| Banri | (Even though Director-chan gave me some tips, it still doesn't change the fact that we're behind schedule.) |
| (Oh, well. It's not the time to get impatient. The most important thing right now is not the rehearsal's progress.) |
| Can I say a few words before we start today's rehearsal? |
| I feel like I've been acting impatient these days. |
| I've always thought we needed to follow the schedule Director-chan made no matter what, even if we have to force it. |
| But that's not what Director-chan usually does. |
| She’s always closely watching over each and every one of us, making sure to keep conversing with us. I think that what she's always been doing is perfect. |
| With that said, I'd like to ask for your opinions. |
| For starters, tell me about any part of the play that you like, or any part of your role that you find interesting. Just tell me anything. |
| Sakuya | Now that you mention it, Director always makes small talk about the play and the characters. |
| Tasuku | I do agree, having a discussion to deepen our understanding is indeed a good method. |
| |
| Sakuya | …And that is my interpretation of Saku's feelings. What do you think? |
| Banri | I see… |
| (Listening to them like this, I realize there's a lot of ways to interpret a character.) |
| (It's not something I can do entirely on my own. With this, I now feel like I can better understand how they choose to deliver their performances.) |
| …Alrite. Let's start our rehearsal for real, then. |
| |
| Sakuya | "A12…? What's that?" |
| Banri | Judging by your interpretation earlier, isn't it better to do it this way? |
| "A12…? What's that?" |
| Sakuya | Ah. You have a point! I'll change it, then! |
| Banri | (Now I can naturally give them advice, and not force my own interpretation on them.) |
| (But man… I've gotta rack my brain a lot for this. It's freakin' tiring.) |
| (I have to see how they're delivering their performance, while taking into account each of their interpretations and how they want to express it. I've gotta remember it all.) |
| (Not to mention the ones who are still tryin' all kinds of things to deliver their performance. They're bound to change their delivery in one scene or another. I've gotta make sure I don't miss it.) |
| (Then, I need to compare their deliveries, make a quick decision which one is better, and tell them precisely what I think.) |
| (I won't lie, it's freakin' difficult. But since I can understand the others' deliveries more easily than before, that doesn't get me down.) |
| (Because of that, I've got a lot of stage production plans I wanna try. Gotta discuss it with Director-chan once she's home.) |
| (Directing sure is fun, huh…) |
| Guy | "Look closely. Isn't that a replica?" |
| Tsumugi | "What? No way…" |
| Guy | "17 years have passed since Planet A12, which is considered a natural treasure and the only place where the foundation seed grows, disappeared." |
| "It's not surprising if a specimen made during that time still exists today." |
| Tsumugi | "Still, how in the world did the pirates get a hold of this thing?" |
| Guy | "…I want to know that too. It's a clue that we've been searching for these past 17 years." |
| Banri | (Now that I'm copying what Director-chan does, the overall vibe of the rehearsal has also changed.) |
| (The actors are gradually changing the more you "watch," "notice," and "talk.") |
| (Actually, I'm no exception… It's all because Director-chan has always been doing her best to watch over me.) |
 |
| Yukio | Sorry for making you join the after-party until it’s this late. |
| Izumi | It's alright. I had fun listening to everyone, and it's not every day that I get to attend an after-party held in a theater building. |
| Yukio | …The closing show is over. |
| Izumi | It was really good. Even though I’ve watched the play every day, I still think the closing show was amazing. |
| It clearly conveyed both your feelings as well as everyone else’s. Watching the play brought me joy. |
| Yukio | Yeah…Thank you for coming. I’ve really been wanting to show the play to you, Izumi. |
| Izumi | …However, looking at the empty building now, I feel kind of lonely. |
| Yukio | Me too. |
| Izumi | (Just a while ago, in this very place, the actors were enthusiastically performing on the stage, and the audience seats were so packed that some people had to stand to watch the play…) |
| (Despite its age, this theater building is very beautiful… It's such a shame that it has to be demolished.) |
