plus, when we finished off the rest of the ice cream you brought them, almost all of them ended up being winners.
Sakuya: Wait, really!?
Tsuzuru: Yeah. Thatās why they all said they wanted you to bring them some more winning ice cream again.
Sakuya: Ahaha, thatās a bit of an expectation to live up to.
Sakuya: But Iād absolutely love it if you let me come over and play with them again!
momo: Iām switching the merry-go-round on!
momo: Huh? What!? Why isnāt it moving!?
Iv: it is! just the horses are! canāt u see that theyāre literally spinning right there!!!?
Kar: snrk
shiki: Thatās odd. If itās spinning, then the circuit should be connected, and yetā¦
Iv: this isnāt even a merry-go-round anymore, itās basically like a herd of those mechanical rodeo horses atp!!!
shiki: I just burst out laughing.
momo: Thatās not what I wanted it to be!!!
Kar: circuit errorās right here
momo: āItās spinning!! We finally got it to work!
shiki: In the proper sense, that is.
momo: The merry-go-round is done!!!!
Kar: a merry-go-round spinning in the proper sense lmfao
Iv: slay! ik we were just pnlāing u, but u did really cook fr~
momo: This is like our greatest masterpiece!
shiki: Well, what else would you expect when I designed it?
Kar: hyping urself up much
Iv: looks like weāve got this area pretty much finished now~
Kar: donāt u think thereās still more we can add tho
shiki: Iād like to refine it a little more.
Iv: letās take this thing to the next level~
momo: Yeah! Weāll definitely be able to do that! Itāll be the bestā!
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
*Page turns*
Tsuzuru: ā¦
Towa: ā¦
*Towa shakes*
Towa: ā¦
Towa: Phwaā¦ haahaahaah.
Tsuzuru: Wait, why were you holding your breath?
Towa: Iām sorry! Iām just really nervous!!
Tsuzuru: I finished reading your script, and I think itās improved a lot.
Towa: Really!?
Tsuzuru: Compared to your first draft, the story is a lot more fleshed out, and itās way easier to understand what youāre trying to accomplish with it.
Towa: THANKYOUSOMUCH!!!
Tsuzuru: Looks like the workshop is paying off.
Tsuzuru: Iām really impressed with the way youāve really taken what youāve been taught to heart.
Towa: Oniiā Tsuzuru-sanā¦!
Towa: I almost just accidentally called you Onii-chan!! I donāt even have an older brotherā¦!
Tsuzuru: Dude, what?
Towa: I guess I just got so excited that I couldnāt help itā¦!
Tsuzuru: No, but really, I never thought youād improve this much, so Iām pretty happy too.
Tsuzuru: To be honest, I didnāt even think youād actually stick with writing scripts either.
Towa: Originally, I was just doing it to keep things with KICS going, butā¦
Towa: Now I just really enjoy the process of writing itselfā¦
Towa: I know I still kinda suck at it, but I want to get better at writing more interesting stories!
Tsuzuru: I getcha.
Towa: And itās just such an honor and a blessing to be able to meet with you face-to-face and get personal feedback from you because Iāve always really admired you as ManPaniās resident scriptwriter andā¦!
Tsuzuru: Aaand there you go, completely nerding outā¦ I thought you had that reserved for Masumi.
Towa: Iām a MANKAI Company hako-oshi!Ā
Tsuzuru: You really are somethingā¦
Towa: But still, itās thanks to you that Iāve got confidence in my own scripts, Tsuzuru-san! Thank you so much!
Tsuzuru: Iām looking forward to seeing KICS perform your script, Towa.
Tsuzuru: That reminds me, you guys are rerunning your debut play right now, right?
Towa: We are. After our debut play, we werenāt really able to get when weāll do our next new play sorted outā¦
Towa: Iām still occasionally doing rehearsals with Yukio-san, and practicing on my own, and going to Omi-sanās workshops and stuff, butā¦
Towa: Yukio-san said that, above all else, itās important to gain experience on stage, so we ended up deciding on rerunning our debut play.
Towa: That said, since there are only four of us in KICS, thereās no way we could handle everything ourselves, so weāre getting help from a production company that Yukio-san introduced us to.
Tsuzuru: Gotcha.
Towa: Plus, lately, thereāve been people who became fans of us through social media, and theyāve been saying that theyāre pretty happy about it since they hadnāt been able to see our actual debutā¦
Towa: And thanks to your help with rearranging things for our rerun, I bet itāll be even more entertaining this time around! Thatās just what youād expect from a god like you!
Tsuzuru: Okay, no, calling me a god might be a bit of a stretch. But if thatās the case, then Iām glad.
Towa: It might be a ways off, but someday I wanna have KICS do a play using a script I wrote entirely on my own!
Tsuzuru: Iāll be rooting for you. By the way, are there any specific things youād like to write about, or stuff youād like to do for your next performance?
Towa: I havenāt really sat down and thought about it a lot yet, butā¦
Towa: The theme of our debut play was āvirtual,ā and we all thought that was easy to work with since it was something we all had in common, so I think itād be good if we kept moving in that same sorta direction, I guess~.
Tsuzuru: Gotcha. Well, if thereās anything we can do to lend you guys a hand, just let us know, and weāll do our best.
Towa: Thank you so much!
Towa: Things are going to get busy for you guys, too, when the finals roll around, right? Have you already started thinking about ideas for what you guys are gonna do for them?
Tsuzuru: Nah, weāre not anywhere near that yet either. We probably wonāt start doing anything until the details about the finals are announced.
Towa: Since the preliminary round of the Fleur Cup ended, things sure have been getting a lot more exciting in the world of theater as a whole, huh?
Tsuzuru: Yeah, when they announced the Fleur Cup, a lot of new theater companies started popping up out of nowhere, but it seems like things are still moving along steadily even at this stage.
Towa: There are recruitment things for troupe members everywhere, and even the number of kids in theater troupes at school has gone up, too.
Towa: KICS is gonna have to give it our all if we donāt wanna be buried by everyone else!
Tsuzuru: Youāve got our support.
Towa: Make sure MANKAI Company does their best for the finals, too! Iāll definitely be coming to watch you guys!!
With the theater companies competing in the Fleur Cup finals now decided, the world of theater is beginning to show signs of new activity. Amid this activity, the four members of KICS are staging a rerun of their debut performance while spending their days learning the ins and outs of behind-the-scenes workāstudying everything from scriptwriting and costume design to makeup and directing.
One day, itās announced that an additional slot will be created due to one of the theater troupes withdrawing from the Fleur Cup finals. Filled with excitement at this unexpected opportunity and the chance to share a stage with the theater company heās always admired, Towaās hopes are higher than ever until he happens to overhear some harsh comments coming from some audience membersā.
[A3!] Towa Ichinoe | [R] The Arrival of a New Style | A Special Mentaiko Onigiri
Towa: Well, looks like the shop is gonna be quiet again today, so I guess Iāll start by tidying up around the storefrontā¦
Towa: ā¦Huh? Itās a flower keychain capsule toy machine. This wasnāt here before, right?
Towaās Aunt: We just got it today. The design is really cute, so I thought Iād have it here until it runs out of capsules as a sort of limited-time thing.
Towa: Oh, okay. Yeah, it is pretty cute. Can I give it a try later, too?
*Shop bell rings*
???: Hello.
Towa: (!! That voice wasā¦!)
Towa: T-Tsumugi-san! Welcomeā¦!
Tsumugi: Hello, Towa-kun. Good job working today.
Towa: I-Itās nothing, really! Um, what are you doing here today?
Tsumugi: Iām on my way back from seeing the performance Misumi-kun was appearing in as a guest performer. I happened to pass by the shop and thought Iād stop in.
Towa: Whoa, Misumi-sanās performanceā¦!
Towa: I donāt know the details of it, but Iām sure he was really super coolā¦
Tsumugi: He played the role of the protagonistās friend and rival. His character was a bit cocky, but also really charming in a way where you just couldnāt help but like him.
Tsumugi: I was really moved by his frustrated expressions and gestures, and his acting in the scene where he clashes with the protagonists was also wonderful, andā¦
Towa: Whoaā¦!
Tsumugi: ā¦Ah, Iām sorry, I didnāt mean to interrupt while youāre working.
Towa: No, donāt worry about it at all! I didnāt really have much to do anyway, so Iām glad I got the chance to talk with you, Tsumugi-san!
Tsumugi: Hehe, Iām glad.
Tsumugi: ā¦Oh, youāve got a capsule toy machine. Have you always had this?
