| Banri | Can I ask something? |
| Masuno | Hm? |
| Banri | Remember the advice you gave me? What do you think if I move like this? |
| Masuno | It doesn't seem out of place, sure. |
| Banri | OK. |
| …Oh, right. I watched Kabuto's play under Hyakka Troupe the other day. He's an alumnus here, right? |
| Masuno | Oooh--you mean the troublemaker during this department's early days? |
| Banri | Troublemaker? |
| Masuno | He's different from you, our honor student who doesn't look like one. |
| Banri | I've never considered myself an honor student, though. |
| Masuno | He's basically helpless at everything except acting. He can't take care of himself, and his personality is the worst. |
| Obviously, knowing what kind of person he is, other students kept their distance from him. He even skipped classes out of nowhere. |
| But when it came to acting, he was the best of the bunch ever since the enrollment. He was also unanimously chosen to be the leading actor for our graduation show. |
| No matter how bad his personality is, you'd surely be overwhelmed by his talent once you see him perform. |
| Every time he takes the stage and delivers his lines, you can't help but be attracted, as if he’s taken full control of the theater. |
| I've never seen that kind of student before in my life. He's the only one. |
| Banri | So he's been like that ever since he's been in uni… |
| I've learnt a lot of things during my two years here, but I feel like I'm a lil bit stuck these days. |
| Like, there's a wall blocking my path ahead. |
| Because my troupe's next play will have a big impact on our future, not to mention that I'm entrusted with taking on an important role, I want to use this chance to grow. |
| I wanna take a step forward to become an actor who can deliver an overwhelming performance, just like Kabuto. What should I do? |
| Masuno | …I'm sure acting techniques are not what you're looking for here. |
| In that case, I have no doubt you can improve beyond words in an instant, once you find a powerful trigger that will become your turning point. |
| Then again, it's not something you can find consciously. |
| But there's a lot of cases where an actor improves rapidly, as if certain plays had helped them discover new horizons. |
| It's a moment when your continuous effort finally comes to fruition. |
| If there's a possibility that that play will become your chance, keep on fighting hard. |
| Banri | Roger. |
| Masuno | --Ah. Speaking of Kabuto, he's going to give a lecture here next week as an alumnus. |
| It's a pretty sudden decision. I think they're going to announce it soon. |
| Honestly, I doubt he'll give a proper lecture, but there's also a workshop for the participants. How about giving it a try? |
| Banri | …I guess I'm gonna try participating, then. |
 |
| ??? | Kabuto-san, are you home? It's Aoshi. |
| Aoshi | Yes, you're here. I'm coming in. |
| *door closes* |
| …God. I hate coming here because I feel like I'm going to lose my mind. |
| Huh? He's not here…? |
| Is he awake already? That's surprising. |
| … |
| …He's not here. |
| Don't tell me… |
 |
| Kabuto | ...*snores*… |
| Aoshi | You must be kidding me. Why is he sleeping in the bathtub… |
| Please wake up, Kabuto-san. |
| Kabuto | Nnggh? …Tch. |
| "I can no longer sleep. The mediocre actor has killed sleep." |
| Aoshi | …You're going to die if you sleep in the bathroom. |
| Kabuto | "Sleep is more pleasant than least, there's not much difference."[1] |
| Aoshi | Are you Akutagawa or something? |
| Kabuto | ...*snores*… |
| Aoshi | Wa--. Enough is enough. Please wake up. |
| Heavy… |
| |
| Get dressed quickly. You're going to be late at this rate. |
| Kabuto | Shuddup… |
| Aoshi | Just to let you know, I'm only here because Amadate-san asked me to. I don't even want to come here if it's not for him. |
| Kabuto | It's simple and functional, right? |
| Aoshi | What simple and functional? It's a blessing you at least have a TV--Huh? Where's the TV? |
| Kabuto | I threw it away because I can just watch drama recordings through my phone. |
| Aoshi | I can't believe this man… |
| (This person really has nothing but acting in his head.) |
| In any case, I wrote a manuscript for you. Memorise it on your way there. |
| Kabuto | …So pointless. I ain't doin' it. |
| Aoshi | Even if you say it's pointless, this is Amadate-san's order. Do your job well at the event, and that includes the workshop. |
| Kabuto | … |
| Why are you wearin' that? |
| Aoshi | Why, you ask? It's obviously because I will go to school after this. |
| Though I had to come all the way here just before school. |
| Kabuto | School… Right. I forgot you're a high schooler. |
| Aoshi | What do you think I am? |
| Kabuto | Nothin' but a mediocre actor. |
| Aoshi | Hah… Despite that, I'm still the semi-top actor at Hyakka Troupe, you know. If I'm a mediocre actor, what about the others? |
| Kabuto | …Backdrop. |
| Aoshi | You're going to be killed if you say that in front of them. |