| Yukio | Heave-ho… |
| Izumi | What are you doing, Dad? |
| Yukio | Laying the futons. |
| Izumi | Fu-Futon…? |
| Yukio | This is my last night in this theater building. I'll be leaving this town tomorrow. |
| It's sad to leave this place, so I want to sleep on the stage tonight. |
| Izumi | Me too! |
| Yukio | But compared to the bed in the dressing room, this one is hard, you know? I don't think you can sleep well on this. |
| Izumi | It's alright. |
| Yukio | I'll bring the futon, then. |
| |
 |
| Phew… The stage is really large, huh. |
| Izumi | Hehe. You see, our newborn Spring Troupe members had slept on the stage before. |
| I was a little jealous of them, so doing this makes me happy. |
| Yukio | Both of us are true theater junkies, huh. |
| Izumi | I'm really glad I came here. |
| Even though I'm only here for a few days, I was able to watch your play, not to mention that I got to meet all the people here who are so friendly and kind. I feel sad that I’ll have to go home. |
| Yukio | I see… I'm happy to hear that. |
| To be honest, all the staff and actors had decided to quit acting after this play. |
| This play we produced together not only marked the last play performed in this theater building, but it also became their last performance ever. |
| Izumi | What!? Really? |
| Yukio | Once this theater building is gone, there's no other place in this small town where they can continue acting. |
| While all of them are sad to quit acting, in the end, they also have their own lives to lead. |
| Izumi | It's such a waste… All the actors did a great job delivering the performance, and they were all genuinely having fun during practice. |
| Yukio | There are people who consider their one and only time doing theater as a treasure in life. |
| It's not like their hard work in theater is gone forever. It's not a waste. |
| In our long lives, the time we spend producing a play together may feel like a fleeting moment. |
| But that "fleeting moment" can turn into an "eternity." It can be something that continues to exist in our lives without ever fading away. |
| Izumi | Turning a "fleeting moment" into "eternity"… |
| (I can't stop the time. There's a chance that we will go our separate ways like the first-gen MANKAI Company did.) |
| (I've always thought there's no such a thing as forever. But how beautiful it will be if I can really turn the "fleeting moment" I share with everyone into an "eternity.") |
| Yukio | To me, the days I spent with everyone in the first-gen MANKAI Company are like my eternal treasure--my precious memory. |
| That's why I was beyond happy that I could produce "Traces of a Dream" with them. |
| We could never have done it if it were not for you. Thank you. |
| Izumi | I was elated that I could watch your play at that time. |
| I promise, I will definitely make sure that the “seed” you’ve entrusted to us fully blooms. |
| (Watching Dad right by his side made me remember the basics of being a director. I can't wait to go home and join the rehearsals.) |
| We're planning to stream the play again this time, so make sure to watch it, Dad. |
| Yukio | Okay. I'm looking forward to it. |
| Izumi | Oh, right. We're thinking of making it publicly known that Hakkaku-san created the concept of the MANKAI Show. |
| Madoka-kun already gave us the okay, but what do you think? |
| Yukio | I don't really mind, but… |
| Izumi | ? |
| Yukio | Be extra careful just in case. |
| Izumi | Be careful…? |
| Yukio | I hope I’m just worrying for nothing… In any case, tell me whenever you think something is weird. |
| Izumi | …? Okay. |
| I actually want you to come and watch the play in person, but I guess it's still difficult, huh. |
| Yukio | I feel the same, but… This is an important play, so we have to refrain from doing anything careless. |
| But when Reni came to visit, he promised he'd absolutely take me back to Japan somehow. |
| I'm sure we can do something about it. Reni always listens to my unreasonable requests, after all. |
| Izumi | (Kamikizaka-san… I'm truly grateful for him, but I feel bad because he's been helping Dad way too much!) |
| Yukio | …I want to eat your mother's stew once I'm home. |
| Izumi | I don't think she will let you in if you say that first before apologizing to her. |
| Yukio | Whaat!? In the end, that's what she's going to do!? |
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