Towa: My aunt just got it today, and she said weād have it here as a limited-time thing until it runs out of capsules.
Tsumugi: I see. Ooh, they have flower keychains in them. Theyāre really cute. May I give it a try?
Towa: Of course!
Tsumugi: Well then, Iāll just put a coin in, andā¦ I wonder what Iāll get.
*Machine rattles*
Tsumugi: And, inside the capsule isā¦ Ah, itās a narcissus. Hehe, how nice.
Towa: Whoa, you got a narcissus on your first try! T-Thatās incredibleā¦! You sure are luckyā¦
Tsumugi: That reminds me, lately, Misumi-kun has been talking about how heās been playing this onigiri capsule toy machine quite often.
Towa: Wait, an onigiri one!? Iād be interested in that one tooā¦!
Tsumugi: Ahaha, it does have to do with rice, doesnāt it?
Tsumugi: Apparently, there are lots of different ones, each with different fillings, and they all seem to have their own unique character. I saw some of them, and they are really cute keychains.
Towa: Thatās awesomeā¦! Iāll have to try finding that capsule toy machine too!
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Towa: (I looked up that onigiri capsule toy machine Tsumugi-san told me about, and they really were super cute.)
Towa: (Iāve just gotta have oneā¦! According to what I found, it should be around here somewhereā¦)
Towa: ā¦Ah, here! Alright, cāmon, mentaikoā¦!
*Machine rattles*
Towa: Uuehā¦ these are all cute, but none of them are the mentaiko oneā¦ I guess that makes sense, since thatās just one of the kinds out of so manyā¦
Towa: O-One more timeā.
Towa: (ā¦Hm? Ah, I didnāt even notice that someone came up behind me!)
Towa: Iām sorry! Did you wanna play this one?
Misumi: Can I~?
Towa: Wait, WHAT!? M-Misumi-san!?
Ā· ā āā Ł ā Ł āā ā Ā·
Misumi: Oh, itās Towa~. Hello!
Towa: H-Hello!
Misumi: So you were playing this capsule toy machine, too. Did you get the onigiri you wanted~?
Towa: Wellā¦ I wanted the mentaiko one, but I didnāt get it, and now Iāve just got a bunch of dupes.
Towa: See, Iāve got five of the salmon ones. I mean, the salmon one is still cute, of course, butā¦!
Towa: Which ones were you aiming for, Misumi-san?
Misumi: Theyāre all onigiri, so I love āem all the same~. Thatās ācause these onigiri are all triangle onigiri!
Misumi: But I didnāt get any of the mentaiko ones either. If I had any, I wouldāve traded with you. Sorry.
Towa: Nonono! You donāt need to apologize, Misumi-san!
Towa: Um, here, if you donāt have one of the salmon ones, you can have one of mine.
Misumi: Really? I didnāt have any of the salmon ones! Iām really glad! Thanks, Towa~!
Towa: (I never woulda thought thatād make Misumi-san this happyā¦ Just that alone makes me really glad I gave it to himā¦!)
Misumi: Okay, Iām gonna try playing this capsule toy machine too then~. I hope itās the mentaiko one!
*Machine rattles*
Misumi: Aww, it wasnāt a mentaiko one~. And now the machineās completely empty.
Towa: So there werenāt even any mentaiko ones in thereā¦
Misumi: Well, why donāt we go and look for them somewhere else?
Towa: ā¦Huh? L-Like you and me together?
*Misumi grabs Towa*
Misumi: Yeah! Letās go mentaiko hunting!
Towa: Wait, WHAT!? Thereās no way I could ask you to do thatā¦! Uuwahwah, even being dragged by the arm by you is too much of an honor, M-Misumi-san!
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Misumi: Any onigiri here~?
Towa: R-Right here!
Towa: But it looks like someone is playing it right now. ā¦Hm? They kinda look familiarā¦
Misumi: ā¦Huh~? Director-san?
Izumi: Ah, Misumi-kun! ā¦And Towa-kun, too! Youāre not the duo I wouldāve expected.
Izumi: Misumi-kun, I just found the onigiri capsule toy machine you were looking for, and I was about to give it a go.
Misumi: Waaah, thanks, Director-san! Me and Towa came looking for this capsule toy machine, too~.
Izumi: What a coincidence! I came here looking to play the Kareko-chan capsule toy machine, andā¦
Towa: ā¦Kareko-chan?
Izumi: Wait, donāt tell me, do you not know who Kareko-chan isā¦!?
Izumi: So, Kareko-chan isā!
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Izumi: āAnd so lately, theyāve really been going all in on merch and capsule toys like this, soā¦
Izumi: Eep! I-Iām sorry! I canāt believe I got so carried awayā¦!
Towa: No, itās okay, you can yap about your oshi for as long as youād like! If youād be okay with it, Iād love to listen to you talk for as long as youād like!
Misumi: And ācause I love triangles so much, I know exactly how you feel, Director-san~.Ā
Izumi: You two are so kind and understandingā¦
Izumi: But you wanted to play this capsule toy machine, right? Here, go ahead!
Misumi: āKaaay, give it a go, Towa!
Towa: Okay!
Misumi: Oh, but it looks like thereās only two of them left.
Towa: Oh, yeah, youāre right. Well, why donāt we each give it a shot, then?
*Machine rattles*
Misumi: Dang it~. Neither of them is the mentaiko one~. Sad, sad.Ā
Towa: Guess itās just a hard one to get, huhā¦
Misumi: If I find another one of these machines, Iāll be sure to give it another try!
Izumi: Same here! So donāt lose hope, Towa-kun!
Towa: Misumi-san, Director-sanā¦ Thank you so muchā¦!
Towa: Aaah, MANKAI Company really is just so warm and friendlyā¦
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
*Shop bell rings*
Misumi: Hello! Is Towa here~?
Towa: Misumi-san! What brings you here?
Misumi: Ah, there you are! This is for you, Towa~. One mentaiko onigiri keychain!
Towa: Whā¦ WHAT!? Can I really have this!
Misumi: Of course, here you go!
Misumi: I happened to find an arcade near the place where Iām doing my guest performance~. I played it just one time, and I got it!
Towa: UWAAH, thank you so much! I really am super happy! Iāll take extra good care of itā¦!
Misumi: Ehehe, Iām glad giving it to you made you so happy~.
Towa: Not only is this the mentaiko onigiri keychain I was looking for, but to then get it from you, Misumi-sanā¦!
Towa: (That just makes it even more specialā¦!)
Towa: (Iām way too afraid I might accidentally drop it somewhere, so Iāll just keep it safely displayed in my room instead of attaching it to somethingā¦!)
[A3!] Event | With love to you All | EP: Thanks to You
Tsumugi: Sorry, Tenma-kun. Were you waiting long?
Tenma: Nah, I just got here.
Tsumugi: Iām glad. Ah, you finished shooting for your movie today, right? Good work.
Tenma: Thanks. We were finally able to wrap things up thanks to filming being pushed back.
Tsumugi: Now that all the other teams have gotten through their White Day events safely, all thatās left is the thank-you party.
Tenma: Yeah. Well, I guess itās about time for me to go and grab our star of the day.
Tsumugi: Yes, letās all do our parts.
Tenma: Is she in her room?
Tsumugi: I believe Sakyo-san just asked her to do something, so yes, she should be in there right now.
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
*Knock on door*
Tenma: Director, do you have a second?
*Door opens*
Izumi: Whatās up?
Tenma: Weāve come to pick you up, Princess.
Tsumugi: Please take our hands. Weāll escort you to a wonderful party.
Izumi: What!? I have no clue whatās going on, but thank youā¦?
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Sakuya: Thank you as always, Director!
Everyone: Thank you!
Izumi: Erā¦ whereās this coming from so suddenly?
Banri: We thought weād throw you a party to show you how much we appreciate you always takinā care of us, Director-chan.
Izumi: Thatās why!? Iām certainly surprised, but thatās so sweet of you! Thank you!
Kazunari: Well then, letās get this party started!
Omi: Firstly, Iām sure youāre hungry, so why donāt you have something to eat?
Masumi: We made you your favorite curry.
Izumi: Wait, really? Thank you, I canāt wait to have some.
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Izumi: ā¦Thank you for the meal. Everything was delicious!
Kumon: Well then, now that weāre all feeling full, itās time to move on!
Muku: Next up is the āWhatās the theme?ā segment.
Izumi: Huh? Do you mean likeā¦
Kumon: Yeah, just like the segment we did for our White Day event!
