| Izumi | Okay then, I’m counting on you, Tenma-kun and Summer Troupe. |
| Tenma | Yeah. |
| Taichi | Let’s get along! Sensei! |
| Azami | Yeah. |
| Tenma | I won’t go easy on you. |
| Juza | Bring it on. |
| Yuki | Why don’t we just start with etudes? |
| Muku | Ah, sounds good! |
| Kazunari | Yup yup, it’s a great way to get the hang of comedy! |
| Misumi | I’ll join too~! |
| Kumon | I wanna try too! |
| Tenma | Then let’s pair off in Summer-Autumn groups. |
| Banri | Sounds fun. |
| Sakyo | Practice is the best way to learn. |
| Omi | What should our theme be? |
| Tenma | How about... “brothers”? |
| Omi | Got it. |
| Izumi | Then let’s start off with Banri-kun and Tenma-kun! |
| Banri | Alright, help me out here. |
| Tenma | Yeah. |
| Izumi | Ready, start! |
| Tenma | “—Aniki, I’m begging you! Lend me some money!” |
| Izumi | (Kicking off with debt...!?) |
| Banri | “Not again....” |
| “What’d you spend it on this time? Alcohol? Tobacco? Women? Slots? Do you know how much I suffered last time when the bill collector came chasing after me—.” |
| Tenma | “A dog.” |
| Banri | “A dog!? You’re getting a dog!?” |
| Tenma | “I picked up a stray dog.” |
| Banri | “That’s such a decent reason that I almost can’t believe you’re my little brother.” |
| |
| Izumi | Okay, that’s enough. |
| Tenma | Just as I thought. You’re skillful. |
| Misumi | Yup yup, that was good~. |
| Tenma | But you’re a little unnatural when playing a boke[1] role. |
| Yuki | Yeah, I thought the same. |
| Banri | Boke roles, huh... OK. |
| Izumi | Next is Juza-kun and Muku-kun. |
| Muku | Yes! Let’s get along, Ju-chan. |
| Juza | Yeah. |
| Izumi | Okay, start! |
| Muku | “Waah, onii-cha~n! Chaian[2] bullied me again today~!” |
| Izumi | (Muku-kun has gotten so good at playing comedies—he’s so comfortable....) |
| Juza | “...Got it. I’ll destroy him with my own two hands.” |
| Muku | “You’d be committing a crime if you did that....!” |
| “No, what I want is for you to lend me a tool so I can upset Chaian!” |
| |
| Izumi | Okay, that’s enough. |
| Tenma | Fatally incompetent.... |
| Kazunari | I guess comedy and Hyodoru are like, water and oil? |
| Yuki | Maybe you should start by studying up on what comedy is. |
| Juza | Kuh—. |
| Muku | J-ju-chan, I’ll lend you movies and play DVDs that might help. Let’s watch them together! |
| Izumi | Okay, next is Taichi-kun and Kumon-kun. |
| Taichi | Yes! |
| Kumon | Let’s get along, Taichi-san! |
| Izumi | Start! |
| Taichi | “Alrighty, nii-chan’s gonna make some delicious hamburgers for Kumon today!” |
| Kumon | “Yaay! I love hamburgers!” |
| Taichi | “Heave-ho, heave-ho—!” |
| Kumon | “Nii-chan, why are you banging your head...? That’s not what cooking looks like!?” |
| |
| Izumi | Okay, stop! |
| (Yup, Taichi-kun is a perfect fit for comedy.) |
| Tenma | Looks good. |
| Yuki | You’re the best fit. |
| Muku | Yup yup, you have a good grasp of the “pauses” between lines for comedy! |
| Kazunari | You’re good at both boke and tsukkomi—an all-rounder! |
| Misumi | That was fun~. |
| Kumon | You made it easy for me! |
| Taichi | R-really? But I have a long way to go compared to Ten-chan, so... I’ll get even better! |
| And make our play a comedy that gets just as many laughs as Summer Troupe does! |
| Tenma | You’ve got some nerve. |
| |
| Izumi | Okay, let’s hold our meeting and call it a day. Summer Troupe is free to leave now—. |
| Yuki | Wait, let me get measurements down first. |
| Izumi | Oh, that’s right. Then please take care of that, Yuki-kun. |
| Yuki | Everyone line up. |
| Taichi | I wonder if I’ve grown since last performance~. |
| Banri | It’s too late for you to get any taller. |
| Taichi | Eeh~. |
| Yuki | Stop moving. |
