Banri Settsu/An All-Rounder's Quick Smoke Break

BE.MINE ver Banri

Backstage Stories

Part 1Part 2Part 3

Banri	(Ended up having to catch the last train somehow.)
Izumi	Phew……..…..
Banri	(Is that Director-chan…?)
	Good work today. You catching the last train too, Director-chan?
Izumi	Ah, Banri-kun! It ended up getting pretty late for the both of us, huh?
Banri	Got pulled into a drinking party after our workshop. We sure took our time there. How ‘bout you?
Izumi	I had some work to do at the “Hajimemashite” Troupe, though there were a lot of things we had to keep revising in the production…
Banri	Hoh, I see.
Izumi	We ended up working until the last minute because of that. Well, even with all the trial and error, we managed somehow.
Banri	Don’t work too hard. I can lend a hand if you need anything.
Izumi	Fufu, thank you.
Banri	(... That was one hell of a sigh just now, though. She must be exhausted.)
Izumi	Ah, right. Since we got to meet now, I should mention this to you before I forget.
Banri	??
Izumi	You know the “boyfriend material” photoshoot? They sent over your prompt to me.
Banri	Ahh… That’s the “BE.MINE.” special feature, ain’t it? Alright, what do I got to work with?
Izumi	Banri-kun’s prompt is “a homestay date.”
	They haven’t given me the full details yet, but it seems the editorial team was already getting excited about the idea.
	They said they’ll forward the rest of the info in a few days. Can I ask you to wait until then?
Banri	No prob. I’m glad just knowing even a lil’ bit of the assignment for now.
Tablet	“They’d text me a lot on LIME… But all they ever do is report to me that they have set plans for lunches or drinking parties… Where are they getting the time for all that?”
Taichi	Nooo! It must be the opposite! The girlfriend just can’t admit she’s actually lonely! It must be…!!
Kazunari	I get you~ There are def times like that. Especially once you’re a grown adult.
Banri	…….
Kazunari	“Be honest about being sad” vs “It’s difficult to admit.” Everyone in the studio is split between both opinions. Is the show always this heated?
Taichi	Yeah. Last week, it was about how the frequency of a couple’s meeting would equate to their level of affection for each other. The opinions from both sides ended up being split in the middle.
Banri	I’d expect as much.
Taichi	Hang on, Ban-chan, are you actually that interested in this? You’ve had a bored look all over your face the whole time!!
Kazunari	Ah, looks like they moved on to the next theme. They’re asking “What would you say to a girlfriend who’s down in the dumps?”
Taichi	Oh!! This one will definitely be helpful for future reference!!
Banri	Will it though? It depends on the partner, doesn’t it?
Kazunari	Oh, that’s Settsuar for you!
Taichi	Then whatever answer Ban-chan will give, I’ll take inspiration out of that!
Banri	Haa? Were you listening to a word of what I just said?
Izumi	You sound all excited over here. What are you guys watching?
Kazunari	Do you catch this program too, Director-chan? It’s a love-talk variety show that Taicchan recommended: “Is it Mad of Me to Go Falling for You Now?”
Taichi	or “IMMA-FALL” for short!!
	Just now they gave a new theme and we were asking Ban-chan about his take! The theme is: “What would you say to your girlfriend who’s down in the dumps?”
Izumi	Eh, is that so! Well? What did Banri-kun say?
Banri	Ha?
	…How would I know.
Taichi	Ehhh!
Banri	Like I said. I can’t give an answer on something that’s too subjective on what the partner’s situation is.
	Anyway, did you need me for something, Director-chan?
Izumi	Oh, right right. The editorial team just handed me the additional details to the “boyfriend material” prompt from before.
Taichi	What kind of prompt did he get?
Izumi	Before, it was simply “a homestay date.” And now in addition to that we have, wait for it… “A kind boyfriend who comforts his significant other when they’re down in the dumps.”
Banri	…’Scuse me?
Kazunari	That’s insane! Settsuar, talk about timing!!
Izumi	I was also surprised. That’s why I was so curious as to what your answer was going to be.
	They said they’ll leave it up to you to settle on the finer details, so make sure to give it some thought before the shoot.
Banri	Alright.
Izumi	The photo shoot will be at a studio with a home setting, so it’s safe to assume the props will be just about standard to the theme. But if you need anything you must have for your setting, feel free to tell me ahead of time.
Banri	Gotcha. I’ll think about it, don’t worry.

