"Hehehe...! It's kind of exciting, Yume!"
"Yeah, it is."
After giving the tickets to Aqua and Akane, I had slipped out of the practice room, quietly rendezvoused with Ai, and was now tailing Aqua.
I suppose you could say I've gotten used to this by now... it's actually become quite fun.
By the way, we used our personal connections to enter through the staff back door and carefully took seats in the very last row.
Of course, Ai wouldn't be visible to others, but I was satisfied just being able to see everything clearly as I sat down and waited for the play to begin.
SIDE: Hoshino Aqua
"I can't believe Yume-senpai gave us tickets first... but I'm glad he did. This stage is quite popular. Go ahead in first."
Taking Akane's consideration, I went inside and sat down, looking around at my surroundings.
"Are all of these monitors?"
"Yeah, it's a 360-degree full-screen monitor system."
"360?"
"Well, just wait and see~"
Well... I thought all plays were more or less the same... wouldn't it be more helpful to watch and practice Yume or Ai's roles one more time instead?
As that thought crossed my mind...
"...Are the monitors opening?"
"Shh~"
Silenced by Akane's finger to her lips, I began to watch the play quietly, and soon...
[What is this?]
[Wait?]
[Wind?]
[4DX?]
[No, that's not it...]
[No, uh...?]
[You've got to be kidding... something like this exists!?]
Ultimately, I ended up watching the play to the very end with a mix of shock and intense focus. After it finished, we arrived at a cafe.
"How was it?"
"........Well, honestly speaking... it was fifty times more interesting than a video recording..."
"Right~~!?"
"First of all, I was surprised that the curtains were monitors. With that, you can integrate video direction directly into the play."
"Exactly! People always say the 'curtain rises' on a story, but that's becoming an old-fashioned saying!"
"It feels more like the monitors of a story are opening."
"Mm-hmm."
"What surprised me most was that the audience seats rotated 360 degrees. With this, you can prepare several stage sets for the events and transition between screens quickly and smoothly."
"Yes, yes! It physically solved the structural flaws that stage plays have. Not only that, the mechanism of the rotating seats can be used as a directorial tool. The range of what can be done in a play expands by a lot!!"
"Since the direction was so good, even the actors' performances felt more spirited... and the story was quite decent too. To be honest, it was good... yeah, it was extremely good."
"Ufufufufufufufu, ehehehehehehe."
Akane let out a silly giggle at Aqua's words.
"I understand now why you called it immersive content. This is definitely an experience you can't get from a screen."
"Right?"
"Besides... your face is all relaxed, Akane. Why to that extent...?"
"Well, I was worried about what to do if you didn't enjoy the play, Aqua-kun... I believed you would understand these strengths! I'm so happy!!"
".......(Sip.)"
"Of course, this is one of the most luxurious theaters in Japan.... Other plays often use the older styles you probably imagined. But I'd be happy if this served as a turning point for you to enjoy the theater!"
"Well, I've become a bit more positive about it."
"I think that's enough for now. You were originally a person from the video industry anyway..."
"Hey there, you two."
While Aqua and Akane were talking, the person slowly approaching them was none other than Raida Sumiaki.
"Raida-san."
"Why are you here...?"
As Aqua and Akane asked in confusion,
"What do you mean 'why'? This stage is my responsibility. When I'm feeling a bit down, I watch the faces of the departing audience. An audience's face is honest. If they're having fun, they smile; when it's mediocre, they have a blank expression. Looking at them translates into motivation for us.From that perspective, your face was great, Aqua-kun. It made this old man happy too."
"Whaaa~~ I wanted to see! What kind of face was it? Do it one more time!"
"....I refuse."
As Aqua moderately pushed away a persistent Akane, Raida spoke.
"Well, I spotted you two and followed to say hello... did I interrupt something?"
"No, no, not at all!"
"Raida-san, is the script doing okay?"
"Hmm.... I actually came here today after another fight with the publishing house.... As expected, the original author-sensei seems quite stubborn.... I thought things might loosen up a bit after Yume-kun spoke to them last time..."
'....Well, Yume wouldn't interfere unless absolutely necessary.'
