Play/Harugaoka Quartet

Harugaoka Quartet
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Play Information

Related Event: Harugaoka Quartet
Related Story: Harugaoka Quartet
Type: Troupe Events

Cast

● Lead Actor

Citron as Enis Saionji

A genius who plays the 1st violin part.

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● Second Lead A

Masumi Usui as Yota Mukai

A first-year who plays the 2nd violin part.

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● Supporting Cast A

Tsuzuru Minagi as Katsumi Hino

A third-year viola player who tends to play hooky.

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● Supporting Cast B

Sakuya Sakuma as Yu Yoneda

A serious and timid first-year cellist.

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● Supporting Cast C

Chikage Utsuki as Tojo

A violin instructor who often visits the school.

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● Supporting Cast D

Itaru Chigasaki as Machida

Enis' homeroom teacher.

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Play Translation

Translator's Note: As music is a big part of the story, I highly recommend listening to the play while reading! If the play is inaccessible to you, however, you can also look up Mozart's String Quartet No.14 to set the mood.

	The best boarding school for music in the country, Private Harugaoka Music School. A student who rose and reigned at the top of his class ever since his enrollment and earned himself the nickname of the emperor, Saionji Ennis, was the very definition of the word “genius” who came out of domestic competitions with sweeping victories and awards.
	One day, Ennis was called in by his homeroom teacher Machida.
Machida	Saionji. Why don’t you participate in the school’s chamber music competition?
Ennis	Me? Why?
Machida	Why, you ask? You’re also one of the students in this school, you know.
Ennis	I don’t have any interest in chamber music.
Machida	Now now, don’t say that. To tell you the truth, there are some guys troubled because one of their violinists has to miss out on the competition due to injury. You’re not preparing for any competition right now, yes? Why don’t you go help them?
Ennis	Only if the others are competent.
Machida	There’s also the school’s solo competition held at the same time, after all, huh. Well, they are fairly competent…
Ennis	...Understood.
Machida	Eh, really?
Ennis	Why are you surprised when you’re the one asking?
Machida	Oh, it's just that I was going into this with the mindset that I have nothing to lose. You're a big help, really. I’ll contact Katsumi Hino from the third year—he’s the coordinator.
	Ennis took his homeroom teacher Machida’s suggestion to join the school’s quartet for the chamber music competition. While he initially rejected the proposition with the reasoning that he wasn’t interested in chamber music, he reluctantly took upon the task after being begged to as the violinist who was originally supposed to partake in the competition had been injured.
Katsumi	To think that the emperor would really come and play chamber music with us...
Ennis	...And you are?
Katsumi	Oh, so you don’t know? I am Katsumi Hino from viola major. You accepted to be the pinch-hitter for the upcoming chamber music competition, right?
Ennis	Yes. I’m Ennis Saionji.
Katsumi	Everyone knows your name even if you don’t give it out. I’ll introduce you to the others, come with me.
Youta	I’m the first violin, Youta Mukai. I’m in first year.
Ennis	The first year is the first violin?
Katsumi	He came on top among the first years during enrollment, in addition to having a promising future.
Yuu	Uhh, I’m in charge of the cello, Yuu Yoneda. I’m in the same year as Youta. Uh, I love Saionji-san’s performances! I went to listen to your performance at the final selection for the competition——
Ennis	I’ll be the first violin.
Youta	Huh?
Ennis	Isn't it reasonable? I'm more suitable for it, and besides, I don't have interest in anything else except the first violin.
Katsumi	Ah… But we already started practising…
Youta	...I understand.
Katsumi	Huh? Are you really okay with that?
Youta	I don’t mind.
Ennis	What’s the song?
Katsumi	Hayden’s String Quartet, Op. 74.
Ennis	"Knight", huh…. The first violin stands out too much, and to make matters worse, the others who are already inconspicuous stand out even less. That’s reckless. If you're going to do it anyway, then Mozart's "Spring" is better.
Youta	Huh...?
Katsumi	No, but, we’ve already started practising——.
Ennis	You'll get the hang of this kind of standard soon, surely. Will you please prepare the score?
Yuu	...Eh!? Ah, m-me!?
Ennis	Do it quick.
Yuu	Ye-yes!
Youta	...
Katsumi	As expected from the great emperor himself...
	Ennis, with his self-centred and uncooperative character, mixed things up upon the very first meeting between him and the quartet's members. He took upon Youta's initially decided 1st violin position for himself and changed the original music number from Hayden's string quartet to Mozart.
Ennis	Let’s try playing the song lightly.
Yuu	Eh? Just by first look?
Katsumi	Are you for real…
Youta	Sigh...
Ennis	...
Youta	——
Katsumi	(Amazing...)
Youta	(This sound is…. too overwhelming.)
Yuu	(This is the emperor’s music….! It sounds like it will swallow you in.)
