Omi Fushimi/Now it's a Dear Shadow

What Sleeps on the Tape

Backstage Stories

Part 1Part 2Part 3

Omi's Father	Hm, it's good.
Gaku	As always big bro Omi's miso soup is the best~.
Kai	Even though we use the same miso why is it still different.
Omi	Maybe it's the way you handle the broth. I taught you before remember.
Kai	It's a pain so I'm using a broth pack. But after all this one is undeniably better.
Gaku	Big bro Omi, come back home already.
Omi	What are you talking about. If it's just for the miso soup I can come any time to make you some.
	Also, you became a good cook, Kai. Just until not long ago you couldn't even hold a knife properly.
Kai	Well, I've always had a better potential to be a good cook than dad had.
Omi's Father	…I'm ashamed.
Gaku	Dad, you're seriously so clumsy. When you cook we don't know what's gonna end inside the dish.
Kai	You might find inside a plate or something.
Omi	A plate… that's just going too far right.
Gaku	The other day there was a spoon inside.
Kai	There sure was.
Omi	For real?
Omi's Father	…haha. You two work hard on house chores, and I'll work just as hard to earn money.
Omi	Please do.
	How is school for you two?
Kai	I'm having fun at the university rugby club. It's more professional than the high school one, and my upperclassmen are all nice.
Omi	I see.
Kai	Sometimes I use big bro Omi's recipes to make them food, and when I do they compliment me like crazy.
Omi	I'll teach you more stuff next time
Kai	Yeah.
Omi	And you Gaku? How is it going in the boxing club?
Gaku	Training is as tough as always, but since I have underclassmen now I'm pretty fired up.
Omi	Speaking of which, you've really gotten yourself muscular. You're moving better too.
Gaku	I know right. I might be able to beat you soon.
Omi	Haha, you're right.
Kai	It's still impossible right. Body weight wise.
Gaku	I can close the gap in no time
Omi	Well, you're an 8th grader, it must be tough with exams coming up, but do your best.
Gaku	Yeah.
Kai	By the way, dad dug this up from somewhere to help Gaku with his form check, you remember it big bro Omi?
Omi	Ah, that sure is nostalgic. We used it a lot when we were children.
Gaku	No one uses video cameras nowadays. You just use your phone.
Omi	Right. If it's just taking videos you can use a single lens camera like mine, or just your phone.
Omi's Father	Is that so? There's still empty tape left though. We don't have many opportunities to use it huh.
Omi	It was grandfather's right.
Omi's Father	Right. Even before you were born, it really served us well.
Kai	We watched some old videos taken with it, but because of dad they're all blurry.
Omi's Father	It can't be helped right. I'm bad with this stuff.
Gaku	With this stuff too you mean.
Omi's Father	Even if we do save the old tapes, we will throw away the camera, though it's a shame…
Omi	…That's a bit sad.
Kai	Big bro Omi, how about you use it for your theater?
Omi's Father	Ah, that's an idea. Can't you use it as a prop?
Omi	Hmm, I wonder about that…
Gaku	I want to see the theater and the dorms, so go film something for us. We have some tapes left anyway.
Kai	I want to see the Director~.
Gaku	Me too, me too.
Omi	…guess I have no choice. I'll ask if it's okay.
Omi's Father	We have to do something with the old tapes too. Seems like it's not good to leave them like that, the quality drops with time and you wouldn't be able to watch it anymore.
	A coworker told me it's better to convert it to video data or something.
Omi	Someone from the Company is knowledgeable about this stuff, so I'll ask them.
Omi's Father	Please do.

