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maritessa · 6 days

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Love, Laughter, and Lipstick: A Recipe for Romance (Maybe)

Katsuya and Maya, despite dating for months now, are finally going on their overdue first date. Everyone's excited except Katsuya doesn't really have a lot of experience in dating so he goes to his little brother, Tatsuya for help.

Story undercut

Tatsuya was minding his own business, solving a Rubik's Cube on the dining table when he heard a plate plopped in front of him. He looked away from his toy and saw that his brother, Katsuya, had placed a huge portion of medium-rare ribeye steak before him.

Tatsuya was apprehensive by the sudden appearance of his favorite meal. He looked up at his brother, who had a small smile on his face, and raised a brow. Tatsuya didn't trust the whole situation and demanded an explanation but Katsuya didn't seem to catch the signals he was trying to send.

“Okay, just, tell me what you want,” Tatsuya sighed.

“Excuse me?” Katsuya answered, taken aback by the unexpected response. He was looking forward to seeing his brother excited over the fancy meal he prepared.

Tatsuya pushed back his hair and shook his head. “Whenever you ‘feel like making steak’, you want to ask me for something. Just tell me what it is.”

Katsuya awkwardly coughed and looked away from his little brother. It was true that he needed Tatsuya for something but he didn't realize that there was a pattern to his actions. He scratched the back of his head to brush the slight embarrassment of his predictability away.

“So?” Tatsuya tilted his head to the side.

“Well…” Katsuya inhaled before continuing. “Amano-kun and I finally have the opportunity to go out on a date soon….”

Tatsuya rolled his eyes but Katsuya ignored his reaction to continue, “... and I wanted to ask for some advice. Where do you take Jun-kun when you go on dates?”

Tatsuya gave his brother a skeptical side-eye and rudely pointed his fork at his brother. “Before that, you're aware that Jun is male, right? He may look beautiful but he's a man.”

“Yes, he is a nice boy.” Katsuya nodded, unsure as to why Tatsuya felt the need to put emphasis on the obvious.

“So if you want to know where to take a woman, it would be better to ask a woman.”

“I did think of that but I thought it would be inappropriate to talk about my dating life with a female co-worker.” Katsuya sighed deeply.

When he and Maya started dating, Katsuya picked up the habit of calling Maya when his shift ended. He would update her on how his day went and he'd tell her his plans that night. When his co-workers questioned the sudden spike of his phone calls, he honestly answered their queries.

“I was just informing my lover that my work for the day is done,” Katsuya replied seriously.

The whole room went silent and everyone turned to look at Katsuya. Katsuya wasn't sure but he thinks he saw the chief drop his cup of coffee.

“You have… you have a girlfriend, Katsuya-san?” A brave female co-worker spoke up. All of the other women in the room leaned in closer.

“Yes.” Katsuya blushed at the rare opportunity to directly call Maya his ‘girlfriend’ which caused everyone in the room to gasp in shock.

Katsuya felt a chill down his spine when he witnessed more than half of the room taking in a deep breath.

“Katsuya-san!!!” His junior called out to him. “It's unfair for you to get a girlfriend when you're always working so seriously!!!”

“I suppose it is inappropriate for me to discuss such matters in the workplace. Very well, thank you for correcting me.” Katsuya patted the shoulder of his junior and packed up his items.

Unbeknownst to him, the whole female population of the office was cursing his junior for not letting him spill more details. Just who was that amazing woman who broke Katsuya's walls?!

Katsuya remembers the discomfort he felt for a whole week after that revelation. He couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being watched.

“I thought of asking Serizawa-kun but she might tell Amano-kun about my plans and I want it to be a surprise.” Katsuya continued enumerating his missed options.

“Baofu has experience with women but who's to say he wouldn't tell his Serizawa-kun about our discussion.

“I also thought about asking Mother but... I just can't get the courage to actually go through with it…”

Tatsuya nodded. As much as he hated being subject to the conversation, he can't imagine allowing their mother to help plan Katsuya's first date. He could imagine the whole household being involved in planning this date since his brother never really showed interest in romance before he went out with Maya.

