Tasuku Takato/Ego’s Ultimate Masterpiece

Under the Gingko Trees

Backstage Stories

Part 1Part 2Part 3

Izumi	I happened to pass by a park today, and the leaves on the trees were turning red and yellow.
Tasuku	Yeah, the leaves are changing colours everywhere these days.
Izumi	Yep.
	I really feel the arrival of autumn...
	*door opens*
Juza	Ah, Tasuku-san.
Omi	So you were over here.
Tasuku	What’s the matter?
Omi	Oh, nothing. We wanted to discuss with you about Saturday, but it looks like you’re talking with Director. We can catch you again later.
Juza	There’s no rush.
Izumi	We were just chatting, so don’t mind me.
	Is something happening on Saturday?
Tasuku	We plan to go on a fall foliage bike tour.
Izumi	Ooh, how nice. You’ll able to see some wonderful scenery.
Tasuku	If you’re interested, then wanna tag along?
	If you come, I’ll let you ride in the back again.
Izumi	That’s okay. You three went out of your way to make plans, so please go together.
	Thanks so much for inviting me.
Juza	You’re not comin’, Director?
Omi	No need to be considerate.
Izumi	Thanks, you two.
	But I have something I wanna to do on Saturday too, so it’s honestly fine!
Tasuku	I see. Got it.
Izumi	Ah, right.
	Can I ask you guys to take some pictures as a souvenir?
Juza	Some pictures…?
Izumi	Yeah, I’d like to see what kind of place you three went to and how you spent your time there… is that too much?
Juza	Nah, sounds good.
Tasuku	I mean, Fushimi will be with us too.
Omi	Then we’ll have to take lots of photos that will make Director happy on the day of.
Tasuku	That’s great it’s sunny out.
Juza	Yeah.
Omi	Huh, Director?
	Are you home from shopping? Welcome back.
Izumi	I’m back!
	Are you guys going touring now?
Tasuku	Yeah, we’re thinking of heading out soon.
Izumi	Please enjoy your time looking at all the autumn foliage.
Omi	Look forward to our souvenir pictures.
Izumi	Yeah, I’ll be waiting for all the pictures where I can see you guys having fun!
Omi	Haha, roger that.
Tasuku	Alright, let’s get going?
Juza	Sure.
Izumi	Have a nice trip. Stay safe out there!
Omi	The gingko trees lining the roadside here are amazing.
Tasuku	They’re changing colours beautifully.
	There’s a spot to park our bikes too, so how about we take a short break?
Juza	Yeah.
Omi	Oh, right. Why don't we take some pictures that Director requested here?
Juza	Sounds good. We’ve got gingko trees here too.
Tasuku	Agreed.
Omi	Alright, I’ll take one first.
	Stand in front of the gingko trees, you two—.
Tasuku & Juza	…
	*click*
Omi	Your expressions are a bit stiff. Can you smile a little wider?
Tasuku & Juza	…
	*click*
Omi	Look a tad friendlier…!
	*click*
	That’s better than the first one, but your smiles still look kind of stiff and strained.
	It sounded like Director wants pictures of us having fun, so it’d be better if our smiles look a little more natural.
Juza	Omi-san, can I take your picture next?
Omi	Ah, go ahead.
	Should I stand around here?
Juza	Great.
	*click*
Tasuku	Heh… maybe it's because Fushimi’s always observing photoshoots, but he's really good at getting photographed.
Juza	His smile looks natural and he looks like he’s having fun.
	Omi-san’s amazin’ as expected…
Omi	Both of you are good at taking photos for our flyers, aren't you?
	Now all we need to do is take some fun pictures of you two.
Tasuku	I see…
	…Wouldn’t it look more natural to move around rather than standing still?
Juza	I think moving’s good.
	What can we do to show that here?
Tasuku	There’s only gingko trees around us, so it’s hard to think.
Omi	…That reminds me, my younger brothers used to collect fallen leaves and play around while throwing them up in the air.
Juza	I see…
	Sounds like a great idea.
Tasuku	Oi, don’t tell me we’re actually doing that!?
Juza	Yep.
	If that’s what Director wants, then we gotta.
Tasuku	*Sigh*… fine.
	Let’s get this over with quickly.
Omi	Let’s collect some fallen leaves first.
	Alright, I’m taking it now.
	Please throw the leaves on the count of three.
	…And three!
Tasuku & Juza	…!
	*throws*
	*click*
Juza	How is it?
Omi	I got a proper shot that shows you two having fun.
Juza	I’m glad.
Tasuku	Hah, did we finally get the shot…
	Now we’ve got our souvenir for Director, right?
Omi	Haha, yeah.
	It’s great we were able to take a nice picture.

