| Homare | Grandfather, what are you doing? |
| Homare’s Grandfather | I’m repairing a watch. |
| Homare | I also want to try! |
| Homare’s Grandfather | This watch is delicate, so it might still be a little too difficult for you. Go on and play with your grandmother over there. |
| Homare | ...I can’t deal with grandmother very well. |
| Homare’s Grandfather | Oh? Why is that? |
| Homare | She always looks sullen even when she’s with me. |
| Homare’s Grandfather | Ah... that’s because she’s an awkward person. |
| Don’t you worry. She loves you after all. |
| |
| Homare | Hm—— |
| Hisoka | ...Why are you sleeping in a place like this? |
| Homare | I do not wish to hear that from you, of all people. |
| Oh? This blanket—— |
| Hisoka | ...I borrowed it from Azuma. |
| Homare | Could you have been the one who draped it on me? |
| Hisoka | ...What were you doing? |
| Homare | I was contemplating my role once more. |
| Hisoka | ...You’re weird. Lately, you haven’t been Arisu sometimes. |
| Homare | What do you mean by that? |
| Hisoka | ...You’re always brooding, and now you’re sleeping alone in a place like this. |
| Homare | Well similarly, draping a blanket over me does not seem like you either. A Shiki who bosses his butler around is more typical of you. |
| Hisoka | ...Back at you. A Sagishima who recites poems as he pleases is typical Arisu. |
| Homare | You’d prefer if I recite poems? |
| Hisoka | ...No. |
| Homare | I jest. |
| Hisoka | ...Besides, your job is to always stand behind me and give me marshmallows. |
| Homare | Now that you mention it. |
| ...Hm, I see. Typical me, huh. |
| It appears that I took a considerable detour. My version of Sagishima has always been just around the corner.[1] |
| Hisoka | Arisu, you really are simple and an idiot. But we should go back soon. ...I feel sorry for the flowers Tsumugi gave you. |
| Homare | Indeed. We must hurry and arrange them. |
| |
| Homare | The morning of beginnings, a refreshing sour serenade... How vigorous, c’est bon symphony...! |
| Izumi | Good morning, Homare-san. |
| Tasuku | He’s at full throttle. |
| Tsumugi | It’s typical Homare-san, so isn’t that fine? |
| Azuma | Looks like he’s returned to his usual. |
| Hisoka | ...So noisy first thing in the morning. |
| Tasuku | Arisugawa, here. |
| Homare | Why, this is my pocket watch...! So you were the culprit! |
| Tasuku | You—— |
| Hisoka | No, I was the one who had it. |
| |
| Homare | The balcony is not an entryway! |
| Tsumugi | Oh, there you are. The meeting is about to start soon. |
| Homare | Good grief. What if I had strained my back? |
| Misumi | A creaky freaky triangle~ |
| Homare | Hm, that is quite a nice phrase. |
| Hisoka | ... |
| (It’s Arisu’s pocket watch... It’s broken...) |
| Tsumugi | What’s wrong? Let’s go, Hisoka-kun. |
| Hisoka | ... |
| (I’ll give it back to him later...) |
| |
| Homare | Oh... No, I did not send it for repairs. |
| Izumi | Huh... |
| Homare | I was simply taking a peek since I happened to pass by. |
| Izumi | Is that so... |
| Hisoka | ...What’s this about? |
| Homare | Ah, you don’t know what happened because you were asleep. I lost my pocket watch. |
| Hisoka | Lost? |
| (...Come to think of it, I forgot to give it back because I fell asleep.) |
| Izumi | We’ve looked everywhere, but we can’t find it... |
| Homare | No matter. That thing has been unneeded from the beginning. |
| Izumi | That’s... |
| Hisoka | ... |
| (It’s unneeded...?) |
| |
| Izumi | ...I think that if it really was something he didn’t need, then he would’ve thrown it away long ago. He wouldn’t have held it dearly wherever he went. |
| There’s no way he truly thinks of it as something unnecessary. |
| Hisoka | ...Then why did he say he didn’t need it? |
| Izumi | That, I don’t know... |
| Hisoka | ...You don’t know? |
| Izumi | I don’t. I’m sure he must have some complicated feelings surrounding it. |
| Hisoka | ... |
| Izumi | I don’t understand, but I still want to find the pocket watch and give it to him. |
| Hisoka | ...Even though you don’t understand? |
| Izumi | Yeah. |
| Hisoka | Why? |
| Izumi | I guess it’s because I get the feeling that’s the best thing to do, when I think about Homare-san. |
| I can’t understand exactly what Homare-san is thinking, but I can put myself in his shoes, right? |
| I don’t know whether that’s the right thing to do though... |
| |
| Tasuku | What’s wrong? |
| Hisoka | ...Can you fix this? |
| Tasuku | You found Arisugawa’s pocket watch? |
| Hisoka | ...I’ll give it back to him when it’s fixed. |
| Tasuku | It’s impossible for me. This isn’t something an amateur can fix. |
| Hisoka | ...You say that, but I heard you’ve fixed a TV before. |
| Tasuku | A TV is different from a pocket watch. |
| Hisoka | I have a feeling that we need this for tomorrow. ...Because it’s the last component. |
| Tasuku | Tomorrow...? Fixing this in one night is even more impossible. |
