Tsumugi Tsukioka/MANKAI Memory

Childhood Memory: TSUMUGI

Backstage Stories

Part 1Part 2Part 3

Tsumugi	Good work today.
Troupe member A	Great job!
	We really appreciate you coming to guest star this time.
Troupe member B	You saved us by coming, Tsukioka-kun.
Tsumugi	Not at all. I had fun participating as well.
Troupe member A	I’m glad if you say so.
	Anyways, the Hana High uniform looks great on you.
	You can still pull off the role of a high school student, eh?
Tsumugi	Ahaha, it feels embarrassing when I’m out of character. But I’m glad if I don’t look out of place or anything.
Troupe member B	We’re gonna hold a casual closing party backstage after this.
	If you’d like, why don’t you join us, Tsukioka-kun?
Tsumugi	Are you sure?
	Alright, I’ll drop by since I’m here.
	(Ah, it’s already this late.
	The cast party was fun so I stayed longer than I expected.)
	Excuse me, I think I’ll be taking my leave now.
Troupe member A	Ahh, thanks for today.
	Or rather… are you going to go home like that, Tsukioka-kun?
Tsumugi	Yes, my dorm is just a short distance from here.
Troupe member A	I see. Take care on your way back.
	Alright, see you then.
Tsumugi	Thank you for today.
	(Once again, I learned a lot from today’s guest appearance.
	I was reminded of my high school days while I prepared for my role…)
Police officer	Hey, you over there!
Tsumugi	Eh? Do you mean me…?
Police office	That’s right. It’s already late in the evening. What’s a high school student doing out at this hour?
Tsumugi	Oh, no. Um, I’m not a high school student.
Police officer	You’re a Hana High student no matter how you look at it.
Tsumugi	Umm, I’m wearing their uniform, but…
Police officer	To think a high school student’s loafing around at his hour. Where’s your house?
Tsumugi	(He totally thinks I’m in high school… what should I do?)
Fuyuki	…Huh, Tsumu?
Tsumugi	Ahh, Fuyuki-kun!
Police officer	Hm? Takato?
Fuyuki	Ah, if it isn’t senpai.
	Tsumu’s look…
	Plus this situation…
	Don’t tell me, senpai. Did you mistake Tsumu for a high school student?
Police officer	? What do you mean?
Tsumugi	I’m sorry I’m dressed so confusingly…
	But I’m merely using this uniform as a stage costume, and I’m a proper adult.
Fuyuki	What he said.
	He’s an old friend of mine, so I can vouch for him.
Police officer	Ehh, is that how it is!
	I mean, you were in a uniform so I was sure…
	I apologize I didn't listen to you carefully.
Tsumugi	Not at all! It’s my fault for causing this misunderstanding.
Police officer	I’ll be careful next time. My apologies.
	Now then, I’ll be going.
Fuyuki	Thanks for your work!
Tsumugi	I’m so sorry…
	*Sigh*, you saved me by coming, Fuyuki-kun.
Fuyuki	Haha. If you’re dressed like that, then you’re a high school student no matter how you see it.
Tsumugi	I should’ve changed my clothes instead of slacking off just because the dorm was nearby.
	I’ve made trouble for the police officer too.
Fuyuki	At any rate… what happened just now sure brought back memories.
Tsumugi	It brought back memories?
Fuyuki	We bothered the police before in the past, didn’t we?
Tsumugi	Right. That did happen, come to think of it.
	Ah, that’s it!
Fuyuki	Hm?
Tsumugi	You see, I have a birthday bromide photoshoot coming up at the Theatre.
	And I’m supposed to prepare a memorable item from before I joined the troupe to use as an accessory for it.
Fuyuki	Oh, sounds interesting.
Tsumugi	Doesn’t it? I wasn’t sure what I should use. But something came to mind after talking with you, Fuyuki-kun.
Fuyuki	Oh! In that case, I’ve got it. It’s that, isn’t it?
Tsumugi	Fufu, exactly.
	I’ll go home and look for it next time.

