| Petén | The world’s in recession now, I wonder if there’ll be any good business request coming in. |
| Kiel | I thought looking for job is not a part of a magician’s job. |
| Petén | It’s not that I want to play manager too. |
| Kiel | I want to make a name for myself before I retire though. |
| Kigutsudou | Petén, are you here? |
 |
| Petén | Oh, Kigutsudou. It’s been a while. |
| Kigutsudou | So that child over there is the rumoured disciple. |
| Petén | He’s Sugu Kiel. Kiel, this is an old friend of mine, Kigutsudou. |
| Kigutsudou | Nice to meet you. |
| Kiel | Same here. |
| Petén | So, what’s going on? |
| Kigutsudou | Actually, there’s someone who would like to request for your Magician Show. |
| Petén | I’ve already retired though. How about Kiel? |
| Kigutsudou | Ah, hmm, it’s from someone who has taken care of me so I can’t really refuse. |
| Petén | Should we listen to your story first then. |
| Kiel | Please don’t decide on your own. |
| Petén | I’m your manager, aren’t I. |
| Kiel | I thought you said you don’t want to play manager just now. |
| Petén | You said you wanted to make a new tool for your escape trick right. It’s good to start collecting money early. |
| Kiel | Well, that’s true but… |
| Izumi | (Masumi-kun and Chikage-san’s interaction has a nice feel to it. |
| There’s also the way the script was written, I’m starting to get hooked. |
| They seemed to close their distance during the duration of the performance this time, they’re surprisingly a good combination.) |
| *Short Time Skip* |
| Petén | It’s a private party in the mansion, huh. |
| Kiel | Then, will it be a close-up performance? |
| Kigutsudou | Close-up? |
| Kiel | It’s when you do the magic trick right in front of the audience, usually for a small amount of people. |
| Kigutsudou | Ah, I see. |
| It’s a private residence this time, but there would be a small hall there. |
| The client is Ritchie Marney… |
| He ranked very high in the list of real estate kings in the magazine every single year… |
| Mr Marney is a connoisseur, he created an art museum on his premises to display his collections from all over the world. |
| Every year, he opens his house for 3 days 3 nights to showcase those collections, it seems that he called us to be in that demonstration. |
| Petén | It sounds like a good business. Take the job, Kiel. |
| Kiel | Please don’t just selfishly decide like that. |
| Petén | I’m the president of this office. I have the authority to. |
| Kiel | You just do whatever you want… |
| Kigutsudou | Petén, you won’t do magic anymore? |
| Petén | Kiel can earn for me now. So I’ll stay behind the scenes. |
| Kigutsudou | Why not become a puppet artisan then? |
| With your hand I’m sure– |
| Petén | I don’t have that kind of talent like my father or grandfather. |
| Kiel | Puppet artisan? |
| Petén | Well, might as well tell you. |
| My family has been living by making dolls for generations. |
| Kigutsudou | I’m actually a disciple of Petén’s father. |
| Master was a wonderful artisan… |
| Petén | Unfortunately, I didn’t inherit any of those. |
| Kigutsudou | I wonder. But you chose magic right. |
| Kiel | Why not master appear together in a show with me for once. |
| Petén | The old wound I received on the battlefield hurt, I couldn’t really move my hand anymore. |
| Kiel | I don’t see any scar though. |
| Petén | I did some cosmetic surgery. |
| Kiel | I saw you when you were stealing my pudding, it didn’t look like someone who can’t move their hands. |
| Petén | I’m still a genius magician. I’ll be waiting for Sugu Kiel to catch up to me. |
| I hope you’ll be able to reach my expectations through that escape trick you called magic. |
| Kiel | Something like magic is… I just unlock my way out. If you’re talking about magic, it should be something like Mirage’s Show right. |
| Kigutsudou | Mirage– |
| Kiel | She’s taken the earth by storm, a genius magician who suddenly disappeared a few years ago. |
| Petén | You’ve also taken a liking to her. |
| Kiel | I was just stating a fact. |
| Izumi | (Itaru-san’s Kigutsudou is, a bit mysterious but he’s close enough to Petén, the atmosphere around these three people feels so natural. |
| It seems like the actual relationship of these three people is projected through this scene.) |
