| Kazuemon Fuwa | “I’ve been able to triumph for this much of my life. I have no regrets.” |
| “Urgh…!” |
| Kuranosuke Oishi | “I have finally achieved what I have been wanting to do… All, live in good health.” |
| “…!” |
| Chikara Oishi | “…It is dawn.” |
| “I thought there would be nothing left to discuss, but…” |
| “Ku…!” |
| |
| Audience Member A | Syu-san’s Chikara was so good today, too~. |
| Audience Member B | I love this performance. It’s one they started doing after Syu-san took over the troupe. |
| Izumi | That last scene was amazing! |
| Azuma | The deaths of the ronin were almost bloodcurdling. |
| Homare | Umu… it was also artistic. |
| Tasuku | We still can’t bring out that level of intensity. |
| Guy | It’s different from MANKAI Company’s plays, so I can learn from it. |
| Tsumugi | We still have a lot of work to do, don’t we. |
| Hisoka | …There are a lot of female audience members. |
| Tsumugi | Oh, you’re right. |
| Izumi | Syu-san and the rest of the actors are very admirable, and I totally understand getting obsessed with them! |
| Azuma | Oya oya, you definitely can’t tell Masumi that. |
| Tasuku | He’ll never stop talking about how he’ll join this troupe instead. |
| Syu | Yo, so you were here. |
| Izumi | Ah, Syu-san— |
| Audience Member A | Kya!! |
| Audience Member B | Syu-san!! |
| Izumi | (As expected of him, he’s so popular!) |
| Syu | …Let’s move. |
| Izumi | G-good idea. |
| |
| Syu | Hm, so you decided on a name. |
| Guy | Thanks to you. |
| This is an original cocktail with the same name as the store. I’ll give a glass for free as thanks. |
| Syu | Isn’t the alcohol content too high for a signature? Well, the taste isn’t bad. |
| Azuma | Hey, there’s something I was wondering about… |
| What’s the “something worth inheriting” that you found in your current troupe? You talked about it when we were at the bar last. |
| Syu | Ah, that… |
| Azuma | I won’t force you to tell me. |
| Syu | …Well, it’s fine. I’ll tell you as thanks for the cocktail. |
| |
| After my father died, I dropped by my house for the first time in a while.
I thought it would be a completely unfamiliar place, but the second I walked in, I was sucked straight back into my past. |
| The seat my father would always sit at was empty, and when I thought about how it would stay that way forever, an indescribable emotion consumed me. |
| My father was always writing down critiques for actors and adding fixes to the script in that seat.
Though he would usually scowl and glare down at his script.
Even then, when an actor would call out to him, he would always respond in a friendly tone.
He was the type of person to always be completely absorbed in the play.
And you’re telling me to fill his shoes? It’s a joke you can’t even laugh at. |
| “Syu-san.” |
| The one who called out to me was my father’s longtime assistant.
He’s a mysterious man, but sensible, and his love of theater is what caused him to get along well with my father.' |
| “Hey, thanks for taking care of my father.”
“Can you take a look at this for me? It’s some new notes.” |
| He gave me some notes after saying that.
It even details what actors to aim to have in roles. |
| “It has your name in it too, Syu-san.” |
| Looking through it thinking that the only reason he would cast his son who left home would be the lack of those who could play female roles, I found that I had been casted as a male role. |
| The roles my father had cast me as up to that point had all been female.
Why now— even though I wondered, there was no answer coming back to me. |
| |
| Azuma | Was that show… |
| Syu | Ah, it’s Chushinugura, which you saw today. Even though it isn’t Chushinugura season now. |
| Chikara’s a young 16 year old boy, my father was being unreasonable when he cast it. |
| But if I didn’t return to the troupe then— If I wasn’t shown those notes, I wouldn’t be who I am today. |
| It’s just that to move forward, you gotta move back sometimes. |
| Izumi | (Life really is weird. It changes so dramatically because of such tiny things.) |
| Syu | And how was it for you? |
| Azuma | After that, we went to where my house used to be together. |
| There was nothing left to see, but I remembered a lot of important things I had forgotten. |
| I made use of it through my acting, too. |
| Also, I thought about it, and I’ve decided to not sell the plot. |
| Izumi | Really!? |
| Azuma | I should go back once in a while. There’s nothing there, but it is my house, after all. |
| For a while, I plan to go back occasionally to clean up, and eventually I’ll use it for myself. |
| I told my uncle that, too. |
| Tasuku | How will you use it for yourself? |
| Azuma | It’s a secret. Look forward to what it’ll be in the future. |
| Homare | Will it be a place to sleep with others? |
| Guy | He could build an apartment, and as the owner and manager of the building he could have a steady source of income even without work. |
| Tsumugi | That matches Azuma-san. |
| Hisoka | …I can be a freeloader. |
| Izumi | MANKAI Company members would probably live there. |
| Hisoka | …We can live there after retirement? |
| Syu | It’s like a retirement home. Too early for you. |
| Citron | Everyone’s being unfair! Don’t leaf me out! |
| Izumi | Wait, Citron-kun? |
| Tsumugi | Do you mean ‘leave me out’, not ‘leaf me out’? |
| Citron | I love kabuki, so I wanted to see Syu’s kabuki! |
| Izumi | It’s not kabuki, it was taishū engeki. |
| Syu | There are more noisy ones now. I’ll move… |
| Yuzo | Oi, what is it. All of you gathered up. |
| Kasumi | It was opening night today, right Syu-san? Having a party? |
| Reni | But it’s full of MANKAI Company members. |
| Syu | What’s this rare group of members? |
| Yuzo | I was planning to go drinking with Kasumi, and we happened to meet Reni-san. |
| Guy | You might as well all have a drink. Since the bar’s name has finally been decided on, here’s a free glass of our signature. |
| Citron | I see, this is jersey, yes? |
| Syu | A glass of milk?[1] |
| Guy | It’s journey. |
| Yuzo | Huh. It’s a nice name. |
| Tsumugi | What are we going to do now that we’ve finished all of our shows? |
| Izumi | All the troupes managed to produce good results, so we need to think of our next step. |
| Homare | A new combination? |
| Kasumi | I think it’s a good idea. Challenging yourself and trying out something new is good. |
| Reni | And I’m sure there’s still a lot you can do. |
| Izumi | A new combination, huh… |
| Syu | When we were in MANKAI, we collabed with other troupes. |
| Yuzo | Now that you tell me, I’m starting to remember that. We learned a lot from that. |
| Azuma | Hm, that sounds like it would be good experience. |
| Kasumi | We also collaborated with some traditional culture and art fields groups. |
| Homare | Then how about the long-awaited collaboration with my poetry! |
| Guy | That would certainly be new… |
| Tsumugi | Whatever it ends up being, I’m excited for it. |
| Tasuku | You’re right. I want to try out different kinds of acting. |
| Izumi | (Even so, I didn’t think the new troupes and the original troupes would be able to have a drink together like this.) |
| (I hope dad will be able to come back here soon. When he does, I want to greet him with a smile and say “Welcome home.”) |