“So, I'm your only choice, huh?” stated Tatsuya bluntly as he took a bite on his steak.

“Yes, so please just answer me honestly,” Katsuya pleaded.

Tatsuya closed his eyes and pondered. “We walk around fields and gardens.. Sneak into each other's schools? I take him on motorcycle rides….”

“What do you do?”

“Nothing really.” Tatsuya shrugged. “Just hang out.”

Katsuya raised a brow at his brother and leaned in as if he was doing an interrogation.

“Are you sure you're treating Jun-kun well?” Katsuya asked in a stern tone.

The sharp “Ha?” rolled out of Tatsuya’s tongue almost instantaneously. He was clearly offended by the accusation. “We're in different schools so we don't have time to meet in the first place. When I get to Kasugayama, it's already late.

“Besides, Jun doesn't fare well in crowds and he prefers looking at the flowers. He talks non stop whenever we go to the gardens and they change their decorations seasonally so we go there frequently. There was one time I did try to surprise him by bringing him to a floral-themed cafe but he got scouted by multiple modeling agencies when I left him to go to the restroom. He felt uncomfortable so I don't think we'll be going back to the city any time soon…”

As Tatsuya rambled on, Katsuya couldn't help but feel his face heat up at the extremely rare sight of his brother making a soft and gentle expression. He hasn't seen such a small yet pure smile from Tatsuya in a long time. Katsuya couldn't help but hold his breath.

“What, huh, why am I talking to you about this?!” Tatsuya blushed, realizing how much he blabbered about his boyfriend and to his brother, no less. Katsuya looked away as a form of respect.

“Anyway,” Tatsuya coughed sheepishly. “Just take Maya-nee anywhere as long as you can talk.”

“I can't do that.” Katsuya shook his head. “I'm worried about haphazardly choosing a place she might not like.”

“I don't think Maya-nee is the type of person to be picky about these types of things.”

“I won't deny that but she's an editor for a teen magazine. I'm sure she's been to all of the trendy places and she's tried all of the best food in Sumaru.” Katsuya felt the need to put emphasis on Maya's love for food and Tatsuya nodded, understanding where his brother's concerns were coming from.

“Then…” Tatsuya took another bite from his steak, consuming about three-fourths of the meal. “Why not just bring her some of your cooking?”

“What do you mean?” Katsuya asked, surprised by the suggestion.

“If you want something she's never had then you can just make her one of your cakes or something.”

“That's true….” Katsuya rubbed his chin, already crafting a recipe at the top of his head.

“Can I compete with a professional's baking though….” Katsuya sighed to himself.

“Didn't you wanna be a patissier?” Tatsuya said as he took his last bite of his steak. “Are you telling me you had that dream while being such a wimp? After feeding me hundreds of cakes against my will?”

“... Okay,” Katsuya smiled. “I suppose I do want to share that side of me with Amano-kun.”

Tatsuya dropped his fork on his empty plate and whispered a “thank you for the food” under his breath. He stood up and headed for the door.

“I gotta say I didn't expect to have this conversation with you,” said Tatsuya, looking back at his brother. “I'll ask Jun if he has other ideas.”

Tatsuya left the room but not before he could hear his brother reply with a “thanks”.

___

“Katsuya-san, good evening!” Jun greeted Katsuya as he entered the living room. Behind him stood Tatsuya who had two helmets under both of his arms.

Katsuya looked up from his laptop and smiled. “Jun-kun, how have you been?”

Jun deftly removed his shoes and sat on the sofa opposite of Katsuya. Tatsuya left the room to leave his and Jun’s belongings in his room.

“I'm okay. I heard from Tatsuya that you and Maya-nee are going on your first date soon?” Jun said excitedly. Jun doesn't typically get this excited but seeing Katsuya fretting about making Maya happy made him feel like he had some sort of solidarity with Katsuya. Outside of Katsuya being his boyfriend's brother, of course.

