Here are the audition results for our next quarterly performance.

(They already have the results...?)

(What do I do..?
I'm more nervous than when I was actually performing.)

(Because Byakkomachi put on such an incredible performance after I'd gone.)

(I was so overwhelmed...)

(But I know I did everything I absolutely could.)

(On top of Emu and the others helping me a ton, I used everything that Ms. Kazamatsuri taught me to build and polish my role.)

(All I can do is believe in myself...!)

We will begin with Luca.
He will be played by...

Ms. Byakkomachi.

...!!

Thank you!

And Ito will be your understudy in case anything happens.

Thank you!

Next, Louise will be played by...

...

(I failed...)

(They didn't even choose me to be the understudy...)

(But I guess that's only natural.)

(Byakkomachi was obviously amazing, but so were all the others.)

(Outside of the parts that involved singing, I wasn't really able to stand up to them.)

(But...)

(This is really frustrating...)

(I did everything I could...
And I still wasn't enough...)

...

(Now I understand...)

(This is how Imura must've felt that time...)

Alright, those are the results.

All of you will now need to shift your focus towards putting on the best performance you possibly can.

Understood!

Understood...!

Byakkomachi...
Do you have a second?

Kusanagi...
Yes, how can I help you?

I wanted to congratulate you.

Your Luca was staggering.
Break a leg for the actual performance, too.

Thank you.

Anyway, that's all...

Wait.

I also need to thank you.

Huh...?

The others certainly pushed me to do better, but you in particular gave me the most motivation.

Your acting and singing were both spectacular.

From the moment you began singing until the second Luca took his last breath, you made it clear just how much he loved Louise.

I regretted not seeing it myself...

But what you did also made me want to surpass you.

Faced with your performance, I felt I had to win at all costs.

In other words, your singing lit a fire in me.

(My singing led to Byakkomachi's performance...?)

(Oh...
Now I see...)

(This is what it really means to push each other to become better.)

(You win, you lose, you feel this regret and use it to hone your craft and yourself.)

(That's how you really move forward.)

(That's what it means for everyone here to walk the same path together.)

(So, I need to compete more, myself.)

(In order to keep growing.
In order to get closer to making my dream come true.)

(I have to face them head-on, and better myself, just like I did this time.)

I'm beyond frustrated... And I really regret not being chosen for Luca...

But I also know where I am as an actress now.

Now I genuinely want to become better.
I want to keep moving forward, even if I have to compete to do it.

So, I'm really glad that I had a chance to audition for this role.

I'm looking forward to being blown away by your show, Byakkomachi.

I promise to do my best backstage.

Yes, of course.

I'll make it a performance worthy of the effort you put in, too.

Thanks!

Still, Kusanagi, you and I are really alike...

What?

I was stunned by your transformation.

You have a powerful desire to become a great actress who puts on incredible performances on stage. The same desire as me...

...!

I'm glad that someone like you decided to come train with us. So, let's keep pushing each other to become better.

Absolutely!!

Since we're talking, would it be possible for you to tell me more about Wonderlands×Showtime?

Huh?

I'm really interested in learning more about what your troupe is like now. Would that be alright?

Yeah, of course!

So, I'm standing here right now because the others helped me get to this point...