| Yuzo | I heard about it at that time. Due to certain circumstances, Yukio-san can't work in the theater industry and is now working overseas. |
| He doesn’t want us to worry about him since he's doin' fine, and even though he feels bad for not bein' able to contact us, he wants me not to tell this to anyone. |
| Otherwise, he won't be able to continue doing theater. |
| The only ones who know about his circumstances are his wife--your mother, Hakkaku-san, and I. |
| Izumi | My mom knows about this too? |
| Yuzo | Maybe she can't say it for Yukio-san's sake. |
| Izumi | (Mom… She always sounds like she has given up on Dad… but she actually knows…) |
| (I wonder if she's been keeping quiet about this so that Dad can continue doing theater.) |
| Reni | So what on earth are these circumstances? |
| Yuzo | As far as I heard--. |
| The mixed play script that was aimed at clinching the Fleur Awards was apparently completely the same as the script of a certain troupe. |
| Izumi | That means… |
| Reni | Plagiarism. |
| Yuzo | Yeah. It's rumored that the culprit was Hakkaku-san's son--Kusumi Ikaruga. |
| Izumi | !! |
| Reni | … |
| Yuzo | The opposing troupe was scheduled to perform the script first. If we had decided to go on with the play as it was, MANKAI Company would have gotten a bad reputation as a plagiarist. |
| The only way to prevent that from happening was to reveal the truth. But if we did that, Kusumi Ikaruga's future as a scriptwriter would have fallen apart. |
| However, Hakkaku-san apparently begged Yukio-san not to make this situation public. |
| Izumi | … |
| Yuzo | He said that he was also responsible for his son's mistake. |
| Reni | So this was his son's past mistake that Hakkaku-san was talking about… |
| Izumi | But how did this lead to my dad being chased away from the theater industry...? |
| Yuzo | The plagiarism case apparently leaked out and Yukio-san was sued by the Fleur Awards trustees. |
| He was also informed that MANKAI Company would be permanently excluded from Fleur Awards nominations. |
| Yukio-san was falsely accused, but he couldn't defend himself due to his promise with Hakkaku-san. |
| But Yukio-san just couldn't give up his dream of having MANKAI Company win the Fleur Awards, so he told them that he'd leave the troupe. |
| The board of trustees agreed to exempt MANKAI Company from the sanctions, on the condition that Yukio-san pushed himself out of the theater industry. |
| He was also banned from contacting the troupe members since there was a possibility that he'd secretly be involved with the troupe. |
| If he violates the rules, not only Yukio-san, but MANKAI Company and its related parties will also be suspended from doing any activities--. |
| Izumi | It can't be--. |
| Reni | So why did that guy take the risk to contact you? |
| Yuzo | Well, isn't it because he still wanted to have that "connection"? He loves the theater troupe so much, after all. |
| 'Sides, I had already decided to leave the troupe. I figured it was a safer choice. |
| In any case, you must keep this fact a secret. |
| Reni | … |
| Yuzo | Even though ten years have passed since then, the Fleur Awards' board of trustees hasn’t really changed. The promise they had with Yukio-san should also still be in effect. |
| Izumi | Understood. I won't tell anyone. |
| Yuzo | Sorry for keeping you in the dark all this time. |
| Izumi | It's fine… |
| (I was shocked to learn that Dad was involved in this kind of case, but…) |
| (I'm glad that he's doing all right and is still doing theater.) |
| (But to think he got kicked out of the theater industry and got forced to cease his activities as punishment…) |
| Is the Fleur Awards' board of trustees that powerful? |
| Reni | The board consists of several authorities with big achievements. Based on that alone, it's not hard to imagine that they can banish someone from the industry. |
| In order to be nominated for the Fleur Awards, it's absolutely essential to deliver a play that will catch their attention and get recommendations from them. |
| Izumi | So that small number of people are the ones choosing the nominated troupes among all the theater troupes in the nation? |
| Yuzo | Well, it's basically a place where old theater fools gather. As long as it goes viral, they will go to watch the plays no matter how small the theater is. |
| Don't you have a connection with them too, Reni-san? |
| Reni | I only know Amadate-san, the one involved in the judging. |
| Izumi | (I feel like I've heard that name before…) |
| (Oh, right--he was the presenter at the Fleur Awards ceremony last year.) |
| Reni | He's the one who recommended Hyakka Troupe, which won the grand prize, and GOD-za last year. |
| Through that connection, I was given the chance to talk with him several times. |
| Izumi | J-Just out of curiosity, has he ever talked about MAN… |
| Reni | Not at all. |