| *Shifts to Mansion’s Lounge* |
 |
| Marney | Ah, for the rare magician, Kiel, to appear before me, I’m honored. |
| Usually, every year, I would let everyone who’ve been in my care to see my collection, but I thought I could change things a bit this time. |
| I want you to do an escape magic show using my collection, how about that. |
| Kiel | By collection you mean those valuable items? |
| Marney | Yes, well there’re all sort of stuff, but every single one of them is unique in this world. |
| Kiel | If I just happened to break any of those– |
| Marney | That nervousness can definitely raise the tension of the show. |
| Whatever, I believe in Kiel-san and I’ll leave everything in your hand. |
| Kiel | Well, we can put it inside tempered glass, I think there’s a method for that… |
| Petén | Even when we don’t use your collection, I’m pretty sure Kiel can deliver a show that will satisfy the audiences. |
| Marney | But that’s just like any other show. |
| This time, I want to request for a show that you can only see here. |
| Petén | …What will you do? Kiel? |
| Kiel | To be honest, I don’t really feel like it… |
| Petén | You said that, but rejecting after we’ve come this far is… |
| Kiel | I thought you were going to listen to me. |
| Marney | Then– |
| Kiel | Please take all the necessary safety measures. |
| I’ll pay close attention to the precautions as well. |
| Marney | Of course, my friend! |
| The one I want you to use this time, is this one. |
| Kiel | Bisque Doll, is it? |
| Marney | “Luchenne of The Lakeside” in terms of monetary value, it’s not as expensive as the others, so there will be no problem even if something happened. |
| Kiel | Not as expensive… |
| Petén | It’s an antique doll with diamonds as eyes right. |
| Maybe worth around ten million. |
| Kiel | Ten, ten million……!? |
| Marney | What about it, it’s my money. |
| Izumi | (Citron-kun’s Marney too, still kinda detestable but he has that dignified feel. |
| If not careful he might become a hated character, but thanks to Citron-kun, he becomes a charming person.) |
| *Short Time Skip* |
| Petén | So you’ll be using the Bisque doll during the climax on the third day. |
| Kiel | Yeah. |
| I have to think for the whole composition of the show during the three days so as not to make it boring… |
| ??? | Wha, what’s this!? |
| Kiel | ? |
| Petén | It’s lively over there. |
| Koma | Marney-sama! I found something in the entrance–! |
| Marney | What is it. |
| “I’m going to save Luchenne from your captive. Phantom Thief Face.” it said!? |
| Koma | Should we do something about this!? |
| Marney | Call the police! |
| *Short Time Skip* |
 |
| Kanagi | I’m Kanagi from the Metropolitan Police Department, let’s hear what you have to say. |
| Kiel | It’s about the notification letter from Phantom Face. |
| Kanagi | Do you know about this. |
| Petén | We happened to be there. |
| Kiel | But anyway, who is this Phantom Face? |
| Petén | You don’t know about it? |
| Kiel | Petén-san, you know? |
| Petén | He appeared in the television and newspaper, he’s famous isn’t he. |
| Kanagi | He’s a thief who continuously aims for antique items. He will send a notification letter before stealing. I really have to catch him this time– |
| Kiel | With this situation, I wonder if the party will be cancelled. |
| Kanagi | About that, Mr Marney seems to be going with the initial plan. He cannot adjust because he has friends who cannot change their schedules. |
| Kiel | Then, what happened to using the Bisque Doll as a prop? |
| Kanagi | You can continue as planned. |
| Kiel | Eh… |
| Petén | It became an absurd request. |
| Kiel | Who received the job in the first place. |
| *Shifts to Mansion’s Lounge* |
| Kiel | Then, we’ll keep the tempered glass for the escape magic— |
| By the way, I can be careful not to break it, but I cannot promise that I can protect it from Phantom Face. |
| Marney | I’ll leave it to Detective Kanagi for that matter, so no problem. |
| In the worst case, it’s going to be stolen, or left with minor scratches… |
| But no matter what, it’s weird. |
| Kiel | What is it? |
| Marney | I have other collections that are much more expensive than this one. |
