...I know...but...

Bakuno.
We need to close up for the night soon.

Oh...!
I'm sorry for staying so late.
I got so caught up reading the script that...

That's okay.
I know how passionate you are.

Also...

Have you replied to them yet about starring in that short film?

Oh...
You were involved in the casting process, right, Mr. Kato...?

Yes, per the director's request.
He tasked me with getting you to accept.

I really appreciate the offer.
It's an honor for someone like me to be offered the lead.

But I still feel that...

I want to shine a light on them. The characters that deserve more attention.

Ready, everyone?!
Don't look away!!

Ready!!

Then, begin.

“How long does that novelist plan on staying after ordering just one cup of coffee?”

“Oh!
Is that man sitting in the corner writing a novel? That's so wonderful!”

“Wonderful?
What's so great about dreaming away at a desk day in and day out?”

“And all he's doing is writing some made-up nonsense. Life is this, society is that... It's no use to anyone.”

“That's not true!
The words he chooses to carefully string together will benefit society!”

(It's been two weeks.)

(We looked at several pieces of literature and went to that museum with a collection of items from the Showa period, all in order to gain a better understanding of the era and our characters.)

(Which seems to have been a boon for Emu and Nene.)

(Though, their roles already fit their personalities rather well. Chiyo's the dreamer, while Yuriko's the realist.)

(And they've clearly figured out their characters' voices and behaviors, which were their tasks.)

(That just leaves...)

...

(I heard the other day about the task Tsukasa was given.)

(I suppose we should expect no less from a professional director. He immediately saw Tsukasa's weakness.)

(So, how well is he going to prepare for this role on so little information...?)

Tsukasa, how are you doing?

Ah, Rui.
You and the others seem to be doing well.

While I... I'm honestly having a lot of trouble.

I gave Nakayama some more thought after we last spoke, and I felt that imagining a profile of him would help me play him better. However...

I haven't been able to convince myself.
And Mr. Kato keeps saying, “You can still do better”...

Hmm...
Then, would you mind telling me about your current profile of him?

Sure.
Nakayama works as an editor for the literary magazine Shiranami... And I believe he's in his thirties.

His lines are much more informal compared to Hino's, which makes me think that he's sort of a happy-go-lucky fellow.

I see.
I feel that you have the right idea.

Maybe. After coming up with that, I felt a little more confident and tried reciting his lines a few times...

But I still feel as if I'm missing something.

What if he's older than I think?

But if he were, I feel that he wouldn't seem so carefree next to Hino... Hmm...

(He's really stuck...)

(I wish I could say something to help...)

(But Tsukasa's trying to figure out his character by emulating what Bakuno does.)

(Me saying something will likely just confuse him even more. So...)

(I should just let him work for now.)

*Sigh*

(I was hoping to think about my character more today since we don't have practice...)

But I've hit a wall already...

(I'm thinking about Nakayama as best I can based on my past experiences.)

(However... No matter how hard I try, I'm still struggling to make my character feel like a real, fleshed-out person the way Bakuno does...)

(Why is that...?
What am I missing...?)

*Sigh*

No, stop...!
I'm not about to turn this place into a room of sighs!

Oh, isn't there a new cafe at the park where I usually go running?

Let's go get some fresh air!

Oh...
Not only is the weather very nice today, so is this cafe.

Alright, I'll look for a seat out on the terrace and... Hm?

(That man looks suspicious...
He's eyeing everyone who passes by and hastily scrawling down something in his notebook...)

(Depending on what he does next, I may need to call the police... Still, he looks familiar for some reason...)

...!
Bakuno, is that you?!

Oh...! Tenma!

Wh-What a coincidence...

Yes, I was figuring out my character and decided to take a little break.

Also... Excuse me for asking, but what were you doing just now?

It seemed like you were writing something in your notebook...

Huh? Oh, um... This is just a hobby of mine... I-It's a strange one, and I am a little embarrassed by it...

A hobby?
What kind?

Uhh... I watch people...

Ah, your hobby is people-watching!
To play your characters better, yes?!

No, um...! It's not like that!
This really is just a hobby...

A-Anyway, if you'll excuse me...

Please, wait!

Would it be okay if I saw your notebook?!

What...? Wh-What?!
Wh-Why?!

I've actually been having a lot of trouble figuring my character out and, I'm in desperate need of a clue right now!

I also want to make my character feel more real like the way you do with yours, Bakuno!

Th-These really aren't notes for acting or playing characters better...

B-But maybe just for a little bit...

Really?!
Thank you very much!!

I would really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about what I've written... Here.

(This notebook's been written in extensively... And almost every page is full...)

...!

(“Male. Sixties. Gentlemanly attire. Graceful gait. Seems relaxed, but looks around with a serious expression from time to time. Looking for someone?”)

(“But who? His expressions suggests that the person he's looking for is important to him. Family? An old friend? Or someone whose help he needs for those people? What if it's just his lost dog?”)

(“Maybe he's been searching for his wife ever since she suddenly disappeared one day decades ago. They could've met forty years ago when...”)

These look like...

(“Female. Forties. Pallid face. Health problems? Stress at work? Based on attire, appears to have high-pressure position at large corporation.”)

(“Would stress alone cause someone to look so sick? She may be thinking about a mysterious phone call that came late at night...”)

I can't believe it...

Are you watching passersby and creating stories about them?

S-Stories...?!
No, that's going too far.

They're just...
My imagination... What kinds of lives I think these people have led.

You imagine...the lives they've led...?

(Hang on a second.)

(What he does may actually be similar to what I did with Thorpe and Rio.)

(But therein lies a big difference.
I gleaned their worlds and emotions out of whatever lines were in those scripts.)

(Bakuno, on the other hand, is constructing entire stories about people's lives out of just tidbits of information.)

(Which means the reason he's able to make his characters feel so real is because his mind is used to doing that on a daily basis.)

(Yes, which means...!
I just have to come up with a story in the same way!)

U-Um... Can I have it back now...?

Oh, my apologies! And thank you very much!

No, I'm just glad I could help...
Although, I'm still not sure how much it will...

No, this was huge!

Also, Bakuno, can you tell me exactly how people-watching became your hobby?

Oh, um... I know what I do is very strange.

To be perfectly honest, I never intended for it to become my hobby. It's always been this sort of habit of mine...

A habit?

Yes. I think...
Elementary school was when it all started...

For a number of reasons... I really needed someone to talk to.

Huh?