“Yeah, yes….” Katsuya responded, surprised by Jun’s enthusiasm. “I've been asking Tatsuya for advice but I haven't gotten a full idea on what to do yet.”

“That's alright.” Jun smiled. “Planning the date is part of the fun of it.”

Before Katsuya could continue their exchange, Tatsuya entered the room again and patted Jun on the head to grab his attention.

“Jun, what do you want to drink?” Tatsuya asked, slightly ruffling Jun’s hair.

“Hm....” Jun closed his eyes in thought. “Peach tea please!”

Tatsuya nodded and walked off to check the options they had in the refrigerator. Of course there was water; Oolong tea; Pocari Sweat that Katsuya stores in case someone gets sick; milk but it's mostly for Katsuya’s baking; apple juice; and his mom’s aloe vera juice. No peach tea.

“Jun, I don't think we have Peach tea.” Tatsuya sighed, slightly disappointed at how unprepared he was to accommodate Jun's tastes.

“Oh, that's fine. I'm good with just water then.” Jun replied, noticing the change in Tatsuya’s mood.

“No, no.” Tatsuya shook his head. “I'll go out and buy some right now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Mhmm. I'll take the bike so it'll be quick.” As he was saying this, Tatsuya grabbed his keys from the table.

“Okay, thanks Tacchi! Stay safe, it's dark out.”

Katsuya flinched at the use of his brother’s childhood nickname but Tatsuya nodded and went up the stairs to get his helmet again. Jun did nothing and simply smiled at Katsuya while staring at him. Katsuya couldn't help but feel self-conscious about Jun’s gaze so he tried to strike up a conversation.

“You came straight from school, right?” Katsuya said sheepishly.

“Yes. Tatsuya picked me up.” Jun said blankly and went back to staring at Katsuya. It was silent between them so you could clearly hear Tatsuya yelling “where did I put my wallet?!” from his room, along with the rustling of his items.

“Are your parents okay with this?” Katsuya asked.

“Yes. They know Tatsuya and you're here so it's okay.” Jun replied.

…..

…......

….........

Once again the conversation died and it killed Katsuya inside. What happened to the enthusiasm Jun showed earlier?! Why did he kill the conversation immediately?

“I found my wallet, I'm leaving now!” Tatsuya yelled out from the front door and slammed it shut. Shortly, the sound of his motorcycle driving off could be heard at a distance.

“Okay, we have time to talk without Tatsuya so you can be honest with me, Katsuya-san.” Jun’s enthusiasm returned.

“Hm? What do you mean?” Katsuya asked, unsure about Jun’s sudden change in demeanor.

“I knew Tatsuya would go out to buy some tea for me so I picked one that's hard to find.” Jun smiled widely. “The stores near here are out of stock.”

Katsuya wasn't sure on how to feel about Jun’s scheming but he could see where the boy was coming from. His brother did seem a bit avoidant when it came to discussing his experiences on romance so Jun was right to buy them time to discuss.

“Tatsuya's shy about these things so it'll be a bit hard to discuss your date in front of him,” said Jun as if he had read Katsuya’s thoughts.

“Wow Jun-kun, you really thought about this.” Katsuya nodded his head in amazement. He couldn't help but admire Jun’s foresight on the whole matter.

“Of course! This is a very important day for you and Maya-nee which is also why I brought someone else who can help.” Jun exclaimed as he stood up from his seat.

Katsuya tilted his head to the side, wondering who this surprise guest could be.

Jun knocked on the front door and shouted, “Okay! You can come in now!”

“Is the stage ready!” A deep voice yelled from the other side.

Jun rolled his eyes and turned to Katsuya. “Sorry Katsuya-san, this will be quick.”

Jun turned off the lights and pulled out a flashlight.

“It's ready now!”

Suddenly, the door busted open and there stood a tall figure, his right hand draped over his face, his left arm hugging his body, and his left foot was on a tiptoe. Jun pointed the beam of light at the door and revealed that it was none other than Eikichi “Michel” Mishina from Gas Chamber in their presence. The surprise guest swaggered his way to the living room, with a beat on his step, and his chest puffed out. Of course, Jun’s flashlight followed his every move.