| For him to choose a Bisque Doll among all those things… |
| Petén | Do you want use to use your other collections for the magic? |
| Marney | No, it’s just a thought about Phantom Face. |
| Anyway, I’ve already announced it. |
| The audiences are looking forward to it. |
| *Shifts to Hall* |
| Kiel | Ladies and Gentlemen. |
| Tonight, let’s enter the into the realm of dream in this moment. |
| Audience A | Woah…! |
| Audience B | That’s so great. It reminds me of Mirage’s show. |
| Audience C | It’s true that Mirage was great, but I think he’s better. |
| Izumi | (Masumi-kun’s magic trick is really great. |
| He really looks like a pro magician here. |
| He is performing the magic trick as Kiel, but the reaction of the audience on stage is linking to the actual audience.) |
| Kigutsudou | That’s a wonderful performance. |
| Petén | It’s great to have an excellent disciple. |
| Kigutsudou | I thought you’re an excellent magician too. |
| Petén | Without any business tool, I’m out of business. |
| Kigutsudou | … |
| *Shifts to Corridor* |
| Petén | So what are you going to do on the third day? |
| Kiel | Rather than doing it in the same hall, I was thinking if we can change to a different place. |
| Petén | Hee… |
| Kiel | I haven’t decided though. |
| Petén | Will you make it in time? |
| Kiel | Well, I have until tonight. |
| Petén | Sigh, you’re an excellent disciple you know. |
| I think you would be able to surpass Mirage. |
| Kiel | That can’t be. She is—Her very existence is art itself. |
| Petén | You’re so deep into your first love. |
| Kiel | –You, you’re wrong! It’s just that, she’s the magician I admired since I was small and she’s what I aim to become– |
| Petén | Right right. It’s too blinding for an old man like me, you’re going to crush my eyes. |
| *Shifts to Mansion’s Lounge* |
| Koma | Ojousama, it’s dangerous to stay here. |
| I’ll try to figure out a way to escape… |
| Petén | Ah, isn’t he the servant, Koma? |
| Who is he talking with? |
| Kiel | That is—Luchenne! |
| Petén | Oi oi, does that mean that Phantom Face is this guy? |
| Kiel | Wait–! |
| Koma | Hi, hieee! |
| Koma | '*runs away*' |
| Petén | He’s behaving pretty suspiciously. |
| Kiel | Let’s go and tell Detective Kanagi! |
| *Short Time Skip* |
| Koma | It’s a misunderstanding! I wasn’t trying to kidnap Luchenne-sama! |
| Petén | Kidnapping you say, you’re being suspected for theft. |
| Kiel | Then, what were you doing loitering around there? |
| Koma | That is– |
| Kanagi | It’s useless to hide anything. |
| Koma | I, I was, I was just there to fix Luchenne-sama’s hair! |
| Kiel | Hair…? |
| Petén | What do you mean by that? |
| Koma | But honestly, It was all Marney-sama’s fault. |
| He kept passionately seeking for Luchenne-sama. |
| But since she entered this family, his affection for her just faded and thrown out of the window. |
| I was lamenting for Luchenne-sama’s situation. |
| Kiel | Passionately… |
| Kanagi | Entered the family? |
| Koma | Oh, poor Luchenne-sama…! |
| Without any affection, she’ll rot away! |
| Kanagi | Eh, so what you mean was, Koma-san was doing maintenance on Luchenne, right? |
| Koma | I personally take care of her! |
| Kanagi | I, I see. |
| Petén | Well, it’s true that it’s well taken care of for such an antique item. |
| Koma | Of course! Luchenne-sama’s glossy hair and shiny eyes too, there’s no other like her in this world! |
| She’s made by a contemporary doll artisan. Kigutsudou-san will understand too, those delicate face and limbs— |
| Such a wonderful being and he wanted her to be involved in such a dangerous escape magic– |
| Kiel | So, you’re a doll maniac. |
| Kanagi | It seems so. |
| Petén | Well, you’ll be happy if you were the doll. |
| Izumi | (Sakuya-kun’s Koma is a bit different, but he has such a pure and passionate love. He really puts on a good performance.) |
| *Shifts to Corridor* |
| Kiel | Petén-san, where did he go? |
| Even thought I told him to have a meeting about tomorrow… |
| – |
| Wait, is that maybe, Mirage? |
| Wait! |
| *Shifts to Mansion’s Lounge* |
| Kigutsudou | … |
| Kiel | Kigutsudou-san…? He’s looking at Luchenne…? |
| Kigutsudou | – |
| Kiel | Ah– |
| *Shifts to Corridor* |
| Kiel | …Why did he run away. |
| Petén | So, you’re here, Kiel. |
