| Priest | You seem to be having trouble.... |
| Izumi | We’re sorry.... |
| Hisoka | That rabbit is more of a trickster than I thought. |
| Priest | ...Actually, Rabbit-sama was originally a stray rabbit. |
| We found it weakened within shrine grounds one day, and decided to take care of it here. |
| It appeared on the day of a full moon and looked identical to the rabbit statue in the shrine; that was why it became known as Rabbit-sama. |
| Kazunari | I see~. |
| Priest | But—perhaps because it was a stray, it has a habit of running away... It runs away once in a while and returns to the shrine when it feels like it. |
| Itaru | Is that so? Then won’t it come back if we just wait for it.... |
| Priest | ...We can’t have that. |
| Juza | Why? |
| Priest | In a few days, we are planning to host a moon viewing festival known as Kangetsukai, but—. |
| For the festival’s closing ceremony, Rabbit-sama must be present as the symbol of a divine messenger. |
| Tsuzuru | So basically, we still need to capture it and bring it back. |
| Chikage | We’re looking to gather more information on the rabbit so we can capture it. Can you tell us about what it likes or dislikes? |
| Priest | What Rabbit-sama likes.... |
| Ah, now that you mention it, Rabbit-sama seemed to enjoy the offertory ceremony—the festival’s special feature—known as the “Performance of the Moon.” |
| Once, it ran away and didn’t come back until we were almost ready to give up. But during the ceremony, before any of us knew it, it returned to its basket and was watching the performance. |
| But we won’t have that performance this year.... |
| Chikage | You’re not going to host it even though it’s the special feature of the Kangetsukai? |
| Priest | Volunteers from our support group would perform every year, but all the members are elderly; it seems too physically demanding for them. |
| This is an important ceremony for the shrine that happens just once a year, but there is nothing we can do about this. |
| That is why we want to at least hold the closing ceremony in the same manner as always. |
| Izumi | ...What exactly do you do during the “Performance of the Moon”? Is it like a play? |
| Itaru | ...Director-san, don’t tell me you’re. |
| Priest | If you are interested, I am sure there is a video on the Internet somewhere. |
| Kazunari | Um, “Rabbit Shrine Performance of the Moon”... Ah, found it! |
| Chikage | Huh... There’s acting and a mai dance—it’s similar to classic theater. |
| Misumi | Woah~, it’s so pretty~. |
| Tsuzuru | Classical Japanese theater style, huh... We haven’t done this sort of performance before. |
| Juza | Yeah. Looks fun. |
| Izumi | ...Yeah. |
| Priest-san—could you let us do this “Performance of the Moon”? |
| Itaru | There it is, Director-san’s too-good-nature. |
| Hisoka | I thought you’d say that. |
| Izumi | We’re responsible for the rabbit running away; plus, if we can stand on stage at such a nice shrine, it’ll be a good PR for the troupe. |
| Juza | PR for the troupe... I completely forgot about that. |
| Priest | Troupe? |
| Izumi | We’re actually members of a troupe called MANKAI Company. They’re all actors. |
| Priest | Oh my... I didn’t know that! |
| Izumi | This might be a good opportunity for both of us—how about it? |
| Priest | ...Practice will be very strict, you know. |
| If you do not mind, then, yes, please. |
| Izumi | Yes! |
| |
| Misumi | .... |
| Chikage | So this is where you were, Misumi. It’s time to go home. |
| Misumi | Yeah~. |
| Chikage | Even if you’re looking over the area from a tree, you won’t be able to see anything if it’s this dark. |
| Misumi | But I’m worried, so just a little longer~. |
| Chikage | .... |
| ...Misumi, what do you want to do with that rabbit? |
| Misumi | Eh? |
| Chikage | You were also holding back when we tried to capture it, right? |
| Misumi | ——! |
| Chikage | I’m not accusing you of anything. I was just curious. |
| You held back when we were trying to capture the rabbit, but you’re also worried about it. |
| Misumi | ...I was wondering why Rabbit-san ran away. |
| I don’t think Rabbit-san dislikes the shrine. But why does it run away like that...? |
| I think there has to be a reason it runs away from the shrine from time to time, too.... |
| That’s why I’m not sure if it’s okay to capture it and force it to go back to the shrine.... |
| Chikage | ...I see. |
| But you won’t know the answer to that until you ask the rabbit, right? |
| You can understand what it’s saying, right? |
| Misumi | ...Ah. You’re right. |
| I’ll do my best to catch Rabbit-san. And then I’ll make sure to ask. |
| Chikage | Yeah. That sounds good. |
