Banri Settsu/Premonition of Budding

Prize Ticket: From Banri

Backstage Stories

Part 1Part 2

Izumi	Hmm…
Kazunari	Pudding time, pudding time~
	Hm? You’ve been peeking into the fridge pretty intensely, Director-chan. Something up?
Izumi	I’ve just been contemplating what I should cook for dinner…
	About half of our stock on meat and vegetables has been used up already… If I have only these left to work with, then I should make some cur——
Kazunari	O-Ohh man! Is it me or has it been getting colder today!?
Izumi	Y-You think so…? I heard that it’ll be hotter this weekend though…
Kazunari	Well, anyway, how about some hotpot for tonight instead?
Izumi	Hotpot, huh… That does sound good! I’ll make that then.
Kazunari	Phew… That was close.
Izumi	(Now what are we low on, though…..)
	(Ah, cassette gas cans. I should check if we have some in the storeroom…)
Izumi	Move that here, then…
	(This one has props, and this box has…)
Banri	Yo, there you are.
Izumi	Banri-kun?
Banri	Busy organzing the storage?
Izumi	Yeah. It really wasn’t why I came here, but the mess bothered me so much that I couldn’t stop myself.
Banri	Just when I thought we had the place sorted already, it feels like it’s back to being a mess.
Izumi	Right? We’d organize the storage space with everyone every now and then, but stuff just kept piling up anyway.
Banri	I guess, huh. When you got four troupes doing their own performances, plus all kinds of stuff left by MANKAI’s alpha gen. Years of having 24 people and more in the house, ‘course this is gonna get crowded.
Izumi	The privilege of continuing our activities like this is a gratifying thing on its own though, don’t you think?
	Oh yeah, did you need something from me, Banri-kun?
Banri	Ahh right, I was gonna hand you this.
	“Taking in any request from Director-chan. Use this well. -Banri”
Izumi	It’s a prize ticket!
Banri	You can use it whenever you’d like. I mean, I’m pretty good with just about anything anyway.
Izumi	Fufu, I suppose that part of you hasn’t changed one bit.
Banri	??
Izumi	Your reliability. You’ve helped me countless times already.
Banri	Glad to hear that then.
	So? How much more do you want to organize the place? It’d be too much to let you do everything all by yourself, wouldn’t it?
Izumi	Actually, I was just checking to see if we have some cassette gas cans in here, so I was gonna be done once this corner is tidied up.
Banri	Lemme help out then.
Izumi	Ah, then I should use the prize ticket—
Banri	Nah, think of this as a complimentary service.
Izumi	You sure? Hehe, I’ll take up on your kind offer then.
	Thanks, Banri-kun. We got everything organized in a flash thanks to your help.
	All that’s left is to put this last box on the topmost and…
	*tumble*
Izumi	WOAH…!?
Banri	—Careful!
Izumi	T-Thanks.
	(If Banri-kun had caught that a moment a moment too late, the whole box would’ve fallen on my face…)
Banri	Gimme that, let me handle it.
Izumi	Thanks again.
Banri	Up-ho…
	Ah, it’s pretty packed up here too. Can’t exactly push it into that space even if I wanted to…
Izumi	Hmm… It’d be too unstable to leave it there, or else it’d fall over like just now.
Banri	What’s even in this box anyway?
Izumi	Let’s see….
	Some leftover water balloons, buckets… There’s a bunch of sand-building toys and tools… And also water guns.
Banri	Oh, aren’t these the same ones from long ago?
Izumi	How nostalgic.
	(These were from the time that Kazunari-kun and the others were playing with these water guns. They got so rowdy that Banri-kun got into a fit and tried to stop them.)
	(They were so into it that they even got the dorm interiors all wet. That was enough to infuriate Sakyo-san too...)
	Should we move this to the second storeroom instead?
Banri	I’ll bring it then. Oh, just so you know, this is complimentary service #2.
Izumi	Fufu, thank you.
Izumi	(Now that I bought all of the remaining ingredients for the hotpot…)
	(I should also make some of Banri-kun’s favorite California rolls tonight, too.)
???	“Hold it! Don’t move or I’ll shoot!”
	“Please no..!!!”
Izumi	…!?!?