Tasuku	If it's about that, you can ask for it all to be converted to digital data.
Omi	Heh, I see.
Tasuku	When I was in university, I filmed a performance of an OB. You could choose to convert it to digital data or to DVD.
	If you convert it to digital data you can record it on many types of media, so it's extremely convenient.
Omi	Ah, well, my dad can't handle computers, so I'll go with a DVD.
Tsuzuru	My parents asked me to do just that too the other day, so I'll introduce you to someone who can do it.
Omi	Thank you, it's a great help.
Tasuku	By the way Fushimi, you said you might be doing the role of a martial artist in the upcoming performance right?
Omi	Yes. Though the content of the performance is not yet decided. It's just that Tsuzuru said it might fit me.
	When I visited home the other day, my brother taught me some boxing forms.
Tsuzuru	Right, and when I heard about Fushimi-san's brother, it gave me inspiration.
Azami	Heh, so Omi-san's brother is doing boxing.
Omi	He was eager to beat me.
Tasuku	If you really do it, you'll need some preparations. I'll make a training menu that will give you the presence of a martial artist.
Azami	Ah, Yuki-san asked me to tell Omi-san, to not let Tasuku-san get ideas inside your head about putting too much muscle.
Tasuku	That guy…
Tsuzuru	Nothing less from Yuki. He sees through everything.
Azami	He said he wants to think of a costume that would fit your current build.
Omi	If he says that, I have no choice but to obey.
	……
Izumi	……
Omi	……
Izumi	Arr, Omi-kun…? It's kind of hard to do when you're filming me…
	(When there's a camera pointed at me, I get nervous and my hands are shaking, I might cut myself…!)
Omi	Haha, is that so? Sorry about that.
Izumi	Your brothers asked you to film the dorms?
Omi	Yeah. They're especially noisy about wanting to see you Director.
Izumi	Eh!? Why me…?
Omi	Who knows… maybe because I'm always talking about you at home.
Izumi	Eh!
	(W-What kinda things does he tell them…)
Omi	Alright, with this my assignment is completed.
Izumi	A video camera really brings back memories.
Omi	You don't get to see them much recently. Though they still might be used for school events and the likes.
Izumi	My mom filmed my school entrance ceremony like this as well. My dad always had performances so he couldn't attend.
Omi	My parents used to film my brothers and me in all kinds of events with this.
Izumi	Do you still have those tapes?
Omi	Yeah. I thought about converting them to digital data so I have them here with me.
Izumi	I see. I kind of want to see~. How Omi-kun was like as a child.
Omi	I don't think it's that interesting…
Izumi	Can't I?
Omi	Well, I haven't watched them yet either, so let's watch them together.
Izumi	Sure!

Omi	Let's just get to it.
Izumi	From what time are those tapes?
Omi	My dad's handwriting is so messy, I can't read the label…
Izumi	Ah, it's starting. There's a cake so maybe it's a birthday party?
Omi	No, there's also a tree. It's Christmas.
Izumi	Ah! Is that you Omi-kun?
Omi	…correct.
Izumi	It's so refreshing seeing such a tiny Omi-kun!
Omi	It's not like I've always been this big. It's probably from when I was in third grade.
Izumi	Heh~.
	(His body is so much smaller but… the kind eyes are the same)
Gaku	"Why! Give it back!"
Kai	"Don't wanna!"
Omi	"Stop it you two"
Izumi	Are those two your brothers?
Omi	Yeah. The bigger one is Kai, three years younger than me, and the other one is Gaku, five years younger.
	Maybe it's because their ages are closer to each other, they used to always get into fights.
Izumi	You've been used to stopping fights ever since that time huh.
Omi	They wouldn't listen if I told them to stop, so I used pro-wrestling moves on the one who started the fight.
Izumi	Haha, how dynamic. Typical boys for you.
Omi	Things aren't much different now.
Izumi	You might be right.
	(Juza-kun and Banri-kun used to fight often in their first performance, I guess for Omi-kun it was the same as dealing with his brothers)
Omi's Father	"Woah"
Kai	""Aah! You spilt my juice~!"
Gaku	"What are you doing"
Omi's Father	"I'm sorry"
Izumi	Is that your father?
Omi	Yeah, he looks much younger here. He has always been clumsy.
Izumi	(Which means, then one who is filming is…)
Omi	"Mom, let's switch!"
Omi's Mother	"Don't drop it okay?"
Omi	"It's alright"
Izumi	--.
	(Omi's mother, who died when he was in elementary school…)
Omi	…that's nostalgic. It feels sad but warm… a complicated feeling. A video of someone who has passed away is a strange thing.
	It's the same with photographs. They remind us that this person was indeed there at that time and place, laughing together with us.
Izumi	Yeah, it's a wonderful thing.
Omi's Father	"Omi how about you open your present"
Omi	"Yeah!"
Omi's Father	"Here, I'll film"
Omi's Mother	"Are you okay?"
Omi	Haha, it's really blurry.
Izumi	It started the moment it switched to your father right.
Omi	My dad is like this, so I have to take pictures and videos of my brothers.
Izumi	Right. They'll be happy when they see them in the future.
Omi	But well, first comes the guys from the Company. My brothers will get angry if I don't use all the tape.
Izumi	Seems like it's going to become a long documentary.
Omi	A documentary huh… maybe I should prepare questions, and try to film interviews.
Izumi	Sounds interesting!
Omi	Questions like the reason they joined the theater, or their current aspirations.
Izumi	Maybe you should also ask about their most memorable performance, or even inside stories.
Omi	Maybe we will even get to hear stories no one else knows.
Izumi	Yup yup.
	It might be too early to say that, but it would be nice if someday we can watch it, and think how nostalgic it is.
Omi	You're right.

Hoshiko