| Hisoka | As thanks, I’ll... |
| Tasuku | I don’t want your marshmallows. |
| Hisoka | ... |
| Tasuku | ...*sigh*. Fine. But I’m telling you now, it’s not my fault if I can’t fix it. |
| I don’t need your marshmallows, so just act your best. |
| Hisoka | Thanks, Tasuku. |
| |
| Homare | What... |
| Hisoka | I lost my memories, so I have nothing — no memories, no prized possessions. So I don’t understand those complicated feelings of yours. |
| ...But I thought that watch was something you treasured. |
| Homare | You had it repaired for me. |
| Hisoka | ...I’d be troubled if you didn’t return to being Arisu. Six months’ worth of marshmallows is riding on this play after all. |
| Tasuku | Even so, why didn’t you get it fixed much earlier? If I was able to fix it, then an expert would’ve been able to do it in no time if you just asked. |
| Homare | I thought of having it repaired many times. However, if it was impossible to fix it then it would truly become something unneeded. |
| That is why I never sent it for repairs. |
| Tasuku | Even if it can’t be fixed, it’s still important to you so it’s not unneeded. Do all geniuses think like you? |
| Azuma | Homare’s thoughts are so extreme. That’s one of the good things about him though. |
| Tasuku | It’ll probably break again because it’s old, but it’s a good watch so take care of it. |
| Homare | Indeed... in the end it was not something unneeded. |
| Tasuku | And also... |
| This was engraved inside the pocket watch. |
| Homare | “To the mechanical you, with love. Sakae” ...? |
| Izumi | This is... |
| Homare | ...Sakae was the name of my grandfather. |
| Izumi | Then, the ‘mechanical you’ must have been referring to your grandmother. |
| Azuma | Mechanical, huh? For some reason that sounds romantic. |
| Tsumugi | But why ‘mechanical,’ I wonder? |
| Izumi | (...It’s a bit similar to how Homare-san calls himself a cyborg.) |
| Homare | —— |
| My grandmother told me that I was the same as this watch. That because I cannot understand people’s feelings, I’m the same as this broken watch... |
| Izumi | Huh? |
| Homare | When she told me that she would give me this watch because she no longer needed it, it felt like I was told that broken things like me were no longer needed. |
| Izumi | Homare-san... |
| That’s not it. I’m sure your grandmother wasn’t trying to say you’re unneeded. |
| Homare | ... |
| Izumi | (I’m sure his grandmother, who was called mechanical, was the same as Homare-san. That’s why...) |
| Homare | I do not understand what grandmother was thinking. I cannot understand people’s feelings—— |
| Izumi | I’m sure you understand, Homare-san. If you were your grandmother, what would you have been thinking? Please think about it. |
| Homare | If I were grandmother... |
| Hisoka | ...Even if you can’t exactly understand the other person’s feelings, you can put yourself in their shoes. |
| Homare | —— |
| Those are deep words coming from you, Hisoka-kun. |
| Hisoka | ...Or so Director said. |
| Homare | Second-hand knowledge, I see. |
| Hmm, putting yourself in one’s shoes is similar to acting. |
| The mechanical you... Cyborg... |
| ——I see. |
| Grandmother and I are the same. |
| She entrusted me the present she received from grandfather, her beloved, for I am similar to her. |
| Izumi | You were troubled over not being able to understand people’s feelings, so I wonder if your grandmother was the same. |
| Homare | Hm... That may be so. |
| But my grandfather loved my awkward grandmother from the bottom of his heart. |
| Entrusting the proof of that love to me may have been my grandmother’s way of showing her love. |
| Izumi | I’m sure of that. |
| (I think that Homare-san’s grandmother may have been hoping that Homare-san also finds someone like his grandfather...) |
| (Someone who would accept Homare-san, and love him for who he is...) |
| Homare | Grandmother... |
| Tsumugi | I believe so too. |
| Hisoka | ...Arisu is thickheaded. |
| Azuma | What an awkward family. |
| Tasuku | Seriously. What a roundabout way to put it. |
| Homare | ...I will do just fine even without the truthful magnifying glass now. |
| Izumi | Truthful magnifying glass? |
| Homare | It’s nothing. Just talking to myself. |
| |
| Izumi | Okay, it’s almost time. |
| Homare | Everyone, gather round! |
| After consulting the other troupes, I, as the leader, have come up with a huddle unique to the Winter Troupe. |
| Tsumugi | Sounds good. |
| Azuma | What do we need to do? |
| Homare | First, raise one hand up high. Then, place one foot like this, tendu, and then extend it up high — arabesque![2] |
| Tasuku | As if we can do that! |
| Homare | Hold this pose! |
| Azuma | It’s difficult. |
| Hisoka | ...Impossible. |
| Homare | Now, let us blossom in full glory and soar high across the sky together, Winter Troupe...! |
| Hisoka | ... |
| Tsumugi | Erm... Let’s do our best. |
| Tasuku | ...Yeah. |
| Azuma | Yup. |