"They're telling GOA-kun, who's in charge of the script, to leave. Sensei says she wants to write the script herself."
As soon as he heard Raida's words, Aqua spoke with an exasperated expression.
"That's impossible. I thought about it while watching today's play. This script worked hard to fully utilize the stage's strengths. Even lines that were a bit too long and mediocre would look good on this stage.The original author probably knows nothing about the stage or its mechanics. They'll likely turn in a script meant to be performed in a high school gymnasium. Today's stage was a professional piece where the script and the mechanics were perfectly synchronized at a high level. Even if she's a popular mangaka, a beginner at theater scripting couldn't possibly produce a script of that level."
'Well, if it were Yume, he'd probably just laugh and say, "Hahaha! It's fine, just wait an hour!" and write the best script ever... because he's a mass of talent.'
After hearing Aqua's words, Raida slowly opened his heavy mouth.
"Well... that's a part we have to handle on our end. But you know? GOA-kun wrote the script for today's play as well.He's excellent. He truly loves the theater. He studies hard and is persistent with rewrites. Every play he writes leaves the audience leaving the hall with a smile. Even Yume-kun once said this: 'I don't particularly see GOA as an individual in a great light, but I believe he is a genius created by effort worthy of his skills.' He told me that. Of course, I kept that a secret from GOA-chan."
'If Yume speaks of him that way, GOA-san's level as a scriptwriter must be top-tier already. He really does have an eye for people....'
"Truly..... I didn't want to cut him."
Leaving it at that, Raida's retreating figure looked incredibly pained.
"Is there nothing that can be done.....?"
"What could I do!? I'm not grand enough to do something about a giant publishing house! The only person who could easily handle something like that is Yume-kun!!!"
"Well, certainly Yume-senpai would handle it easily.... but the only one who can actually do something is you, Raida-san."
"That's.... true, but...."
With those words, Aqua and Akane parted ways with Raida. On the way home,
"GOA-san..... I wonder if he'll really be cut... If I looked at it from the original's perspective..... I'd be lying if I said I had no complaints about GOA-san's script, but I followed it because I thought it was a good script overall."
"Well, that's how it is. Both the original author and the scriptwriter have their assertions. The problem is the miscommunication that exists there. If that's solved, there's even a chance for it to become a better stage. Since he showed me a good play today... well, I guess I'll do a bit of prodding as payment for the performance that moved me."
'I don't know what Yume would do if I asked him for help unnecessarily...'
SIDE: Hoshino Yume
"Hmm..... It seems my help isn't particularly needed?"
I had been tailing Aqua while carrying Ai, who had fallen asleep from exhaustion. I had assumed Aqua would solve this matter himself, and it seemed my intuition was spot on.
"You can rely on this father at times like this... well, I suppose I can't keep them tucked under my wing forever..."
Well, there's one girl on my back who seems to have no intention of ever leaving my side...
"At most... no, knowing Aqua, he'll probably go there first thing tomorrow?"
Hmm..... if he goes anywhere, he'll likely visit Yoriko Kishijogi-sensei's house.And the group going would be around four or five people at most, including Aqua?It's safe to assume Aqua will go. And Akane-chan... and surprisingly, Kana-chan will probably tag along too. And.... surprisingly, maybe Melt Narushima...? He might take that boy along too.
"Well, this father will just cheer you on from behind with all his heart..... Keep polishing and refining yourself...."
[Because what lies at the end of this play will be quite a difficult experience for you, Aqua. And both Ai and I believed you could overcome that pain... that's why we asked you to take this role.I won't tell you to get used to death. But surprisingly, if you overcome that experience just once... you will grow even more. Because.]
"You aren't Amamiya Goro; you are Hoshino Aquamarine, the one and only precious son belonging to me and Hoshino Ai."
Of course, this is something Ai wouldn't know.... Since she's fast asleep, anyway.
"Now! Ai, shouldn't you wake up and walk soon?"
"Nnn~ Nooo, I don't want to~!"
"Good grief.... You're still such a child."
"Ehehe~ I want to be Yume's and Yume's alone!"
"Aren't you already?"
"Hehe....."
We will still.... no, from now on, we must continue to live happily. Everything for the sake of a happy 'family'.