Uni Student A	Hey, did you watch yesterday’s ep of “IMMA-FALL?”
Uni Student B	Sure did. The guy who answered the prompt about what to say to your dejected partner had a great answer— I’m gonna use it as reference from now on.
Banri	(So there really are guys outside of Taichi who’d learn from those kinds of stuff, huh.)
Uni Student A	Nah, it only seems cool to use because it was a celebrity that was saying it.
Banri	You’re not entirely wrong there.
Uni Student B	Eh, even you watch those kinds of shows sometimes too, Settsu?
Uni Student A	That’s surprising.
Banri	A dorm buddy watches them, I just happened to observe from the side.
Uni Student A	Then what about you, Settsu? How would you help out your girlfriend if she was in a gloomy mood?
Banri	Not you guys asking me too… Why are you all so interested in what I have to say?
Uni Student B	It’s precisely because it’s you that we wanna know. So? What would you do in that situation? Hypothetically speaking, y’know.
Banri	Hypothetical or not, I’ve got no experience in comforting a girlfriend, much less one in a gloomy mood. If we’re talking about comforting someone outside of that… Well, I might have some experience in that if I think about it hard enough.
	Sorry if the answer’s less than you expected. I should be asking the same; you guys ever had stuff like that happen to you?
Uni Student A	Well… There was one time my girlfriend and I worked part-time in the same place, and when she felt discouraged after making a mistake at the register, I cheered her up by buying her some fancy ice cream.
Uni Student B	I once took my girlfriend out to eat together at her favorite spot. I think it was… Pancakes! We ate pancakes with mountain loads of whipped cream on them.
Banri	Hehh…
	(Chancing upon yesterday’s show wasn’t so bad after all. If I can hear more of these kinds of anecdotes, I might be able to come up with something good.)
Banri	(I somehow got something together for the prompt’s setting. For now, I should make myself some coffee.)
	(...Oh yeah, I haven’t settled on what age range my partner would be in this setting.)
	(From the vibes I got from the stories this afternoon, having some age difference between partners brings out quite the response. Now, I wonder…)
Izumi	…….
Banri	(... Is that Director-chan up on the balcony there? Somehow she’s got a depressed look on her.)
	…..
Banri	Got some coffee for ya.
Izumi	Banri-kun...
Banri	Did something happen? You’ve been lookin’ real down.
Izumi	Have I? Sorry, it’s nothing really——
Banri	I told you, didn’t I? I’m here to help out any time. Even if it’s just to hear you out.
Izumi	…Thank you. I mentioned to you that I had been doing some work with the “Hajimemashite” Troupe a while back, right?
	We were supposed to be getting the preparations ready for the theatre today, but the equipment I had arranged for couldn’t be used.
Banri	For real? But haven’t you dealt with that theatre stage before?
Izumi	I have. But they’ve changed their backstage wiring since that time…
Banri	Ahh, so that’s the case….
Izumi	We managed to get everything ready on time one way or another, but…
	...I overheard people saying, “She must be a slacker when it comes to troupes that aren’t her own.”
	Even though I had no intention for it to end up like that, I couldn’t speak up.
	And it doesn’t change the fact that I uncharacteristically made such a rookie mistake and disrupted all of the scheduling right on-site.
	Thinking back on everything that happened today, it feels like I had accumulated even more mental stress than I initially thought…
Banri	That’s why you’re here brooding all by yourself.
Izumi	…But it’s all good now! I feel more relieved after letting it out to you, Banri-kun!
	I’m sorry for bringing up such a negative topic.
Banri	No need to force yourself to smile.
	I know that no matter where you go, you always give it your all. So much so that we worry about you.
Izumi	Banri-kun….
Banri	It’s normal for people to mess up. So go easy on yourself, yeah?
	…Though, knowing you, it’s probably not that simple to do.
	But that’s exactly why I’m here as your prod assistant. Right?
	Whatever I can lend a hand with, I’ll do it. Like offering this coffee to you, for starters. In any case, don’t push yourself, ‘kay?
Izumi	…Okay.
Banri	Hurry, before the coffee gets cold.
Izumi	…Ah, you’re right. I’ll have some right away.
	…Your coffee is as delicious as always. Thank you.
Banri	At your service.
	…..Speaking of.
Izumi	What’s the matter?
Banri	There’s something I wanna have prepared for the photo shoot actually——

