| Izumi | (It's just a thought, but Sakuya-kun won't be up practising late again, will he...?) |
| .... |
| (Thank goodness. It seems he's taking a rest tonight.) |
| (I know that he's a hard worker, but I guess he's being too eager as the leader. I have to save him so that he won't overdo himself.) |
| |
| Well then, I should go to sleep——. |
| !? |
| I-I feel like something just moved in the courtyard... |
| (There should be no one in the courtyard this late at night. Co-could it be a ghost...?) |
| ——. |
| (O-okay, I have to check it out. It'd be a problem if it's a suspicious person...) |
| |
| ??? | ..... |
| Izumi | Who is it!? |
| Sakuya | Whooaaah!? |
| Izumi | Kyaaaa! |
| Sakuya | Eh, D-d-d-d-director? |
| Izumi | Sa, Sakuya-kun.... |
| Sakuya | I was surprised.... |
| Izumi | That should be my line. What are you doing here at this hour? |
| Sakuya | I can't sleep... So I thought I'd take a walk since I can't practice. |
| Izumi | Are you still worried about the sword fighting scene? |
| Sakuya | ....That's not the only thing. I've been thinking about a lot of things. |
| Even if I do my best, it'll never work out and I just end up failing as usual. |
| When I think that I'm being useless again, I get scared. |
| Izumi | It's true that Sakuya-kun is awkward, but I'm sure you can do it if you put in the effort. |
| But our practice period for this performance is just a little bit too short.... |
| Sakuya | No. That's not it. |
| Izumi | Eh? |
| Sakuya | I've told you that I've been taken care by my relatives all this time, right? |
| Izumi | Yeah. |
| Sakuya | Every time I move, I always do my best to open up so that we can get along and be like a real family. |
| But it never works out... and they end up leaving me to another relative's place. It makes me sure that everything I do is useless... |
| Izumi | Don't say that. If it doesn't work out now, it's not only Sakuya-kun's fault. |
| We can develop human relationships because we have other people. So there's no need for Sakuya-kun to feel responsible. |
| Sakuya | Director... Thank you. |
| I'm really happy to get a place where I can play Romeo in this theatre. And I feel like the other members have also accepted me... |
| That's why I couldn't help but be scared when I think that someone else will take my role. |
| Izumi | (So that's why he lost his composure...) |
| Sakuya-kun, why do you love theatre so much? |
| Sakuya | It all started when I watched a play during my elementary school's art appreciation session. The actors were lively and looked like real pirates. I got absorbed. |
| Izumi | I see. |
| Sakuya | And that's not all. |
| During the performance, the facility next to my school caught on fire. The alarm bell was ringing and the performance was interrupted as we had to evacuate, but the actors still continued... |
| "The navy is attacking us, my lad! We gotta pull up! Do you remember our plans!?" |
| I still remember those lines even now. And the pirate captain began evacuating all the panicked kids to the emergency exit... |
| I was thrilled. Nobody was scared of the fire, they looked a real pirate crew. I felt like I was in a dream. |
| Even though the actors got off the stage, the story didn't end. |
| Izumi | ..."The Show must go on." The show is not over. |
| Sakuya | Yeah. I learned the phrase after that. I was impressed. The show will not end no matter what happens, we have to keep it going. |
| Just like those actors I saw, I want a place where I can continue playing my role with confidence. |
| Izumi | I see... |
| (Maybe that's why he recklessly does his best because he finally found a place for himself. And maybe that's why he was scared that it might be taken by someone else.) |
| Only Sakuya-kun can play this Romeo. |
| And aside from the play, there is a place that can't be taken away from Sakuya-kun. |
| Everyone has acknowledged Sakuya-kun as both Romeo and the leader. This is the result of your hard work. |
| Sakuya | Seriously...? Can I keep staying here? |
| Izumi | Of course. Everyone will be troubled if you're not here. |
| Sakuya | Thank goodness... |
| Izumi | Were you able to sort out your feelings towards the sword fighting scene? |
| Sakuya | ...Sorry. As I thought, I want to try it. |
| Izumi | Haha, you're quite stubborn, huh. |
| Sakuya | Yes. |
| Izumi | Fine. You can continue practising, but don't push yourself. |
| Sakuya | Yes! I'll do my best again from tomorrow! |
| |
| Masumi | .... |
| Citron | Mimi on the wall, Mary on the paper sliding door, and Citron is behind. |
| Masumi | Too many people. |
| Citron | In my country, anyone who is caught eavesdropping will be sentenced to do tongue twister 300 times. |
| Masumi | ...You're to blame too. |
| Citron | Ooh, you hide the evidence at once. Masumi is also an accomplice. |
| Masumi | ....I don't know anything about that person. |
| Citron | You'll learn lots with time. Both of you. |
| Masumi | .... |
