Part 1

Neighborhood

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1

Tsukasa

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Hmm...
2

Tsukasa

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I wasn't able to give Nene any good advice...

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3

Nene

♪————...
4

Nene

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...is about all I got.
Did I sound weird or off in any way...?
5

Tsukasa

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I wish I could do something for her since she helped me with becoming Rio...
6

Tsukasa

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(Nene's always had confidence in her singing, so I doubt she foresaw any of this happening...)
7

Tsukasa

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(It seemed like quite a shock to her...
But she may be moving in the right direction since she went over to speak to the director about what he told her.)
8

Tsukasa

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(Which means all we can do is believe in what she does...)
9

Tsukasa

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(Knowing that you have friends supporting you can make a huge difference. It definitely did when I was learning to play Thorpe and Rio.)
10

Tsukasa

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(But this is different from learning to play a character. She has to break some old habits, which isn't going to be easy...)
11

Tsukasa

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(I hope she figures out what she needs to do...)
A few days later
Phoenix Stage

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12

Nene

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Good morning!
13

Cast Members

Morning, Kusanagi!
Let's do our best again today!
14

Tsukasa

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(Nene's just putting on a face...
Saki does the same thing whenever she tells me that “everything's fine” when it really isn't...)
15

Tsukasa

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(She even has bags under her eyes...)
16

Tsukasa

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(I have a feeling that she's still stuck...
Hmm... If only there were some way we could help her...)

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17

Sakurako

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Tenma, would you mind if we had a quick chat about the scene we'll be working on today?
18

Tsukasa

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Sakurako Seiryuin!
19

Tsukasa

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...!
Of course! You might know what to do!
20

Sakurako

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Huh?

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21

Sakurako

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I see. I didn't realize you were all so worried about Kusanagi.
22

Tsukasa

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We are. We couldn't even figure out what these habits of hers are when we discussed it as a troupe.
23

Tsukasa

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She's unaware of any such habits, which means the onus was on us to know what they are...
24

Sakurako

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I understand what you're trying to say, but you may not have the experience necessary to spot these habits of hers...
25

Tsukasa

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What...?!
Does that mean you know what she needs to fix, Seiryuin?!
26

Sakurako

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...
27

Sakurako

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Yes, I think so...
28

Tsukasa

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Excellent! Then, would you mind talking to Nene for us?!
29

Sakurako

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That I won't do.
30

Tsukasa

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Wha—?! Why...?!
31

Sakurako

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You really have to ask?
It's the other way around. She has to come and ask me.
32

Tsukasa

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...!
33

Sakurako

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I prefer not to toot my own horn...
But when it comes to singing, I'm more knowledgeable and technically skilled than Kusanagi. She's well aware of this fact.
34

Sakurako

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However, she's currently trying to solve this problem under her own power.
35

Tsukasa

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True...
36

Tsukasa

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I'm sorry...
I didn't mean to demean you or Nene in any way. Please forget what I just said.
37

Sakurako

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I shall.
38

Sakurako

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But keep in mind that I am simply keeping my distance for now.
39

Sakurako

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When the time comes, whether or not she wishes to hear it, I am going to tell her to hard truth.
40

Tsukasa

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Right. We don't have much time left until our show opens, so we can't wait for her to find an answer on her own...
41

Tsukasa

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I need to thank you for believing in Nene and giving her time to figure this out.
42

Sakurako

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Believe in her? I simply wish to focus on practicing my own role.
43

Sakurako

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Also, where does this all leave you...?
44

Sakurako

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Yes, you're doing a wonderful job of expressing your emotions... But you still have quite a few things to work on, including your character's more nuanced mannerisms, the timing for your lines and such, no...?
45

Tsukasa

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Oof...
46

Sakurako

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Yet your mind is preoccupied with the business of others. Do you not see a problem with that?
47

Tsukasa

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You're absolutely right, Sakurako Seiryuin.
I have no rebuttal...
48

Tsukasa

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(As much as I want to help Nene, I need to keep working on my own character...!)
49

Tsukasa

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Sakurako Seiryuin! Let's discuss that scene we'll be doing today!
50

Sakurako

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That's what I like to hear.
First, about the opening portion...