| Backstage Stories | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icons | Card Name | Story | ||
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【Waiting for Spring】 | Welcome to the Dorm | ||
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【Suit & Tie】 | A Strong Personality | ||
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【The Wonderful Charlatan of Oz】 | Role Study: Oswald | ||
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【Knights of the Round IV】 | Role Study: Gawain | ||
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【Standing Rehearsal】 | No Cats Allowed | ||
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【Self-Deprecating Swindler】 | My Sister | ||
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【Deck Hand's Escort】 | Sinking Ships | ||
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【Blooming Trail】 | Make It Spicy | ||
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【About to Bloom】 | Rabbit Guardian | ||
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【Recollections of Gingerbread】 | Gingerbread of the Past and Present | ||
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【Blooming Journey】 | One Early Morning | ||
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【His Neutral Territory】 | Apology Gift | ||
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【We Need to Hide Quietly】 | Double Spy Strategy | ||
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【Mankai Birthday】 | The Darts Debacle | ||
Mini Chats[]
| The Wonderful Charlatan of Oz | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Side Utsuki Chikage (1/3) | |||
| Chikage: | I never thought I'd be asked to take on a leading role in my first play. I'll do my best though, of course. Tsuzuru wrote the part for me, too, so I should mostly just be able to act like myself. The swindler sounds like a good role, too. You think I might be able to put my magic skills to work in the play? Huh, I could see that. I'm still learning the ropes, but I know everyone in the Spring Troupe will have my back. I'm sure I'll be asking you a lot of questions, too, Izumi. | ||
| Side Utsuki Chikage (2/3) | |||
| Chikage: | You have some real interesting characters in this theater company of yours. I wasn't expecting a celebrity or a crossdressing kid, but... What really got me was when that one guy started spouting poems out of nowhere. Everyone else seemed completely used to it, too. Didn't even bat an eyelash. Then again, I think the diversity of Mankai, not just in terms of age and occupation, is one of its good points. You're a pretty amazing director for being able to pull all these people together. | ||
| Side Utsuki Chikage (3/3) | |||
| Chikage: | Hey, Izumi. Have you tried the new spice everyone's been talking about? Oh, you haven't been able to get your hands on it yet? I guess it is sold out in a lot of places. I actually just found some at this one new shop. The flavors are perfectly balanced. It's really delicious. Jealous? Well, you can't have it, even if you look at me with those puppy dog eyes. I'm joking, of course. Since I was already there, I bought two jars. Here's one for you. What should I ask for in return, I wonder? I bet I could get you to do anything I asked... Kidding, kidding. No need to be so tense. You'll use that spice in your cooking from now on, right? I can't wait. | ||
| Chikage & Tenma's Chat | |||
| Tenma: | Hey, Chikage. You speak some foreign languages, right? | ||
| Chikage: | Yeah, I go overseas a lot for business, after all, so I can speak several countries' languages. | ||
| Tenma: | THing is, for an upcoming TV drama, I'm playing a character who has just returned to Japan after living abroad, and several of my lines are in English. | ||
| Tenma: | Think you could help me with my lines? | ||
| Chikage: | Oh, wow. I heard you were passionate about acting, but I didn't know you were this serious about it. | ||
| Tenma: | Of course I am. I can't go on camera half-assing my pronunciation. If I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do it perfectly. | ||
| Chikage: | The answer of a true pro. | ||
| Tenma: | And as long as we're at it... | ||
| Tenma: | ...Maybe you could help me with some of my English homework, too? | ||
| Chikage: | Haha. Sure thing. | ||
| Tenma: | Thanks. | ||
| Chikage: | Not a problem. | ||
| Knights of the Round IV On Stage | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Side Utsuki Chikage (1/3) | |||
| Chikage: | When we did Oz, my part was written specifically for me, so it was a lot easier to handle. I didn't have to do all the extra work I'm doing for this show. Plus, between the show being based on a game and me playing a lead, there's a lot of added pressure. We didn't have fight choreo last time, either. I'm not too worried about that, since I'm pretty good at athletic stuff, though. I'm not really interested in games, but I'm planning to at least play KotR to get a handle on my character. I want to be able to mimic my character's ways of speaking and moving, as well as their overall look on stage. Then I have to figure out how to get in sync with our leading man, Chigasaki. We have sword fights together, but he's terrible at anything resembling exercise. Maybe the best way for him to learn is for me to go all-out on him without holding back. | ||
| Side Utsuki Chikage (2/3) | |||
| Chikage: | The Spring Troupe are all in the lounge playing KotR, right? The music from the game's practically become the lounge's background music now. Not to mention that Citron's been humming the main theme a lot, so even some of the other troupes have picked up the habit. Kazunari, Kumon, Taichi... Even Matsukawa has started singing some of the songs from the game lately. I heard Tsumugi humming one of the songs when he was watering the plants out in the courtyard earlier, too. I don't think he even realized he was doing it. KotR has taken over the whole company, not just the Spring Troupe. | ||
| Side Utsuki Chikage (3/3) | |||
| Chikage: | Hey, Izumi. Have you ever been to the soba restaurant that's on the side street near St. Flora? They've got some good curry there. If you've never been, let's go together sometime. It's a real hidden gem. I don't tell many people about it, but I guess it's okay if you go there. Why? Hmm... I guess I respect your love for curry, and I feel a connection to you as the one of the only two curry lovers of Mankai, but... ...You're also a little special. I thought it would be nice to have a secret the two of us could share. That sounds like a good reason, right? I'll let you decide whether you think I'm joking or not. Anyway, let me know when you'd be free to go try that curry. | ||
| Chikage & Juza's Chat | |||
| Chikage: | I want to pass out a lot of flyers today, so how we do a street act with some action in it? | ||
| Juza: | You wanna do an action scene? I haven't really done anythin' like that with the other troupes... | ||
| Chikage: | Just come at me, seriously. I'm used to it. | ||
| Juza: | Okay, then. Ready? Hah! | ||
| Chikage: | ...! Wow, you're fast AND strong. I heard you taught yourself how to fight, but I didn't think you'd be this good. | ||
| Juza: | The action scene worked good. I'm glad we got so many people watchin' and managed to hand out a bunch of fliers. | ||
| Chikage: | Yeah... You know, you've got quite the talent there. If you really honed your fighting skills, you could go pro. | ||
| Juza: | Pro? At what? | ||
| Chikage: | Ah. Never mind. Forget I said anything. | ||
| Juza: | All that movin' around's got me hungry. | ||
| Chikage: | Speaking of food, I hear tonight's dessert is shiratama zenzai. | ||
| Juza: | You mean... that sweet red bean soup with dango on top?! | ||
| Chikage: | You're a sucker for sickeningly sweet stuff, huh? Reminds me of a certain someone.
