Izumi | Thank you again for all your hard work during Spring Troupe’s fourth performance! |
Sakuya | Nice work everyone~! |
Masumi | Nice work. |
Itaru | GJGJ. |
Citron | GJ, everyone! |
Izumi | Time to celebrate with a toast—. |
Chikage | Can I have a word before we say cheers? |
Izumi | ? |
Chikage | I wanted to properly apologize to everyone. |
Izumi | Chikage-san.... |
Chikage | I’m truly sorry for disappearing while you were preparing for the performance. I caused everyone a lot of trouble. |
| Not just Spring Troupe—I must’ve made all the other troupes worry as well. |
| You guys had to push yourselves to practice while we the performance was already running. I couldn’t be grateful enough to everyone in Spring Troupe. |
Sakuya | Please don’t worry about it. |
Tsuzuru | It’s always like this. |
Chikage | I’d also like to tell you the truth about my disappearance. |
Izumi | —. |
Chikage | I think you all realized this, but I’m the one who abducted Director-san and prevented her from coming to practice. |
Sakyo | .... |
Tenma | ...What!? |
Banri | You didn’t realize? |
Sakyo | Why did you do that. |
Chikage | As far back as I can remember, I’ve never known my parents. My one and only family was a sister much younger than me. |
| I would do anything to make money to take care of my sister. |
| Even if it meant violating the law, I would do anything... I had no power. That was the only way I could make enough money to live and send her to school. |
| Fortunately, I somehow raised her safely into adulthood. |
Sakyo | ...That must have been rough. |
Chikage | And that sister of mine is now going to marry into an Indian family. |
| Her husband-to-be is a grounded, good man, so that’s not an issue, but his parents oppose the marriage. |
| Out of nowhere, they told her that they wouldn’t recognize her as his bride unless she produced a curry that would satisfy them by a set deadline. |
Tsuzuru | This is starting to sound a little.... |
Banri | Let’s just listen till the end. |
Chikage | My sister needed to create the ultimate curry in just a few days. |
| She came to me in tears, and I used all of my wits, but I couldn’t reproduce the flavor of that ultimate curry I once had. |
| Director-san was the only person I could rely on. |
| But there was no time. His parents were going to return to their country. So I felt bad, but I forced her to—. |
Sakyo | .... |
Tenma | I had no clue.... |
Taichi | Uuu, I’m in tears! |
Sakuya | Oh no... If you had told us, we would’ve helped you out! |
Sakyo | Oi. Is this for real? |
Hisoka | ...He’s lying. |
Tsuzuru | Of course. |
Banri | Lying after all that... Chikage-san really is just Chikage-san. |
Itaru | He has nerves of bulletproof steel. |
Chikage | Don’t spoil it. |
Tsuzuru | More like, are you actually sorry? |
Chikage | Yeah. My feelings are genuine. I just can’t explain what happened in detail. |
Tsuzuru | Geez.... |
Izumi | Um, well then, Chikage-san, please give the toast! |
Chikage | I’m truly sorry. And thank you. Today’s final performance marked the first happy day I’ve had in a long time. |
Sakuya | Chikage-san.... |
Chikage | With gratitude to MANKAI Company, from the bottom of my heart... Cheers. |
Sakuya | Cheers! |
Misumi | Chee~rs! |
Omi | Nice work. |
Tenma | You were a good Oswald. |
Kazunari | You were so cool! |
Izumi | Thank you for all your work, Chikage-san. |
Chikage | You too, Director-san. |
Izumi | Is that explanation okay with you? |
Chikage | ...There are some things you’re better off not knowing in this world. |
Izumi | (Is this about the Organization that he mentioned before....) |
Chikage | The truth can be a weakness. If the Organization discovers that Hisoka is alive, those who know of his identity will be put in danger. |
| In order to prevent that from happening, I’ll protect everyone in this troupe with everything I have. |
Izumi | (Chikage-san is thinking of everyone in his own way....) |
Itaru | What are you snooping around for? |
Masumi | No fair. |
Tsuzuru | Our final performance was the best. We practiced till the last moment, so I really felt like we did everything we could. |
Citron | I’m exhausted, but it was fun~! |
Sakuya | See, Chikage-san, everything worked out just fine! |
Chikage | You’re right. |
| Sakuya, want to do a coin toss battle? |
Sakuya | Yes! I’ve got the hang of it now, so I won’t lose! |
| *Flips a coin* |
Chikage | ...Here. Which hand is it in? |
Sakuya | ...U~m, right! |
Chikage | Wrong. |
Sakuya | H-huh!? |
Chikage | ...Here. Next round. |
Sakuya | ...Ummm, left! |
Chikage | Wrong again. |
Sakuya | Eeh!? |
Chikage | ...Next round. |
Sakuya | Is it... the left? |
Chikage | Wrong. |
Sakuya | Huh? I thought I got the hang of it, but... Chikage-san, you really are strong. |
Chikage | ...No, I don’t stand a chance against you. |
Sakuya | Eh? |
Chikage | It’s nothing. |
| *Phone rings* |
Tsuzuru | Masumi, your phone. |
Masumi | —. |
| ...Hello. |
Misaki | “Masumi? I watched your final performance.” |
Masumi | Eh.... |
Misaki | “I was pressed for time and rushed directly to the airport after it was over, so I couldn’t even say hi, but...” |
| “How should I put it... It feels strange to watch your own son perform on stage.” |
| “It almost made me nervous... This might be how a parent feels when they watch their child’s school presentation.” |
Masumi | ...Yeah. |
Misaki | “Well, yeah, so, do your best. I’ll come with grandma next time.” |
Masumi | ...Got it. |
| *Beep* |
Izumi | Who was it from? |
Masumi | ...My father. |
Izumi | Did he come to watch the performance? |
Masumi | Yeah. |
Izumi | I’m so glad, Masumi-kun! |
Masumi | ...It’s thanks to you. |
Izumi | (Masumi-kun looks so happy... Even if it’s bit by bit, I hope his relationship with his father keeps changing for the better.) |
| |
Tsumugi | I’m glad everything worked out somehow. |
Tasuku | Geez... What a troublesome newcomer. |
Azuma | But you looked like you were having fun as the standby. |
Tasuku | Well, yes... I don’t get many opportunities to act with the Spring Troupe, after all. |
Tsumugi | Their final performance was really good, too. |
Tasuku | Yeah. I’m glad I helped out; they made it worth it. |
Homare | It seems like Hisoka-kun also put in quite the effort this time. |
Azuma | ...You were able to settle your past with him, right? |
Hisoka | ...Yup. |
Azuma | I’m glad. |
Homare | That’s wonderful. |
Tasuku | Well, it’s an issue between you two, so I’ll keep my mouth shut as an outsider. |
Hisoka | ...Tsumugi, Tasuku, Alice, Azuma. |
| ...I regained my lost past. But I also remembered that I lost someone precious to me. |
| ...Remember what Azuma said. We all avoid stepping into each other’s hearts. |
| I don’t dislike this distance between us.... |
| ...But I want to share my past with you. |
| It might be dangerous for you to know. I might not be able to tell you everything. |
| ...But one day, if I can sort everything out within me, I want you to know. |
| ...Am I being selfish? |
Azuma | ...I understand. I’ll be waiting, Hisoka. |
Tasuku | I want to eat marshmallows, I want to sleep everywhere... When are you not selfish? |
Homare | That’s right. Taking care of your selfish wishes is part of my lifework now, Hisoka-kun. |
Tsumugi | Don’t worry, Hisoka-kun. We’ll carry this with you. |
Hisoka | ...Thank you. |