| Omi | In front of me is thick-cut toast, eggs, milk, and sugar. |
| I whisk the eggs, and mix in the milk and sugar. |
| I dip the bread in the egg mixture, then leave it in the fridge. |
| Once the bread has soaked up enough egg, I begin to fry it. |
| Slowly, over a low heat. |
| It doesn't take long for the delicious smell to fill the room, over the sizzle of the pan. |
| "Is it done yet?" |
| A voice came from behind me, drawn in by the fragrance. |
| I'm not sure why he insisted on this today. |
| Usually, we'd just go get a burger together. |
| This was all I could make on such short notice. |
| I sigh a little inside, but answer before he can barge into the kitchen. |
| "Not yet, but soon. Be patient, now." |
| I drop another egg into the now-empty pan and make a quick sunny-side up. |
| I place the French toast on a large plate, and the sunny-side up on top. |
| Just look at that beautiful yolk! Pretty good, if I say so myself. |
| I carry the plate to my guest, who has been whining about his meal's progress the entire time. I hope he likes it. |
| |
| Omi | "Hello? Mom? I just arrived. ...Uh-huh. Yeah, yeah, I know. I told you, I'm thinking about it." |
| "Yeah, I know. Okay, I'm gonna hang up." |
| "Man, even I have no idea what to do from now on..." |
| "I'm hungry..." |
| "...All right, it's done. Now, where's the beer..." |
| Sakyo | "?!" |
| Omi | "Huh?" |
| Sakyo | "Who goes there?! Whence did you come?" |
| Izumi | (Looking good so far!) |
| (Autumn's 7th play takes on a comedic angle, but with a different approach from Mantou Fist. Looks like we have ourselves a play that can showcase a never-before-seen Autumn Troupe.) |
| (The meeting we held had me worried, but...) |
| |
| *flashback* |
| |
| Izumi | ...So, does anyone have any suggestions? |
| Banri | I know we're tryna establish new conventions for each troupe this time 'round, but I think Autumn needs to keep doing action. |
| Taichi | I agree! There's no Autumn Troupe with no action. |
| Juza | Yeah. I'd like to try doing different kinds of action that we haven't done before. |
| Banri | I think something like a free-for-all with all the main cast and ensemble cast rushing at each other with swords and other weapons would be cool. |
| Sakyo | That would be pretty difficult. If even one person messes up in a sword fight that big, the whole thing falls apart. |
| Banri | Both the troupe and the ensemble cast have enough experience to give it a go now. I think it's worth trying; don't you? |
| Omi | We're in a better place than ever to try it out. |
| Azami | I think it's a good idea. It sounds fun, and makes a good challenge. |
| Izumi | Yes, I think we should keep expanding our comfort zones! |
| Sakyo | All right, I'm in. I'd like to give sword fighting a go, too. |
| We've done a lot of action in the past, but mostly with guns and hand-to-hand combat. |
| I think expanding our experience is necessary. But only if it's not too much to ask, of course. |
| Tsuzuru | You make some very good points. |
| Juza | Can I say something? |
| Izumi | Go ahead, Juza-kun. |
| Juza | I hope this isn't too much to ask, but I'd like to try acting a character who's not good at fighting. |
| Yuzo-san mentioned before that because I keep using my own fighting experience for my characters, they all start to feel a bit too similar. |
| I'd like to try my hand at depicting how a character who's not good at fighting would fight. |
| Izumi | That's a great idea! Anyone else? |
| Taichi | Ooh, me! I want a story where all six of us are on the same side! |
| We've done a lot of plays where we have to fight each other, which is kinda sad. |
| So I want all of us to fight together for a change! |
| Izumi | You know, I never really noticed, but you're right. |
| Tsuzuru | If we want a lot of action and fight scenes, we're going to need some sort of adversary, though. |
| I'll see what different kinds of enemies I can come up with. |
| Izumi | How about you, Azami-kun? |
| Azami | I don't really have anything. |
| Izumi | But if you really had to come up with something...? |
| Azami | Hmm... Delinquents? |
| Sakyo | What next, are you going to start your own gang? |
| Azami | Excuse me? |
| Juza | Why delinquents? |
| Azami | Dunno. Just remembered this delinquent manga Kumon and Shifuto are really into these days. |
| Tsuzuru | Delinquents, huh... |
| Azami | You don't really need to write them in. |