“The Great Michel is here to save the day,” Eikichi pulled out a blue rose from his breast pocket and posed in front of an extremely lost and confused Katsuya.

Jun clapped his hands and Eikichi returned the flower prop to his best friend. Katsuya and Eikichi have met before, once or twice. Maybe even three times if you count Katsuya breaking up fights Kasugayama High students started in the streets. Okay, maybe three is a bit too humble. Probably about five times. Still, Eikichi didn't seem to be fazed by this fact and he turned the lights back on by his own will.

“Since Michel is seeing a woman I thought it would be good to have his opinion too.” Jun explained, seeing Katsuya’s blank expression.

“Leave it to me. The ladies always scream when they see me in the flesh,” Eikichi winked.

Katsuya was stunned beyond belief. He always saw Jun as a proper, shy, and soft-spoken boy; the complete opposite of his brother. He figured that Jun was an honor student who hung out with grade-conscious individuals and listened to classical music. He didn’t expect the former Head Boss of Kasugayama High to be his friend and for Jun to go along with Eikichi’s antics.

He pinched the skin in between his eyebrows and sighed out loud, “I can't believe I'm asking high school students about my love affairs... Is this appropriate?”

“It'll be fine, Katsuya-san! Michel is a good guy and he always helps people out.” Jun vouched for his best friend.

“That's right. Come on, Katsubro. What do you have planned out so far?” Eikichi plopped himself next to Jun on the couch opposite of Katsuya’s.

“I'll bake her a cake,” Katsuya replied, ignoring the fact that Eikichi just called him ‘Katsubro’.

“I heard from Tacchi that you make really good cakes.” Jun nodded seriously. “I think that's a great idea.”

“He really thinks so?” Katsuya asked. “He usually complains when I bake….”

“Really? The only complaint I got was the amount of cakes….”

“That sounds like a good plan. Ladies do like it when men are good in the kitchen.” Eikichi gave Katsuya a thumbs up. “What do you want to make her feel on this date anyway?”

“I want to surprise her. I want her to have a memorable date.” Katsuya answered firmly.

“Memorable, huh….” Eikichi muttered, closing his eyes to think.

“That’s pretty hard to narrow down, Katsuya-san…” Jun rested his head on his hand. “I remember all of my dates with Tatsuya.”

“Well, I especially want her to see me in a different light. Maybe to see me a bit more as someone cooler….” Katsuya blushed at his own words. He couldn’t believe he still had such childish desires.

“I got it.” Eikichi lightly tapped his palm with a closed fist at the thought of this idea. “The best way for men to show their cooler side is to have a gap between their personality and their image.”

Jun and Katsuya didn’t really follow Eikichi’s train of thought. They both looked at Eikichi with expectant eyes, waiting for him to elaborate further. At that moment, Katsuya felt like maybe Eikichi does know what he’s talking about.

“I mean… Okay, so this comes from experience.” Eikichi put a disclaimer and also a small bit of his credential to talk about this topic. “But, as you can see, I am a very handsome, cool, man of mystery.”

“Uhuh.” Jun nodded. Katsuya didn’t react to Eikichi’s words.

“Miyabi tells me that she likes it when I tell her about my troubles because you don’t really see my sensitive side from how I look.” Eikichi continued. “Men look the coolest when they show a side of them that you wouldn’t typically see.

“I mean, I don’t know, I don’t really look at guys that way. What do you think, Jun?” Eikichi pointed at Jun who was nodding along to Eikichi’s words the whole time.

“Hmm…. I suppose the memories that have impacted me the most are of that nature. One of my favorite things about Tacchi is that he brings me new flowers to put in my breast pocket.” Jun took out the Lily of Incas from his pocket and showed it to the group. “He puts so much thought in the meanings too, this one means that there’s such a strong connection between two people that it can’t be put into human language.”

