 |
| Juza | “Yes. |
| Yes, you have the right person, but... |
| Huh? |
| Ren is dead? |
| Oh, no, you can handle the process. |
| Please dispose of all his belongings. |
| I don’t mind. Yeah. |
| Yes, understood.” |
| Izumi | (I wonder how things will go this time. I’m glad we were able to start rehearsal on schedule.) |
| (Juza seems to have regained his confidence, and I feel silly for worrying in the first place.) |
| (After performing his updated portrait, he confirmed with us what he wanted out of the script. I’m glad we made it out the other end.) |
| (He wanted there to be a sunrise scene in the final act where he could bathe in the breaking of daylight.) |
| (Lighting design was a huge focus in this play, so we decided to choose a setting that would allow for extremely dark scenes. Thus, ‘prison’.) |
| (Even if Juza's fear of the spotlight rears its head, this setting would let him cope with it better. We did our very best to ensure Juza would never be alone on stage for long.) |
| Azami | “You’re the same coldhearted bastard as always, Aniki. “ |
| Juza | “—” |
| Azami | “What, did you forget the face of your dear little brother, too? Color me fuckin’ shocked. “ |
| Izumi | (The two are talking privately in the mess hall. Azami plays the role of Juza’s younger brother who’s returned to him as a ghost. This is a pretty important scene because the two brothers previously cut ties.) |
| (I’m sure this is a difficult scene from Juza’s point-of-view… But he said acting out this dynamic was important for him to affirm his path in life.) |
| (I think he made the right decision. Playing a role like this is a wonderful sign for his growth as a person and as an actor.) |
| (Really, I could even see his growth during our rehearsals…) |
| (The old Juza would discuss scenes if they were related to his character, but he’d always take a step back if we started breaking down the play as a whole.) |
| (Juza was hesitant going into this role. He didn’t know where to go or what he could reasonably do, but ever since we started rehearsals, things have slowly fallen into place.) |
| (Has Juza noticed the difference himself yet…?) |
 |
| Izumi | Any other questions? |
| Juza | Nope. |
| Izumi | Alright, thank you for your hard work. |
| Juza | Yeah. Same to you. |
| Izumi | You know, Juza, you’ve gotten a lot better at sharing your opinions. |
| It’s not just character interpretation or how you dictate the others as the lead actor. I can tell there’s a clear image in your mind when you describe things. Your communication skills are improving. |
| Juza | Now that you point it out, I get what you mean… I didn’t even notice. |
| It’s probably ‘cause I’ve started to understand my own feelings better. |
| I reread an essay I wrote in my senior year of high school recently. |
| I couldn’t remember a single word I had written in that thing, but it really moved me when I came back to it. |
| It’s not like I was trying to ignore those feelings, but I completely forgot what had compelled me to write that essay. So it was nice to revisit that time of my life. |
| For my updated portrait, I decided to use that old essay as the base. |
| I really thought my writing would suck, but Tsuzuru gave me some good tips. One thing that really helped was keeping a diary to practice writing more. |
| I started writing in my diary before bed, and little by little, I started understanding what makes me tick. |
| Izumi | That’s wonderful. As an actor, there’s a lot of merit in introspection, and I believe that holds extra true for an actor like you, Juza. |
| (Going forward, I think this newfound self-awareness will really help Juza blossom in his acting by leaps and bounds.) |
| (He’s ready to hit the ground running.) |
 |
| Juza | .. |
| (When I was at my lowest, it felt like I was never gonna make it to this performance, but after rehearsal started, time flew by.) |
| (I’ll be okay. I’ll be okay…) |
| Audience A | The day’s finally here. |
| Audience B | I got so excited when I heard Juza was going to play the lead again, so I pounced on a ticket! |
| Juza | — |
| (Everyone’s been looking forward to this performance. All the staff have worked hard, and this play is the culmination of all the work everyone put into it. All of this work for this single moment.) |
 |
| Actor A | “En garde, Yulong. Did you come here to lay your corpse beside his?" |
| Juza | "You have no right to speak to me like that." |
 |
| Juza | —Tch. |
| Azami | …Wow, you look like shit. |
| I mean, I’m supposed to look bad since I’m a ghost and all, but you, Juza? Yikes. |
| Juza | U-Uh, sorry. |
| Azami | Yeah, no. Don’t slap your cheeks like that, you’ll only make your face look swollen. |
| All hunched over and laser-focused like that, geez. |
| Juza | ?? |
| Azami | Listen. This here is a magic brush. |
| Your little brother used this once upon a time. It’s pretty special, so use it carefully. |
| Juza | … Alrighty. |
| Azami | This really helped him, so I think it can help you too. |
| Juza | …Thank you. What you did back then and what you’re doing now, they both mean a lot. |
| Azami | Oh. |
| You don’t have to thank me for all that. I’m just doing this because I want to. It’s the same now as it was with him. |
| Juza | ... |
| Sakyo | Let’s all get in a circle. |
| Juza | ‘Kay. |
| I apologise for worrying everyone. |
| I won’t say I’m completely cured of my fear but… With everyone’s love and support, I’m sure I can get through this performance. |
| Banri | It’s fine, ‘kay? God, you’re so dramatic. |
| Even if you make a mistake, it’s not gonna ruin the whole play. I can’t believe you think you’re thaaat important. |
| Sakyo | We aren’t the same people that performed during our debut play after all. |
| Regardless of whether we succeed or fail, there’s no longer any debt hanging over our heads. |
| Omi | We’re all right here behind you. You’re not alone. |
| Taichi | No matter what happens, we’re in this together! |
| Azami | Well, I’m a ghost so I’ll be with you in spirit. Literally. |
| Juza | Y-You guys… Thank you. |
| Sakyo | Yeah, of course. I also have a message from Yuzo. |
| He noticed that you get very tense before the first show of any performance run, and that if you seemed tense again, you should shout at the top of your lungs to relax your muscles. |
| You look pretty beat already, so how about you give it a try? |
| Juza | Uh… Well… The audience is already seated, y’know. I don’t wanna freak them out… |
| Banri | It’s fine, I was scared to do it too. Don’t worry your little head about it. |
| So! With that said, you ready to shout your anxieties away? |
| Juza | Uhh, okay, something like this? |
| —AUTUMN TROUPE!!! LET’S DO THIS THING!! |
| Azami | YEAH! |
| Taichi | AHH! |
| Omi | YEAH! |
| Banri | Tch, so loud… |
| Audience A | Huh? What was that sound? |
| Audience B | A fan chant? |
| Manager | Shh, shhh, quiet before the performance! |
| Juza | Sorry. |
| Omi | Please forgive us this one time. |
| Taichi | Sorry! |
| Juza | (I can definitely do this. I will make sure I succeed, not just for me, but for everyone who put in their efforts to make this performance a success. I can do it—) |