Tsumugi	Hmm, I’m sure it was around here…
	Ahh, there it is.
	*door opens*
Tsumugi’s grandma	Would you like some tea, Tsumu-chan?
Tsumugi	Ah, thanks, grandma. I’ll head over now.
Tsumugi’s grandma	Oh my, that stuffed toy…
	Are you going to use it for something?
Tsumugi	Yes, I need it for a troupe photoshoot that’s coming up.
Tsumugi’s grandma	You think back to that time when you see this stuffed toy, don’t you?
Tsumugi	Fufu, exactly.
	*flashback starts*
	Wow, what a wide park…!
	It’s been a while since you and Ta-chan took me somewhere far away to play. I’m so glad.
Fuyuki	Our moms are shopping so let’s play in the park!
Tsumugi	Yeah…!
	That obstacle course looks fun.
	Let’s go!
Fuyuki	Hah, I had a blast!
	We played a lot, so should we head back to where our moms are?
Tsumugi	Yeah, good idea.
Tasuku	Our meet-up spot was that way, right?
Tsumugi	…?
	Something fell over there…
	(…A key? I wonder if someone dropped this.)
	(The person who lost this must be in trouble, so I better take it to the police station.)
	Hey, Ta-chan.
	Huh, he’s gone…
	Ta-chan? Fuyuki-kun?
	(I don’t see them anywhere…
	B-but they shouldn’t have gone that far…)
	I think this is the way home… oh, and there was a policeman down this road when we came, right…?
	I’ll head there.
	(I’ve walked quite a while now, but I don’t see Ta-chan or Fuyuki-kun…)
	(I haven’t reached the police station either…)
	What should I do if I can’t meet with anyone at this rate…
	…Uuh… euughhh…
	Uweeeh… uUuh…!
Fuyuki	Oi, Tsumu!
Tsumugi	! F-Fuyuki-kun…!
Fuyuki	Thank God! You suddenly disappeared so I panicked.
	Ah, geez, you’re crying so much.
	C’mere, I’ll wipe your face.
Tsumugi	Guhh, Fuyuki-kun… that kinda hurts…
	Your sleeve will get dirty too.
Fuyuki	Haha, my bad, my bad!
	Don’t worry about my sleeve. Let’s head home now.
Tsumugi	…Yeah, thanks.
	Ah, but I wanna see a policeman before that.
Fuyuki	A policeman?
Tsumugi	I found a lost key…
Fuyuki	Ohh. You gotta hand that over, huh?
	If you want a police officer, then I’m pretty sure there was one nearby…
	Let’s go, Tsumu.
	Ah, there! A police station!
Police officer	What’s the matter, you two?
Tsumugi	U-um… I picked up a lost key, so I came to return it.
Police officer	Ohh, thanks a bunch.
	You’re a good kid. I’ll make sure to hold onto it.
Tsumugi	Y-yes…! Please do.
Fuyuki	…Bad news, Tsumu.
Tsumugi	What’s wrong?
Fuyuki	I was able to get to the police station… but I dunno the way home.
Tsumugi	Ehh!
Police officer	Oh, are you lost?
	Do you know your mom and dad’s contact information?
Tsumugi	I-I do…!
Police officer	Great. I’ll get in touch with them, so can you tell me the details?
	You can stay here until then.
Fuyuki	Thank you very much!
Police officer	Your parents said they’ll come pick you up soon.
	So just wait a bit longer, alright?
Fuyuki	Got it!
Tsumugi	T-thank you very much…!
	Police officers are so cool, aren’t they, Fuyuki-kun?
Fuyuki	Totally! They’re super cool!
Police officer	That’s nice of you to say.
	Alright, hold on a second.
Dog plushie	…”Tsumugi-kun, Fuyuki-kun. Play with me until you head home!”
Tsumugi	!? The plushie talked…!
Fuyuki	Ahaha! You’re real good at ventriloquism, Mr. Officer!
Dog plushie	“It’s not ventriloquism!”
Tsumugi	Wow, awesome…! Sure, let’s play together!