| Omi | ... |
| Izumi | What's wrong, Omi-kun? |
| Omi | If possible, could I be the lead this time? |
| Sakyo | Never thought I'd ever hear you volunteer. |
| Omi | The anniversary of Nachi's death just happens to coincide with the play's run. |
| I just get this feeling that he'll be here, so I want him to see me leading a play. |
| Izumi | I see... |
| Banri | Why not? Been a while since The Stranger. |
| Juza | I'm fine with it. |
| Taichi | Me too! |
| Azami | No objections. |
| Sakyo | I don't have a problem with that. |
| Izumi | All right, Omi-kun's our lead! |
| Tsuzuru | Any requests for the script? |
| Omi | Let's see... Could you write me a role that's more tailored for me? |
| Tsuzuru | 'Course. |
| Izumi | (I think Azami-kun's delinquent suggestion would fit Omi-kun like a glove...) |
| (...but how on Earth are we going to make delinquents and swords fit?) |
| Are you going to be all right, Tsuzuru-kun? Sorry these requests are all over the place. |
| Tsuzuru | Ah... Well, I'll hit the drawing board first. |
| Izumi | Good luck! |
| |
| *flashback end* |
| |
| Izumi | (Even though we dumped all that on Tsuzuru-kun, he managed to make everything work...) |
| Sakyo | "I am Klaus, a border guard. What is this place, and who are you?" |
| Omi | "I'm Riku Kondou. You're in the kitchen of the boarding house, Akebono Inn, in Japan." |
| Sakyo | "Japan...?" |
| Omi | "I'm guessing the border you guard isn't Japan's border." |
| Sakyo | "What in Heaven's name is happening...?" |
| Izumi | (A former delinquent finds that the boarding house he lives in is connected to an alternate world, and gets to know the denizens of that world and other delinquents through his cooking. What a fresh, new story!) |
| (Omi-kun is in the lead role as Riku, a former delinquent with great culinary talent. Sakyo is co-lead, as a knight of the alternate world, Klaus.) |
| Azami | "Whoaa! Who the hell are you?!" |
| Taichi | "Gimme that!" |
| Azami | "What the— Did you just come out from the fridge?!" |
| Omi | "Not again..." |
| Azami | "Whoa, man, what the— That sword's illegal!" |
| Omi | "I guess not in their world." |
| Azami | "What?" |
| Taichi | "This is... so good...! Could this be... ambrosia?!" |
| Izumi | (Azami-kun is Eita, a delinquent who settles in Akebono. Taichi-kun plays Camilo, a soldier who works under Klaus.) |
| Juza | "Eita! I know you're in there!" |
| Azami | "...Shit." |
| Sakyo | "Who is it?" |
| Juza | "Eita! Why won't you pick up your phone?" |
| Azami | "It's my brother..." |
| Izumi | (Juza-kun plays Takumi, Eita's studious brother. Banri-kun is Mita, a host.) |
| Banri | "Oh, heya! Name's Mita. I, like, work with Eita and stuff." |
| Omi | "He works with... a host?" |
| Banri | "Yeah, fam!" |
| Omi | "You're way too loud for this time of night." |
| Banri | "Dude, something smells totes amazing!" |
| Izumi | (And at the end, everyone bands together to take on a huge battle. Tsuzuru-kun fit everyone's requests in really well!) |
| (His idea of writing in an alternate world was genius.) |
| (I can't wait to see what we end up with!) |
| |
| Izumi | To wrap things up, I'd like to go over everyone's schedule once more. Omi-kun, you sure you're all right working at the photography agency at the same time? |
| Omi | Yep, I've already told them what's happening. They said they'll let me take it easy when the show's running. |
| Izumi | That's good to hear. |
| Omi | I'm planning on inviting my coworkers too, so I need to work hard and show them that their leniency wasn't for nothing. |
| Izumi | (He's still new to his job, so I need to make sure that he doesn't overwork himself balancing work and practise.) |
| Sakyo | Balancing work and practise and same time isn't that easy. |
| Your body builds up fatigue faster than you realize, so you need to make sure your schedule can accommodate for that. |
| Make sure you pay attention to what your body tells you, and that you're eating properly. Don't skimp out on sleep. Every little bit counts, and this and that and that... |
| You could put yourself in danger if you're not careful, and blah blah blah... |
| Izumi | (Looks like Sakyo's worried about the same thing, too.) |
| Banri | When's he gonna stop...? |
| Taichi | He makes some good points, though. |
| Omi | Haha, I'll be sure to keep all that in mind. I'll be counting on you too, co-lead. |
| Sakyo | Of course. |
