| *the scene begins in Reni's office* |
| |
| Haruto | ... |
| *knock, knock, knock* |
| It's me, Haruto. |
| Reni | Come in. |
| *Haruto enters the office* |
| Haruto | Sorry to bother you. |
| I'm also extremely sorry for all the trouble I caused! I apologize! |
| Missing two days of practise as the lead actor and calling out yesterday was unacceptable. I promise this will never happen again. |
| Reni | Are you feeling better? |
| Haruto | Yes. |
| Reni | Next time, tell me the moment you feel a little off. Your health comes first. |
| It's fine that you missed a few days. These things happen. |
| I must also apologize for asking too much of you and not noticing that you were not in the best shape. I'm sorry. |
| Haruto | Huh...? |
| Reni | I realize I have probably been very strict and unfair on the actors of GOD-za, but... |
| You and Shifuto are both actors that I'd love to work with far into the future. Going forward, I'd like to think of my actors as my family. |
| I'm starting to more carefully consider what kind of actors you will grow to be as I offer you my guidance, for this play and for every play in the future. |
| Tasuku is part of this play, yes, but he's also a guest actor. |
| I can tell him what plans I have for his character, but it's not my place to go further than that. |
| And so, it may seem like I'm biased towards him, and that I'm treating my actors more harshly. I fully acknowledge that. |
| Haruto | ...! |
| Reni | I'm sure you've already noticed by now, but my coaching methods have also changed quite drastically. |
| What I did before benefited only me. I suppressed my actors' individualities in pursuit of my ideals. |
| I used to think that was the best way of bringing out the best version of GOD-za. |
| However, I was thoroughly moved by the performance you, Shifuto, and Madoka pulled off last minute during our last act-off— without my guidance. |
| There's no denying that GOD-za lost to Mankai Company, who considers their actors' input as one of their top priorities. |
| It suddenly hit me that there was no way GOD-za could be at its best with how I was running things. |
| What I want out of acting and what GOD-za aspires to be will not change, but my approach to attaining those goals must. |
| And so, my demands for my actors have also changed. I'm sorry for not explaining all this to you earlier. It must have been very confusing for you. |
| Haruto | No, not at all! There is no need for you to apologize, sir! |
| I understood that even if your methods have changed, what you and GOD-za are aiming for hasn't. |
| My life changed because of GOD-za, and because you found me among all the noise. |
| Your strict guidance allowed me to become a denizen of the beautiful dream world that I've always yearned to be part of. |
| I feel nothing but grateful towards you. |
| Even if things have changed, my commitment and desire to bring your ideals into reality hasn't. |
| I will never forget your acting, or when you told us "be not afraid of what lies ahead of your path as an actor". |
| I hold those words very closely to my heart. I will always keep moving forward as an actor of GOD-za, and I don't plan on stopping any time soon. |
| Reni | Haruto... Thank you. |
| I'd love to talk with you more once this play is over, about the future of GOD-za. |
| Haruto | I'd be honored! |
| (Reni-san's aspirations haven't changed, and neither have mine. Both of us want to see how far GOD-za can go.) |
| (It doesn't matter whether I'm "real" or "fake", because I know my dreams and unwavering determination are real.) |
| (Since Reni-san is willing to continue fostering my acting career far into the future, I will show him that I can become even greater.) |
| (I will do whatever I can to repay him and GOD-za for changing my life. What he has done for me is as precious to me as life itself.) |
| |
| *the scene changes to the GOD-za practise room* |
| |
| Tasuku | "What's this about the 'Disciples of the Dragon'? They worship the ancient dragon?" |
| Haruto | "I've never heard of them before." |
| Shifuto | "Me, neither." |
| Haruto | "They were using magiquips, which must mean they're from Southagis." |
| Tasuku | "Not necessarily. Even Northarians can get magiquips through the black market." |
| Azami | "Well, they certainly aren't a ragtag bunch, that's for sure." |
| Izumi | (I was pretty worried about Haruto-kun, but he's back in top form. I'm glad he's healthy and raring to go.) |
| |
| Reni | Let's take a ten minute break, and we'll start on the latter half of the play after. |
| Haruto | Sorry, could I say a few words first? |
| I'd like to apologize again for missing practise. |
| I've been so stuck in my own thoughts that I failed to pull my weight as the lead. |
