Act 9/Episode 2

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Act 9
Episode 2: A Man’s Note/Part 1

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Spring, at 16 years old. I met a devilish man. Highschool 2nd year’s class change. Friends uniting, seperating, new classmates shuffling into new classrooms, glancing at each other with excitement yet anxiety. Who I was with did not matter to me. Whilst checking the seating arrangement on the blackboard and organizing my desk, suddenly someone spoke from beside me. “Hey, Kamikizaka, is ‘Reiji’ your real name?” At first, I wondered what in the world he was saying. The one who’d struck up such a friendly conversation was a boy in the same class as me, Tachibana Yukio. I had no intentions of becoming familiar with any of my classmates, I didn’t even plan on remembering their names. But he alone stood out among others, and despite myself, I couldn’t help but remember him. He stood out, but not in a good way. He would trip on nothing and scatter his things across the floor, or spill his bento all over. Each time, his clumsiness was unbelievable, and the class would laugh. “It’s hard to write and hard to read, so can I just call you ‘Reni’?” I ignored his inane question, but he stubbornly kept trying to talk to me. Besides, you shouldn’t shorten people’s names without permission. “What do you want. Besides, you won't even have much of a chance to my name.” I replied. At that moment, Tachibana shoved a club creation form at me with the name “Kamikizaka Reni” filled in. “Reni, Let’s do theater together.” He said to me who was taken aback, and smiled widely. After that, Tachibana followed me around. When I tried to slip away from Tachibana after school and hurry home, he ambushed me in the school gate and followed me. His persistence is to be feared. A reason, he enrolled in this school after hearing that there was a drama club, but the club disbanded the year before he enrolled and he couldn’t do any club activities in his first year. He had no choice but to join a troupe outside school to learn about theater, but when he became a 2nd year, it seems he had decided to take the initiative and start a new theater club. “To do club activities, wouldn't it require a minimum of three people?” “The other member is a go-home-club person that promised to lend me their name.” “Is that kind of thing trustworthy?” “His face is scary, but he’s not a bad guy.” Gathering members and doing club activities with that reasoning, honestly that amazed me. “I heard that in our class the only ones in the go-home-club are only you and me.” When he reasoned that way, I understood. “Alright fine. I’ll lend you just my name.” Being followed around any more this is a pain, so I gave him such a reply. “I don’t want you to only lend me your name, Reni.” “Ha?” “There’s a flower in you. If you stand on stage, surely you’ll blossom. I’ll show that you bloom in a Reni-like way.” “What’s up with that…” “You know, I don’t actually want to stand on stage, I want to make someone else stand on stage and bloom them.” “In my own way…” I heard the words of my strict father and grandfather in my mind. To “kill” and reinvent myself, to hold up my body and soul, to live my life as a replacementーー The fate that was continuously inherited and imposed on me. To just… “No interest?” To Tachibana who mischievously laughed, I subconsciously nodded. “My interest is not zero.” When I think back, that was the grin of a demon. I’ve let this whistling man derail the path of my life. Reni It’s already been 30 years since… (Knock) ーー. Come in. Haruto Pardon me. Reni ...You came. Haruto Yes. Is there something I can do for you? Reni Call Shifuto here. Haruto To this room…? Reni Hurry it up. Haruto Y-yes! Reni ...Hmph. Haruto … (That safe… Reni-san opened it again. Inside there seems to be a notebook or some sort. I wonder what that is…)
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Lia (retiredstarmiya)

Act 9
Episode 2: Notes of a Certain Man / Part 1

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In the Spring when I was sixteen, I met a man akin to the devil. It was during our first day as high school sophomores, when we were assigned to a new class. Taking a sidelong glance at my classmates, who were either happy to be with their friends again or sad because they got separated from their friends, I moved to my new classroom. It didn't matter to me who I was with in my new class. As I checked the seating arrangements on the blackboard and organized my desk, someone suddenly started talking to me. "Say, Kamikizaka, is Reiji your real name?" What the hell is this guy talking about, was what I thought at first. The one who talked to me in such a friendly way at the time was my classmate, Yukio Tachibana. I had never planned to get close to my classmates, nor did I plan to remember their names. But that guy strangely stood out so much that I ended up remembering his name even when I didn't want to. Even if he did stand out, it was not in a good way. He tripped over nothing and scattered all of his stuff to the floor, knocked over his lunch box and spilled food all over, and made the whole class laugh with his unbelievable clumsiness. "Can I call you Reni? It's hard to read your name, and I can't write it." Even when I ignored his stupid questions, he kept talking to me so persistently. In the first place, I wanted him to stop shortening people's names as he pleased. "What for? Besides, it's not like you’ll have any chance to write my name…" In response, he passed me a club registration form with the words, "Reni Kamikizaka" written on it "Reni, let's do theater together." I was taken aback when that guy said that while grinning widely. Since then, Tachibana kept following me around. In order to avoid him after school, I made sure to go home as fast as possible. But it was pointless. He had already been waiting for me at the school gate. He was so terribly persistent. He told me he decided to enroll in this school because of its drama club. However, just a year before we started school, the club disbanded. Due to that, he couldn't join any club activities during our freshman year. He had no choice but to join a theater troupe outside of school and learned about theater there. Once we entered sophomore year, he made up his mind and took the initiative to revive the club. "Don't you need at least three people to set up a new club?" "A first year has promised to lend his name for the club. He's in the going home club now." "Are you sure you can trust that kind of person?" "He may look scary, but he's not a bad guy." Honestly speaking, I was amazed by the fact that he thought he could gather members and do club activities with that reasoning. "We're the only people in our class that have not joined any clubs." I fell into his trap the moment I heard his remark. "Fine. I'll lend you my name." So I told him, thinking he would stop following me around if I said so. "But I don't want you to lend your name only." "Huh?" "There's a flower in you, Reni. I'm sure that flower will bloom if you stand on the stage. I want to make you bloom in the most Reni-way possible." "What are you talking about…" "You see, the reason why I'm doing theater is not because I want to stand on stage. Rather, I want to make other people bloom." "In my own way…" I recalled the words my strict father and grandfather said to me. Devote your body and soul to the art of "killing yourself," live your life as a paper doll until you die--. It was a fate that had been imposed on me--a fate that had been passed down from generation to generation. "So you're not interested after all?" Seeing Tachibana laugh impishly, I nodded almost automatically. "I never said I'm not interested." Now that I think about it again, his smile at the time was the smile of the devil. In that same year, a certain carefree man threw a wrench in my life. Reni It's already been 30 years since then… *door knocking sound* Come in. Haruto Sorry for intruding. Reni ...You're finally here. Haruto Yes. How may I help you? Reni Bring Shifuto. Haruto To this… room? Reni Hurry up. Haruto Y-Yes! Reni ...phew. Haruto … (That safe… Reni-san opened it again. I saw something like a notebook inside, but I'm not sure. Just… what is it..?)
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