| Guy | “The right to strike——!”[1] |
| Tasuku | “——” |
| Guy | “Hah!” |
| Tasuku | “*exhale*——” |
| “You’re Tojiro’s—— What do you think you’re doing? Are surprise attacks Tojiro’s way of doing things?” |
| Guy | “That should be my line.” |
| Tasuku | “What?” |
| Izumi | ... |
| (Hmm, Guy-san is still figuring things out, but Tasuku-san isn’t acting like his usual self.) |
| (He’s doing well but there’s some hesitation, or more like half-heartedness behind it...) |
| Tsumugi | How unlike Tasuku. |
| Izumi | ——Tsumugi-san, you thought so too? |
| Azuma | I wonder if he’s not feeling well. |
| Hisoka | ...Maybe he hasn’t had enough marshmallows. |
| Homare | Certainly not. He is not you. |
| Yuzo | Hey, I’m coming in. |
| Izumi | Ah, Yuzo-san. Good work. |
| Tasuku | It’s time for sword fight practice, huh. |
| Guy | ...That much time has passed already. |
| Yuzo | Okay, give me a run-through. |
| |
| Tasuku | ... |
| Guy | ... |
| Yuzo | ...Well, there aren’t any problems with the sword fight itself. You two have got it down. |
| But you don’t have punch for someone your size. Is that big body just for show? |
| Tasuku | —— |
| Guy | ... |
| Yuzo | Listen, this scene is a serious fight with your life on the line. It’s a fight to the death against a fellow master swordsman. |
| It’s his life’s greatest climax for Musashi in particular, who’s searching for a place to die. |
| So if there’s no intensity or sense of urgency, it just looks like you’re playing with swords. |
| You’re showing Musashi’s expressions well, but your presentation of the character isn’t fixed. It shows when you’re swinging your sword and it makes you look like a spineless pushover lacking in conviction. |
| I really can’t say that you’re a master swordsman who lives by the sword and dies by the sword. What a waste. |
| If you don’t want the last scene which is the highlight of the performance to look like a joke, come at your opponent like you’re seriously about to kill him. |
| Tasuku | ...Understood. |
| Yuzo | Well, as for the new foreigner, you’re not even expressing yourself. Your sword fights are better, but the rest is too shabby. |
| Guy | —— |
| ...I will do my best. |
| Izumi | (It feels as if Guy-san’s lack of experience as an actor has really started to show.) |
| (He played the role of the mysterious phantom last time so it wasn’t that noticeable, but...) |
| (It becomes apparent when he stands as the co-lead next to Tasuku-san’s lead.) |
| Yuzo | You two, go reconsider what it means to be samurai. |
| Guy | ...Samurai, huh. |
| Tasuku | ... |
| Homare | Very well then. Why don’t you try going on a warrior’s journey, just like a samurai?[2] |
| Tasuku | A warrior’s journey? |
| Homare | Precisely. |
| Guy | What do we have to do, specifically? |
| Homare | But of course, the warrior’s journey for actors, namely etudes not bound by rules——street acting. |
| Hisoka | ...So long-winded. |
| Tasuku | You could’ve just said so in one word. |
| Izumi | But that’s a good idea! |
| Azuma | Yup, I think that sounds good. |
| Tsumugi | Let’s give it a try. |
| |
| Tasuku | “...” |
| Guy | “...” |
| Tasuku | “...You came.” |
| Guy | “Musashi, why do you fight?” |
| Tasuku | “To earn a place to die... To be judged as somebody worth dying!” |
| Izumi | (As I thought, it still kind of lacks intensity...) |
| (You can feel the difference between Tasuku-san and Guy-san’s acting experience, but it’s not just that; it also feels like they’re not in sync.) |
| Audience A | Ohh, Winter Troupe is doing sword fights. How fresh! |
| Audience B | They didn’t have that kind of image before! |
| Izumi | (I’m glad that this new challenge seems to be favourable with the audience too. I think we’ll be able to manage somehow if we keep practicing like this.) |
| Reni | ...The former top actor of GOD-za has surely fallen. |
| Guy | —— |
| Tsumugi | ...Kamikizaka-san. |
| Tasuku | ...It has been a while. |
| Reni | When I heard that Tasuku would be playing the lead role for the first time in a while, I was wondering what kind of performance it would be. But it turned out to be a disappointment. |
| The co-lead is too plain. He is not a good match for Tasuku. Are you not aware of the imbalance when you stand next to each other? |
| Guy | ... |
| Izumi | Hey, that’s—— |
| Reni | Tasuku as well. |
| Since joining Mankai Company, your acting level has plummeted. Did you get too comfortable and let yourself be tainted by the skill level of your surroundings? |
| Before you wither, you should head to a place where you should be. |
| Tasuku | —— |
| Tsumugi | He just said his piece, and then left... |
| Izumi | He didn’t have to go that far though. |
| Homare | He is the same as ever. |
| Azuma | Tasuku, Guy, don’t let it bother you. |
| Tasuku | ... |
| Izumi | If we keep practicing, I’m sure—— |
| Tasuku | Sorry. Can we cancel practice for a while? |
| Izumi | Huh? |
| Tsumugi | Cancel...? |
| Tasuku | ...Sorry. |
