[A3!] ★ Main Story | Act 17 - Players’ Records | Episode 7: A Shift in Mindset
Omi: Good evening. Sorry for coming in at the very last minute.
Zen: Welcome. There’s a seat for you over there.
Omi: Thank you.
Omi: …
*Keiku moves around on stage*
Keiku: —Yeah! Hyah!
*Keiku moves around stage again*
Omi: …
Omi: (Compared to the day he made his stage debut here, he’s really grown a remarkable amount. Not only that, but the harshness has faded from both his facial expressions and demeanor, making him seem more full of life.)
Omi: (At the same time, he’s really expressive… I’m sure that’s gotta come in handy for his acting too.)
· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·
Omi: Good work.
Keiku: You came.
Omi: I had planned on coming here to discuss something regarding a workshop with Zen-san. When I did that, he invited me to come and watch you.
Omi: You’ve really improved a lot.
Keiku: What kinda workshop stuff didja talk about?
Omi: Ah, well, because of the Fleur Cup, it’s really tricky to get in reservations.
Omi: It’s a good problem to have, but the number of sessions being run will have to be increased, which means there will need to be more people working as instructors, so…
Keiku: Huhhh… so that’s the play you’re goin’ with?
Omi: ?
Keiku: Figured since you’re part of a nominated theater company, you’d be puttin’ in more effort than that. Kinda disappointin’ to see.
Omi: —.
Keiku: I’m takin’ this seriously ‘cause I wanna go up against ya as soon as possible. I’m lookin’ forward to kickin’ your ass with my actin’ head-on.
Keiku: But guess that’s up to you on whether or not that actually happens.
*Keiku walks away*
Omi: …
Zen: Hah, he really got your ass there.
Omi: You heard that?
Zen: He’s got a point, though. Let your guard down and they’ll eat you alive.
Omi: …I’ll keep that in mind.
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Hiro: So, you guys have a general idea on how you wanna go at this?
Towa: We’ve narrowed down a few potential Shakespeare plays. We figured that if there was any of them that we'd be able to pull off, it’d definitely be a comedy, so we started looking at those…
Syu: You really did your homework. Nice goin’.
Towa: I happened to run into Tsuzuru-san and Homare-san when I went to the library to look at things, and I got a bunch of hints from them. Homare-san’s a huge fan of Shakespeare, so he knew tons of stuff.
Kureha: Really? That’s great.
Towa: I only just found out that there are tons of adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays!
Towa: And by adaptation, I mean like new works that were created based on an existing work as the source material or original concept.
Towa: There are tons of anime and manga plots that were actually based on Shakespeare’s plays that I hadn’t even known about.
Towa: We started with the basics and he taught me so many things, so I really learned a lot! Homare-san really is super nice~.
Ibuki: …But like, you do know if we take down Overtime, we’re gonna hafta go up against ManPani, right?
Towa: Huh? Of course, I know that.
Ibuki: Right, but like, if we’re thinking of them as our future opps, I don’t think you should be acting so hashtag silly-goofy-chill like that. ‘Cause then like, they know that you know that stuff, y’know?
Ibuki: It’s not like there’s anything wrong with having someone teach you some things, but like, y’know.
Keiku: Might be better just a lil’ more careful ‘bout that kinda thing.
Towa: But…
Ibuki: Like, tee-bee-aitch, we’re kinda boning ourselves if we decide to just stop at being happy with just being on the same level as ManPani.
Ibuki: Like, we wanna win and move past them, y’know?
Keiku: Agreed.
Towa: I… I’d like to win too, if possible, but… MANKAI Company is like everything to me, so winning against them is just…
Ibuki: That’s why I’m saying you have got to stop thinking like that.
Hiro: Hey, why don’t we take a second to cool it?
Hiro: Towa, I definitely get how you feel about your love of MANKAI Company, but what the others are asking is whether or not you’ll be able to put up a good fight against them if we make it to the second round.
Hiro: Do you feel like you could actually beat them?
Towa: …I don’t know. I kinda feel like it’s a bit presumptuous of me to just think I could beat MANKAI Company just like that, or something, I guess…
Kasumi: Why don’t you start with shifting your mindset?
Zen: This ain’t got anythin’ to do with bein’ a fan of theirs. Once you’re up on that stage, you’re all fellow actors. You can’t win against your opponent unless you go into the fight with the intention of wipin’ the floor with ‘em, especially in the finals like this.
Syu: Besides, if you step onto the same stage with such a half-assed attitude, it’ll be a pain in the ass for your opponent too.
Towa: —Right.
Towa: Ibuki, Keiku, I’m sorry. I’ll try to keep my identity as a MANKAI Company fan separate from my role as a member of KICS.
Towa: I don’t want to let everyone from MANKAI Company down.
Ibuki: Good luck with that, bestie~.
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Masumi: Phew…
*Knock, knock, knock. Door opens*
Muku: Good work on the finale, Masumi-kun!
Madoka: Good work.
Masumi: Good work.
Muku: The audience’s response was great, so I’d say it was a huge success.
Madoka: It seems like your acting was well-received, Masumi.
Masumi: Obviously.
Muku: It really is a shame that Kureha-kun and Towa-kun couldn’t come because they were busy preparing for the tournament with the rest of KICS.
Madoka: It is almost time for KICS’s first matchup, isn’t it?
*Door opens*
Fukunaga: Good work, everyone!!!
Fukunaga: To think that a theater club that was on the verge of disbanding managed to put on such an impressive performance like this—as an alumnus, I couldn’t be prouder!
Fukunaga: Thank you! Really, thank you! We couldn’t have done this with you, Usui-kun and Ikaruga-kun!
Masumi: Gross…
Madoka: I-I’m glad I could help.
Fukunaga: Are you the new kid!?
Muku: Y-Yes, I am.
Fukunaga: The future of the theater club is in your hands! Make sure you take the baton from Usui-kun and Ikaruga-kun!!
Muku: I-I’ll do what I can!
Masumi: Still not a member.
Madoka: Me neither…
Fukunaga: You can fix that by joining the club as soon as you can before you graduate!
Madoka: You still try to recruit people even after they’ve graduated.
Masumi: I don’t care how many times you ask. I’m not joining.
Fukunaga: Well, you’re basically like a member of the club already!
Masumi: I am not.
*Knock, knock, knock. Door opens*
Theater Club Member: Do you have a moment, Usui-kun? There’s someone here who would like to talk to you…
Masumi: ?
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