 |
| Izumi | Everyone’s here. |
| Okay, Juza, what did you want to talk to us about? |
| Juza | …When I was learning about stage lighting from Akashi, I realized I’ve been hiding from the spotlight ever since the accident during Yuzo’s play. |
| The memory of that night keeps playing on loop in the back of my mind. Y’know, during those few seconds when the spotlight washed over me… I was shaking. |
| Before that curtain call, I’d never felt scared to stand on stage alone. |
| All I can remember is how my feet were glued to the floor. The experienced actors saved me from my own hubris, but just today… |
| Just today, when I went on stage under the spotlight, I couldn’t move at all. Not even an inch. |
| If I close my eyes, I see it. The image is burned into my mind—the spotlight weighing down on my shoulders, the scent in the air, that intense yet insignificant moment… |
| Sakyo | Given that this is going to be a problem, I have to remind you that you’re the lead for the next Autumn play. Our first day of practice isn’t far off. |
| If this continues, it may be a good idea to delay the performance run entirely. |
| Juza | N-No—I don’t wanna cause any trouble for anyone. I-I… I wanna proceed with the schedule. Please. |
| Omi | I completely understand that you’ll feel guilty if we delay the performance on your behalf, Juza. But if you can’t shake your fear, I’m not sure we can proceed with our schedule. |
| Taichi | Juza’s the lead, so I’ll do my best to support him in anything and everything he wants! |
| Azami | Yeah, but how are we supposed to cure his fear of the spotlight? |
| Izumi | Hmm, that’s a tough one… There’s no easy, instant fix for trauma like this. This might be an uphill battle. |
| Sakyo | Not to mention we have a deadline. |
| Banri | So the issue is whenever he tries to stand under the spotlight, he’s frozen like a boulder, huh? |
| Taichi | What if we took away the spotlight? |
| Azami | Then the audience won’t be able to see the lead actor. |
| Banri | So what you’re sayin’ is he’s developed this fear of being under the spotlight alone. Yeah? |
| …Well, y’know, I guess we’ve only got one solution here. |
| Azami | Sounds like it, if I’m pickin’ up what you’re putting down. |
| Omi | Oh, the thing Banri did during Last Planet? |
| Izumi | …His portrait, right? Alright, we’ll give it a shot and see what happens. |
| Juza | Portrait… |
| Sakyo | When an actor performs a one-man show with nowhere to hide, the truth will come out. |
| Juza. You say you’re worried about being able to act, but I think doing this could bring back your confidence. |
| Banri | God, it’s annoying when you’re right. If that’s what we gotta do, we’ll all be Hyodo’s audience. |
| Omi | Even if this doesn’t work, we’ll give you as many chances as you need until you’ve bloomed into your fearless self again. |
| Izumi | Yes, you don’t have to worry. Mankai Company is a theatre for our personal use. Even if you’re scared today, you can still try tomorrow, the next day, and any day after that… There’s no rush. |
| Taichi | You’ll get the chance to try out a whole bunch of things! And we’ll be at your back the whole way there! |
| Juza | You guys… |
| Sakyo | With that said, we’ve got work to do before we can begin rehearsal. All of us will watch Juza perform so he can shake his fear of the spotlight. |
| Juza | Thank you… |
| I’ll show you all that I can stand proud as an actor. I’ll definitely be able to overcome this in time for our performance. |
| Izumi | Like I said! You don’t have to rush anything. There’s more than one way to climb a mountain. |
| Banri | Hey, can’t you just do the same portrait you did before our debut play? |
| Juza | …No. |
| I’m a different guy from back then. In fact, this is something only the me of today can do. I can’t just do it like you, Settsu. My portrait is a self-reflection on my life, and no one else can tell me how to perform it. |
| This is gonna be a hell of an ordeal… |
| Banri | Ehh, well think of it as a new challenge. |
| Juza | ...Yeah. |
| Izumi | We’ll be looking forward to it. |
| Azami | — |
 |
| Juza | … |
| (Okay so... I gotta start with this box and—No, uhh.. I need a theme, right? |
| If I was looking at this from the perspective of my foil... |
| Ughhh, even if I sit here and spend all my time reworking my words, it’s not gonna be good enough. Okay, maybe I should write about the “spotlight”... |
| Man. I didn’t think I’d be scared just writing down my fears… |
| No no no, I gotta remember what Tsuzuru said. I need to keep writing so I can understand how I really feel. By writing everything down I can get my feelings out, that’s something, isn’t it?) |
| ? |
| Kumon | Hey, Nii-chan… |
| Juza | What’s up? |
| Kumon | Well... |
| Azami | Brace yourself for this one. |
| Kumon | U-Um, well.. |
| Juza | Huh, what’s that crumpled up piece of paper? |
| Kumon | Do you remember? |
| Juza | “Light”...? Did you really—? |
| Kumon | This is the essay you wrote in your 3rd year of high school. |
| Juza | Ohh, that’s right. My graduation essay. |
| (The theme was “Future,” but for some reason I got the image in my head that the theme had something to do with light. Yeah, something like that. |
| But it was too abstract, and I was ashamed so I threw it out.) |
| I thought that’d be in a faraway dumpster by now… H-How did you—? |
| Kumon | Actually I was curious why you threw it out. You were pretty sneaky about it. I’m sorry for taking it without permission!! |
| Juza | I had no idea. |
| Kumon | You poured your heart into this, and even though it was heart-wrenching for me to read, I thought it was a beautiful piece of writing. |
| But then, when the graduation ceremony came around, I was surprised to hear yours was different. More bland, more empty… |
| I kept wondering if you’d thrown it out because I interrupted you that one time, and I’ve always blamed myself. And so I’ve treasured this ever since… |
| Juza | N-No, I trashed it ‘cause it’s worthless. You don’t have to blame yourself. |
| Kumon | D-Don’t say that! |
| To be honest, I’m happy you wrote this. And even if I’m the only one who’s ever read it, I’m so glad at least one person got to hear your words straight from the heart. |
| Juza | …I can’t even remember what I wrote. |
| Kumon | I’m sure you’d be surprised by your own talent if you reread it! It’s really amazing! |
| I know you think the only thing you’re good for is acting, but you know what? That’s not true at all! |
| You have so much to offer from your heart, and I think it’s amazing. |
| I think you have a whole bunch of talents, but you can’t see them until you let yourself see them. |
| And I think you conveyed all of your heart and talents in this essay. |
| …Actually, I was shocked at how little I knew about my own brother. I claim to love and adore you more than anything, but I had no idea. |
| Juza | Kumon… |
| Azami | You wanna give this thing another read, then? Your feelings might’ve changed since high school. |
| Juza | —Yeah. I will. |