| Izumi | Tasuku-san... |
| |
| Troupe Member A | Thanks for today too. You were a big help. |
| Izumi | It was no problem. Good work. I’ll be going on ahead now. |
| Troupe Member A | Good work. |
| Izumi | ...Phew. |
| (In the end, practice has been cancelled since then... We all thought Tasuku-san had a plan so no one has said anything, but I wonder if everything is okay.) |
| (There’s still time, and I believe it’s possible for Winter Troupe to recover enough even after a short break, but I’m still worried.) |
| (For Tasuku-san, who’s serious about acting more than anyone else, to want to take a break from practice –– it must be a really big deal.) |
| (What in the world happened... Surely Reni-san’s words weren’t the only cause.) |
| ... |
| Tsumugi | ...Oh? |
| Izumi | Ah, Tsumugi-san. On your way home from work? |
| Tsumugi | Yes. What about you, Director? |
| Izumi | I’m on my way home after helping out at another theater troupe. |
| Tsumugi | Good work. |
| Izumi | ——How has Tasuku-san been since then? |
| Tsumugi | He’s the same as ever. Whenever he’s in the room he’s always reading the script, and he looks like he’s brooding about something. |
| Izumi | I see... |
| Tsumugi | I tried asking him the reason why, but... |
| He said, “I can’t act out Musashi’s role with this half-hearted attitude. Sorry.” |
| Izumi | Half-hearted attitude... What does that mean? |
| Tsumugi | At times like this, Tasuku doesn’t say anything even if you asked, so I don’t know any more than that... |
| Izumi | ... |
| (I wonder if there’s no choice but to believe in Tasuku-san and wait for him.) |
| (But when I think of the worst case scenario, we can’t afford to just not do anything...) |
| ??? | ...Oh? Tsumu? |
| Izumi | ? |
 |
| Tsumugi | Ah, Fuyuki-kun. |
| Fuyuki | It’s been a while. |
| Izumi | (This person kind of looks like someone...) |
| Tsumugi | Director, this is Tasuku’s older brother, Fuyuki-kun. |
| Izumi | Tasuku-san’s older brother!? |
| (I see! He looks like Tasuku-san!) |
| Tsumugi | Fuyuki-kun, this is the general director of the theater troupe we’re in. |
| Izumi | I’m Tachibana Izumi. It’s nice to meet you. |
| Fuyuki | It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for always taking care of Tasuku. |
| Izumi | (They look alike, but their vibes are completely different. The older brother seems gentle and the exact opposite of Tasuku-san.) |
| Tsumugi | It’s unusual for you to be around here. Is it for work? |
| Fuyuki | Nope, it’s my day off. A friend from my student days said that he’s putting on a performance, so I came to watch. |
| Tsumugi | I see. |
| Fuyuki | That reminds me, isn’t Winter Troupe going to have a performance soon? Is practice going well? |
| Tsumugi | Ahh, yeah. I guess so... |
| Fuyuki | My little brother is going to be the lead, so I’ll definitely take time off and come watch. |
| Izumi | Y-yes, please do! |
| (I can’t say that practice is going well though...) |
| Tsumugi | Anything new with everyone? |
| Fuyuki | Nah, they’re the same as always. Tsumugi, tell Tasuku to come visit his family home a little more. |
| Tsumugi | He has to clean up the storeroom too, right? |
| Fuyuki | That’s right. Since way back that guy’s always ignored anything I tell him no matter how many times I say it, unless it’s about acting. |
| ——Oh, that reminds me, have you heard that your elementary school’s gymnasium is getting torn down soon? |
| Tsumugi | Eh... |
| Fuyuki | Apparently it’s become too old, so they’re reconstructing it. |
| Tsumugi | ...I see. That’s sad. |
| Fuyuki | When I think about it, that stage was the first one you guys ever stood on. |
| And even now, you two are still standing on the same stage like this; it’s interesting. |
| Izumi | (That stage was what made Tasuku-san and Tsumugi-san aspire to become actors. To think that it’s being torn down...) |
| Tsumugi | ...I wonder if we can stand there one last time. |
| Fuyuki | You mean, stand on your elementary school’s stage? |
| Tsumugi | Yeah. |
| Fuyuki | You’re alumni, so they’d probably let you take a look around, at least... |
| Tsumugi | I want to act there with Tasuku one more time. |
| Somehow, I just have a feeling that something will change if we do that. I’m sure Tasuku’s feelings too, will—— |
| Izumi | Tsumugi-san... |
| Fuyuki | I don’t really get it, but to you guys is it something that’s necessary? |
| Tsumugi | Yeah. |
| Fuyuki | ——I’ll do something about it then. |
| Tsumugi | Huh? |
| Izumi | Do something about it...? |
| Fuyuki | I’ll contact you again. |
| Director-san, please take care of the two of them. |
| Izumi | Ah, y-yes! |
| ...He said he’d do something about it, but I wonder what he’s going to do? |
| Tsumugi | Fuyuki-kun is a policeman who works at our hometown’s police station. |
| He’s popular and trusted among the people in the area, so he’ll probably go to the school to talk it over with them... |
| Izumi | I see. |