Tasuku	We’ve got enough rest now, so let’s head out.
	*wind blows by*
Omi	The wind suddenly picked up.
Juza	…!
	A lot of stuff fell from the trees.
Tasuku	Are these… gingko nuts?
Juza	The sign says, “you can take the fallen gingko nuts home”.
Omi	I think we can eat the ones that have just fallen, so we might as well take some home as souvenirs.
Juza	Sakyo-san’ll be pleased.
Tasuku	Heh, does Sakyo-san like gingko nuts?
Juza	…Is this many enough?
Tasuku	You’ve gathered quite a lot.
	That much should be plenty.
Juza	‘Kay.
Omi	Alright, shall we hit the road again?
Kumon	Nii-chan, welcome home!
	Welcome back too, Tasuku-san and Omi-san!
Taichi	Welcome back, guys!
Juza	Yeah, we’re home.
Kumon	How’d the bike tour go!?
Taichi	Where’d you go today?
Omi	It was a fall foliage tour, so we went around to a bunch of different places.
Kumon	That sounds amazing!
Tasuku	Director… here’s a souvenir.
Izumi	Wow, gingko nuts?
	There’s so many of them!
Juza	We took a break under some gingko trees and they fell from there.
Sakyo	Oh, gingko nuts, huh?
	Ain’t that great?
Taichi	Sakyo-nii loves gingko nuts, right!
Kumon	Oh, really!
Omi	Juza collected some freshly fallen gingko nuts, so I think they're clean and edible.
Tasuku	Use them if you’d like.
Izumi	Thank you so much! Tsuzuru-kun already prepared dinner tonight, so I’ll use them tomorrow.
Omi	I’d like to carefully sift through the other souvenirs we promised, so can that wait until tomorrow?
Izumi	Of course that’s fine!
	I can’t wait to see them.
Taichi	One more souvenir? What is it?
Izumi	Pictures from today.
	I asked them to take some of them having fun.
Kumon	Eh, I wanna see too!
Taichi	Same!
Juza	…We can’t show you, even if you’re the one askin’.
Kumon	EH, WHY NOT!?
Tasuku	Because those pictures are a souvenir for Director.
	…Fushimi, you better not show them to any other troupe member.
Omi	Haha, I understand.
	Oh, right, Director. It’s better to soak the gingko nuts in water right away.
	That makes them easier to prepare.
Izumi	Oh, really!
	Alright, I’ll head to the kitchen.
Taichi	Director-sensei’s in charge of tomorrow’s meal, right?
Kumon	What’s she gonna make?
	It’s not gonna be gingko curry, is it?
Tasuku	I’ve never heard of gingko curry before.
	I have a strong impression that gingko nuts are used in chawanmushi.
Omi	There’s also gingko rice.
Tasuku	Gingko rice?
	Is that like chestnut rice?
Taichi	That sounds tasty!
Sakyo	You can also use it as an oden ingredient.
Kumon	Oden!?
Juza	I’ve never seen gingko added before.
Sakyo	Well, as for me, my top recommendation is grilled skewers since you can enjoy the natural taste of the ingredients.
Kumon	There’s a lot more gingko dishes than I thought!
Tasuku	If there are this many major dishes, then I think we’re safe from curry.
Taichi	That’s a relief!
Izumi	Now it just has to simmer… There.
Tasuku	(This smell… are we having curry again today?)
Izumi	Ah, did you need something, Tasuku-san?
Tasuku	No, I just came to get a drink.
	*ring, ring*
Izumi	Eh, a work call right now!?
	This will burn if I leave it though…
	Um, Tasuku-san… can I ask you to watch over the pot for a little bit?
	It’s fine if you just stir it from time to time.
Tasuku	Sure, no problem.
	I’ll do that.
Izumi	Sorry, please do!
Tasuku	…
	(I don't see any sign that the gingko nuts from yesterday are in the curry.
	But if that's the case, then just what is she going to use them for?)
	Hm? These are…

