| Izumi | Sakyo-san, what did you want to talk to us about? |
| Citron | If it’s souvenirs, we should go with the classic yatsuhashi! |
| Kazunari | While we’re at it, I wanna get the bean mochi from Mitsuba[1] too~! |
| Sakyo | That’s not it. |
| Omi | Is something wrong? |
| Sakyo | ...I want to retake everything from the first day. |
| Izumi | (Just as I thought... He wasn’t satisfied.) |
| Sakyo | You’re not surprised? |
| Izumi | I just had a hunch that you weren’t satisfied, Sakyo-san. |
| Sakyo | ...Geez. This is the one thing you’re good at catching on to, huh. |
| Kamo | What was the problem? If it’s the presentation—. |
| Sakyo | No, that’s not it. It’s all a matter of my acting. |
| When I was preparing for my role as an onmyoji, I focused on the details of Abeno Seimei’s gestures and conduct, and I think I was successful at presenting him as a hero. |
| But in this story—“Yin Yang Midnight”—I want to paint a picture of Seimei that’s more than just a stereotype. |
| Through the Seimei that Minagi created, I want to show what Minagi wanted to illustrate, in a form that only I can perform. |
| A bond, a connection, a link that exists, even when you can’t see it.... |
| Yukishiro knew how to show that. But I didn’t; that’s what was bothering me all along. |
| Yesterday, when I went to visit my father’s grave, I remembered what he told me about the origin of my name, and... |
| I felt a bond with my father, who I can never see again—I felt his kindness. |
| I felt like I could believe in this invisible, yet definite, bond. |
| Yukishiro said he plays Kou as a character who stays close to Seimei, even though he never expresses his affection. |
| The compassion of those surrounding Seimei—the compassion Seimei himself feels for Geppaku, whom he named.... |
| When I thought about the story again, I realized that Seimei needs this compassion. |
| I want to take this Seimei one step further. |
| Even if it’s just a shard, if I believe that it’s what I’ve been looking for, I can’t give it up. |
| Izumi | .... |
| Sakyo | Even if I change my acting, it probably won’t be apparent on this film. |
| It might not change at all even if we retake it. |
| But for me, performing Seimei with this feeling burning in my heart gives him a soul—without it, he’s soulless. |
| I know I’m being selfish here. But please—let me do a retake. |
| Izumi | Sakyo-san.... |
| —Let’s do it. Kamo-kun, is that all right? |
| Kamo | Of course it is! |
| Film at times captures an actor’s true essence. I believe you can spot this soullessness in our film. |
| Let me film the Seimei you’ve poured a soul into, Furuichi-san. |
| Kazunari | As expected of Kamon! |
| Izumi | Everyone has a better hang of performing for film, so it’ll go more smoothly than last time, right? |
| Azuma | I’ll do everything I can. |
| Citron | Leave it to me! |
| Guy | I’ve gone over my weak points. It should be fine. |
| Azami | All right, fine. I’ll save time on the preparations. |
| Omi | I’ll do the same for our photoshoot. |
| Kazunari | I’ll work super-ultra hard too! |
| Sakyo | ...My bad. |
| Citron | It’s heave-ho for the sake of a good show! |
| Azuma | That’s right. |
| Izumi | By the way, what’s the story behind your name that you mentioned? |
| Sakyo | When he was struggling to come up with a name, he decided thanks to a paper fortune. |
| Said he pulled a daikichi and named me in hopes that I’d become as happy as the fortune predicted. |
| Izumi | He sounds like a wonderful father. |
| Sakyo | But I’m a cold son for having forgotten all that up till now. |
| Izumi | You were young; there’s nothing you could’ve done about that. |
| Guy | ...Memories with your father are indeed precious, but they also remind you of when he disappeared from your life. |
| Citron | It might be too much for a young child. |
| Sakyo | Yeah.... |
| Azuma | I’ve heard that the first thing people forget is their loved ones’ voices, but... |
| Even if you can’t remember their voice, so long as you can feel a connection—even if it’s just one thing—I believe you can remember them, and treasure that memory. |
| Sakyo | Yeah, I think I understand. |
| Guy | Yes. Those bonds never disappear. |
| Sakyo | ...Yeah. |
| Kazunari | —Hey, you know. There was a time when Sumi~ couldn’t remember his grandfather’s face. |
| He said that up till now, whenever something bad happened, or whenever he felt lonely, he’d always think about his grandfather’s face. |
| But Mukkun said that maybe he forgot because his life is full of happy moments now, instead of sad ones—he’s all right, even if he doesn’t remember as often. |
| Maybe Furuche-san is the opposite of that? |
| Izumi | Ah, I see... So Sakyo-san is happy enough to handle these memories now...? |
| Kazunari | Yep! For little Furuche-san, I think losing his dad must’ve been a huge shock. |
| But maybe now he has something equally precious~, you know? |
| Izumi | (Maybe it means everyone in the troupe has become that precious to Sakyo-san.) |
| Sakyo | I see... You’re right. |
| ...I believe that I can perform a Seimei that’s unique to me now. Please help me along. |
| Izumi | Let’s do our best! |
| (I’m looking forward to Sakyo-san’s Seimei filled with soul!) |
| |
| Kazunari | Alright, OK~! |
| Azami | Time to fix your make-up. |
| Sakyo | Please. |
| Azami | Geez. I was considering using that brush on you if your condition sucked that much, but. |
| Sakyo | Oh, you’re going to use it on me one day? |
| Azami | Who knows. |
| Also, that’s the first time I’ve heard you talk about your dad. |
| Sakyo | I hardly remembered myself, so. |
| Azami | ...You and I might really be similar in a lot of ways. |
| Sakyo | What? |
| Azami | Nothing. |
| Wonder if my name has some kind of backstory too. |
| Sakyo | You don’t know? Because I do. Try asking your father next time. |
| Go home next week, and show him your face. |
| Azami | Hell no. |
| Kazunari | Okay, onto the next scene~! |