“Woah, I definitely didn’t expect that from Tatsuya. So, that’s why you’ve been bringing different flowers?” Eikichi unconsciously raised his voice at the realization.

“Yeah,” Jun giggled to himself. “Can you imagine him going to the florist’s alone?”

“Should I bring flowers to Amano-kun then?” Katsuya cut the conversation.

“That’s a good idea, I’m sure she’ll be happy!” Jun cheered.

“It is a good idea but, the thing is Katsubro, I think that’s not surprising for you.” Eikichi interjected. “You have this impression of being serious and traditional, y’know? Flowers aren’t really the most surprising things to bring on a date.”

Katsuya saw where Eikichi was coming from. To be fair, he was planning to bring Maya a bouquet of flowers even before their conversation. Isn’t it something a gentleman should naturally do?

“We can have a different approach.” Jun spoke up. “What about changing the way you call her?”

“Oooh, that’s pretty forward. I like that,” Eikichi chuckled heartily. “Why are you still calling her ‘Amano-kun’ anyway? It sounds so…. old.”

Katsuya swallowed the lump in his throat at Eikichi’s words. Has Maya been seeing him as old this whole time?! He didn’t want to change the way he addressed her because it seemed disrespectful. But if it made Katsuya seem old then, that’s just unacceptable.

“Yes! Why don’t you try calling her Maya?” Jun suggested with a huge smile on his face.

Katsuya tried to say her name.

Maya.

Two syllables. Two vowels. Two consonants.

Maya.

It’s so simple but how come everytime Katsuya tried to blurt out her name, he felt a heat rushing up his face?

“I, I don’t think I can do it that suddenly.” Katsuya said with bated breath.

“What? Dude, if you can’t say it now how will you say it to her face?” Eikichi voiced out seriously.

Katsuya had no response to that.

“I know! Let’s practice!” Jun stood up and got closer to Katsuya.

“Yeah!” Eikichi followed behind Jun. “Let’s get into character, let’s change up your look so it’s even more surprising!”

Before Katsuya could protest, the two Kasugayama boys had pulled him out of his seat. Eikichi pulled out a bag and brought out several outfits that Katsuya could only wear in his nightmares. He tried to refuse them but the combined power of Eikichi’s physical strength and height added to Jun’s sweet disposition and his polite insistence was just hard to fight against. Katsuya didn’t really expect the destructive power these two best friends brought to the table but now that he’s subject to it, he wished he was at least a bit more mentally prepared.

A few minutes had passed and Tatsuya returned from the store with a 1-liter bottle of Peach Tea on hand. Before he could open the door he could hear loud noises from inside but he couldn’t make out the words they were saying.

“I’m back. Sorry, I took a while.” Tatsuya placed the plastic bag on the console table at the entryway. “But I got the brand that you liked, Jun.”

“Come on! Just say it, you’re already armored up!” Eikichi encouraged Katsuya.

“You can start with a ‘Maya-san’ if her first name is too intimidating. Anything to make you feel more comfortable,” Jun suggested, trying to ease Katsuya’s nerves.

“I think the first issue is the clothes, Jun-kun,” Katsuya whimpered.

Tatsuya had just entered his home but the first thing he saw was his brother’s face painted in clown white face paint; he had a heavy smokey eye; the thinnest eyebrows painted on a person; a bold blue lip; a graphic tee with the words "Fuck the Police" printed in the chiller font; a torn up denim vest; ripped skinny jeans; and 6 inch platform boots. Katsuya could barely stand.

All that to say, they’ve cursed his brother. His boyfriend and one of his closest friends. The two didn’t even seem to be aware of their crimes; they were happily cheering for him and pressuring him into saying something.

Tatsuya briskly walked up to the two best friends and pulled them by the collar. The two immediately went silent and looked at Tatsuya with wide-set eyes. They honestly forgot about the possibility of him returning. Katsuya could’ve sworn that he saw a halo above his little brother’s head at that moment. He knew his brother was always a good boy but at that moment? Literal saint.

