| Izumi | Hmm, it’s not here either... |
| (Homare-san said all that, but giving up like this is just sad.) |
| (It’s something he got from his grandmother after all; the other day he was even standing in front of a watch store——) |
| Oh, could it be——! |
| |
| Izumi | Homare-san! |
| Homare | Is something the matter? You appear determined about something. |
| Izumi | Could you have sent your pocket watch for repairs? |
| Homare | Repairs? |
| Izumi | I saw you standing in front of a watch store the other day, so—— |
| Homare | Oh... No, I did not send it for repairs. |
| Izumi | Huh... |
| Homare | I was simply taking a peek since I happened to pass by. |
| Izumi | Is that so... |
| Hisoka | ...What’s this about? |
| Homare | Ah, you don’t know what happened because you were asleep. I lost my pocket watch. |
| Hisoka | Lost? |
| Izumi | We’ve looked everywhere, but we can’t find it... |
| Homare | No matter. That thing has been unneeded from the beginning. |
| Izumi | That’s... |
| Hisoka | ... |
| |
| Izumi | ... |
| (It’s finally the performance tomorrow...) |
| (Overall, it’s gotten better... But as I thought, the problems with Homare-san’s Sagishima and Hisoka-san’s Shiki are still there.) |
| Yuzo | ... |
| Izumi | ...What do you think? |
| Yuzo | Looks like the one playing Shiki really can’t stand having Sagishima behind him. |
| Hisoka | ... |
| Izumi | Even though you’ve gotten used to it considerably, the awkwardness is still there. |
| Yuzo | Why can’t you deal with having someone stand behind you in the first place? Is it some kind of past trauma or what? |
| Hisoka | ... |
| Izumi | (I’ve been careful not to ask about the reason until now, but the cause must be related to his past after all...) |
| Hisoka | ...I don’t know. |
| Yuzo | You don’t know? |
| Hisoka | ...I forgot. |
| Yuzo | ...Which reminds me, you have amnesia, right? Then it’s impossible to deal with the fundamental cause of it. |
| Izumi | Even if you don’t know the cause, do you know the reason why it makes you uncomfortable when someone is standing behind you? |
| Hisoka | ...It feels like I’m about to move by reflex. |
| Tsumugi | I wonder if that means he senses some sort of danger. |
| Tasuku | I guess so, if he says it’s by reflex. |
| Azuma | He’s like a stray cat. |
| Izumi | What if you constantly stay aware of who’s standing behind you? If you know who it is then it’ll probably stop bothering you. |
| Hisoka | ...I’ll give it a try. |
| Homare | As I thought — how about I stand behind Hisoka-kun 24 hours a day from now on? |
| Hisoka | ...That’d be annoying. |
| Homare | I have marshmallows with me right now. |
| Hisoka | ...I feel like I can do it now. |
| Izumi | That’s fast...!? |
| Tasuku | Marshmallows are amazing. |
| Tsumugi | Well, in a sense Homare-san and marshmallows come together as a set, so it may be effective if you stay aware of having those behind you. |
| Hisoka | ...Got it. |
| Yuzo | Now we have the protagonist. |
| Homare | ... |
| Yuzo | In order to understand your character’s feelings, think about it thoroughly again and again and again. Don’t stop thinking about it even as you’re performing. |
| Homare | Think about it thoroughly... |
| Yuzo | And then all five of you, get the hang of acting in front of an audience again. Compared to the other troupes, you guys lack heat. |
| Get your motivation up for the opening day tomorrow. That’s all I can say for now. |
| Izumi | Thank you very much. |
| Tasuku | Motivation, huh... |
| Homare | Shall I present a poem that will boost everyone’s morale? |
| Tasuku | No thanks. |
| Tsumugi | How about we perform some street acts for publicity and warm-up at the same time? |
| It can also serve as a rehearsal in front of an audience. |
| Izumi | That sounds good! |
| Azuma | I don’t see why not. |
| Hisoka | ...I’ll stay aware of what I was told earlier. |
| Tasuku | It’s decided then. |
| Homare | Very well. Shall we head outside then? |