Muku: First, a pair of two will draw a prompt from this box, and then theyāll do a 30-second etude.
Kumon: And if you say the prompt during it, youāre disqualified!
Muku: Everyone else will try to guess what the prompt is.
Kumon: And the ones doing the etude will beā¦ Director and Hisoka-san!
Izumi: Iām included in this!?
Masumi: It wasnāt me with the directorā¦
Izumi: Letās do our best so that people have a shot at guessing, Hisoka-san!
Hisoka: This is kinda a pain, butā¦ Iāll do my best if you say so, Director.
Muku: Well then, please start your etude. And, go!
Izumi: āUghhhā¦ c-canāt believe weāre catching the last train again.ā
Hisoka: āRight, Iām exhaustedā¦ā
Izumi: āYou just started here, so, um, this must be rough for you, right?ā
Hisoka: āYouāre telling me. I thought this was supposed to be one of those clean companies that lets you leave on timeā¦ā
*Timer beeps*
Kumon: And, cut!
Muku: Now that their 30 seconds are up, please raise your hand if you know what the prompt is.
Everyone: Got it!
Muku: Yes, Citron-sama!
Citron: The prompt is āworking overtimeā!
Kumon: So close!
Muku: Umm, you can guess next, Alice-san.
Homare: āNew employees working overtime.ā
Kumon: Whoa, thatās correct!
Izumi: We did it, Hisoka-san!
Hisoka: Yeah. But I think it was a pretty easy one.
Citron: How frustratingā¦!
Kumon: Well then, next in line to do an etude areā¦
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Kazunari: Sooo, I know the partyās like really popping and all, butā¦
Itaru: LMAO, that was some real officer worker behavior.
Chikage: I get that a lot.
Kazunari: Gonna need you two to zip your lips! So, anyway, as I was sayingā¦ last, but not least, weāve gotta give our present to Director-chan over here!
Izumi: Huhā¦?
Tenma: This is a present from all of us.
Banri: Itās already spring, but itās still pretty cold out, so we got you a scarf.
Tsumugi: Weād love for you to use it.
Sakuya: Itās filled with our appreciation for you for always supporting us. Letās keep working hard as a company so that we can win the Fleur Award, Director!
Izumi: ā¦Thank you, guys. Iām just as thankful for all of you.
Izumi: And because of that, here.
Tenma: Is this an album?
Izumi: Yeah, itās an album I made using the instant photos I took of you guys at your White Day events.
Izumi: I was waiting for the right moment to give it to you, so I had just been keeping it in this drawer here, but Iām glad the opportunity presented itself.
Izumi: Iād love for all of you to take a look at it.
Sakuya: Directorā¦ we love it! Thank you so much!
Everyone: Thank you!
Izumi: Youāre welcome! Letās keep on putting on great plays, guys!
Sakuya: Sorry that weāve kept you waiting so many timesā¦
Tsumugi: The event was supposed to end with our farewells after this, butā¦
Banri: Itās snowinā pretty hard out there, so it looks like the trains and buses are gonna be a little delayed.
Yuki: Obviously, itād be dangerous to just walk home, but since it seems like the snow should stop in an hour or two, we figured weād extend the event.
Audience: Thanks!
Tsuzuru: But weāre sure that some of you might have other plans, so if any of you are able to get home by other means or if any of you have to go, please feel free to do so.
Audience: Okay!
Tenma: Anyway, so we were thinking about what to do with the remaining time, andā¦
Tenma: Since this is a White Day event, after all, we decided we might as well do a little photo session with all of you as our way of giving you return gifts.
*Applause*
Audience: Kyaaah!!
Audience: Thatās great!
Yuki: Seeing how happy you all are makes the effort worthwhile.
Sakuya: Now then, starting with the people in the first row, please follow the instructions given to you by the staff members.
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Tsuzuru: Looks like thatās it for the photoshoot.
Sakuya: Thank you so much, everyone!
Audience: Thank you!
Yuki: Make sure you take good care of those pictures you took with us.
Audience: We will!
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Staff: The snowās stopped!
Izumi: Phew, just in the nick of time. Iāll let the guys know with a cue card!
Staff: Please do!
Izumi: āThe snow has stopped, so weāre all good to wrap things up!āā¦There. Iāll just show this to the stage, andā¦ hopefully someone looks this way!
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Tenma: (Hm? The directorās showing us a cue card from backstageā¦ Good, I guess the snow has stopped.)
Banri: Oh, looks like itās quit snowinā.
Tsumugi: Well, I suppose that means itās about time for our farewells. Iāll go firstā¦ since weāre running late, Iāll keep things brief.
Tsumugi: I had a great time. I know this event was supposed to be a return gift to you all, but I feel like the one who really got a gift was me.
Tsumugi: Thank you so much, everyone.
Banri: Thanks for today. Did yāall have fun with this White Day event?
Audience: We did!
Banri: I had fun, too. Keep supportinā us from now on, yeah?
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Sakuya: Thank you!
Tenma: Get home safe.
Sakuya: Ah, Tenma-kun. One of our fans is striking a pose!
Tenma: Oh, they are. Wanna do it back at them?
Sakuya: Yeah!
Tenma: Letās do it. Andā¦ pow!
Audience: Kyaaah!
Sakuya: The pose went like this, right!?
Audience: So cute!
Sakuya: Ah, thank you to all of you in the back, too!
Tenma: Thanks.
Tsuzuru: Thanks for staying for so long.
Banri: See ya.
Tsumugi: Be sure to get home safely.
Yuki: Iām sure weāll meet again, so just sit tight until then.
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Yuki: Cold.
Tenma: Is it really snowing again?
Izumi: Ah, it seems like it. Though I guess those of us who had a bit to drink might not be feeling as cold.
Yuki: The only ones who werenāt drinking were Tenma and meā¦
Banri: I know we came back to see it just for the hell of it, but damn, this bridge really is pretty.
Tsuzuru: Yeah, and seeing it in the snow makes it even more so.
Tenma: Seems like everyone had a good time at the event today.
Tsumugi: Yes, Iām glad we held it.
Sakuya: Yeah, Iād love to do something like this again someday!
Izumi: There are still the other teamsā White Day events left to do, but Iām sure those will be just as lively!
Tsumugi: I agree.
Yuki: ā¦Okay, yeah, this is pretty and all, but itās also freezing out here. Letās get back to the hotel.
Tsuzuru: Yeah, wouldnāt wanna catch a cold.
Banri: I guess the cold has got me sobered up now.
Tenma: (ā¦Since weāre here, I might as well take a picture and post it on Inste.)
*Camera clicks*
Thanks for coming to our White Day event. We went to see this bridge, which is an important cultural landmark. Itās even more beautiful at night.
Sakuya: Thatās going to make getting back home tricky for everyoneā¦
Tsumugi: Thatās true. Not only is it dangerous to walk home in the snow, but Iām sure there are people who need buses or taxis to get home, too.
Tsuzuru: And on top of that, are they all just gonna have to leave and go out in the cold as soon as the eventās overā¦?
Banri: Howās the radar lookinā?
Staff: Looking at the radar, it seems like things should stop in about an hour or two.
Yuki: Thereās still a bit of the event left, but I donāt think itās an hour or twoās worth of stuffā¦
Tenma: Does the venue need to close as soon as the eventās over?
Staff: Technically, thatās what the contract says.
Izumi: If weāre able to get an extension, maybe weād be able to keep the attendees here until the snow stopsā¦
Staff: Huh!? I donāt know if we can justā¦
Izumi: Donāt worry about it. Since Iām the one who handled the reservation, Iāll call to see if we can get approval to do that.
Banri: Aight, so what do we gotta do?
Yuki: Yeah, weāve got everyone in there just waiting right nowā¦
Tsuzuru: I donāt think we can just leave them waiting like that until the director gets backā¦
Sakuya: So, letās just keep things moving forward until she gets back!
Tsumugi: Originally, it was supposed to be the raffle after this, but the merch we were going to use for it hasnāt arrived yet, so what do we doā¦?
Banri: Well, that leaves us with one option then.
Tenma: Right. Weāll move the final song up.
Sakuya: Sorry, but are you able to pull the music up now?
Staff: We can do that! Iāll get it ready ASAP!
Sakuya: Thank you so much!
Tsumugi: Sorry about all of this. We really appreciate it.
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Tenma: Sorry to keep you all waiting.
Tsuzuru: Right now, weāll be signing a medley of a few songs, so we hope you enjoy.
Banri: Letās all get into it!
Tsumugi: This is the song weāll be starting with.
