| Izumi | Homare-san, what would you like to drink? |
| Homare | … |
| Izumi | Why don’t we start with beer for now? |
| Homare | …Okay. |
| Izumi | Are you all right? |
| Homare | I am sorry for the trouble. |
| Izumi | It’s nothing… |
| Homare | The truth is, I do not understand other people’s minds. |
| I was called a “broken cyborg” by my ex-lover. And I am exactly that. |
| Izumi | But there’s no one who can actually… |
| Homare | It’s not that. What I do not understand is people’s train of thought itself. |
| I can only think in extremely logical thoughts and artistic thoughts. |
| I cannot understand the thought processes of ordinary people that belong in neither of those categories. |
| Izumi | (O-ordinary people…? That sounds really condescending, but he’s speaking earnestly…) |
| Homare | …However, it is very sad. |
| I often made my lover cry because of it. But I could not comprehend even the reason for that. |
| That was what happened earlier today too. Even I realize that I negatively affected practice today. |
| I simply thought that if I made the reason for everyone’s faults obvious, then the conflict would be resolved. |
| Izumi | I see… |
| (But people get hurt when they’re told things that they don’t want to hear. Homare-san doesn’t understand that…) |
| (Homare-san realizes that he doesn’t understand, and it’s causing him pain…) |
| Homare | It seems that I do not have a shred of empathy towards others. That is why people hate me. |
| No one wants to have a deeper connection with me. |
| Izumi | —That’s not true. |
| You need communication in order to get closer. Didn’t Tsumugi-san say so? |
| I’m sure everyone in the Winter Troupe wants to understand you too, Homare-san. But in order to do that, you have to make the first step… |
| Homare | But I cannot understand their thoughts. I may hurt them again… |
| Izumi | They’ll understand if you explain it to them thoroughly. Anyway, please try to talk with them. |
| |
| Homare | … |
| … |
| Talk with them, huh… How on earth should I talk with them… |
| …Hm? |
| What is this…? |
| “Truthful Magnifying Glass”…? |
| C-could this be…!? |
| No no, it must be someone playing a prank. The fact that the words “Truthful Magnifying Glass” are even written on the handle is absolutely suspicious in itself. |
| … |
| But if I just try to take a peep through it… Of course I do not believe it… but, just in case. |
| Manager | Now then, let’s go clean up the storeroom~ |
| Homare | … |
| Manager | “I’ve been cleaning the storeroom for a month now but I’m not even halfway done~ What a bummer~ I don’t wanna do it~” |
| Homare | !! |
| Manager | Clean up, clean up~ |
| Homare | I can hear his thoughts…! As long I have this, I can… |
