| Shifuto | And that's the kettle I was just using? |
| Haruto | Yeah. |
| Shifuto | You're just like you're mom, though. You're both so stubborn and not-honest with your feelings. |
| You've never gone home since coming to Tokyo, though? I thought you would've, since you talked about your hometown in an interview before. |
| Haruto | That was scripted for my public-facing persona. I don't contact or visit my family at all, even for the Bon Festival and New Year's. |
| Shifuto | Haven't you ever wanted to contact them? |
| Haruto | ... |
| |
| Haruto | I spent my first winter in Tokyo alone, barely scraping by with my part-time jobs. |
| I still had no acting company to call my own, and I spent each day shivering in the cold of my wooden apartment. |
| The place was very draughty, and my bedding was far from adequate. One day, I came down with a terrible cold. |
| I didn't do anything because I figured it'd go away quickly, but it suddenly worsened in the blink of an eye. |
| My fever roared like a burning flame, and I thought I was going to die alone with my dreams left unrealized. |
| I thought I should at least call my mother before I kicked the bucket, but then I caught sight of the kettle sitting in the corner of my room. |
| At that moment, her voice rang through my head like a bell. |
| I'm not going down like this. |
| I cast away my hometown and came to Tokyo so I could pursue my dream. All of that would have been for nothing if I didn't make it big as an actor. I had to at least be famous enough that if I died, my mother would find out through the news online. |
| I shook myself out of my mental slump and made myself some tea with my mother's kettle. The warmth coursed through my body, and I managed to fend off the cold in the end. |
| |
| Haruto | I worked myself harder, and attended more and more auditions. |
| One day, while I was out watching a few productions on Veludo Way for reference, I came across GOD-za. |
| I thought to myself, this must be fate. |
| Their world was just as sublime and beautiful as the one I had been dreaming of since I was a child. It was everything I had ever wanted. |
| From that moment on, I had my mind set on one thing, and one thing only: being part of that troupe and standing on their stage. |
| I poured my heart and soul into their auditions, and somehow got accepted as a trainee. |
| I was one of the worst of the bunch when I started. I was cautioned many times for my non-standard accent, too, and I would do everything I could to fix it. |
| There were times when I thought that I just wasn't cut out to act with a standard accent, but I continued to work through my blood, sweat, and tears. Eventually, my hard work paid off, and I was promoted to the main roster. |
| If I keep this up, I might even be able to become the top actor of this troupe one day, I thought. |
| When I get my first lead role, I'd be able to invite my mother to see me. |
| Just as I set this goal for myself, an actor who had joined after me shot to the top of the rankings. He shone more brightly than anyone, and his name was Tasuku Takato. |
| When I was put in the same play as him, I witnessed for myself just how much of an acting junkie he was. Not only that, but he was incredibly talented. I was shocked. |
| He was cut from a completely different cloth. The gap between the two of us was astounding. |
| I started to fear that I would never become the top actor of GOD-za as long as Tasuku were here. |
| And if I never became the top actor of GOD-za, I could never invite my mother to see me. |
| Even so, I never stopped working as hard as I could. I thought, as long as I work harder than Tasuku, I could beat him someday. |
| I held that thought close to my heart and continued on with my acting career. |
| |
| Haruto | On a particularly bad day, Reni-san gave the entire cast a heavy scolding. |
| Practise eventually ended, and everyone cleared out of the practise room. I pretended to go home, but I took the key and snuck back in. |
| This was always what I did when I wanted to stay behind and practise some more. |
| However, on that day, the practise room was already unlocked. |
| When I opened the door, I saw that Tasuku was inside. |
| Our eyes met, and he called out to me. "You're staying behind, too?" He even seemed a little happy about it. |
| I felt the irritation bubbling within me. I had thought that if there was one thing I had more than Tasuku, it was effort. |
| But I had been proven wrong in this moment. If I couldn't beat Tasuku with hard work, how was I ever going to make it...? |
| |
| Shifuto | So did you practise with Tasuku-san after? |