Sakuya: ~āŖ
Yuki: ~~āŖ
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Sakuya: Iām glad everyone was just as excited about the singing part!
Tsuzuru: They did seem pretty happy with it.
Yuki: I guess it ended up being a good thing that we made the medley a little longer than we usually would.
Izumi: Thanks for keeping things moving along, guys! You did a really great job with the singing part!
Tenma: So, whatās the deal with the venue?
Izumi: Given the circumstances, they said itād be okay to keep the venue open for another two hours.
Sakuya: Thank goodness!
Banri: That said, the only things weāve got left that we prepared for the event are the raffleāwhich we donāt got any of the stuff forāand our final goodbyes.
Tsumugi: For the raffle, we could just send the things out by mail at a later date, butā¦ I donāt think itāll take up all that much time.
Tsuzuru: Yeahā¦ Thatāll take us like 15 minutes at most.
Sakuya: I donāt want to just end the event while the attendees are still just stuck in the venueā¦
Yuki: I wish there was something else we could do.
Tsumugi: Hmmā¦ the only things that I can think of doing to occupy the time that weād be able to do without having to prepare are continuing the Q&A session or doing another etude.
Izumi: Thatās a good point; those would be two things that we could do! But would that be enough, thoughā¦?
Tenma: (Something that would make the audience happy even while theyāre stuck waitingā¦)
Tenma: (Wait, that reminds me of that line in my movie scriptā.)
Tenma: (āIf I hold a photo session where I take pictures with them using this instant camera and give the pictures to them as a White Day gift, Iām sure theyāll all love it!ā)
Tenma: (That just might workā¦)
Tenma: Sakuya, do you have your instant camera with you?
Sakuya: Yeah, itās in the dressing room, thoughā¦
Tenma: Why donāt we explain the situation to all of them, and then offer them the opportunity to take a picture with their favorite troupe member until the snow stops or until we have to close the venue?
Tenma: We could give the instant photos to the attendees as gifts. Itād be a way for us to kill the time, and Iām sure theyād all be happy with it.
Yuki: I see. Thatās not half bad.
Yuki: But are we sure thereās enough film for that?
Tsumugi: There likely isnāt enoughā¦
Staff: In that case, please feel free to make use of the things we have here! Iām pretty sure we use the same kind of film.
Sakuya: Yeah, it is the same! Thank you so much!
Tsuzuru: So weāre good on the film, but, given the number of people in the audience, are we sure weāll be able to get through taking pictures with all of them in timeā¦?
Sakuya: Um, Director. You brought your instant camera with you, right!?
Izumi: Ah! Thatās right, I did! Iāll go grab it right away!
Banri: If weāve got two cameras, then we should be able to finish in time.
Tenma: Yeah, with this, we should be able to take things to the very end.
Tenma: (Damn, I never wouldāve thought my movie script would come in handy like thisā¦)
Sakuya: Banri-kun, Yuki-kun, Iām gonna take another picture of you guys!
*Camera clicks*
*Knock on door and door opens*
Izumi: Itās nearly time to get things started. Are you guys ready
Sakuya: Ah, Director!
Tsuzuru: Everythingās good with the preparations.
Yuki: And weāre all set with our costumes and makeup.
Izumi: Great. Oh, right. Iāve gathered up the papers for the Q&A session.
Banri: Thanks. You can just put those papers in this box here.
Izumi: Okay, Iāll do that!
Tenma: Well then, letās go.
Tsumugi: Letās all be sure to have fun.
Sakuya: And letās show the audience just how thankful we are!
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Yuki: And thatās it for āWhich play is this costume from?ā
Tsumugi: Thank you so much!
*Applause*
Tsuzuru: I swear I knew the answer, I just didnāt get the buzzer in timeā¦
Sakuya: Same here. Banri-kunās just that good at buzzing in.
Audience: Heās so cool!
Banri: It aināt like I did anythinā that special.
Tenma: I lost to you with the buzzer during the āWhoās line is this?ā section, too, Banri-san. Are we sure these things arenāt riggedā¦?
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Tenma: Well then, next is the Q&A section. Banri-san and I will be the ones hosting.
Banri: Letās do this.
Banri: Anyway, thanks to all of you who wrote down questions in the lobby. The slips of paper with your questions on them are all in this box.
Tenma: So, each of you is gonna get a turn picking a slip of paper from the box and then answering the question written on it. Tsuzuru-san, youāre up first.
Tsuzuru: Got it. Iāll go ahead and grab on then. Hmmā¦ here.
Tsuzuru: This question is from Sasadango-san. Thank you so much. (1)
Everyone: Thank you!
Tsuzuru: Their question isā¦ āMy kids are still too young to go to theaters, so Iām really glad that you came all the way here!ā
Tsuzuru: āAs for my question, Iād really like to visit MANKAI Theater and Veludo Way someday.ā
Tsuzuru: āIād love it if you could tell me about some places and shops youād recommend that are on or around Veludo Way.ā
Tenma: I see. Sakuya, do you have any places youād recommend?
Sakuya: If you like theater, then Iād recommend Veludo Station!
Sakuya: There are always flyers for new productions by lots of different theater companies posted around the station, so itās a great place to discover new plays.
Tsuzuru: I donāt know when exactly youāll come, Sasadango-san, but that area is currently undergoing redevelopment, so that could make it extra worth checking out.
Banri: You got anything to add, Tsumugi-san?
Tsumugi: Since Sakuya-kun answered with things related to theater, I guess Iāll recommend something more on the relaxing side.
Tsumugi: Iām sure itās no surprise, but Iād recommend some of the flower shops. They sometimes carry flowers that you wonāt find at normal flower shops, so itās fun to stop and take a look to see what they have.
Yuki: It might be a little unrealistic to travel all the way to Veludo just to bring some flowers back home with you, but even just going and taking a look at them is definitely worth it.
Yuki: They look beautiful even from outside the shops, and the flowers all smell wonderful, tooā¦ Sometimes when I walk past the shops, it even helps me come up with designs for my costumes.
Tsumugi: Wait, really? I never knew that.
Tenma: So, not only can it be relaxing, but it can help spark your inspiration, too, so if you come to Veludo, you should definitely check those out.
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Sakuya: Next up is the performance part!
Tsumugi: This time, we havenāt decided on anything but the theme, so we donāt have a script.
Yuki: Since itās basically an etude, even we donāt know what kind of story itāll end up being.
Audience Member A: Whoa!
Audience Member B: I canāt wait!
Tsuzuru: The theme is āThe Kingdomās Party.ā
Tenma: Well then, we hope you enjoy this one-time performance.
