Izumi | Hmm, it’s not here either… |
| (Homare-san said all that, but as I thought, giving up like this is just sad.) |
| (It’s something he got from his grandma after all, and the other day he was even standing in front of a watch store—) |
| Oh, could it be—! |
| |
Izumi | Homare-san! |
Homare | Is something the matter? You appear determined about something. |
Izumi | Could it be that you sent your pocket watch for repairs? |
Homare | Repairs? |
Izumi | I saw you standing in front of a watch store the other day, so— |
Homare | Oh… No, I did not send it for repairs. |
Izumi | Huh… |
Homare | I was simply taking a peek since I happened to pass by. |
Izumi | Is that so… |
Hisoka | …What’s this about? |
Homare | Ah, you don’t know what happened because you were asleep. I lost my pocket watch. |
Hisoka | Lost? |
Izumi | We’ve looked everywhere, but we can’t find it… |
Homare | No matter. That thing has been unneeded from the beginning. |
Izumi | That’s… |
Hisoka | … |
| |
Izumi | … |
| (It’s finally the performance tomorrow…) |
| (Overall, it’s gotten better… But as I thought, the problems with Homare-san’s Sagishima and Hisoka-san’s Shiki are still there.) |
Yuzo | … |
Izumi | …What do you think? |
Yuzo | Looks like the one playing Shiki really can’t stand having Sagishima behind him. |
Hisoka | … |
Izumi | Even though you’ve gotten used to it considerably, the awkwardness is still there. |
Yuzo | Why can’t you deal with having someone stand behind you in the first place? Is it some kind of past trauma or what? |
Hisoka | … |
Izumi | (I’ve been careful not to ask about the reason until now, but as I thought, the cause must be related to his past…) |
Hisoka | …I don’t know. |
Yuzo | You don’t know? |
Hisoka | …I forgot. |
Yuzo | …Which reminds me, you have amnesia, right? Then it’s impossible to deal with the fundamental cause of it. |
Izumi | Even if you don’t know the cause, do you know the reason why it makes you uncomfortable when someone is standing behind you? |
Hisoka | …It feels like I’m about to move by reflex. |
Tsumugi | I wonder if that means he senses some sort of danger. |
Tasuku | I guess so, if he says it’s by reflex. |
Azuma | He’s like a stray cat. |
Izumi | What if you constantly stay aware of who’s standing behind you? If you know who it is then it’ll probably stop bothering you. |
Hisoka | …I’ll give it a try. |
Homare | As I thought – how about I stand behind Hisoka-kun 24 hours a day from now on? |
Hisoka | …That’s annoying. |
Homare | I have marshmallows with me right now. |
Hisoka | …I feel like I can do it now. |
Izumi | That’s fast…! |
Tasuku | Marshmallows are amazing. |
Tsumugi | Well, in a sense Homare-san and marshmallows come together as a set, so knowing that you have those behind you may be effective. |
Hisoka | …Got it. |
Yuzo | Now we have the protagonist. |
Homare | … |
Yuzo | In order to understand your role’s feelings, think about it thoroughly again and again and again. Don’t stop thinking about it even as you’re performing. |
Homare | Think about it thoroughly… |
Yuzo | And then all five of you, get the hang of acting in front of an audience again. Compared to the other troupes, you guys lack heat. |
| Get your motivation up for the opening day tomorrow. That’s all I can say for now. |
Izumi | Thank you very much. |
Tasuku | Motivation, huh… |
Homare | Shall I present a poem that will boost everyone’s morale? |
Tasuku | No thanks. |
Tsumugi | How about we perform some street acts for publicity and warm-up at the same time? |
| It can also serve as a rehearsal in front of an audience. |
Izumi | That sounds good! |
Azuma | I don’t see why not. |
Hisoka | …I’ll stay aware of what I was told earlier. |
Tasuku | It’s decided then. |
Homare | Very well. Shall we head outside then? |