???	“Hold it! Don’t move or I’ll shoot!”
	“Please no..!!!”
Izumi	Oh it’s a street act. With all these spectators too, they’re getting fired up.)
	(Seems like a gun action scene?)
	(Huh? Is that… a water gun they’re holding?)
Actor A	“My remaining ammo— Er, amount of water left… is 100cc!”
Actor B	“D-Don’t do it! Someone, help!”
Actor A	“TAKE THAAAT!”
Actor B	“UWAGH…. So… Cold…”
	*applause*
Actor A	Thank you for watching!
Actor B	We have flyers for our upcoming performance. Please take one!
Izumi	Thanks so much.
	(Feels like I keep chancing upon nothing but water guns today.)
	Oh, so both of them are from the Cosmo Space troupe.
	(Pretty sure I heard about them during an acquaintance drinking party a while back. They mentioned the troupe having a unique way of communicating their lines, and that they’d make interesting use of their props.)
	(Now I’m curious about their stage performances…)
	Speaking of…
Banri	Whoaah, it’s a full house.
Izumi	Their street act made quite the commotion too, after all.
Banri	Still though… Using up your prize ticket for a wish that’s just “watching a performance together”?
	You know you can just ask me anytime for something as routinely as this.
CHOICE 1: I figured you’d say something like that. [+] Izumi Ahaha, I figured you’d say something like that. I heard that their stage production is rather unique and that they’re careful about choosing the right people for it. That being the case, it won’t feel as bad even if we end up finding the performance boring, right? Banri That so? I’ll keep that in mind then.
CHOICE 2: It feels a little special this way, right? [+] Izumi Doesn’t it feel a little special this way? Banri When you say it like that… Would it be as if you asked me out on a date? Izumi Fufu, does it really suit as a date idea if we’re about to watch a particular kind of stage performance? Banri Well, it suits our tastes just fine though, right? No problem with that.
Izumi	Ah, looks like it’s about to start.
Banri	Let’s hope they make a show that’s ludicrous enough to surprise us.
Izumi	…..It was amazing.
Banri	It sure was… It was so nuts it turned out even better than I’d imagined.
Izumi	I never expected you could use water guns in that way.
Banri	Seeing that felt like some sort of eureka moment. I wouldn’t have thought of that… Or more like, I couldn’t even if I tried.
Izumi	The production was odd, but that peculiarity in the story must be exactly as scripted, huh? Putting it that way, it’s like the production itself helped in highlighting that.
Banri	The lighting effects in that last scene were especially great. Mixing the light the way they did was perfect.
	Either way, it was super interesting. Thanks for inviting me, I learned a lot.
Izumi	I should also thank you. For granting my wish.
	I wanted to get your opinions about the stage production, after all.
Banri	…That part of you hasn’t changed one bit either.
Izumi	Huh?
Banri	Your theatre junkie part.
Izumi	Ahaha… I suppose.
Banri	…At the same time, it feels unfair to be on this side. Being as dense as you are.
Izumi	…Huh? Did you say something?
Banri	Nothing at all~
Izumi	We’re home!
Banri	…Huh. Sounds pretty rowdy over at the courtyard.
Misumi	Triangle Water Gun Beam!
	*SPLASH*
Taichi	HUWAH— That’s cold!!
Kazunari	Taichi’s been got~!
Banri	I figured it’s been getting hot. You guys didn’t waste a second to get started on the water gunfight.
Izumi	I thought we already tidied up those water guns, though…
Banri	Ah. It must be because of earlier—
	— — — FLASHBACK — — — —
	*RINGING*
Banri	Agh, a call? Right now? My hands are kinda full, man…
Kazunari	What’s up, Settsuar?
Banri	Yo, good timing. Can you get this box to the second storage room for me?
Kazunari	No probs~!
	— — — — FLASHBACK END — — — —
Banri	He probably saw the stuff inside at that time. With the weekend forecast said to get hotter, seems like just a good plan as any to do some water activities. Probably.
Izumi	I see… That sure sounds like it’d be the case.
Taichi	OH! Ban-chan: detected!!
	*SPLASH*
Banri	Cold.
Misumi	Banri, come play~
	*SPLASH*
Taichi	Yeah, it feels real good!!
	*SPLASH*
Banri	I GET IT! I GET IT! Just stop hitting me while I’m talking!!
Kazunari	Here’s your weapon, Settsuar~ …But before anything else— ONE HIT!
	*SPLASH*
Banri	——....
	…Just so you know, I’m not gonna go easy on you guys.
Taichi	B-Ban-chan’s getting real fired up!!
Misumi	Waaah! Banri’s pissed~!
Kazunari	Run awaaaay!
Banri	You come back here!!
Izumi	(...Fufu. To think he used to get angry at their rowdiness before too.)
	(But in the end, the fact that Banri still gets dragged into this sort of chaotic mess along with others hasn’t changed—)
	*SPLASH*
Izumi	WOAH! COLD!
Banri	Director-chan, what’re you standing around all composed for? Thought you’d just watch us?
Izumi	Huh?
Banri	The next target is obviously gonna be you, right?
Izumi	H-Hold on! I yield, I yield!!

Dita