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Cast
Sakuya - Riley
Tsuzuru - Ferris
Tenma - Alistair
Yuki - Lios
Banri - Xeno
Tsumugi - Luce
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Alistair: āGood lord, as always, this countryās parties sure are glamorous.ā
Riley: āGood evening, Prince Alistair. With the dress code being blue and white, I nearly didnāt recognize you.ā
Alistair: āI couldāve said the same with you at the party for the day of love, Prince Riley. It really is an issue that all of us men tend to dress so similarly, isnāt it?ā
Ferris: āWith everything being all the same colors, it really is a painstaking ordeal trying to spot your acquaintances. I thought I was never going to be able to find you, Prince Riley.ā
Riley: āIf you hadnāt found me, I just wouldāve gone looking for you myself, Prince Ferris.ā
Luce: āItās been a while, Prince Alistair.ā
Alistair: āAhh, so you came as well, Prince Luce.ā
Luce: āWell, I was personally invited by His Majesty.ā
Alistair: āAh, I seeā¦ I suppose you canāt really turn down a direct invitation, can you?ā
Riley: āHave you been well, Prince Xeno?ā
Xeno: āYeah, you ainātā¦ I mean, you seem well, too.ā
Ferris: āPrince Lios, please donāt start drinking. Or at least be careful, considering youāre a lightweight.ā
Lios: āYou donāt have to tell me that since I wonāt be drinking today in the first place. Today is an important day to me, after allā¦ā
Ferris: āAn important dayā¦?ā
Luce: āItās White Day, isnāt it?ā
Lios: āPrecisely. The day when you return the love youāve been given is important, wouldnāt you say?ā
Alistair: āDoes that mean you have someone youāre returning it to?ā
Lios: āWell, something like that.ā
Ferris: āActually, I got a gift from someone for Valentineās Day. I wonder if she maybe has a crush on me.ā
Luce: āActually, Iāve been preparing something to give to her in return. Itāll be a confession of my love.ā
Xeno: āI also plan to give her something in this very ballroom. First, Iāll ask her to be my dance partner, and then Iāll ask her to be my life partner.ā
Lios: āThereās no way sheāll turn me down. No one would ever dream of turning down an invitation from a princeā¦ā
Riley: āAre you certain about thatā¦? I thought the important part was supposed to be what you give.ā
Alistair: āWell, I got her something that I know sheāll be overjoyed with.ā
Xeno: āHah, what really matters more than anything is how valuable and rare the thing youāre giving is! My gift to her is a one-of-a-kind beauty that not another person in the world could replicate.ā
Luce: āI think that something made with love is far superior to anything like that, though.ā
Lios: āBoth of you have a point. Thatās why Iāve prepared something for her that does both of those things.ā
Izumi: (Just as the princes start to brag to one another, the princess appearsā¦)
Alistair: āOh, there she is. Sheās my beloved princess.ā
Ferris: āYou must be mistaken. Sheās the one who gave me a Valentineās Day gift.ā
Xeno: āYo, hold on! She gave me somethinā, too.ā
Riley: āPrince Xeno, youāre so shocked that your demeanor is slippingā¦!ā
Xeno: āHuh? Ah, erā¦ my bad. Didnāt mean to lose my cool like that.ā
Alistair: āI see, so thatās how he truly isā¦ā
Luce: āAhem. Anyway, it seems that weāve all received gifts from the same princess.ā
Lios: āSo whoās actually her real favoriteā¦?ā
Riley: āCan everyone just please calm down? I really donāt think itās a good idea to make a scene like this hereā¦ā
Alistair: āExactly. At this point, the only way to settle who gets to be her dance partner is by having all of us give her our gifts.ā
Izumi: (One by one, the princes all give their confessions to the princessā¦)
Riley: āI havenāt been able to stop thinking about you all this time. I still treasure the things you gave me.ā
Ferris: āThe gift you gave me is my most precious treasure. So, will you please accept this gift from me in return?ā
Luce: āPrincess, I treasure you dearly. I hope youāll accept these sincere feelings of mine.ā
Xeno: āIāve had plenty of women whisper their love to me before, but youāre the first one whoās ever made me take things this seriously!ā
Lios: āTo be honest, I used to not care about love all that much. But now, I really do care about you.ā
Izumi: (One after another, the princes give their confessions. However, each of them is completely rejected. Finally, the last one left isā¦)
Alistair: āValentineās Dayā¦ Princess, when I received that gift from you on that day of love, I knew for sure how you felt.ā
Alistair: āThatās why, now itās my turn to share my feelings. Please, will you dance with me at this ball? I love you.ā
Alistair: āā¦I-I mean, what!? Ah, ummā¦ no, itās nothing.ā
Alistair: āI-I see. So thereās someone elseā¦ If thatās the case, then whyā¦ never mind, I think Iāll just gallantly step aside.ā
Alistair: āā¦Gh, I never expected it to end like this. Well, at least this will be nice to have as a memory somedayā¦ā
Xeno: āā¦Aight, then letās all suffer together, fellow princes! I mean, obviously, I was pretty dashing, but you guys werenāt too bad yourselves!ā
Everyone: āUughā¦ā
Luce: āā¦I-I suppose this yearās White Day has turned out to be a day of bitter memories for all of us.ā
*Applause*
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Sakuya: Our performance was a huge success!
Tenma: Yeah. Iām glad it seemed like the audience enjoyed it just as much as we did.
Banri: Now all thatās left is to do the raffle and give our last goodbyes.
Staff: ā¦So thatās the situation.
Izumi: That really is a problemā¦
Tenma: Hm? Whatās wrong?
Izumi: Well, even though the event is almost over, itās practically a blizzard out thereā¦
Izumi: Which means the buses and trains are pretty significantly delayed.
Izumi: And because of those traffic issues, the things for the raffle havenāt gotten here yetā¦
(1) Sasadango (ē¬¹å£å; lit. ābamboo leaf dangoā) is a kind of dango made with mugwort and red bean paste thatās steamed in a bamboo leaf, and is considered to be one of the Japanese confections representative of Niigata Prefecture. Here, Iām guessing itās being used as someoneās nickname and is maybe supposed to hint at where they are, given that the whole thing is that this is them doing a regional event.
Tenma: We did get up pretty early. Itāll still be a while until we get there, so why donāt you just get some sleep?
Sakuya: Yeah, maybe I should do that. Sorry, Iām gonna rest for a little bit.
Tenma: Yeah, sleep well.
Sakuya: Zzzā¦
Tenma: ( ā¦Shooting is just around the corner, so I guess Iāll start digging into the movie script.)
*Page turns*
Tenma: (This one scene is still really standing out to me, no matter how many times I read it.)
Tenma: (After hearing from a friend about a photo session with an idol, I decide to do my own photo session on White Dayā¦)
Tenma: (Basically, as a way of being like āif you gave me chocolates for Valentineās Day and want a return gift, come over hereāā¦)
Tenma: (Maybe thatās just the tradeoff of being so popular from your looks alone, but the character Iām playing really does have some crazy ideas.)
Tenma: (Iāll have to work out a few more details before I can really take on this roleā¦)
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Tenma: Iām glad it didnāt end up snowing even though they said it would.
Tsumugi: The sky does still look kind of iffy, though, so it might end up snowing any minute nowā¦
Yuki: Yeah, it does look a little off.
Izumi: Whoa, you guys got here fast!
Banri: Oh, looks like Director-chanās here.
Tsuzuru: Well, we did head out as soon as we dropped our stuff off.
Izumi: Gotcha. Well, why donāt we head over to the event venue right away, then?
Sakuya: Yeah!
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Sakuya: Whoa, it really is snowing!
Yuki: According to the forecast, it looks like it should stop soon.
Tsumugi: We donāt usually see snow like this in Veludo, so itās kind of a refreshing change.
Banri: Damn, didnāt realize there was a park this close to the venue.
Tenma: The relaxing atmosphere is pretty nice.
Tsumugi: It is spring, so it seems like the cherry blossoms are getting ready to bloom.
Izumi: If only it had been a month later, we mightāve been able to see them. ā¦Ah, it looks like the entrance to the venue is this way.
Tsuzuru: Alright, letās head in that direction.
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Izumi: There donāt seem to be any issues with the lighting or sound systems.
Yuki: Everythingās set with the costumes and makeup, too.
Tsuzuru: Not seeing any problems over here.
Izumi: Thanks.
Sakuya: Since I finished checking the stage decorations fairly quickly, I asked one of the staff members to show me around some of the equipment rooms and whatnot.
Sakuya: It looks like they have all sorts of things to use as equipment here that were donated or otherwise given to the venue.
Sakuya: Theyāve got party supplies, stationery, display panelsā¦ and they even had tripods and film, too!
Banri: Huh, itās kinda odd to find stuff like that layinā around a venue like this. That reminds me, the stuff for the raffleās supposed to be gettinā here tomorrow, right?
Tsumugi: Yes. Itāll be cutting it a bit close, since we made the decision to do the raffle so late.
Tenma: Weāre the first ones hosting the event, so why donāt we check over things one more time?
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Sakuya: The stage decorations were really cute!
Izumi: They really do have that White Day feel. Are they the same for the other teams?
Tenma: The other teams have the same decorations, just with slightly different colors to better match the costumes.
Izumi: Gotcha. I canāt wait to see the other teamsā decorations.
Yuki: Hey, the snowās stopped.
Tsuzuru: Oh yeah, youāre rightā¦ Just like the forecast said.
Tsumugi: Yes. Letās just hope the same goes for tomorrowā¦
Banri: Aight, whatāre we doinā after this?
Izumi: Since weāve come all this way, why donāt we get something to eat somewhere and look around the area a bit?
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Sakuya: Dinner was really good!
Tenma: It really is nice visiting different regions and trying foods that you can only really eat there, isnāt it?
Izumi: Yeah, Iām definitely satisfied.
Tsuzuru: ā¦Now that I think about it, isnāt this bridge considered an important cultural landmark?
Tsumugi: Yes, I think it is. I saw something about that in the guidebook.
Banri: Huh, I guess it does look pretty nice from this angle.
Yuki: It really stands out with it being night, too.
Sakuya: ā¦Right, my camera! I brought it with me because I thought Iād take some pictures.
Izumi: Ah, so you brought an instant camera, too!
Sakuya: Yeah! Since it prints the photos right away, I was thinking of taking a picture of all of us as a team as a memento of our regional trip and then giving it to you guys.