Tasuku	There are bamboo skewers and gingko nuts laid out.
	Is she actually planning to make grilled skewers?
	Wait, but there’s not enough for all the members.
	Ahh… these are for Sakyo-san, huh?
	He was talking about how he likes gingko skewers.
	…
	(I don't have anything to do except stir the pot once in a while, so I might as well work on skewering them.)
Izumi	Thank you for watching the pot for me, Tasuku-san!
Tasuku	Are you done with your work discussion?
Izumi	Yep, thankfully!
	Oh… are these gingko skewers?
Tasuku	Yeah. I skewered them while I was watching the pot.
	You were going to make them for Sakyo-san, right?
Izumi	Eh, Sakyo-san? Why would you ask that?
Tasuku	It looks like you only prepared a few skewers, so I thought they were for Sakyo-san … is that not it?
Izumi	Ah! I just used these skewers to make sure the curry ingredients were soft enough.
Tasuku	Oh, is that it?
	Sorry for stabbing the skewers on my own.
Izumi	Not at all! Since you made the them, let’s fire the skewers up.
	Can you grill them, Tasuku-san?
Tasuku	Me? No, I’m good.
Izumi	But I think Sakyo-san will be happy if he knows you made them!
Tasuku	I seriously doubt that.
Izumi	Are you sure?
	We don’t get to do this often, and if it were me, I’d be happy too…
Tasuku	…Alright, if you’re going to go that far.
	Director, Fushimi, and Minagi always make the food for us everyday. I gotta help out once in a while.
	If it’s just grilling, then I can do it. So I’ll do it until the end.
CHOICE 1: I’m counting on you. [+] Izumi I’m counting on you! Okay, I guess I’ll make the salad. Tasuku By the way, there were even more gingko nuts that we brought home. It doesn’t look like they’re in the curry… Did you use them in anything else? Izumi You peeked at the curry since you were curious, huh, Tasuku-san. Tasuku Well… Izumi I did use the gingko nuts for something other than curry! Tasuku Oh, what did you add them to? Izumi It’s a secret! Tasuku You don't have to hide it since we’ll find out at dinner anyways, you know? Izumi I want to keep it a secret for now. So please wait in anticipation for dinnertime. Tasuku (I guess I have no choice but to wait until then.)
CHOICE 2: You look just like a chef. [+] Izumi Tasuku-san, you look just like a chef with the way you grill the skewers. Tasuku A chef, huh… “It’s sure busy today. How’s the next order for the gingko skewers?” Izumi Eh? Tasuku “Get it together. You and I have been protecting this restaurant together up until now, haven't we?” “Because you’re here with me, I can cook with ease. I'll be counting on you from now on.” Izumi Ah, it’s a chef etude…! Tasuku Yeah, I thought it’d be interesting to try. Izumi Just from those lines, I immediately understood the restaurant’s situation and that he has a wife. That’s Tasuku-san for you! Tasuku You flatter me too much.
	Hey, they’re done grilling.
Izumi	Ah, the roasted colour is perfect.
	Thanks so much for lending a hand, Tasuku-san!
Kumon	I’m starving!
Taichi	Hm? I smell curry again today!
Kumon	EH!? It’s not a gingko dish!?
Taichi	Left in Director-sensei’s hands, then of course gingko’s in the curry too…
Izumi	Sorry for the wait.
	Here you go.
Kumon	Thanks!
	Director, is this gingko curry?
Izumi	Nope, I didn’t add gingko to the curry.
Taichi	To the curry… Ahh!
	The gingko nuts are in the rice!
Kumon	Eh, you used them like that!?
Tsumugi	Ah, are these the gingko nuts that Tasuku and them brought back?
Tasuku	Yeah. I never thought she’d really use them like this.
Muku	This is the first time I’m eating gingko rice curry!
Tsuzuru	Or rather, I didn’t know this kind of curry even existed…
Taichi	*Munch, munch*… Ah! It’s surprisingly good!
Kumon	Yep, it’s nice the texture’s different than usual!
	I didn't know gingko nuts could get so chewy.
Sakyo	I see.
	You came up with curry with gingko rice.
Izumi	There’s also specially prepared gingko skewers for you, Sakyo-san.
	Dig in!
Sakyo	Skewers just for me?
	…Thanks, Director-san. They look delicious.
Taichi	Sakyo-nii looks over the moon!
Kumon	It’s cause he said he likes them, right!
Izumi	Actually, Tasuku-san’s the one who made these skewers!
Sakyo	…Takato?
Tasuku	Yeah… a lot happened.
Sakyo	Is that so?
	Can’t say I get what’s goin’ on, but… I appreciate it.
Tasuku	Don’t mention it…
Sakyo	Since you made them, I’ll have a bite.
	…They taste great.
	They’re grilled perfectly.
Tasuku	I’m glad if you say so.
Izumi	See, I knew Sakyo-san would be happy!
Tasuku	Yeah, right…

Anna