Tsumugi’s grandma	We rushed to pick you up after that, but both of you looked so cheerful that it was hard to believe you were lost.
Tsumugi	It was all thanks to that officer and this plushie back then.
	This toy was also given to me by that policeman who said I could take it with me when I looked reluctant to part ways with it.
	And after, I admired that officer, so it was my dream to become a police officer for a period of time.
Tsumugi’s grandmother	Fufu, that’s right.
Azuma	Happy birthday, Tsumugi.
Homare	Tsumugi-kun, happy birthday!
Tsumugi	Thank you very much.
Izumi	You were also able to take a great photo for the birthday bromide.
CHOICE 1: How was the photoshoot? [+] Izumi How was the photoshoot? Tsumugi It was really enjoyable. Thanks to you and Omi-kun, I was able to relax while getting my pictures taken. Izumi Omi-kun and Kazunari-kun took plenty of shots, but they said all of your expressions were so great, they weren’t sure which one to use. Tsumugi Ahaha, I’m happy to hear that. I’m able to smile naturally just being together and talking with Director and everyone else after all. Izumi Fufu, that’s true. I know how you feel.
CHOICE 2: There were all kinds of different accessories. [+] Izumi We brought them out from the storage room, but there were all kinds of different accessories. Tsumugi All of them brought back so many memories. They reminded me of all the things that happened during our shows and events. And when I saw the props I used in our plays, the feelings of my roles came flooding back. I got excited thinking about how I would like to play those roles again after such a long time, or how I’d love to do an etude again under those settings. Izumi That sounds great! You might come up with some new ideas by acting or doing etudes after so long. Tsumugi Right? I’ll invite everyone else another time.
Guy	Was this stuffed toy Tsukioka’s memento for the birthday bromide?
Tsumugi	Yes, that’s right.
Hisoka	That dog plushie is cute.
Azuma	Fufu. He’s dressed like a police officer too.
Tasuku	You’ve brought another nostalgic item, huh?
Homare	Did someone purchase that for you when you were young?
Tsumugi	No. Actually, Tasuku’s older brother Fuyuki-kun and I got ourselves lost in the past…
	And I got it from the police officer who took care of us back then.
Hisoka	So that’s what happened.
Tsumugi	Because of that, both Fuyuki and I dreamed of becoming police officers.
Guy	And then Takato’s older brother made that dream come true.
Tsumugi	Yes, Fuyuki-kun’s perfect as a policeman.
	Right, Tasuku?
Tasuku	…I mean, I guess so.
Hisoka	You might’ve became a police officer too, Tsumugi.
Tsumugi	Maybe so, huh? But my dream changed after that, and I came across something that I wanted to do even more: theatre.
	That’s why I’m here right now and acting with everyone in Winter troupe.
	Just thinking about acting every day—I've never been happier.
Hisoka	As expected of the theatre junkie.
Guy	I suppose that’s just like Tsukioka.
Tsumugi	Fufu, thank you very much.
	(…That policeman taught me what it feels like to want to do something with all my might back when I was a shy child.)
	(I wonder if the fact I was taught that sort of feeling when I was young has had a considerable influence on me, right now, who’s doing the things that I want to do…)
	Wait, now that think of it, why weren’t you with Fuyuki-kun when we got lost, Tasuku?
Tasuku	Ahh… after we realized you disappeared, my brother told me to go back to our parents and let them know.
	I had reached a point where I wouldn’t get lost anymore.
	The truth is, said I’d go too, but my brother stopped me.
Tsumugi	I see.
Tasuku	So I went back first, and my brother went to search for you by himself, stating he’d definitely find you.
	Thinking back now, it would’ve been better if both of us went back to talk to our parents together… but, you know, we were still kids.
Tsumugi	He acted that way so he wouldn’t make me or you feel worried.
	Fuyuki-kun was clearly an older brother even back then, huh?
Tasuku	…That’s true.
Tsumugi	But I remember.
	Tasuku and I cried a lot as soon as we saw each other afterwards, didn’t we?
Tasuku	No, you were the only one who cried their eyes out.
Azuma	So that means Tasuku also cried a little.
Homare	It must have been a touching reunion.
Tasuku	That’s not what I said.
Tsumugi	Hahaha.

Anna