Izumi: I see. I actually ended up leaving mine at the hotel todayā¦
Izumi: I thought I might take some pictures of you guys in your costumes and use them for something, so I brought my camera, just in case.
Izumi: Hehe, but I guess since you brought yours with you, I didnāt actually need it anyway!
Sakuya: Thatās not necessarily true! We can take way more pictures with two cameras!
Tenma: Exactly. Photos look different depending on the photographerās point of view, so it could be nice to have two people taking them.
Izumi: I suppose thatās true.
Sakuya: Well then, Iād like to take some pictures of you guys. Tenma-kun and Tsuzuru-kun, you can be first!
Banri: Imma take some pics of the bridge with my phone in the meantime.
Yuki: Thatād be the perfect sorta thing to post on Inste.
Izumi: (ā¦Iām glad that it seems like theyāre all able to have some fun doing a bit of sightseeing.)
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Yuki: Good thing it turned out to be sunny.
Tenma: Great weather for an event.
Tsuzuru: Hopefully it doesnāt start snowing.
Tsumugi: I am a bit worried about that.
Sakuya: But Iām still really looking forward to the event!
Banri: Team Fourās event is the first outta all of āem, so weāve gotta make a damn good one.
Izumi: Hehe, exactly. Well, letās head to the venue.
Tenma: (I was thinking of heading back to my room, but since theyāre working on making the final adjustments to the costumes there now, Iāll just read my script here.)
*Page turns*
Tenma: (Oh, okay. So I lost the note with the names of the people who gave me chocolates, and now I donāt know who Iām supposed to give thank-you gifts back to.)
Tenma: (ā¦And then a friend of mine eagerly tells me about a photo session with some idols at their Valentineās Day concert.)
Tenma: ā¦So is that supposed to be a clue to the answer?
Tsumugi: Ah, Tenma-kun. Are you reading the script for your movie?
Tenma: Yeah, they just got it over to me, so I thought Iād skim through it.
Tenma: By the way, how did the reservations go for the photo shoot locations for the merch raffle?
Tsumugi: We were able to get everything reserved just as we hoped. Weāve already ordered the decorations for the studio, too.
Tenma: So youāve got it all taken care of? Thanks, Tsumugi-san.
Tsumugi: It was nothing. The studioās going to look almost like a Western-style castle, so Iām looking forward to the photo shoot.
Tenma: Right? Itāll match nicely with the costumes, so Iām sure the pictures will be great.
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Tsuzuru: Masumi and Kumon, what are your guysā teams gonna do at your events aside from the performance?
Masumi: Weāre planning on doing magic.
Tsumugi: Iām sure the guests will love that.
Kumon: Weāre thinking of playing some games, like picture shiritori!
Yuki: Ooh, that sounds fun.
Izumi: I bet thatās going to be a blast.
Tenma: (Maybe I should talk to them about the shoot, given that the rest of Team Four and the director are all here right nowā¦)
Tenma: So, thereās something Iāve been meaning to tell you guysā¦
Izumi: Whatās up, Tenma-kun?
Tenma: I already talked to Sakuya about it, butā¦
Tenma: Nothingās set in stone yet, but the day of my movie shoot might end up being the day before the event.
Izumi: Wait, really?
Tenma: And if that ends up being the case, I know itās gonna cause some problems for the rest of the team.
Tsumugi: It wonāt be any trouble at all.
Masumi: Not like you can help it, given itās your job.
Yuki: Yeah, and if itās just the day before, you should still be fine.
Tsuzuru: Weāre only doing prep stuff and double-checking things the day before; we can always just do rehearsal stuff the day of.
Izumi: I obviously canāt be a complete replacement for you, Tenma-kun, but Iāll do what I can to help with checking things over and giving support.
Banri: So, if that ends up happeninā, just leave everythinā to us and focus on givinā it your all with your work.
Sakuya: Yeah, just leave it to us!
Kumon: I know Iām not on your team, but Iāll still pray to God that you donāt end up having to work the day before, Tenma-san!
Tenma: Thanks, guys. Iāll let you know when the scheduleās finalized.Ā
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Izumi: The bromides weāre selling are done, guys!
Sakuya: Whoa, they look great!
Tsumugi: I knew the studio would be wonderful. The balcony is a nice touch.
Omi: That balcony was a bit tricky to work with, but it was a good experience, and Iām glad I was able to get some good shots.
*Phone buzzes*
Tenma: ā¦Itās Igawa. Iām gonna go take this real quick.
*Door closes*
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Tenma: ā¦Really?
Igawa: āYes! It seems some of the other actors also had scheduling conflicts with the date they proposed as wellā¦ā
Igawa: āThe date has been set to be after your White Day event. You wonāt have anything to worry about!ā
Tenma: Got it. Iāll be able to just focus on the event now.
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
*Door opens*
Izumi: Ah, Tenma-kun. Did everything go all right with your phone call with Igawa-san?
Tenma: He was calling to tell me about the movieās shoot date, and there shouldnāt be any issues.
Sakuya: When is the movieās shoot date?
Tenma: Seems like it wonāt be the day before the event after all.
Sakuya: So, youāll be able to come with us the day before? Thatās great!
Tenma: Yeah, sorry for worrying you guys.
Izumi: Donāt worry, weāre just glad weāll be able to have everything ready the day before. Letās really focus in to give it our all with the event!
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Tsumugi: So, do we have everything all set for the final check for the event the day after tomorrow?
Tenma: Seems good to me.
Banri: If there aināt anythinā else, think weāre good to call it here.
Yuki: We do have to get going pretty early tomorrow.
Sakuya: Oh, this isnāt really related to the event itself, butā¦ Iāll be taking an instant camera with me, so letās all take pictures together when weāre there!
Tsumugi: Yeah, of course. This is a great opportunity to take lots of pictures.
Sakuya: Yeah, I canāt wait!
TV: āNow then, hereās the forecast for the coming days.ā
Tsuzuru: Wait, thatās where weāre headed tomorrow, isnāt itā¦?
Tenma: I knew the forecast said it was gonna be cloudy through tomorrow, but I didnāt think it was gonna end up predicting snow.
Sakuya: I hope it wonāt be a problem for the eventā¦
Tsumugi: Itās March, so itās not like it should snow enough to stop the trains or anything.
Banri: I just checked, and it doesnāt really seem like it ever snows all that much around this time accordinā to past years, so I think weāll be fine.
Tenma: Really? Then yeah, it seems like weāll be fine.
Tsuzuru: I know itās been said, but it really is surprising that all the leaders ended up on the same team.
Yuki: Right? If it werenāt for the stream, people probably wouldnāt have believed us when we told them things were decided at random.
Sakuya: Ahaha, yeah. We were just as genuinely surprised by it happening as everyone else was.
Banri: It was thanks to that that the stream generated way more hype than we thought it would, though.
Yuki: Ah, by the wayā¦ Iām still working on the requested costumes, but I should have some prototypes done soon. Iāll show them to you once theyāre done.
Yuki: Since Iāve got more hands this time around, we could even give each team a different team color.
Tsumugi: Youāve got someone other than Taichi-kun?
Yuki: Masumi.
Sakuya: Wait, Masumi-kun!? Thatās surprising!
Yuki: I offered to teach him how to make a wedding veil if he helped out, and he immediately said he would.
Tsuzuru: Yeah, that tracks.
Banri: For real. If thereās anyone whoād accept a deal like that, itās Masumi.
Yuki: Anyway, I think weād be able to change the colors for each team and still make it in time for the merch photoshoot.
Tenma: Whatever the reason, it should be good if it meets the deadline.
Sakuya: Yeah. Well then, next we should talk about what we should do for the eventā¦ I mean, obviously, we want to do a performance, right?
Banri: Right, a performance is a must.
Tsumugi: So itās just a matter of what we do for it.
Tsumugi: Should it be scripted, or should we do some kind of improv performance like an etudeā¦
Tenma: Since each team is gonna put on their own performance, itād probably be a lot for Tsuzuru-san to write individual scripts for all of them.
Tsuzuru: Yeah, I donāt have a whole lot of extra time, so doing scripts for each team would probably be a lot.
Tsumugi: If thatās the case, then it wouldnāt be fair to prepare something just for our team.
Tsuzuru: Then what if I just write a short script for all of the teams to perform?
Tenma: Like a quadruple cast?
Yuki: Huh, so weād have four different casts for the same play?Ā
Banri: But donāt we have fans who come to see more than one of our performances? āCourse, just the change in cast could be interestinā enough, I guess.