Izumi	(The whole studio is filled with the fragrant smell of coffee…)
	(When Banri-kun mentioned he wanted to have something arranged for the shoot, I hadn’t expected it to be coffee.)
Staff A	Thanks for waiting. Now that all the preparation is good on this side, shall we start? All ready, Settsu-kun?
Banri	Ready when you are.
Staff A	Then let’s proceed as we planned. Ready on set!
Banri	Ready.
Cameraman	Settsu-kun, let’s start by having you face the camera as if you’re talking to your partner, then.
Banri	Gotcha.
Izumi	(The setting is a lot more specific this time, so he has to be very aware of that while acting…)
Banri	“...Sorry for the wait, I made you some coffee.”
Izumi	(And with the additional context from Banri-kun, he’s playing the role of a younger boyfriend comforting his girlfriend, who messed up in her workplace, by making coffee for her.)
Banri	“...Why, you ask? You’re sulking, aren’t you? I can tell just by looking.”
	“I won’t force you to talk about it if you don’t wanna. I already know I don’t have much to offer, being younger than you.”
	“Doesn’t mean there’s nothing I can do to help. I can at least brew you your favorite cup of coffee.”
	“... How is it? It’s even better than before, isn’t it?”
Cameraman	There! Let’s have multiple shots with that feeling!
Staff B	Banri-kun as the younger boyfriend… Talk about the dream…!!
Staff C	He seems so skilled in pouring coffee that I felt my heart skip a beat from how good he looks with it!
Izumi	(It really is amazing to see but… Isn’t this scene way too similar to what happened a while back?! Just the memory of it is making it so hard to bear standing here!!)
Izumi	Thank you again for your hard work, Banri-kun. The staff and the cameraman all said that assigning you to the “homestay date” setting was the perfect way to go.
Banri	That’s good to hear. And you, Director-chan?
CHOICE 1: It was really great! [+] Izumi Of course I also thought it was great! I never doubted you for a second, not even from the start. Banri That sure is a lot of trust in me.
CHOICE 2: Why play the younger part? [+] Izumi Why did you choose to play the younger role? Banri Take a guess? Izumi …Did you maybe take inspiration from last time? Banri Hehh… So that’s how you see it, huh? There were a lot of similar guys from the love-talk variety show Taichi watches. Even some folks from my university had common experiences. After learning of that coincidence, and even after doing a lot more research on it, I wrapped it up with the role you saw today. Izumi So that was it. I really thought it was only because of that. You had me restless for nothing. Banri Well, it wasn’t like I didn’t take inspiration from that night either.
Banri	But like I said then, if you need me to comfort you anytime just say the word. As long as it’s for you, I’ll go even beyond and more.
Izumi	Then I’ll do the same for Banri-kun.
Banri	Oh? Am I to expect advances from you then?
Izumi	I mean when you want to be comforted. Geez, if you tease me like that, I’m going to take all of these financier treats and finish them all by myself.
Banri	Those are from a pretty popular shop, aren’t they?
Izumi	Yeah. I heard they were one of the editorial department’s caterers.
Banri	Then shall I make us some coffee when we get home?
Izumi	You’re gonna have some too?
Banri	‘Course. No way you’re seriously planning to finish all of that by yourself, right?
Izumi	Fufu, well... If you promise to put some sugar and milk in my cup, then maybe I’ll think about giving some to you.
Banri	Yes yes, as you command, ma’am.

Dita