| Taichi | Yessir! |
| Yuki | ...Yup, still tiny. |
| Taichi | !! |
| Omi | I don’t think you should worry about it. Everyone else in Autumn Troupe is just huge. |
| Sakyo | Bon shot up like a bamboo sprout, too. |
| Azami | One day I’ll grow tall enough to look down on you, shithead Sakyo. |
| Taichi | I’m jealous of you guys... I’m supposed to be the lead, but.... |
| Izumi | You can make up for it by drawing attention with your costume and your acting. |
| Yuki | Oh, that’s right. You don’t have to help out with costumes this time, stupid doggie. |
| Taichi | Eh? But.... |
| Yuki | You’re going to work hard as the lead, right? I can handle it on my own. |
| Taichi | Yuki-chan... Thank you! |
| |
| Izumi | Well then, I guess that’s all for today’s meeting. Make sure to review Summer Troupe’s advice, everyone. |
| Juza | Comedy really is hard. |
| Banri | See? What did I tell you. You can’t handle comedy. |
| Juza | Shut up. |
| Izumi | Everyone in Summer Troupe in praised you, Taichi-kun. |
| Omi | You’ve been watching manzai videos every night lately, after all. |
| Taichi | E-eh? You noticed? I started watching as an acting reference, but then I couldn’t stop.... |
| Azami | Your eyebags have gotten worse. |
| Sakyo | It’s good that you’re so enthusiastic, but don’t push yourself too hard. |
| Taichi | I know, but... I want to do everything I can as the lead, and as the leader.... |
| Sakyo | .... |
| Izumi | (Yeah, I think Taichi-kun is working too hard... I’m a little worried.) |
| *Door opens* |
| Yuzo | Yo, I’m interrupting. |
| Izumi | Huh? Is something going on, Yuzo-san? |
| Yuzo | I could’ve called, but I happened to be in the area, so. |
| Looks like I can introduce you to a teacher for your kung-fu action scenes. |
| Izumi | Really! |
| Sakyo | So you’re not going to teach us this time? |
| Yuzo | Yeah, kung-fu is out of my area of expertise. I’m glad I found someone good. |
| I’ve asked them for instruction before; they’re the master of a kung fu dojo, so they’re good at teaching. |
| Izumi | Thank you very much! |
| Yuzo | Alright then. I’ll get in touch with details later. |
| Izumi | Yes! Please watch over our practices as well. |
| Yuzo | Yeah. Good luck. |
| |
| Yuzo | .... |
| Taichi | —Yuzo-san! |
| Yuzo | Hm? |
| Taichi | Um, could you tell me where the kung-fu dojo you were talking about is? |
| Yuzo | Aah? Why? |
| Taichi | Um... I want to go to the dojo for kung-fu lessons, separate from practice.... |
| As the lead, my kung-fu form needs to be better than everyone else’s, so.... |
| Yuzo | Huh. That’s a good attitude, but if you press yourself too hard, you’re going to run out of steam before the performance starts. |
| Taichi | I-I’ll be careful! |
| |
| Izumi | ...Does this look good for our budget this time round? |
| Sakyo | Yeah, I think that’s fine. |
| *Phone rings* |
| Izumi | ? |
| Huh, it’s Yuzo-san. |
| Hello? |
| Yuzo | “Yo.” |
| Izumi | Did something happen? |
| Yuzo | “Did you know that Taichi is getting training at the kung-fu dojo on his own?” |
| Izumi | Eh? Taichi-kun is training at the kung-fu dojo? |
| Yuzo | “So he did decide by himself. Thought so.” |
| “He asked me to tell him where the dojo was because he wanted to get kung-fu training outside of practice.” |
| “I’m glad he’s really into this, but... keep an eye out so he isn’t just spinning his wheels.” |
| Izumi | —Yes. Thank you. |
| *Beep* |
| .... |
| Sakyo | What’s wrong? |
| Izumi | Apparently Taichi-kun said he wanted to get individual training at the kung-fu dojo.... |
| Sakyo | Didn’t I just tell him not to push himself too hard? |
| Izumi | I’m a little worried, too. Should I talk to him? |
| Sakyo | No.... |
| Izumi | ? |