| Izumi | I figured as much… |
| (We're still relatively unknown. But if he's acquainted with Kamikizaka-san, perhaps…) |
| … |
| Reni | ...What is it? |
| Izumi | If I recall, you said you would cooperate with us in order to win the Fleur Award, right? |
| We'll also do our very best to gain more popularity, of course. But… |
| Say, Kamikizaka-san, can you invite the trustees to come and watch our plays using your connection? |
| Reni | What nerve--. |
| Yuzo | She's just like Yukio-san, isn't she? |
| Reni | Totally. |
| I'll try inviting him, but the rest is up to you. |
| Izumi | Thank you so much! |
| (But I wonder if we're even in a position to aim for the Fleur Awards, given that we're still in fact far from being popular…) |
| Umm… there's something I'd like to ask both of you… |
| What are the odds of the current MANKAI Company receiving a nomination for the Fleur Awards? |
| Yuzo | Let's see… about 40%? |
| Reni | That's too kind. I’d say, not more than 20%. |
| Izumi | !! |
| Reni | Given that your chance was 0% last year, it's gotten a lot better now. |
| Izumi | I-I see… What do you think we lack? |
| Reni | I acknowledged your recent progress. That's why I thought having a second showdown with you was worth it. |
| But there are a lot of theater troupes in Veludo Way. There's always someone better. |
| There's no denying that your troupe members are still lacking in experience. You're still no better than a new theater troupe. Even for your production, there's still room for improvement. |
| Izumi | So the only thing we can do is to keep delivering plays steadily… |
| Yuzo | Well, you caught quite a great deal of attention during the showdown rematch. In actual fact, your troupe members also improved rapidly. |
| In my opinion, I think what you need is a similar driving force… |
| Izumi | I see… |
| (Showdown Acts may be an effective method to gain popularity and help everyone grow.) |
| (Though I'm worried it'll put a heavy mental burden on them…) |
| Reni | ...So, going back to Hakkaku-san's posthumous work, what are you planning to do? |
| Yuzo | Just like what I said before, it's not possible to go into production while mentioning Yukio-san's name. However, it may be possible if we have him use an alias. |
| I know it’s risky, but I don't think we'll be caught if we're just doing it once. |
| Reni | In that case, we need someone to go and meet him and confirm the production plan. |
| Yuzo | I think you should go. |
| Izumi | Me… |
| (If I can go and meet my dad… even if it's just for a glance, I want to go and meet him. I want to see how well he's been doing. I want to talk about a lot of things with him.) |
| (But our goal this time is to complete Hakkaku-san's posthumous work. In that case, rather than me…) |
| I think it's better to have the OG members go to meet him. |
| Yuzo | You sure 'bout that? |
| Izumi | Yes. I'm happy enough to learn that he's safe. |
| (If Mom knows about this too, I'm sure Dad's fine.) |
| I'm sure we'll meet someday as long as he's healthy. |
| Yuzo | I see… though we also can’t let Yukio-san stay expelled from the industry anymore. |
| Reni | I agree. We need to settle this issue properly. |
| Yuzo | With that said, you'll be the one meeting him. |
| Reni | Huh? Why do I… |
| Yuzo | You probably have more things to say to him than me. I've been talking with him over the phone, anyway. |
| Reni | Not really--. |
| Izumi | You said you have a long-standing grudge against him, right!? |
| Reni | … |
| Izumi | Moreover, Kamikizaka-san is my dad's first partner, right? I'm sure my dad will be happy to see you! |
| Yuzo | It'll be easier to convey the production plan if you're the one going. |
| Reni | ...Fine. I just have to go, right? |
| Yuzo | Yea. Now that it's settled, I'll contact Yukio-san and send him the script. |
| For the performance, I figure it's better to discuss that after we gather the OG members. |
| Izumi | But will it be all right? Hiro-san is a big star right now; his schedules must be packed… |
| Yuzo | It's so obvious that they're all gonna accept this right away if they know they can perform together once again. |
| Reni | They love MANKAI Company more than anyone, after all. |
| Izumi | I see… |
| (I wonder if they can come watch the newborn MANKAI Company's plays too, someday…) |
| Yuzo | I'm kinda worried Zen-san and Hiro won't hit it off well, but there should be no problem. As for Syu-san, I bet he'll join if Reni-san joins. |
| The problem is Kasumi, after all. |
| Reni | I haven't said I'll join. |
| Yuzo | Haah? Even though you came all this way… |
| Reni | I just said I'd ask him about the production plan, but I won't go on stage as an actor anymore. Now--. |
| Izumi | I want to see Kamikizaka-san's acting! |
| Reni | … |
| Yuzo | You're probably gonna join anyway, so I've already included you. |
| Reni | *sighs*... Goodness gracious. |