Ennis	...This isn't even worth considering.
Katsumi	Give me a break. It’s impossible for us to play like you.
Ennis	You can, with practice.
Youta	...
	And thus the quartet's practice began after the change in music. Ennis was in his state of perfect solo performance.
	The other members were overwhelmed by his abilities.
Ennis	——
Youta	——Ennis-senpai, please hold back a little bit. Everyone can’t keep up with you.
Ennis	Then, you should make an effort so that you can.
Youta	...
Katsumi	If we could, we wouldn't be struggling like this.
Ennis	Cello, you’ve been off-beat since the 43rd bar.
Yuu	Ah, I’m sorry….!
Ennis	Overall, your performance hurts my ears.
Yuu	I'm sorry...
Youta	Wh-
Katsumi	Ugh——
Toujou	Saionji, there's no need to say it like that. Well, this should be enough for today.
Ennis	...
Yuu	Um, Ennis-senpai——
Ennis	Excuse me.
Yuu	...
Katsumi	Knew it, chamber music is a no-go for the emperor.
Youta	I can’t team up with someone who doesn’t feel like coordinating.
Toujou	Hmm, this is troubling.
	The musical performances of Ennis and the other members clash.
	Ennis is also starting to get annoyed with the difference in their abilities.
	While Toujou instructs them and Katsumi manages to still keep them calm, the mood gradually turns tenser.
Yuu	I'm going to withdraw from this competition.
Youta	Huh!? What are you saying? We’ve promised to perform together.
Yuu	But I’m slowing you guys down.
Youta	If this is about Ennis-senpai, the one who should be dropping out is him.
Yuu	Ennis-senpai’s skill is the real deal—It’s perfect. Compared to me who can’t match your rhythm, I’m the one at fault.
Youta	——
Yuu	Youta? Where are you——
	At that moment, the unconfident Yuu tells Youta about his plans of withdrawing from the competition. His childhood friend Youta encourages him and swiftly goes to give Ennis a piece of his mind.
Youta	ENNIS-SENPAI!
Ennis	?
Youta	How do you think Yuu is feeling right now? He practices so hard, yet can't reach your level of perfection. No matter how hard he tries, he's crushed by your performances.
Ennis	I don't understand. If he doesn't wish to be crushed, then he should give a performance that can't be crushed.
Youta	——You're the reason why our performance is all over the place! Your sound is like that one of loneliness. And that's what you are - lonely.
Ennis	——
	However, Ennis, who has been called a genius since childhood, couldn't understand the feelings of Youta and Yuu who couldn't do things perfectly even with practice.
	Ennis's blunt statement about making it so that your crushed parts are made uncrushable for the performance earns hard backlash from Youta, who tells him that Ennis' performances don't have any heart.
Youta	...
Yuu	Youta, it's not like you to skip practice.
Youta	...As if we could go to the competition like this.
Yuu	Unlike me, you have talent. I'm sure you'll make it far with Ennis-senpai too.
Youta	I don't WANT to make it far with him.
	The usually dedicated Youta uncharacteristically skips practice the next day and is calmed down by Yuu.
	However, Youta firmly states that he doesn't want anything to do with Ennis.
Katsumi	Hmm, guess the two first years are absent today. Well, we should end things for today then. Good work.
Ennis	...
Toujou	Huh? Saionji, you're here all by yourself?
Ennis	I was told that my sound was lonely.
Toujou	Lonely?
Ennis	It was the first time someone told me something like that. My performance has always been perfect. I don't think it's lacking anything.
Toujou	You cannot play a song with one violin when it is meant to be played by a quartet at the very least. Don’t you think that it is the only thing “lacking” in your performance, Saionji?
Ennis	...
	As the two first-year students were absent, Katsumi also takes the day off to go out. Now the only one practising for the competition, Ennis asks Toujou for advice regarding the things Youta told him.
	Toujou tells Ennis who doesn't see his perfect performances as lacklustre that it's impossible to perform a song meant for a quartet with just one violin.
Youta	Yuu? If this is about practice, then ——
Ennis	...
Youta	Ennis-senpai...
Ennis	Why did you not show up to practice?
Youta	You don’t even need me, right?
Ennis	A quartet song won’t be completed with one violin.
Youta	—— ...Got it. It'll be enough for me to show up, won't it? But please apologize to Yuu before that.
Ennis	Why do I have to do that? I’ve never done something that I need to apologize for.
Youta	——Really now?
	As the song can’t be completed with just one violin, Ennis tells Youta and Yuu to come back to practice.
	Following Ennis’s compromise, they resume practice once again, but Katsumi is nowhere to be seen in the lesson room.
	The trio decides to go and seek out the unmotivated Katsumi skipping school at the game center.
Youta	See?
Katsumi	Sweet, I got it! Huh? What's up, guys?
Ennis	What is this place?
Yuu	Have you never been to a game center before?
Ennis	No.
Katsumi	Do you want to give it a try, then?
Youta	What about practice?
Katsumi	There, there. This is part of social studies.
Ennis	...I just have to push this button, correct?
Katsumi	The emperor playing a crane game is such a rare sight.