| I promise to do my absolute best as the lead in the remaining practise sessions. We're going to make this show a success! |
| Let's all bring GOD-za into the dawn of its new era, with just as much beauty and grace as before, if not more. |
| Shifuto | Of course! |
| Tasuku | We'll be counting on you, Leader. |
| Azami | Aight. |
| Reni | I leave it in your hands, Haruto. |
| Haruto | Thank you. |
| Izumi | (Haruto-kun looks like he's had a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. He's going to smash his role as the leader!) |
| Haruto | ...Tasuku. |
| Tasuku | Hm? |
| Haruto | I got your message from Shifuto. Did you say all that because you pitied me? |
| Tasuku | No, of course not— |
| Haruto | I've always been jealous of you, you know. |
| Like, who does this guy think he is, shooting all the way to the top even though he joined after me? It's not fair that he won the genetic lottery and also sticks out wherever he goes. |
| Plus you were always being praised by Reni-san, which was super annoying. It was all so unfair. |
| Tasuku | ... |
| Haruto | Anyway, you always pissed me off whenever we were together. I just remember what it felt like to be mad at you now that we're doing a collab play together and all. |
| But, you know, maybe it's not so bad. I'll put all those emotions into Cain, and that's what's going to make him unique. |
| I'll do anything to help Reni-san achieve his ideals for the new GOD-za. I'll use whatever emotions I can harness. |
| I act for Reni-san and GOD-za, and I'm proud of that. That's the one thing I can do that you'll never be able to do. |
| Tasuku | ...Yeah. Now there's the Genta Yamada I know. |
| Haruto | Yer tryna piss me off, ain'tcha?! |
| Tasuku | Heh. |
| Haruto | Geez, you're so annoying. |
| |
| Haruto | Izumida, I think you should be a little more angry there. |
| And Tasuku, it'll be easier if you come out a little earlier. |
| Azami | Got it. |
| Tasuku | I'll give it a shot. |
| Haruto | Shimohira-san, I think we should adjust the sound here a little. |
| Izumi | (Not only is he great at giving acting advice, but he's also incredibly knowledgeable on the production side of things. You go, Haruto-kun!) |
| Thanks, Haruto-kun. Your advice is really valuable to us. |
| Reni | Yes, he's got tabs on everything. He is the most experienced actor here, after all. |
| Izumi | (And his artistic sense is really close to Kamikizaka-san's, huh? That means Kamikizaka-san can really trust Haruto-kun to tweak things the way he wants.) |
| (Now that Haruto-kun's more relaxed, I feel like he's able to bring out the deeper and more complex emotions Cain has, on top of acting with beauty and grace.) |
| (I can't wait for this play to open!) |
| |
| *the scene changes to the dressing room. Shifuto is in his costume as Lutz* |
| |
| Azami | Tilt your head down a little. |
| Shifuto | This feels kinda weird, huh? |
| Azami | Exactly what I was thinking. |
| Shifuto | I've never had you staring at my face this close. Sorry if I suddenly start laughing. |
| Azami | Exactly what I was thinking, again. All right, you can lift your head now. |
| Shifuto | I'm going to do whatever I can to make this play succeed, since it's Haruto-san's lead and all. It feels different from when I'm leading, but I'm super pumped. |
| I've always thought that I would be happy as long as I can get out there and act, but now I want to support him in whatever way I can too. |
| Azami | Yeah, I thought the same thing when Taichi-san had his first lead play. Let's give it our best shot on the opening day. |
| Shifuto | You betcha. |
| |
| *the scene changes to the wings of the God Theater stage. Haruto, Tasuku, Shifuto, and Azami are in their costumes* |
| |
| Staff | Five minutes left. |
| Haruto | ... |
| Shifuto | Speech, Leader! Speech! |
| Haruto | Cut it out. |
| I don't know what you guys do over at the Mankai Theater, but here at the God Theater, we don't accept anything less than perfect from the opening all the way to closing night. |
| We have nothing to worry about, though. After all, we've got three actors who have all been at the top of GOD-za before. We were all handpicked by Reni-san at one point or another. |
| The other one only has about one year of acting under his belt, but he's got what it takes to take on this huge stage. |
| Nothing can stand in our way. |
| Shifuto | Yeah! |
| Tasuku | You've got that right. |
| Azami | Word up. |
| Haruto | Tasuku. You've quit GOD-za once before, but we're going to need you to give the God Theater your best and most beautiful performance. |
| Right now, you're one of the denziens of our beautiful dream world. |
| Tasuku | All right. |
| Haruto | Must be fabulous! |
| |
| *the buzzer sounds, and the curtain lifts* |
