| *Tsuzuru, Izumi, Madoka, and Reni are at a fancy restaurant with a view that overlooks the Tokyo skyline* |
| |
| Tsuzuru | Um... Can we really eat this, Director? |
| Izumi | Um, yeah, I guess? This is real food, right? |
| Tsuzuru | I wish they'd just give the food to us straight instead of whatever's going on in this plate. |
| Izumi | Haha... I feel that. |
| Madoka | It's delicious. |
| Reni | Yes, the sauce has a delightful tang to it. |
| Tsuzuru | This dish is probably worth its weight in gold, yet I can't taste a thing... |
| Izumi | (Tsuzuru-kun seems really nervous... I mean, I am too, but...) |
| Are you all right, Tsuzuru-kun? |
| Reni | Are you feeling unwell? |
| Tsuzuru | Um, no, I'm. Fine. |
| Reni | I heard that having a one-on-one chat with me would be quite the nerve-wracking affair for you, so I thought sharing a meal would clear some of that tension. |
| Tsuzuru | Um... Thank you. |
| Izumi | (It doesn't help that this restaurant is, well, the way it is.) |
| Being in a fancy restaurant makes me feel nervous for a whole different host of reasons. |
| Madoka | Try just focusing on the food. It really is delicious. It might help take your mind off things. |
| Tsuzuru | I see... |
| Izumi | That's true. We rarely dine at restaurants like this, so it'd be a shame to not taste the food properly. |
| Tsuzuru | True. |
| Izumi | That reminds me! We watched "Hype in Japan" the other day. I loved seeing you all practising, and I felt like I learned a lot. |
| Reni | Yes, the actors seem more eager than ever now that they're able to pitch in with their opinions. |
| Tsuzuru | I also went to see the play that was featured in the show with Ikaruga-san the other day. I thought it was very well-structured. |
| Reni | That was all Madoka's idea. |
| Madoka | Thank you. |
| Tsuzuru | Madoka, how do you usually put your plays together? |
| Madoka | Kamikizaka-san gives me a motif to focus on, and then I build it from there. |
| I draft the overall plot, and then work out the details with him. |
| What about you, Minagi-san? |
| Tsuzuru | We usually have a meeting with the actors to brainstorm some ideas, then I'll start on the plot. |
| I try to work in any specific requests from the actors whenever I can, too. |
| Madoka | You take requests from your actors? It must be tough incorporating all of them. |
| Tsuzuru | Hmm, sometimes. But they'll often give me a lot of ideas that I wouldn't have thought of myself, so it's actually a lot of fun. |
| Madoka | I see. |
| Izumi | (Good, it looks like Tsuzuru's more relaxed now.) |
| Reni | About the script for our collaboration play... |
| I was originally thinking of having Madoka write it, but since this is a collaboration, would you like to be co-writer, Minagi? |
| I was thoroughly impressed by "Stray Devil Blues," so I'd love to have you on board. |
| Tsuzuru | Who, me? |
| Izumi | I think that's a great idea, Tsuzuru-kun! It'll be a great experience for you. |
| Madoka | I've never had a proper collaboration with anyone before, so I'd love the opportunity to work with you, too. |
| Tsuzuru | Same. All right, it's a deal. Looking forward to working with you! |
| Izumi | (There's that thing about the "seed" that his father and Hakkaku-san left behind, too...) |
| (I think working with Madoka-kun would be a breath of fresh air for Tsuzuru-kun. He'll be able to bring what he learns to our solo plays, too.) |
| Reni | Well, I suppose this environment isn't the best for brewing new ideas if it makes you a little nervous. Let's have another chat again some other time. |
| I'm looking forward to seeing what you two come up with. You'll have free reign over the whole script. |
| Tsuzuru | Wow, really? |
| Madoka | We'll do our best. |
| Tsuzuru | Um, so... Maybe we should add each other on LIME? |
| Madoka | Oh, right! Yes, I would like that. |
| Reni | We'll be putting the play on at the GOD Theater, if that's all right with you. Of course, we'll cover all the necessary expenses. |
| In saying that, please do feel free to get involved in the production process. You have a lot to bring to the table. |
| I'm sure it'll be a great learning experience for our creative staff, too. |
| Izumi | Thank you! I'm sure we'll learn a lot from this challenge, too. How exciting! |
| (Nice, we can go all out on the budget! Azami-kun and Yuki-kun would be over the moon.) |