| To forget the timing for a meeting, you fail as a pro. |
| Kiel | Who forgot about it. I contacted Petén-san but it never got connected, I was looking for you this whole time. |
| Petén | Ah, that was my bad. |
| Kiel | Really… By the way, just now I saw Kigutsudou-san looking at Luchenne but… |
| When he realized I was there, he immediately left and ran away. |
| Petén | He’s just looking at them for reference isn’t he. |
| Kiel | I feel that there’s something more to it… |
| Petén | It can’t be, are you going to say that he’s actually Phantom Face? |
| That is impossible. |
| Kiel | Ah, then Mirage was– |
| Petén | Mirage again huh. |
| You should stop it already, why not just find a new love. |
| Kiel | Tha, that’s why, I don’t have that kind of feelings towards her, it was just admiration! |
| *Shifts to Storage Room* |
| Izumi | (Kigutsudou’s suspicious behaviour… Kiel who found the shadow of Mirage… |
| We were enveloped by such a disturbing atmosphere, and the party finally reached the morning of the third day–) |
| Petén | O, oi, Kiel! Look at this! |
| Kiel | The tool is… broken? |
| Petén | That’s cruel… |
| Kiel | Well, it was about time to get a new one, but for it to be broken on the actual performance day… |
| Petén | So what are you going to do? |
| You were planning to use this for the escape magic on the third day right. |
| Kiel | I have no choice but to change the program. |
| Petén | But Marney’s request was for escape magic. |
| I don’t think he would accept otherwise. |
| Kiel | Even if you say that, without the tool… |
| *Shifts to Mansion’s Lounge* |
| Marney | I heard all about it. It’s so sad to hear that the tools are broken. |
| Kanagi | It doesn’t matter that it’s just a small thing. |
| Leave the investigation to us. |
| Kiel | Thank you. |
| Petén | Marney-san, it’s about the show– |
| Marney | You don’t need to worry about that! I’ve prepared a substitute! |
| Kiel | Substitute? |
| Marney | It’s a bit sudden, but I managed to get that Mirage to come! |
| To be able to see the comeback show directly from my own home, it will be a great present to everyone who was invited here. |
| Kiel | Mirage is!? |
| Petén | I see, so now we’re useless. |
| Marney | About the tools, we’re also partly responsible. |
| I will send the rewards for all three days properly, if you would like, the two of you could stay and enjoy the show too. |
| Kiel | To be able to see Mirage’s show again…. |
| Petén | You’re simply too happy. |
| Kiel | That’s not it–! |
| *Shifts to Corridor* |
| Kiel | Mr Marney seemed to be very confident, but is the security really perfect? |
| Kanagi | We’ll only put up Luchenne in front of the audience on the last minute, it will be the security guard who handles her transfer too. |
| After Mirage is tied up with Luchenne using the chains, she will try to escape while hanging from the East Tower. |
| Mirage will remove the chain from Luchenne and herself, afterwards, Luchenne will be put back to the side of the stage and we’ll guard her from there. |
| Kiel | If Face decided to attack during the escape performance, Mirage wouldn’t be able to handle it by herself. |
| Kanagi | Mirage and Luchenne will be bounded by the chains, so even Face wouldn’t be able to take her away. |
| Of course, we can’t really offer help to Mirage then, but we planned to secure the surrounding area as much as possible. |
| Kiel | It’s fine if we can do something about the opponent, but if something actually happened to Mirage… It would be a great loss in the world of magic. |
| Kanagi | About Mirage, is she really such a wonderful magician? |
| Kiel | She’s a genius. She’s able to change people’s complexion through that vivid performance of hers. |
| Even from a pro’s point of view, her performance is like magic. |
| Kanagi | Even Kiel-san? |
| Kiel | I’ve seen Mirage’s show before, it’s her magic trick that made me admire magic so much now. |
| Kanagi | I see… |
| By the way, do you know anything about her personal life? |
| Kiel | Let alone the face, there is so little known about her private life. She’s a very mysterious magician. |
| Why do you ask such a thing? |
| Kanagi | …Previously, Phantom Face had appeared in the middle of Mirage’s Show. |