Sakuya: Thatās fairā¦ but if theyāre making the effort to come to more than one event, Iām sure a lot of our fans would like to see different plays.
Tenma: So, should we just do etudes, or would it be better for each of the teams to come together to create their own scripts?
Tenma: That way, the contents of the performances wonāt be the same, and it wonāt put a strain on Tsuzuru-sanās workload.
Tsuzuru: But donāt the rest of you guys have your own event preparations to do? Wouldnāt that make it kinda unrealistic for everyone to come together and write a script?
Tsumugi: Thatās trueā¦
Sakuya: So, why donāt we go with doing etudes, then?
Sakuya: And, since itās a little nerve-wracking to go in with nothing at all, what if we just came up with a theme and rough setting to work with?
Tsumugi: Ooh, that could work. With etudes, you never know where the story will take you, so itās something that both the fans and we as the ones performing can have fun with.
Tenma: Okay, so weāll do etudes for the performance. What else?
Banri: I mean, people usually love to hear us sing, right?
Sakuya: Thatās another good idea! What if alsoā¦
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Igawa: Sorry for the wait, Tenma-kun! This is the rest of your movie script.
Tenma: So, they finally finished it. Thanks for going out of your way.
Igawa: It was nothing.
Tenma: Do you know when theyāre planning on shooting?
Igawa: About thatā¦ they suggested the day before your White Day event as a possible date.
Igawa: So, I asked them about rescheduling for that day, but so far, theyāve only said that theyāre discussing itā¦
Tenma: Gotcha. Weāre planning on heading there the day before the actual event, so having it then would be kinda a problemā¦
Igawa: I see. Iāll be sure to emphasize that to them again.
Tenma: Sorry about all of this. Please do.
Igawa: No, none of this is your fault, Tenma-kun, so please donāt apologize. Anyhow, itās about time for me to start heading back to the agency.
Tenma: Got it, take care.
*Car drives away*
Sakuya: ā¦
Tenma: Sakuya?
Sakuya: Ah, sorry. I really didnāt mean to eavesdrop, butā¦ were you talking about a shoot for your movie just now?
Tenma: Yeah, I was planning on telling you guys, but there was a delay with writing the script, so the movieās shoot date got pushed back.
Tenma: Except it sounds like the new shoot date theyāre looking at is the day before our White Day event.
Tenma: Igawaās trying to work something out with them right now, butā¦ worst-case scenario, I might have to push the late-night arrival the day before to be the day of instead.
Sakuya: Itād really suck if you end up having to do thatā¦
Sakuya: Iāll pray that your shoot day wonāt end up being the day before our event.
Tenma: Heh, Iām counting on you.
Sakuya: Yeah, Iāll do what I can!
Sakuya: Ah, butā¦ if it ends up being the day before, Iāll take care of all your preparation things too, so donāt worry about that!
Tenma: Thanks, youāre a lifesaver. Wait, but werenāt you just on your way out?
Sakuya: Ah, right! I was supposed to be running an errand for the director! Well, I'll see you later!
Tenma: By the way, I still havenāt gotten the last script for the movie yet. When do you think itās gonna come?
Igawa: About thatā¦ apparently, theyāve been running into a lot of issues with it. Because of that, itās possible that the final day of the shoot will be pushed back.
Tenma: It being pushed back wouldnāt necessarily be the worst thing, but it might become an issue if it overlaps with the White Day eventā¦
Igawa: Thatās a good pointā¦ If that happens, Iāll talk things over with the movie people.
Tenma: Yeah, please do.
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Banri: āAnd the streaminā setup should be like this.
Tenma: Got it. Thanks, Banri-san.
Tsumugi: You even gave us an extra hand by giving us a script that outlines the course of the stream. Thank you.
Sakuya: Truly. Itās really clearly written out!
*Door opens*
Kazunari: Good worksies, gang~!
Sakuya: Good work, Kazunari-san!
Tsumugi: Howās the preparation for the stream going? We just finished up with our meeting, so is there anything we can help with?
Kazunari: Donāt worry about it. Director-chan and Itarun are working on the final check as we speak.
Kazunari: Just thought Iād check in on yāall about a few things while Iām at it.
Banri: ā¦You talkinā about the surprise?
Kazunari: You betcha. Weāre all getting things together over there. Iāll send yāall more of the deets over LIME.
Tenma: Gotcha. Thanks.
Izumi: Itaru-san, are we about ready to start the stream?
Itaru: I think so. You got the lots and darts, Kazunari?
Kazunari: You bet I do!
Izumi: Sakuya-kun and the others seem like theyāre ready to go, so letās get the stream started.
Sakuya: Yeah, weāll do our best!
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Sakuya: Hello, everyone! Weāre MANKAI Company!
Tenma: Weāve got something we want to announce today, so we figured that us four leaders should hold a stream.
Tsumugi: Whoa, the comments are flying in so fast all of a sudden. Thank you for all the comments, everyone.
Banri: Based on the comments, it seems like all of yāall wanna know what our announcement is as soon as possible.
Sakuya: Well then, letās get to announcing it right away!
Sakuya: Soā¦ In order to convey how thankful we are to all of you for always supporting us, weāve decided to hold a White Day event!
Tsumugi: Looks like everyoneās happy.
Sakuya: Yeah, the comments are flying in even fasterā¦!
Tenma: Iāll get into explaining the details of the event right away.
Tenma: This time around, weāll be splitting up into teams of six and holding events in different regions. Also, the teams wonāt be our usual troupes this time, theyāll be shuffled.
Banri: Now, Iām sure yāall are wonderinā about how weāre gonna divide up the teams and choose where weāre going. For that, we thought weād decide usinā lots and darts.
Sakuya: Be sure to keep on watching until the end to see what happens with the teams and locations!
Tenma: First, weāll start by drawing lots to divide up the teams. Alright, why donāt you draw a lot from this box, Tsumugi-san?
Tsumugi: Yeah, I can do that. I wonder whose name Iāll drawā¦ Ah, itās Juza-kun!
Tenma: So the first member of Team One is Juza-san.
Banri: Aight, Iāll go nextā¦ Oh, looks like Team Oneās second person is Chikage-san.
Tenma: Weāll keep on drawing names like this. And the third person isā¦
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Banri: And finally, the six people for Team Four are Sakuya, Tsuzuru, Tenma, Yuki, Tsumugi-san, and me.
Sakuya: Thatās all for dividing up the teams!
Tenma: Never wouldāve thought all of us leaders would end up on the same team.
Tsumugi: Itās rare for all of the leaders to end up together for events, so this one should be a breath of fresh air.
Banri: Aight, next up is deciding on the locations with darts. You ready, Kazunari?
Kazunari: Yep, yep! Onto the next segment~!
Tenma: Seems like everyone was surprised to hear Kazunariās name mentioned. We had him help us with preparing the darts.
Banri: If we made the target, thereās a chance we coulda remembered which locations were where, so we had Kazunari make it instead.
Sakuya: Itaru-san is also helping out with the stream from behind the camera, by the way!
Tsumugi: There are lots of comments coming in thanking both of you for your hard work, Itaru-kun and Kazu-kun.
Itaru: Thanks, I do my best.
Kazunari: Thanksies, yāall! Alright, now that Iāve got things set up, lemme explain the darts to you guys~!
Kazunari: This panel here has papers with the names of all the prefectures attached to it in random locations, and these four guys are gonna throw the darts at it.
Kazunari: Since there are four teams, each person gets one throw. If you miss or the dart doesnāt stick, youāll get another shot!
Sakuya: Got it!
Banri: Aight, letās get things started. Youāre up first, Sakuyaā.
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Kazunari: Aaand, thatās everything~!
Tenma: That was pretty chaotic.
Tsumugi: But Iām glad we were able to do everything without bias.
Banri: Just hang on a little bit longer for info about the dates, times, and ticket details.
Sakuya: I canāt wait to be able to meet everyone at the event!
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Itaru: GG.
Kazunari: Good worksies~!
Izumi: Good work, guys. The stream sure was lively!
Sakuya: Yeah, the comments were coming in so fast that I couldnāt keep up, but Iām glad that it seemed like everyone was having fun!
Itaru: This stream probs let our fans feel like they were part of the event planning, too.
Banri: Right? I bet this got them even more excited to participate in the event.
Tsumugi: But that also means that their expectations for the event have probably been raised.
Tenma: Yeah, thatās why weāve gotta give it our all while preparing so that the event turns out well.
Sakuya: Yeah, youāre right. Weāve gotta work our hardest so that everyone can have fun!