| (We don't have to worry about splitting the profits either, since Sakyo-san was able to negotiate all of that. This is such an excellent opportunity for us.) |
| Reni | This collaboration is a very important challenge for GOD-za, too. |
| As part of our new efforts in changing GOD-za, I'll be holding an audition with all the actors, including the trainees. |
| Izumi | Whoa, really?! |
| Madoka | You're holding an audition? |
| Izumi | (I thought he would just pick Shifuto-kun for the lead, since he's their top actor.) |
| Reni | I'd like to give the actors who really want it a chance to stand center-stage. It's all part of our metamorphosis. |
| Izumi | (Wow, Kamikizaka-san's going all out for this play. It must be really important to him.) |
| (How should we pick our cast...?) |
| (The Fleur Award committee will be coming to see it, so whether we get that award or not could hinge on this entire play.) |
| (Whoever we pick for this play will feel pressured by that too, no doubt.) |
| (Plus, they'll be performing at the GOD Theater, not the Mankai Theater.) |
| (Maybe we should go with the ones who have performed there before, since they'd have a better feel for the space.) |
| (Guess I should wait for the script to be done first before deciding, though.) |
| |
| *the scene changes to GOD-za's practise space* |
| |
| Reni | The auditions for the GOD-za and Mankai Company collaboration play are about to begin. |
| We have a few people from Mankai Company over here today on the judging panel. |
| Please, introduce yourselves. |
| Izumi | I'm the head and general director, Izumi Tachibana. It's a pleasure to be here today. |
| Tsuzuru | I'm, uh, the playwright, Tsuzuru Minagi. Nice to meet you all. |
| Madoka | Some of you may already know, but in case you don't, I'm Madoka Ikaruga. I pen the plays for GOD-za. It's nice to meet you all. |
| Izumi | (Tsuzuru-kun and Madoka-kun wrote a play featuring two kingdoms that could bring out the best qualities in both GOD-za and Mankai Company. I didn't expect them to write something like this, but it was a nice surprise!) |
| (It's perfect for our collaboration. I thought it was a fantastic idea.) |
| (Tsuzuru-kun based the kingdom of snow on GOD-za, and Madoka-kun based the kingdom of fire on Mankai Company.) |
| (I think they decided on the snow and fire kingdoms after proposing to base them on the two respective companies. It sure is an interesting way of worldbuilding.) |
| Reni | In this audition, we will be picking two people from GOD-za to join the main cast for the kingdom of snow. |
| I will be making the final call, but of course, I will be taking the opinions from Mankai Company on board as well. |
| So, everyone except the first group, please leave the practise space until it is your turn. |
| Actors | Okay! |
| Reni | One-by-one, in order, please give your name and read out the line you have. |
| |
| Reni | That should be everyone. |
| Tsuzuru | Wow, they were all really good. |
| Izumi | Even the trainees had some serious acting chops. GOD-za sure is blessed with a lot of talent. |
| Reni | All right, I was originally just going to have you all read lines, but I'm adding something new. |
| I'd like you to create and improvise a line or two for the role you're interested in. |
| Izumi | Whoa, what? |
| Tsuzuru | Talk about a curve ball! |
| Actor A | Improv, huh... |
| Actor B | And we have to come up with it ourselves...? |
| Madoka | All we have so far is the basic plot, so that might be a bit difficult for them. |
| Tsuzuru | Agreed... |
| Actor A | Kamikizaka-san doesn't ask us to improv often. |
| Actor B | Yeah, he's always asked us to just stick to the script. |
| Izumi | (Huh, I guess Kamikizaka-san's never been a huge fan of improv in his plays.) |
| (Even in our act-offs, he's always had his actors pursue his aesthetic and sense of beauty.) |
| (He never gave the impression of someone who wanted his actors to have much creative control or agency.) |
| (I guess his new attitude's part of the "metamorphosis" he spoke about on "Hype in Japan".) |
| |
| Reni | It's time for the final group. Come in. |
| Haruto | Excuse us. |
| Shifuto | Coming through! |
| Izumi | (Shifuto-kun's waving happily to Madoka-kun. If there's one thing he has plenty of, it's confidence!) |
| Haruto | ... |
| Izumi | (Haruto-kun feels a little rigid, but his solemn expression says he's taking this audition more seriously than anyone else.) |