“Jun, I asked you for help with my brother’s date,” Tatsuya said in a terrifyingly soft tone. “You said Eikichi would be able to give good advice so we brought him here too. I didn’t want to but since you said he would be great, I believed in you.”

“I did give good advice!” Eikichi argued.

“Okay, so tell me why you made my brother look like a cursed clown.” Tatsuya snarked.

“Hey!” Eikichi lightly hit Tatsuya on his arm.

“We just gave him some of Eikichi’s clothes… To wear on the date….” Jun tried to reason.

Tatsuya rubbed his temples, picked up Katsuya’s former clothes from the coffee table, and tossed it in Katsuya's direction. He bobbed his head to gesture for Katsuya to go and change his outfit.

“Let’s take it seriously this time and not get carried away, okay?” Tatsuya directed with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“We did take it seriously! What do you mean-” Eikichi declared but immediately stopped on his tracks after seeing Tatsuya’s sharp glare.

“Sorry, Tacchi. I guess we got too excited.” Jun pulled on Tatsuya’s sleeve.

Tatsuya sighed and sat down on the closest couch. He knew if those two got together, it would only result in nothing but chaos. He silently apologized to his brother for not following his intuition and exposing him to the raw power of the Kasugayama students.

#katsumaya #tatsujun #eikichi x miyabi #katsuya suou #maya amano #tatsuya suou #jun kurosu #eikichi mishina #miyabi hanakouji #persona 2 #persona 2 eternal punishment #persona 2 innocent sin #persona #fanfic #fic #fanart

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maritessa · 9 days

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★ Main Story | Act 13 - Budding Spring | Chapter 2 - Storm Before a Storm

Towa: --.

???: …This yours?

???: Oh, a flier for Magicians’. That’s nostalgic.

Towa: (Huh, that voice… nonono, wait, wait…)

???: …Hey.

Towa: (No way, this can’t be real, is it really…?)

Masumi: ?

Towa: O-Oshi… w-wa- uwagh…

Masumi: What?

Towa: (Oh God, his face is so cool… I can’t look at him directly… but I want to. Huh, but what is he doing here… I’m seriously gonna die of an oshi overdose…)

Chikage: Are you alright?

Towa: P-Probably not…

*Collapses*

Masumi: Wait--.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Towa: …Nm?

Izumi: Thank goodness. Are you okay?

Towa: I…

Izumi: You collapsed near our theater. One of our troupe members had to carry you here.

Towa: Collapsed…

Towa: (One of their troupe members… near this theater…)

Towa: W-Wait, this is…

Izumi: Hm? This is MANKAI Theater-- MANKAI Company’s, our theater company’s theater.

Towa: !! This is… this is it? For real!? Like I’m not dreaming!?

Izumi: Whoa.

Masumi: Hey, don’t just touch her without permission.

Towa: A-Aaauh~... so cool… you’re still so cool even when you’re looking at me… I wanna take a pic… I wanna burn this image into my eyes…

Masumi: What?

Tsuzuru: Masumi, how is he?

Itaru: Oh, he’s awake.

Sakuya: Are you okay? Do you need us to get you some water?

Towa: !!

Towa: The actual legit Spring Troupe…!? With all of its members…!!

Citron: Could you be a fin of ours?

Tsuzuru: You mean a fan?

Towa: Citron-san mispronouncing something and Tsuzuru-san correcting him live…!

Itaru: You make it sound like you’re getting to peek behind the curtain.

Towa: U-Um, I’ve been a fan of MANKAI Company for forever…!

Towa: I really love the whole company, but I’m especially a Spring Troupe oshi, um… ah.

Towa: Uwaah, I’m sorry, I’m just so nervous in front of all of you!

Itaru: Nice, got any particular oshi within Spring Troupe?

Towa: --.

Masumi: ?

Towa: U-Umm, I got addicted to MANKAI Company because of your performances in Magicians’, especially Masumi-kun’s…

Tsuzuru: Masumi, say thank you.

Izumi: Why don’t you do something like shake his hand?

