Chapter 1

Alright, rehearsal’s back on!

Take your positions!

.....!

(Where...... am I?)

Tenma, something the matter?

Ah, no!

Everything's fine!

(Get it together, Tsukasa Tenma!)

(The Mikazuki Troupe’s rehearsals are strict as it is. Letting my guard down is absolutely out of the question!)

......Sorry to keep everyone waiting.

I'm ready and in position now!

Alright.

.....Kijima-san, is everything ready on your end?

Yeah, I’m good to go!

Then, page 14 of the script.

Starting with the fight scene between Rokurou and Kansuke.

Ready......

Action!

HAAAAHGGHHHH!!!!

<Why, brother?! Why would you side with the new government forces?!>

<What about the oath you made to dedicate your life to the Shogun?! Was that all a lie?!>

<…...People change with the times.>

<That’s all there is to it.>

<........!.>

Whoa, damn… those two have gotten better at sword fighting, haven't they?

Yeah. And their speed’s off the charts too…..

(Deflecting the downward slash from the upper right, shifting my weight..... pause for breath, then step forward—)

(.....Wait! No, I’ve stepped forward more than I planned. I need to pull back by half a step!)

(Very impressive, Tenma-kun.)

(You caught the cue from our eye contact and adjusted your position perfectly.)

(From here, straight to the final strike—)

…...! They just got even faster!

With that speed, and the accuracy and force behind each movement...…

Kijima-san’s incredible, no doubt, but Tenma’s killing it too.

(—He’s moving well.)

(When he first got here, he really struggled with the unique movements of stage fighting...… but he’s kept up well.)

(However—)

Alright, let’s take a break!

We’ll pick up from where we left off in 15 minutes!

Yessir!

Kijima-san! Do you mind going over the swordfight scene with me later?

Since you’re playing the older brother Rokurou and I’m the younger brother Kansuke, I was thinking of adjusting the choreography a bit to better match their emotional flow.

Sure, that’s fine!

In fact, why wait? We could start right now—

Whoa, whoa, no way.

You’ve gotta rest properly, or it’ll come back to bite you later, y'know~?

Mm..… you’ve got a point.

Without rest, it’s harder to stay focused during practice.

How about we go over the choreography after the full run-through?

Yes, thank you!

Hehe, looks like you’re both raring to go.

I get it, though.

This is Mikazuki Troupe’s first double-lead show, after all—

And it’s also Tenma’s graduation performance with the Mikazuki Troupe.

Yes.

Truly, I’m so grateful to all of you.

Even though I was clumsy with both stage combat and body control, you all taught me with such care…..

Because of you all, I’ve been able to build so many rare and irreplaceable experiences!

Haha! Tenma, you’ve really grown.

Still, going abroad to train after leaving the troupe….. that’s gutsy.

Yeah.

If it were me, I’d be too scared to train somewhere totally unfamiliar.

That’s amazing, seriously

Not at all.

This is all for my dream of becoming a star!

I’ll be flying to New York next and trying to find my new troupe, so it’s all uncharted territory…...

Oh yeah, you mentioned you’d be attending drama school while searching for a new troupe.

Yeah.

I don’t have many big accomplishments yet, so I’ll be working on building up my skills over there…....

I’ll keep pushing on, chasing my dream of becoming a worldwide star!

So for this final show, which represents everything I’ve learned—I’ll perform with everything I have!

With everything you’ve got, huh…..

You’re right.

You’ve made remarkable progress, but there’s still a lot you need to work on.

But that also means you’ve got room to grow!

Let’s refine your acting even more before the big day.

So—

Give it your all and don’t hold back!

You got it!

I look forward to it!

(Ever since I left Wonder Stage, I’ve had the chance to learn from many different troupes..…)

(I’m so glad Mikazuki Troupe ended up being the last place I joined before leaving Japan.)

(I really owe Shousuke-san for introducing me.)

(These days, I’ve finally started to stand on equal footing with Kijima-san...… but when I first joined, I was just struggling to keep up...…)

What's the matter, Tenma-kun!?

You really think you can give it your all for a full performance with stamina like that!?

Hah… haah… N-No, I… I don’t think I can..…!

Then don’t stop, keep running!

The sun’s not gonna wait for us!

Five laps to go before sundown—let's sprint all the way!

Gh… Roger that!

I’ll finish these last five laps!

Hraaaaaaaahhh!!

(—Alright. For this fight choreography, I’ll throw in a spin to really bring up the impact—!)

Whoa—!

Oh no—sorry!

I didn’t mean to knock you off! Are you hurt!?

No, don’t worry about it…

I just didn’t think you’d add a spin like that.

Still, it’s on me for not adapting.

Don’t worry about it, Tenma-kun!

Next time, I’ll take it like a pro!

R-Right… Sorry again…...

(I ended up improvising like I do with Emu and the others…... but then again, they’re not exactly normal to begin with.)

(Alright then—next , I’ll...…!)

Today’s show was a huge success!

Your performance especially, Tenma-kun, was absolutely brilliant!

Really…...!?

Hearing that from you, Kijima-san, it means so much to me!

Hahaha! But don’t let that go to your head just yet.

I’ve heard the troupe you used to be with had even higher standards.

You’ve got more in you, I know it!

…...I admit, my stage combat movements are still a little stiff…...

But a true star masters every movement!

I’ll keep pushing myself and get even better!

…...Thanks to Kijima-san and everyone in Mikazuki Troupe, I’ve learned so much.

To repay that kindness...… I’ll make sure to give you the best show you’ve ever seen!

With everyone—and together with you, Kijima-san!

Absolutely.

I’m counting on you, Tenma-kun!

Let’s see this through to the very last step together!

Yessir!