	Ennis hadn't known anything else outside the world of music up to till that point. As he experienced playing at a game center like a normal student for the very first time, the band gradually managed to open up to each other through their fun times together.
Ennis	You need to be more gentle. Be aware of the anacrusis.
Yuu	...
Ennis	Second, you need to pull yourself out more with the same spirit from before.
Youta	——
Ennis	The fourth bar just now didn’t sound that bad.
Youta	Eh…
Yuu	R-really?
Ennis	Yes.
Katsumi	That's rare.
Youta	It’s only the fourth bar, you know.
Yuu	But that’s a huge improvement!
Katsumi	Yup.
Ennis	——
Katsumi	So even the emperor smiles.
Ennis	What do you mean by that?
Katsumi	Just keep your face like that.
Youta	It's the first time I've seen him like this.
Yuu	Yeah...!
	As the performances of the quartet improve with Ennis’s guidance, his performances also start to slowly change.
	And so the quartet becomes a unified group of four people.
	However, as the originally absent classmate’s injury starts to heal, Machida tells Ennis that they are more than likely going to make it in time for the competition.
	And then Ennis is called in by Toujou.
Ennis	Excuse me.
Toujou	Oh, well if it isn't Saionji.
Ennis	What did you want to talk about?
Toujou	No, it’s just—there’s an international competition coming soon. Please give it some thought too, Saionji. You’ve always passed up on that since the genre is different from yours, but don’t you think you should give it a try this year? Your performance has changed incredibly too. Well, I know you also have that quartet-thing of yours, so don’t take it seriously——.
Ennis	I'll do it.
Toujou	Huh, but don’t you have practices over there?
Ennis	It’s not a problem. It looks like the helper is not needed anymore.
Toujou	...?
	Ennis takes Toujou's suggestion to participate in the international competition and drops out of the quartet.
Youta	Ennis-senpai, why didn’t you show up to practice?
Ennis	There’s no need for three violins.
Youta	Huh? Ah, that guy’s injury——
Ennis	Excuse me.
Youta	Please wait! There’s no need for you to withdraw this late, Ennis-senpai.
Ennis	I wasn’t even interested in chamber music to begin with.
Youta	——
Ennis	Good luck with your competition.
Youta	——Just as I thought, you're a lone wolf! Were we the only ones who were having fun!?
Ennis	...
	In contrast to the more restrained Youta, Ennis has no problem telling him that he had no interest in chamber music to begin with.
	Thinking that Ennis had also been enjoying their performances, Youta unleashes his anger.
	Youta tells the worried and bewildered Yuu and Katsumi to not bother with Ennis.
Ennis	...
Toujou	Hmm… It sounds like something you’d perform in the past.
Ennis	In the past?
Toujou	You’re too fixated on perfectionism. It sounds serious and stiff. Since you can’t concentrate like usual, I think we should really give up on the competition.
Ennis	...The sound isn't enough.
Toujou	Hm?
Ennis	No matter how many times I play, the music that’s flowing through my head is lacking sound. It can’t become the music that I imagine. It’s lacking.
Toujou	...Then, it may be a waste to practice until you find the music that you’re looking for. Please go home for today.
Ennis	——
	As Ennis practices for the international competition, Toujou points out that his performance doesn't have enough originality to it.
	Ennis tells him that no matter how much he plays, he can't produce enough sound for the song in his head. Toujou tells him that then there's no reason for him to practice till he finds what he's looking for, and lets him out of the lesson room.
	Youta finds Ennis at loss and calls out to him, confused.
Ennis	...
Youta	...Ennis-senpai?
Ennis	...
Youta	What are you doing here, aren’t you still in the middle of a lesson? You’re going to participate in international competition, right?
Ennis	The sound isn't enough.
Youta	Eh?
Ennis	No matter how many times I play, the sound is missing. The music can’t become perfect. Ever since I withdrew from the quartet, it has always been——
Youta	...A quartet won’t be complete with only one violin, won't it. No matter how many times you play by yourself, it’ll always be missing.
Ennis	——
Youta	Please come back. The original violin player already talked about this with Yuu and Katsumi-senpai in person. He's going to come back only after resting properly. Our sound isn't enough either.
Ennis	...Got it.
	When Ennis says that his sound isn't enough, he's answered with "a lone violin isn't enough in a quartet". It comes to light that the injured classmate decided to miss the competition in favour of resting after consulting Yuu and Katsumi.
	Once again, Ennis accepts the invitation to join the quartet and expresses his agreement to Youta.
Machida	..."Spring", huh.
Toujou	I was wondering what would happen when the emperor joined a quartet, but it turned into something rather interesting in the end, huh.
Machida	Asking him for the impossible was worth it in the end.
Toujou	Even though it was seemingly one tough journey.
	Ennis's quartet presents an overwhelming performance in front of the audience at the competition.
	They receive endless applause at the end of their performance and achieve victory in the chamber music competition.

Mangosnail, with referencing from Nids's Harugaoka Quartet event story translation for consistency