| This time, it’s the repeat of the same thing, I think it might not be a coincidence anymore. |
| Kiel | Mirage is not Phantom Face! |
| Kanagi | But, there’s a possibility that they’re related– |
| Kiel | Impossible! For a person with such pure and clear magic, she won’t use her show to steal… |
| Kanagi | … Sorry. Let’s just forget I said that. |
| Kiel | You suspected Mirage…? |
| Mirage is not related at all. I’ll prove it. |
| Izumi | (Tsuzuru-kun, he said he will try his best for his role study, but in the end it became a Tsuzuru-kun like character who is filled with humanity.) |
| *Short Time Skip* |
| Kiel | Petén-san and—Kigutsudou-san? |
| Kiel | *peeks into the room* |
| Kigutsudou | I’ll do anything I can for Mirage, but I can’t guarantee that it will work. |
| Petén | The truth is, I don’t want to let it be this way, my disciple will end up crying so. |
| Kiel | Eh? –What’s the meaning of this? |
| Things that he can do for Mirage… I’ll end up crying? |
| –Ugh |
| |
| Izumi | (He was suddenly attacked from behind, and he woke up to a pitch black view…) |
 |
| Kiel | Here is…? |
| Am I actually trapped here…? Anyone, why do they even… Tch, to do such a thing, there’s no one else but Phantom Face. |
| Does that mean that Face has already sneaked in to the mansion? |
| But then, why me… |
| The only way I can think about it, is that I was in the way of him stealing Luchenne. The fact that he broke my tools, it must be for the same reason too. |
| Is it because I tried to catch Face for Mirage’s sake? |
| But, my tools were broken before I heard about Mirage and Face from Kanagi-san. |
| That means, there must be another reason he broke my tools. |
| Even so, maybe the reason my tools were broken was to prevent me to hold the show— |
| Is it so that the show can be given to Mirage? |
| As I thought, there’s a relation between Mirage and Face— |
| No, that’s impossible. |
| I don’t believe that Mirage will use magic to steal. |
| From the beginning, why was Face so wary about me… |
| Maybe I have already approached Face without me knowing? |
| It’s no good. I have no idea at all. If I recall correctly, Petén-san and Kigutsudou-san were talking before I lost consciousness… |
| Ah right, Kigutsudou-san said that he will do anything for Mirage, but what does that mean? |
| Petén-san, is he connected to Mirage after all? |
| I don’t understand at all. Anyway, first thing first, I have to get out of here. |
| An escape show without an audience is pointless. It will be great if Petén-san realized I was missing and come to search for me but… |
| I shouldn’t get my hopes up. |
| The chains are wrapped around my arms. If that’s the case there should be a lock somewhere— |
| –, there it is! |
| Alright, if that’s it… |
| … |
| …It’s opened! |
| *Shifts to Storage Room* |
| But, this lock… Is Petén-san’s… |
| I have no choice but to ask him directly. |
| Ah, I have to hurry! Mirage’s show is starting…! |
| Izumi | (Masumi-kun’s long dialogue and escape show… |
| It’s only a while, but with the escape scene, as expected, you can really feel the tension.) |
| *Shifts to East Tower* |
| Audience A | Kyaaaa!! |
| Audience B | That’s amazing. How do you even escape from that state? |
| *Shifts to Outdoor Stage* |
| Kiel | Mirage… So she’s using her own body and Luchenne to release herself from the strangling chains… |
| If Face were to steal Luchenne, he would do so during the middle of the show when Luchenne was separated with the police, most probably before her successful escape. |
| It is difficult to steal Luchenne when she’s chained like now… |
| If that’s the case, now, the one that Mirage has is fake…? |
| No, but the police has been monitoring the situation even before the show started… |
| There’s no way that he can switch it beforehand. |
| When will Face make the appearance to steal Luchenne? |
| I have to figure it out soon otherwise the show will end… If it was me, if I needed to get my hand on Luchenne in the middle of an escape show… |
| He can unlock the lock beforehand. |
| In the first place, Luchenne and Mirage’s locks are not removed simultaneously. Even though they looked like so. |
