| Taichi | Ah, Tsuzuru-kun, over here! |
| Tsuzuru | Oh, okay. Man, it’s so crowded here. We’re lucky we got a seat. |
| Taichi | I protected this seat at all costs! |
| Tsuzuru | This area here is calm, as expected… |
| Taichi | Huh? |
| Tsuzuru | No, it’s nothing. What should we eat today… |
| Taichi | I’m going with set A! |
| Tsuzuru | Braised pork belly? |
| Taichi | Omi-kun recommended it to me yesterday! I have a feeling this one is tasty since Omi-kun was here for four years! |
| Tsuzuru | Now that you mention it, I think Fushimi-san often ate this set. I’ll order the same then. |
| Taichi | Aww, wish I were a year older. I could have gone to college together with Omi-kun… |
| Tsuzuru | It’s inevitable. |
| |
| Taichi | That was so tasty. |
| Tsuzuru | We can really trust Fushimi-san’s recommendation. |
| Taichi | Yup, totally! |
| Tsuzuru | Well, going back to my question… |
| Taichi | OK! |
| Tsuzuru | What kind of role do you wanna play, Taichi? |
| Taichi | Tsumugi-san wants to play a role that’s totally different from his real self, right? |
| Tsuzuru | Yeah. |
| Taichi | I’m the opposite! |
| I… I want to take on a role that screams Taichi Nanao in every aspect in front of Reni-san. |
| Back then, Reni-san called me a worthless, generic[1] actor. |
| Tsuzuru | ...That’s mean. |
| Taichi | Hehe, I didn’t know what he meant back then. I immediately looked it up in the dictionary afterwards. |
| It’s used to describe a bunch of things that hold no value at all even if you pick one up... I believe what Reni-san said to me was true at that time. |
| His words then were the reason why I had always been criticized harshly during rehearsals. He told me I had no personality, I had no presence, and there wasn’t any flower in me. |
| However, even when I was such a terrible actor, I could still stand at the center stage with everyone when I did my best. |
| I want to prove it to him that even such a generic actor like me can move his heart. |
| I am still not as good as Tsumugi-san when it comes to nuanced acting and gestures. |
| But I, too, have learned many things after a lot of thinking, hesitating and making mistakes. |
| I feel so ashamed for letting myself be swayed by voices around me and my own wish, but I have also been doing my best in my own way. |
| That’s why I want to take on a role whose way of life is similar to Taichi Nanao’s, laying myself bare without covering up anything. |
| Tsuzuru | … I see. |
| Taichi | To tell you the truth, up until our fifth play, I still felt guilty towards the Autumn Troupe members even though we have become close. |
| I felt miserable to know that they all accepted and forgave me after I exposed myself… |
| After I performed my portrait for the second time in front of them, I felt like I could lay myself bare to the point where I could no longer hide anything. |
| That’s why--will you watch my portrait once we’re back home, Tsuzuru-kun? |
| After that, I want you to include the true nature of the actor named Taichi Nanao in the script. |
| Tsuzuru | Got it. |
| |
| Taichi | Ah, can we stop by the school store? |
| Tsuzuru | Do you wanna buy something? |
| Taichi | Director-sensei asked me to buy “Spotlight”. |
| Tsuzuru | Oh yah, today’s the release day, right? |
| Uh, magazines should be around here… |
| Taichi | Found it, the latest edition of “Spotlight”! |
| Tsuzuru | Whoa! Yuzo-san looks so cool! |
| Taichi | He looks totally different here! |
| Tsuzuru | Did he come up with this pose himself? |
| Taichi | That was unexpected! |
| Tsuzuru | Let’s ask him next time. |
| Taichi | Oh, he really promoted us! “An up-and-coming playwright in residence--Is this young prodigy the next Hakkaku Ikaruga!?” |
| Tsuzuru | Ugh, you’re right... |
| Taichi | That’s awesome, Tsuzuru-kun! |
| Tsuzuru | After the Showdown Act against GOD-za, now this… My stomach feels tight. Ugh… |
| Taichi | Tsuzuru-kun!? You look pale! |
| |
| Kusumi | --AARGH DAMN! |
| All those bastards don’t know anything. Why did they only disapprove of my writing…!? |
| What on earth is wrong with my writing? I--. |
| --. |
| “Spotlight”... |
| |
| Reni | We absolutely can’t lose this time. If we do, GOD-za’s reputation will be completely ruined. |
| Especially in terms of the script’s quality, we can’t afford to lose to them. Do a thorough research on our opponent’s scriptwriter. |
| |
| Kusumi | The next Hakkaku Ikaruga, you say…? Are you messing with me!? |
| |
| ??? | The son of that Hakkaku Ikaruga is making his debut as a scriptwriter!? Wow! I’m sure he’ll be a golden boy! |
| This is awful. Is this the only thing you can write? How incompetent. Rewrite everything. Think about what you should fix yourself. You’re a writer, aren’t you? |
| I knew it. You can't pass down talent, not even to your own son. |
| What a let-down. Please bring over another writer here. You just caused a great loss. Take responsibility and beg your father to help. |
| Shouldn’t you study under your father? |
| Hmm, the story content is a little bit… uhh… sorry, but I’ve never requested this kind of story. |
| Must be nice to be riding your father’s coattails, huh? You get offers through connections, don’t you? |
| That was fucking boring. I just came to watch because he’s Hakkaku Ikaruga’s son and this is what I got? I want a refund. |
| |
| Kusumi | Shit, shit, shit….! All of them are making a fool of me…! |
| |
| ??? | You should have realized by this point. You don’t have any talent. |
| If you have no talent, you’ve got no choice but to fight. |
| |
| Kusumi | --. |
| No, I’m… |
| *phone buzzes* |
| !! |
| ...He-Hello. Ikaruga speaking. |
| ??? | “Long time no talk.” |
| Kusumi | ...Yes, it’s been a while. |
| ??? | “I’ve heard some rumors about GOD-za. Looks like they’re getting popular, huh.” |
| Kusumi | Thank you. |
| ??? | “I want you to write a script for my troupe again one day.” |
| Kusumi | Ah, y-yeah… Someday. |
| ??? | “Oh, yeah. I heard GOD-za and MANKAI Company are going to have a Showdown Act.” |
| “--How do you intend to fight them?” |
| Kusumi | --. |
| ??? | “I can’t wait to watch the show.” |
| Kusumi | I, I…! |
