| Izumi | I’m home. |
| Tsuzuru | Zzz, zzz… |
| Izumi | Tsuzuru-kun!? |
| Tasuku | Whoa—! What’s this? |
| Tsumugi | Don’t step on him, Tasuku. |
| Azuma | The script is probably done if he’s in this state. |
| Izumi | Let’s carry Tsuzuru-kun to the sofa and then get right to reading the script! |
| Tasuku | I’ll carry him. |
| Tsumugi | I’ll help. |
| Hisoka | Zzz… |
| Homare | It seems that we must wake this one here as well. |
| Izumi | I’m counting on you. |
| Homare | Leave it to me. Wake up, here is a marshmallow. |
| Hisoka | *munch*… |
| |
| Izumi | Okay, I’ve made copies of the script. I’m going to pass it around. |
| Azuma | I wonder what kind of story it is. |
| Izumi | If I remember right, he said that it’s a Taisho era play about a master and servant. |
| Homare | Perhaps it’s a love story between those from different social classes – such as the love between the son of a noble and a servant? A heart-trembling romance – how wonderful. |
| Azuma | A messy play concerning fortune and property would be interesting too.[1] |
| Tasuku | A serious political story that can only be done with a stage play can also work. |
| Tsuzuru | It’s a mystery… |
| Izumi | Tsuzuru-kun, you’re awake? |
| Tsuzuru | Zzz, zzz… |
| Azuma | Looks like he was sleep-talking. |
| Izumi | So it’s a mystery, huh. It’s our first for this genre. I’m looking forward to it! |
| |
| Izumi | … |
| (The story is about a butler – the protagonist – and his master – the second lead – acting as detectives to solve a case…) |
| (Sagishima, the butler, is well put together but has a wicked tongue. Shiki, the son of a distinguished family, is a free-spirited young master; he’s charming and his character stands out.) |
| (It’s a play that combines mystery with Taisho era, and it has a bit of a gloomy feel to it. It’s perfect for the Winter Troupe’s image!) |
| Tasuku | Looks good. |
| Azuma | Yeah, it’s interesting. |
| Homare | There is a slightly decadent atmosphere unique to this play. |
| Tsumugi | It looks like this can bring out a different charm of the Winter Troupe from our previous play. |
| Tasuku | Mikage, you should do Shiki, the second lead. |
| Hisoka | …So many lines. |
| Tasuku | That’s why you should do it. You won’t fall asleep during the performance if you have lots of lines. |
| Izumi | I see… |
| Azuma | It’s certainly a tragic reason, but it sure is convincing. |
| Tasuku | Besides, I think it’s better if Shiki is younger than Sagishima. And in terms of stature, smaller builds suit the image of a young master. |
| Izumi | You’re right. Hisoka-san can also bring out that slightly languid feel well. |
| Homare | He is like that in real life after all. |
| Hisoka | …What a bother. |
| Tsumugi | If you work hard, we’ll supply you with enough marshmallows for half a year. |
| Hisoka | Got it. |
| Izumi | How cheap…! |
| Tasuku | He sure is cheap. |
| Izumi | What about Sagishima, the protagonist? |
| As far as the other troupes go, the protagonist roles have all been done by people who weren’t the protagonists in their debut play, so I would like to consider someone other than Tsumugi-san… |
| Tsumugi | I think that’s fine. That way we can change up the atmosphere and others can gain more experience. |
| Tasuku | Unlike last time, we’ve done a lot of practice and we’re making progress as the Winter Troupe, so anyone can do it. |
| Izumi | Is there anyone who wants to do it? |
| Homare | I shall stand as a candidate. |
| Tasuku | I’ll pass this time. It’s better to let someone inexperienced do the lead roles as much as possible. |
| Azuma | I have another role in mind so I’ll pass. |
| Tsumugi | That means Homare-san is the only candidate. |
| Izumi | That’s right… Homare-san is always meddling with Hisoka-san anyway, so he may be perfect for the butler role. |
| Tsumugi | He would suit an elegant butler role just fine. |
| Tasuku | That’s not bad. |
| Azuma | Agreed. |
| Hisoka | …I think that’s good. |
| Izumi | All right. Well then Homare-san, we’re counting on you to be the leader as well as the protagonist for this play! |
| Homare | Leave it to me. |
| Izumi | Next up is the real culprit, which is a key role… |
| |
| Izumi | Now then, is everyone okay with this cast? |
| Azuma | …Looks like it’s going to be interesting, doesn’t it? |
| Tsumugi | I’m getting excited. |
| Tasuku | It’s a different kind of excitement from a play where you’re the lead role. |
| Hisoka | …Zzz |
| Homare | Wake up, Hisoka-kun. |
| Hisoka | *munch*… |
| Izumi | …Should we also use marshmallows during the performance? |
| Tasuku | Of course not. |
| |
| Izumi | Okay, we’ll start reading out the script today. From the top please. |
| |
| Izumi | … |
| (Looks good. Everyone is acting smoothly. The inexperienced ones have become more skilled since the debut play.) |
| (The overall quality has improved, and the experienced ones seem to be getting fired up because of that.) |
| Hisoka | “That person on the ground – is that Miss Kusanagi?” |
| Homare | “Master Shiki, please stand back!” |
| Hisoka | “Call for a doctor at once—!” |
| Izumi | (As usual, it’s amazing when Hisoka-san’s switch flips… He’s already gotten into character.) |
| Homare | “I’m afraid it’s too late.” |
| Hisoka | “What?” |
| Homare | “She’s dead.” |
| Izumi | (Homare-san has a little too much energy for a butler, and he stands in front too much.) |
| (Sagishima does have an impudent side to him, but fundamentally he has to take a step back and be a reserved, unassuming butler, or else the gap with Sagishima’s wicked tongue won’t work well.)[2] |
| (And he’s not acting very amicably despite his energy, or it’s more like his emotions aren’t coming out well…) |
| (Homare-san’s role last time as a grandiose, other-worldly angel was perfect for him, but this time it looks like that’s backfiring…) |
| |
| Izumi | Okay, we’ll stop there. I think that everyone is doing fine for the most part. I just would like everyone to deepen their interpretations of their own character a little more. |
| Tsumugi | Um, Homare-san. Sagishima is an excellent butler, so I think that he should match his own movements with Shiki’s a little more, just like how a butler would. |
| And I think that you need to express Sagishima’s emotions. |
| Izumi | (As I thought, Tsumugi-san noticed it too.) |
| Homare | Sagishima’s emotions, huh… |
| No matter how many times I read the script, I simply cannot understand why Sagishima serves Shiki, or what he’s thinking at all. |
| Izumi | We still have time, so you can deepen your understanding bit by bit. |
| Tasuku | You’re performing well compared to our debut play. |
| Homare | Hm… |
| Izumi | (Back then during the debut play, Homare-san was troubled that he can’t understand people’s feelings…) |
| (I hope that he’d be able to understand the role well…) |