Principal: Good work. Do you have a minute, Sakuya-kun?
Sakuya: Is something the matter?
Principal: Well, you know how itās nearly Childrenās Day? I was thinking about putting together some kind of event in celebration of that.
Sakuya: I see! Have you decided on what you want to do yet?
Principal: How does making paper helmets and swords with the kids, and having us teachers put on a little play about KintarÅ sound? (1)
Sakuya: I think thatās a great idea! Iām sure theyād all love that.
Principal: Hehe, thank you. Well then, thereās something Iād like to ask you to doā¦
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
*Door opens*
Izumi: Iām back.
Izumi: (Well, I suppose it is pretty late, so there probably isnāt even anyone left in the lounge.)
???: Ah, Director! Welcome home.
Izumi: Whoa, a bear costume!?
Izumi: ā¦Wait, that was your voice, right, Sakuya-kun? What are you doing wearing that thing?
Sakuya: Sorry for startling you. The daycare is actually doing a little event for Childrenās Day, and, as part of that, weāve decided to put on a short play about KintarÅ, andā¦
Sakuya: They asked me to play the role of the bear.
Izumi: I see. So, youāre practicing for that by wearing that bear costume.
Sakuya: Although, I guess I might be getting a little ahead of myself, considering the script isnāt even done yet.
Izumi: That reminds me, didnāt you also borrow that costume for practice that other time you played a bear in a guest performance? (2)
Sakuya: Yeah. I got permission from Juza-kun to use it this time, too.
Sakuya: But itās been a while since then, so I wanted to give myself a bit of a refresher on how to move more like a bear and how to give off a sense of power while I had the time.
Sakuya: And I really want the kids to enjoy the play, so I thought itād be good to make use of this opportunityā¦
Izumi: (Thatās just the kind of thing Iād expect from Sakuya-kun.)
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Choose!
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Option 1: Is it hard performing in a costume like that?
Izumi: Performing in a full-body costume like that has got to be hard, right?
Sakuya: Youāre right about that. Since you canāt change your facial expressions, youāve gotta convey emotions using your whole body, which takes a little bit of practice.
Sakuya: But thatās what makes the whole thing so rewarding and interesting.
Izumi: Hehe, I getcha.
Option 2: What kind of bear are you going to be?
Izumi: Have you already thought about what kind of bear youāre going to be?
Sakuya: Well, so, the last time I played a bear, I did my role study to help me play a bear with a more cutesy feel, butā¦
Sakuya: Since this time, Iām playing the bear in KintarÅ, I want to play a bear thatās fittingly big and strong.
Izumi: Otherwise, you wouldnāt be helping to highlight how strong KintarÅ is as the protagonist.
Izumi: That said, itās getting pretty late, so shouldnāt you call your practice here for the day?
Sakuya: Thatās a good point. Iāll go get changed, then!
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Tenma: Man, I ended up getting back way later than I thought I would with the shoot running longer than planned. ā¦Hm?
Sakuya: Ah, Tenma-kun! Welcome homā¦
Tenma: !?
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Izumi: ā¦I get it. So, you ran into Sakuya-kun wearing that costume.
Tenma: Yeah, and it startled me because he just came out of nowhereā¦
Sakuya: Sorry, Tenma-kun.
Tenma: Nah, youāre fine. I just wish I had realized it was you sooner rather than later. This isnāt the first time this kinda thing has happened, after all.
Tenma: That said, next time youāre doing a role study like this, Iād really appreciate it if you could let me know about it in advance.
Ā· ā āā Ł ā Ł āā ā Ā·
*Door opens*
Izumi: (Hm? Those voicesā¦)
Sakuya: āIām the strongest outta everyone on this mountain. If you donāt do what I say, Iāll show you just how mean I can get!ā
Citron: āLetās solve this with a sumo match. If you lose, youāll have to do whatever I say!ā
Sakuya: āThereās no way a rabbit could beat me! Rargh!ā
Citron: āIāve been defeated~! I yield~!!ā
Muku: āBear! Why donāt you try fighting me nextā?ā
Izumi: (So it is Sakuya-kun and the others. Looks like theyāre doing an etude, butā¦)
Muku: Ah, Director-san. Good work.
Izumi: Good work, guys. Are you guys maybe practicing for the short KintarÅ play?
Sakuya: Yeah. When I told them about the script I got yesterday, the two of them offered to help me practice.
Citron: It is a thrilling battle story where the strongest bear of them all takes down the other animals one after one in sumo matches!
Muku: Itās a wonderful story where KintarÅ defeats the bear in the end, which brings everyone together as friends.
Sakuya: ā¦Yeah! If youād like, why donāt you join us, Director?
Izumi: Wait, me?
Citron: I was also going to play the role of KintarÅās monkey friend along with the rabbit, but you can play that part instead!
Izumi: Hmm, Iām still not sure if Iām really cut out for it, butā¦ Oh, what the heck, I might as well join since Iām already here.
Muku: Yay, thank you so much.
Sakuya: The monkey is supposed to be a character that challenges the bear to a sumo match and ends up losing, just like the rabbit Citron-san is playing, butā¦
Citron: Since it is the director playing the monkey, it could be interesting to make some changes to the details from the original script!
Citron: For exampleā¦ what if it were a story where the monkey is almost forced to become the bearās bride as a punishment for losing the sumo match?
Muku: Are you saying that we should add a romantic element? That sounds like funā¦!
Sakuya: That would be an interesting take on KintarÅ that no one has ever done before!
Citron: That is not all. We could also say that, actually, the monkey has had a crush on KintarÅ ever since they first met~!
Muku: And itās only when the monkey is about to be snatched away by the bear that KintarÅ realizes for the first time that he likes the monkey too!
Izumi: But are you sure that I can handle such an important role?
Sakuya: Youāll be just fine, Director! Iāll even really give it my all while stealing you away as the monkey.
Muku: You sound so cool, Sakuya-kunā¦!
Izumi: Hehe, is that so? Well, why donāt you get right to giving it your best shot?
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
Sakuya: Good morning.
Sakuya: (Huh? Why does the principal have such a troubled look on her faceā¦?)
Sakuya: Did something happen?
Principal: Oh, Sakuya-kun. The teacher who was supposed to play KintarÅ was feeling a little under the weather and had to take the day off.
Principal: It really is a shame, since the kids were really looking forward to it, but it looks like weāll have to cancel our little playā¦
Principal: I know you went through all that trouble to practice for it, so I really am sorry, Sakuya-kun.
Sakuya: No, donāt worry, Iām completely fine.
Sakuya: But the kidsā¦
Principal: Exactly. If only there were something else that we could do that all of them would enjoy.
Sakuya: (Something elseā¦)
Sakuya: (ā¦Ah, I know!)
Ā· ā¢ āā Ł ā¤ Ł āā ā¢ Ā·
*Door opens*
Sakuya: Iām home.
Izumi: Ah, welcome back, Sakuya-kun.
Izumi: You said that today was the day of your event, right? Did everything work out with the little KintarÅ play?
Sakuya: Actuallyā¦ the teacher who was going to play KintarÅ wasnāt feeling well and called out sick, so we ended up canceling the play.
Izumi: Oh, no. That sucks, but I guess there isnāt much you can do without a lead, huh?
Sakuya: Yeah. So, instead, I did a little sword-fighting demonstration for the kids using the paper helmets and swords that we made with them.
Sakuya: When I was thinking of what we could do, that was the only thing I was able to come up with.
Izumi: Donāt act like it was just some mediocre idea. I actually think that sounds like it was a really wonderful idea.
Izumi: Your sword-fighting is always so fast-paced and intense, so I bet the kids really had a blast with it.
Sakuya: Yeah, they did. Even the kids who were really disappointed at first when we said the play was canceled ended up with smiles on their faces.
Sakuya: That said, Iām sorry for dragging you into practicing for the play with me, Director.
Izumi: Donāt worry about it. As long as the kids were happy, I say the event was a success!
Sakuya: ā¦Yeah, thank you so much!
ā¢ ā¢ ā¢
Notes:
(1) KintarÅ (éå¤Ŗé; sometimes translated as āGolden Boyā) is a child with superhuman strength from Japanese folklore. He is said to have many animal friends, and his adventures tell of him doing things like beating bears in sumo matches, fighting monsters and oni, and helping woodcutters chop down trees. Itās a custom to put up a KintarÅ doll on Childrenās Day in hopes of young boys becoming brave and strong like KintarÅ.
(2) Reference to Sakuyaās āGuiding Stellaā backstage.
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