| Banri | …Haah. |
| (How should I proceed with tomorrow's rehearsal?) |
| (We're making slow progress. There's nothing I can do about it. But at the very least, we've gotta make some sort of headway before Director-chan comes back.) |
| *a light thud* |
| …? |
| (Why is a soccer ball here…) |
| Tasuku | Be my partner for a while. |
| Banri | What? Oh, well, I don’t mind. |
| If I remember correctly, the next local futsal match will be held in two months, right? |
| Tasuku | You can come as a helper on that day, can't you? I appreciate it. |
| Banri | I'm always available if you need a helper. I won't join your club, though. |
| Tasuku | I already gave up on trying to recruit you. Casually dropping by and joining our activities suits you more. |
| Banri | Well, doing morning practice every day without fail is basically impossible for me. Acting is the only exception. |
| Tasuku | So you mean you're only hard on yourself when it comes to acting? That's totally something a theater person would say. |
| … |
| *kicks ball* |
| Banri | … |
| *kicks back* |
| Tasuku | Sorry for today. |
| Banri | Oh, no need to apologize. You didn’t say anything wrong. |
| Tasuku | We all know you're having a hard time finding a way to make progress during rehearsals while Director isn't here. |
| I had wanted to help out as much as I could, but because you said you wanted to challenge yourself for your own growth, I decided to simply watch over you. |
| Still, I ended up speaking up since I felt you were doing things the wrong way today. |
| Banri | I agree with you. I think I was rushing things because we haven’t been making much progress. |
| I'm well aware I was making mistakes, so I really appreciated that you pointed it out. |
| To be honest with you, I really don't know how to proceed with the rehearsals. It's not like this is my first time being in one but things are very different now that my role has changed. |
| Tasuku | Do you think such a person like an ideal director exists? |
| Banri | An ideal what? |
| Tasuku | What kind of vibes and procedures are you most comfortable with in a rehearsal? You should have gained a lot of experiences ever since you entered Amabi. |
| Banri | (I do receive instructions from a lot of people…) |
| (In the end, I can only think of Director-chan.) |
| An ideal director would not ever do something like what I did today. |
| Tasuku | You'll be fine as long as you get that. Just imagine what your ideal director would do when we're rehearsing. |
 |
| Banri | (An ideal director, huh… Guess I've gotta ask Director-chan, then?) |
| *phone rings on vibrate mode* |
| Huh? Director-chan? |
| Izumi | "Hm? What is it?" |
| Banri | Oh, no. I just thought your timing was perfect. |
| Izumi | "Oh, really? I thought you might be sleeping since it should be pretty late there, but I'm glad you're still awake. It's night over there, right?" |
| Banri | Yeah. How are you doing there? |
| Izumi | "I'm watching my dad prepare for his play every day here. It's so fun." |
| "But watching him makes me curious about how you are doing over there. I guess I'm feeling homesick?" |
| "How are rehearsals for the MANKAI Show going?" |
| Banri | Ah… |
| Izumi | "?" |
| Banri | Frankly speaking, we're pretty behind schedule right now. And I don't really know how to set the mood during rehearsal. |
| Izumi | "…I see." |
| "I figured it'll be difficult to get things on track since it's an all-troupe play, not to mention that we had just barely begun rehearsing." |
| Banri | Every day, I'm getting confused all by myself. It made me want to know what you're usually thinking about during rehearsals. |
| Izumi | "Me?" |
| Banri | Tasuku-san told me to follow my ideal director's way of doing things. The only person that comes to mind is you, Director-chan. |
| Izumi | "What!? I-I see… Thank you." |
| Banri | Even though we're always together during rehearsal, the moment I took your place, I couldn't do as well as you. |
| Izumi | "What do I look like to you, Banri-kun?" |
| Banri | Hmmm… How should I put it, you’re scarily intuitive, kind of like a… conman?" |
| Izumi | "A conman…!?" |
| Banri | In any case, you’re always watching every actor’s performance closely and are quick to notice any changes. |
| The advice you give is always accurate. You're also good at giving compliments and motivation. |
| You should have a secret to how you communicate with the actors, right, Director-chan? |
| Izumi | "There's only one thing that I always make sure to do." |
| "Just like what you said, Banri-kun, I always try to closely watch the actors' performances one by one." |
| Banri | …What? That's all? |
| Izumi | "Yep. That's all." |
| "If you seriously watch over your actors, you will be quick to notice any changes." |
| "It's because I notice their changes, that I can naturally give them advice and compliments." |
| "Seeing first-hand how my father does his work as a director, I've once again realized how important that is." |
| "A play is only valid if you have someone who is watching, even if it's just one person. On the other hand, an actor can also only be considered as one if there's someone who watches them." |
| "Even if I look back at the time when I was still an actor, I believe that is still the most important thing." |
| "If you seriously look at your actors every day without fail, you will surely notice any small changes when they occur." |
| "Do not ever overlook those changes. Make sure to always give them a reaction as their very first audience member. Properly express how you feel with your words." |
| "That is how you "deal with your actor"--the most important thing to do as a director." |
| "As long as you continue to meticulously watch over them and converse with them, their performance will gradually get better even without any excessive, detailed instructions." |
| Banri | (Now that she’s mentioned it, whenever I participate in rehearsals as an actor, the one thing I care about the most is Director-chan's reaction as the first one to watch my acting…) |
| (It always makes me happy and encourages me every time she notices any changes I’ve made, or particular details I’ve put into my performance.) |
| (It's all because she always watches over us with such care--because she always takes us seriously.) |
| …Thank you. |
| Izumi | "Did that help you in any way?" |
| Banri | Totally. Leave the rest to me. |
| Izumi | "Yep. I have high hopes for you!" |
