| The address of an old, small theater building was written on the memo that Kashima gave me. When I opened the door to the building, I found Tachibana surrounded by children on the stage. He beckoned to me the moment he noticed my presence. |
| "Aren't you surprised to see me here?" |
| "Not at all, Yuzo already told me. Practice will be over soon, so wait a bit." |
| "Keep on." |
| "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!" |
| "You may more quickly." |
| With his broken English, Tachibana coached the children happily. |
| Even though his English grades back in high school were terrible, Tachibana was still good at adapting to new environments. The children were finally dismissed after a while, and Tachibana came down to the audience seats. |
| "This is such an old theater building, isn't it? You see, back when I first came here, this place looked like an abandoned building that was never used anymore. So I tried talking it out with the owner and managed to renovate this place so that it became usable." |
| "You did?" |
| "Yep. I later started an acting class for the people in the neighborhood, like a troupe made of only elders or only children… Then, I gathered several people from those troupes to take turns performing at this theater." |
| "Even after coming to this faraway place, you still do the same thing." |
| "Haha. This is the least I can do, after all." |
| "Hmph, you have a point." |
| "It's really been a while since I saw you laugh, Reni." |
| "...I have a lot of things to confess to you." |
| I once again apologized for all the things I did in an attempt to sabotage MANKAI Company. Tachibana, who seemed to have known about it from Kashima, didn't bat an eye while listening to me. |
| "Since it's something that happened between you and the newborn MANKAI Company, and during your time in GOD-za at that, I feel like I have no right to stick my nose into it. Besides, I heard that girl has already forgiven you." |
| "I see…" |
| "But you know, I'm happy that I get to do a performance with you again." |
| "You two are really… father and daughter." |
| Even while amazed at their resemblance, I spread open Hakkaku-san's script and discussed the production plan. |
| "I wanted to do it this way." |
| "It'd be impossible to do it in that small theater." |
| "I'm sure you can do something about it." |
| "There's no way I can do that. Stop pushing for the impossible." |
| At the time, it felt like we had returned to our high school days. |
| "I heard about your circumstances from Kashima. I'll settle the things with Hakkaku-san's son. You're no longer bound to a promise." |
| "What Hakkaku-san asked and what I promised are two different stories." |
| "Speaking of, I need to come up with a pen name." |
| "Oh right, you can't reveal your name. What name will you use?" |
| "How about Hanasakaji-san, then…?" |
| "It's too silly." |
| "Huh? I think it's a good name, though? Since it means someone who will help everyone to bloom." |
| "I really can't understand that sense of yours." |
| |
| Zen | How's Yukio? |
| Reni | He's the same as ever--so full of energy it almost makes me hate him. |
| Yuzo | I figured as much. |
| Syu | I can imagine it. |
| Reni | Before we start rehearsing, I have some letters. |
| Yuzo | Letters? |
| Zen | There's one for each of us. |
| Hiro | Is there something written here? |
| Yuzo | "The bond I have with Yuzo ties together not only everyone from the first gen but also the newborn MANKAI Company." ...This is so Yukio-san. |
| How about you? |
| Hiro | "I want you to be our hero once again." That's what I’ve planned all along. |
| Zen | He wrote in my letter, "I want to eat Zen-san's stew again." Should I send him the recipe… |
| Reni | How about you, Syu? |
| Syu | Hmph… that guy knows me really well, indeed. |
