What do I have in common with Thorpe...? Why does he look up to the stars...?

Ugh! The more I think about it, the less I understand him!

Tenma, how many times do I need to tell you? Keep it down!

*Gasp*
I-I'm sorry!!

*Sigh*

We only have a few days left until our show opens... And I'm not about to become the reason why it's going to suffer in terms of quality...

More importantly, a star's supposed to be able to be a shining example for others to follow! “Good enough” just isn't good enough in my book!

And yet, I'm unable to participate in practices right now...! All I'm doing is just...! Argh! Get it together, Tsukasa Tenma!

Tsukasa...?

Hm? That voice...

Toya!
Fancy seeing you here all alone. You're not with Akito today?

Akito unfortunately has to take supplementary classes today... But we still have to practice later as a team, so I have to go on ahead without him.

Anyway, is something wrong...?
You seem to have quite a bit on your mind.

The truth is, I'm having trouble getting into character for our next show...

Getting into character...?

Yes. We're doing “A Pianist Named Thorpe” with me as the protagonist, but I've been holding up practices because I'm having trouble understanding my character's personality...

“A Pianist Named Thorpe”...?
That's a very famous story. I remember reading it over and over again because of how much I liked it.

What? Is that true?
Wait, that means...!

(Toya has a talent for dissecting and understanding these kinds of stories. He's also known me for a very long time.)

(He might be the one who can give me a hint...!)

Toya, please!
Will you help me with understanding my character?!

What?

I'm currently trying to discover what Thorpe and I have in common, but so far I've had no luck...

However, you're familiar with both me and this story. You may be the key to solving this puzzle!

What you both have in common...?
Yes, I think I can help you with that.

Also, I'm very interested in seeing how you portray Thorpe...

Alright, why don't we find somewhere to sit down and chat?

Toya...! You're a model gentleman...!
I promise to pay back this debt!

A very cute cafe.
With many female patrons, I see.

Welcome!
Huh...? Tsukasa? Toya?

Saki?

Yes, this is where Saki works!

Yay! Thanks for visiting, you guys!
Lemme show you to your table! Over here!

Okay, I'll have a coffee.
No milk or sugar.

I'll have some iced tea!
Oh, can I get a lemon slice with that?

Coffee and iced tea!
Coming right up♪

Alright...
Let's get down to business...

What do Thorpe and I have in common? Does anything come to mind?

Right.
Mind if I take a look at your script first?

Of course!!

Oh, this sounds very tricky...

My impression going in was that you two didn't have much in common, but reading this script may've only made that worse...

You think so too, Toya...?
Hmm... Even though I'm looking for just one thing...

What if you took the opposite approach instead? By seeing how you both contrast, you may end up discovering some surprising commonalities.

Ah! That's a great idea!
Let's see how we differ!

First... We take on challenges in remarkably different ways!

I agree. In your case, Tsukasa, you like to do absolutely everything in your power to overcome an obstacle.

And you wouldn't take out your frustrations on little animals like he does here. You'd probably take what needs work and keep hammering away at it.

Y-You think so...?
I suppose you might be right...

Also, you'd never turn away a sick animal. There's no way you could ever do anything cruel to someone with an illness.

Tsukasa, you're also...

Thanks for your patience!
Here's your coffee and iced tea...

...someone who likes to stay positive and upbeat while taking charge of things. You're very honest and are quick to apologize when you think you've done something wrong.

Yes! That's right!
Hah hah hah hah!

Hey, keep it down...
You're gonna embarrass me in front of everyone...

In the end, we only realized just how much we differ...

Yes...
Fifty things at that...

*Sigh*
I really am the polar opposite of Thorpe...

Especially the scene where he looks up to the stars the night before the contest. I still can't wrap my head around that...

The stars...?

Yes. He knows the contest is creeping up on him, but his eyes wander toward the stars in the sky... I just don't understand...

...

I don't think his eyes are wandering.

Hm? What do you mean?

In this story, Thorpe looks up to the stars whenever he incurs a setback...

I feel like there's a hidden meaning behind him looking up to the stars like this.

A hidden meaning? Such as...?

That I can't really say...

Setbacks...
When he's facing a massive hurdle...?

Hang on...