Towa: Huh!? No, wait, I don’t have a handshake ticket or anything, but are you sure!?

Itaru: Nah, we don’t have a system like that.

Izumi: C’mon, Masumi-kun.

Masumi: …Nice to meet you.

Towa: Uwaahh… you’re always so cool… I’m never washing this hand again…!

Citron: That is unclean!

Towa: A-Ah, right! Masumi-kun, can I get your autograph!?

Masumi: …Annoying.

Towa: That’s the only other thing I want…! It’ll be like an heirloom…! Please! Without proof, this moment will just be like an illusion…!

Chikage: Leaving evidence with a signature?

Itaru: I mean, it tracks.

Izumi: He’s kept that flier with him all this time. Please sign it for him, Masumi-kun.

Masumi: Ughh…

Towa: Ah, my name’s Towa! “To” like peach and “wa” like peace!

Masumi: …Here.

Towa: Thank you so much! Thank you so, so much! Um, um, um, can we take a selfie together!?

Masumi: What?

Tsuzuru: He’s sure coming on strong.

Citron: It is unusual to see someone be so influenced by Masumi!

Sakuya: It’s kinda nice.

Izumi: Hehe, this kind of opportunity doesn’t come by often, so why don’t you take a picture with him?

Masumi: Why does it have to be me…

*Camera clicks*

Towa: Thankyousososomuch!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Izumi: Well then, get home safely.

Chikage: Be sure to rest as soon as possible if you start feeling unwell.

Towa: I’m really sorry about everything. Thank you so much.

Itaru: Later.

Towa: You’ll always have my support, so keep up the good work!

Masumi: Yeah, yeah.

Towa: (Aaahh… I wanna bring this atmosphere back with me… but I need to get home…)

Towa: (Ummm, which direction is the station in again…?)

Izumi: Do you not know how to get to the station?

Towa: Ah, I’ll just look at my app while heading home, so I’m good!

Sakuya: I’m guessing you don’t live around here, right?

Towa: I recently just moved away from the countryside… and I’m attending a high school around here in the spring.

Towa: That’s why the only way I’ve ever been able to see MANKAI’s performances is through streams…

Izumi: I see.

Tsuzuru: That’s the great thing about the streams. It means kids like you who live far away from us can become fans.

Towa: Until I saw MANKAI’s Magicians’ performance, I had only seen plays at school events.

Towa: Back then, I was kinda just eh about it, but then I got smacked in the face with your performance of Magicians’ and was completely blown away…!

Towa: It was so much fun, I was like man, this is the best thing ever!

Towa: And then the more I learned about Masumi-kun and Chiakge-san and your theater company and Veludo Way, the more obsessed I got…

Towa: I can’t believe that I’m really here standing on Veludo Way, the place I’ve always dreamed of being, and that the Spring Troupe I’ve only seen through a screen is really right here in front of me.

Towa: I was also so excited to have gotten to see some theater live during a street act. I’m so glad I found the courage to come here…

Chikage: So you collapsed because you were so moved by it all?

Masumi: Fair enough.

Citron: We are also happy that you are happy!

Izumi: It’s amazing that you moved to Tokyo for high school. Was it for any reason in particular?

Towa: Umm… it’s really nothing that special or anything…

Towa: I don’t really have anything at all right now… I was hoping to find something like that here…

Towa: Ah, right. Are there troupe members at the theater even when they’re not performing?

Izumi: Yeah, we’re in the process of planning a new event for Spring Troupe. We were having a meeting at the theater since that’s where it’s going to be held.

Towa: Gotcha… Veludo Way really is amazing.

Towa: The troupe members really do exist here, doing all kinds of activities and doing theater right on the street during street acts…

Sakuya: It really is a fun place, isn’t it?

Towa: Yeah! I wanna experience even more live theater. I can’t wait to actually see a MANKAI Company performance live!

Izumi: --.

Izumi: Hey, why don’t you come to our next event?

Towa: For sure! I’ll get going now!

Citron: Make sure you do not get glossed~!

Tsuzuru: It’s lost.