One week later
Wonder Stage
Tsukasa
There's one house left on my list. Let's go!
Nene
Okay, but... Hey, wait for me!
Rui
Great. That scene is perfect.
Rui
We only have one week left until we open, so we should start doing full rehearsals.
Tsukasa
Excellent! We've finally made it this far!
Tsukasa
But, Rui... What about Nene?
She still seems anxious about singing...
She still seems anxious about singing...
Rui
Well, it's her emotional state that's the problem, as opposed to anything technical. The best we can do is give her the time she needs to work it out herself.
Rui
For now, we should carry on with rehearsals...
Rui
Once we have everything else nailed down, Nene will be able to focus on improving her singing.
Emu
But it doesn't feel right to just leave her all by herself! Isn't there anything we can do...?
Emu
Oh...!
Rui
How did you sing before what happened?
That might give you a clue as to what to...
That might give you a clue as to what to...
Emu
She needs to remember as much as she can about her past self, right?
Emu
Hey, Neneee!
Nene
Wah...! Wh-What is it?
Emu
Nene, I wanna get to know you better!
Nene
Know me? Like how?
Emu
You were a member of a theater troupe before, right? What kinds of shows did you guys do? Which ones did you like? And...
Nene
S-Slow down! Don't ask me so many questions at once or I won't know where to start...
Nene
Besides, we shouldn't be wasting time chatting. We don't have much time left, so we can come back to this later.
Emu
Nooo! Wait! I want to talk NOW! Pleeease! I'll trade you a taiyaki for your stories!
Nene
Uh, I'm not that big on taiyaki...
Rui
Why don't we take a break now?
That way you'll have time to chat.
That way you'll have time to chat.
Rui
You might even enjoy opening up a bit and sharing your memories with a friend.
Nene
Sigh...
Fine, but only until the break's over.
Fine, but only until the break's over.
Emu
Yay!
Emu
I have so many questions! For starters... When did you realize you wanted to do theater?
Nene
When I was in elementary school...
Nene
We moved next door to Rui, and our parents became friends. One day, we all went to see a play together.
Nene
It was really incredible.
Nene
I felt as if I was in a dream. When the play ended, I just sat there for a while with my head in the clouds.
Nene
That's when I knew this is what I wanted to do.
Nene
(And yet...)
Nene
(I can't remember my next line!
What should I do? What should I do!)
What should I do? What should I do!)
Nene
(I ruined that show...)
Emu
The show was like a dream?
Emu
Yeah! I totally get it!!
Nene
Huh?
Emu
I had the exact same experience!
Emu
Grandpa took me to a play when I was little and it was like a really amazing dream!
Emu
I was sitting right here.
Nene
Huh? This seat...?
Emu
Yup! The middle seat at the front was always reserved for me!
Nene
I can picture you as a little girl, sitting on this bench, watching a show...
Emu
Yeah! And now you're sitting next to me. It's all spooky, like the past and present is coming together!
Nene
Hehe, yeah.
Emu
And you know, after seeing that play, I saw it again in my dreams that night!
Nene
I've had that happen to me too.
In my dreams, it was me on stage.
In my dreams, it was me on stage.
Emu
Yeah, same! But after dancing lots and lots...
Emu
You wake up in the morning and realize you've fallen out of bed, right?!
Nene
Um, no. I can't relate to that one...
Tsukasa
How do you sleep through that...
Tsukasa
It's funny how you two also got into acting thanks to your family taking you to see a memorable play.
Nene
Huh?
Tsukasa
I also saw my first play with my family. My sister's health wasn't that great back then, but that day she felt well enough to go out. She was so happy.
Tsukasa
She loved the play so much, I decided to become an actor so that I could cheer her up like that too.
Nene
Oh, I see...
Tsukasa
Ever since then, I've been training to be an actor by learning to sing, dance and strike awesome poses!
Rui
Hehe. Nene and I also immediately started working on our own little shows.
Nene
Rui's always been full of crazy ideas. He wanted me to jump into the river once, told me to learn to juggle with my feet and...
Rui
Oh? I did?
Nene
Hey, don't pretend like you don't remember.
Emu
Hehe♪ I wish I could see the shows you did when you were little☆
Tsukasa
Well, you can see mine whenever you want!
My parents recorded all of them!
My parents recorded all of them!
Emu
Really?! You have to show me♪
Rui
Little Tsukasa's first ventures into theater... I'm sure there are some... Real gems in those videos.
Tsukasa
No need to go so overboard with the sarcasm.
Nene
(What was I like back then?)
Nene
(After discovering theater, I forgot all about playing games or reading manga. All I did was sing...)
Nene
(I'd sing all day long and annoy mom...)
Nene
(But I was having so much fun...)
Next Chapter: Enchantment