| Haruto | What? Of course not. I said I was only there to get something I had forgotten, and left. |
| Shifuto | Haha, that's so you. |
| Haruto | After that, I figured if I couldn't beat Tasuku with effort alone, what I could do was do everything Reni-san said and earn his trust. |
| Tasuku also started putting a lot of energy into delivering fanservice to the guests that got the most attention from Reni-san. |
| Little by little, it became clear to me that there were a lot more things I had to beat Tasuku in, not just in acting. But I promised myself that I would beat him in everything one day. |
| Then, one day, he quit GOD-za out of the blue. |
| He threw away his position as the top actor like it was nothing, even though I was here working myself to the bone for it. |
| He even beat me in two act-offs. |
| I thought that since we were doing a collab play this time, it would be a good chance for me to face him again, but honestly? I don't think it would make any difference. |
| He continued to grow as an actor, and Reni-san continues to shower him with praise. He hasn't slacked off one bit since leaving, either. |
| He's talented, and he's willing to put in the hard work. But of course he is; he was born with everything he needed. |
| I can't beat him with talent or effort. I'll probably never be able to even catch up with him. |
| ...Ugh, I didn't mean to talk this much. |
| Shifuto | You know, I could tell from the get-go that you're an extremely hard worker. |
| I never thought it was bad or anything. I actually end up liking people more if I see that they're a hard worker. |
| Haruto | Well, I don't want to let my rival see me working and struggling. That doesn't fit with my aesthetic. |
| Shifuto | Even if you don't want to show Tasuku-san that side of you, I wouldn't mind. 'Coz we'll be acting on the same stage together for a long time, y'know? |
| In fact, I hope you can show me that side of you. It'll be good for my motivation too, if I see you hard at work. |
| Haruto | Fine. If I say no, you'll end up pestering me about it to no end, anyway. |
| Shifuto | Aw, you're so mean! |
| Oh, right. I have a message from Tasuku-san. |
| Haruto | What? |
| Shifuto | "It's been great practising with you again for this play. I feel like I'm learning a lot." |
| "You work so hard every day, and you always follow up on Reni-san's points of concern to a T the very next day." |
| "Being able to act alongside such a conscientious actor is extremely fun and worthwhile." |
| "You're still my rival, just like in our GOD-za days, and I will do everything I can to beat you. Rest up, and I can't wait to have you back." |
| Haruto | ...! |
| Shifuto | Oh, and he also asked me to buy you some ice cream, so I did. I put it in your freezer already. |
| Haruto | Why ice cream? It's so freaking cold out. |
| Shifuto | Nothing beats an ice cream after a nice, hot bath, right? Oh, here. Eat your rice porridge before it goes cold. |
| Haruto | ...Thanks. |
| I haven't had rice porridge in so long. My mom would always make it for me when I got sick. |
| Shifuto | I was thinking about this when you were talking about your kettle, but... |
| I'm sure your mom is also praying for your success in acting. She probably really wants to see you act. |
| Haruto | Yeah, I wanted to invite her when I got cast in a lead role, but... |
| I felt like all the leads I got after Tasuku quit was because he wasn't there to fill them, not because I had gotten them with my own hard work. I didn't feel like inviting my mom for that. |
| And then I got kicked off the top position. |
| Shifuto | Hmm, maybe she saw you on "Hype in Japan", though? It was a nationwide online broadcast, after all. |
| Haruto | I doubt it. I never even told her I was going to be on it. |
| Shifuto | Nah, I bet she did! Over and over, too! My mom and my little brother kept watching it every night for a couple of days. |
| Haruto | ... |
| Shifuto | I'm sure she'll be super pumped to come watch this play, too. I mean, you're leading! |
| Haruto | Did you forget that we sold out immediately? I didn't get a ticket for her. |
| Shifuto | Send her a formal invitation, then. |
| Haruto | No. Anyway, butt out of my business. |
| Shifuto | Sorry. I was a bit too nosy, huh. |
| Haruto | I'll pretend she's coming when I'm up there acting, though. It might make me perform better. |
| Shifuto | Nice! |
| All right, well, I became an actor because... |
| Haruto | I'm done with my rice porridge. Good night. |
| Shifuto | Aw, c'mon! |
| Haruto | Tell me about it when I'm better. |
| Shifuto | You got it! Rest up, now. |