| If so, before Mirage removes the chain and return to the ground, when Luchenne’s lock is removed, that will be the easiest time to steal Luchenne. |
| A place where you can reach Luchenne—The tower’s window! |
| *Shifts to Tower Entrance* |
| Petén | So you managed to escape after all. |
| I raise my hand already, you’re really an excellent disciple. |
| Kiel | Petén-san, why. |
| Petén | Luchenne was made by my great grandparents. |
| He was deceived, and Luchenne was one piece that ended up in auction after it was lost. |
| Kiel | You can still stop it. This kind of thing is– |
| Petén | It’s too late. |
| Kiel | –Mirage!? |
| Petén | I’m sorry. |
| Kiel | Wait, Petén-san! |
| *Shifts to Outdoor Stage* |
| Audience A | Kyaa! |
| Audience B | Mirage is shattered–! |
| Audience C | Mirage is a doll!? What’s the meaning of this!? |
| Kiel | – |
| Audience B | Is this a part of the show? |
| Audience A | Amazing…! |
| Kiel | That’s not true… That was, the real one is… |
| I see, that’s why Kigutsudou lent his power to Mirage… |
| There’s also the fact that Phantom Face is Mirage… |
| Kigutsudou | Luchenne… So I didn’t make it in time… |
| Kiel | Kigutsudou-san? |
| Kigutsudou | Even though you ended up sacrificing yourself. |
| I’m sorry, Mirage. |
| Kiel | What do you mean by that. |
| Kigutsudou | I’ve already realized that Petén is Phantom Face from the first incident. |
| But I didn’t think that we’ll find his great grandfather’s work in Mr Marney’s collection. |
| Kiel | Kigutsudou-san, what did you do to Mirage? |
| Kigutsudou | Mirage was originally made by me. When I was studying as a disciple under Petén’s father, I was asked to create a doll to be used in shows. |
| But, an escape show leaves a heavy burden on the doll. |
| It was damaged to the point that I had to retire it. |
| That’s the truth behind the story of disappearing Mirage. |
| Petén asked me to repair it so it can withstand just one more show… |
| There’s nothing I can do. |
| I didn’t want him to sin anymore than this. |
| Sorry, Kiel-kun too, I’m sorry. |
| Kiel | No, I was… |
| Kigutsudou | Thank you, for loving Mirage. |
| Kiel | …Uhh… |
| Izumi | (This is a scene where Masumi-kun found difficulties with during practice… |
| Kiel lost his first love and his tears are so pure, it’s beautiful.) |
| *Shifts to Mansion’s Lounge* |
| Marney | I’ve decided to leave my collection under Koma’s care from now on. |
| I feel that I’ve been too disrespectful with the history of all my collections. |
| I feel it in my body now. Those things are ephemeral. |
| I should play my part in preserving their history. |
| Kigutsudou | If it’s Koma-san, I’m pretty sure the dolls will be happy. |
| Koma | Leave it to me! |
| Kigutsudou | Kiel-kun, what are you going to do from now on? |
| Kiel | I’ll keep doing my work as a magician like I always do. |
| I lost my manager so it will be a bit boring, but Mirage’s magic hasn’t disappeared after all. |
| Izumi | (He has such a refreshed look on him. Even though he lost Mirage, the magic of first love never disappear. It will always remain in Kiel’s heart forever… |
| With the magic of first love in mind, Kiel will continue to do magic from now on too…) |
| *Shifts to Mankai Stage* |
 |
| Masumi | Thank you so much. |
| Chikage | Thank you. |
| Itaru | Thank you. |
| Citron | Thank you dayo~ |
| Sakuya | Thank you so much! |
| Tsuzuru | Thank you so much. |
| |
| Izumi | … |
| |
| Masumi | … |
| (…Hey, do you know? That you’re also an actor. |
| From the top of the stage, on the dimly lit seats, surprisingly I can see each of the audience’s face clearly. Even the change of their facial expression… |
| Even among the people in this crowd, I will always find you first. |
| If it’s not fate, how do you want to call it? |
| When I look at you who was watching my performance, I could feel an infinite power surging through me. |
| I understand what Kasumi said now. I feel that I have received the courage and I would be able to become anything, I would be able to do anything. |
| Since I met you, I’ve always seemed to be possessed, but I’ll brave anywhere for you. |
| I’m pretty sure, you’re my one fated partner in this lifetime. |
| And for me, love is…) |
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| “Love is invincible.” By Usui Masumi |