| ||
| The Moon and the Rabbit | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Side Utsuki Chikage (1/3) | |||
| Chikage: | So now we're chasing a rabbit... It's much harder to catch them than I was expecting, though. That rabbit is exceptionally intelligent. I'm much more used to tracking down humans rather than animals... Oh, no. I didn't say anything. Well, I guess we just have to keep trying different methods until we grab that rabbit. Don't worry, I've also been thinking of another way to advertise our troupe since we don't have the Night Walk this year. Hey, you know what? Why don't you put on one of those infamous rabbit pajamas of ours and pass out flyers to promote our troupe? ...Haha, just kidding. I'll keep brainstorming. | ||
| Side Utsuki Chikage (2/3) | |||
| Chikage: | Did you know that Homare composes haiku, too? He's going to some haiku gathering that's also doubling as a moon viewing party. Creating poetry under the moonlight sounds rather classy, doesn't it? He likes rap as well, if I'm not mistaken. How often do you hear of a guy who attends both haiku gatherings and rap battles? I can't help but admire Homare for having such a wide range of interests when it comes to the arts. In fact, when he heard that we're looking for a rabbit, he was suddenly struck with inspiration for a series of rabbit-related poems. He said he's holding a recital after dinner, but I can't help but wonder how many he wrote... I have no idea how large a 'series' is by Homare standards... | ||
| Side Utsuki Chikage (3/3) | |||
| Chikage: | There's a lot of moon-related folklore in Japan, but if I had to pick the most famous one, it'd probably be the story of Princess Kaguya. She avoided marriage by sending each of her suitors on a quest to retrieve an impossibly rare treasure. Needless to say, all of them failed. If I were in their position, however... I'd make sure that you received whatever treasures your heart desired, no matter what lengths I'd have to go through to acquire them. I'd even meet you on the moon if you told me to. Why don't we start right now? I could get you some rare foreign spices, if you'd like. Haha, I knew you'd want those more than any of the world's finest treasures. Don't worry, I'll get those for you right away. | ||
| Chikage & Hisoka's Chat | |||
| Chikage: | I heard that last year's Night Walk lasted all night. I can't imagine you stayed awake the entire time. | ||
| Hisoka: | ...I joined all the improv battles and walked on my own more than half the time. | ||
| Chikage: | And the other half? | ||
| Hisoka: | Tsuzuru carried me. | ||
| Chikage: | Of course he had to, the poor guy. I understand his suffering all too well. | ||
| Hisoka: | He's better at carrying me than you are. You could learn a thing or two from how careful he is. | ||
| Chikage: | I bother to carry you at all, and you still have the nerve to criticize my technique? I should just leave you on the floor next time. Besides, how would you know who's better at carrying you anyway? Aren't you asleep when we're lugging you around? | ||
| Hisoka: | There are times when I can just tell. You carry me like a sack of potatoes. And... you also have that same, familiar scent from long ago. It hasn't changed a bit. | ||
| Chikage: | ... | ||
| Hisoka: | Yawn... Need sleep... Carry me, please... Zzz... | ||
| Chikage: | Ugh. I told you that I wasn't going to indulge you anymore, dammit. I'm dragging you to your room and that's it. I swear, you're just as spoiled and carefree as ever.
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| Holiday Dreams | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Side Utsuki Chikage (1/3) | |||
| Chikage: | Getting to perform in a special Christmas show is a pretty big deal. Since we'll have some free time before rehearsal and the main performance, we should go somewhere together with everyone. I'll look up some good restuarants to visit while we're there. Cold places are famous for spicy dishes, so I'm sure I'll find something good. I heard there are a number of local curry blends in the area. I'll do some research on the restaurants near where we'll be performing, too. Might as well, right? | ||
| Side Utsuki Chikage (2/3) | |||
| Chikage: | A lot of guys in this company are all about lively events and parties. Like Azami, for instance. He's rather mature for his age, so I didn't think he was the type to enjoy Christmas or other holidays much. That's why I was so surprised when I saw him in the lounge earlier, completely absorbed in some Christmas special. When I asked him what it was about, he told me it was a feature on makeup. Apparently, he was checking out some special holiday sets. I guess he and Azuma often want the same makeup sets, so even if they're too expensive for Azami to buy, Azuma will share info on them after he gets them. Even Azami has his own way of enjoying the Christmas season, huh? | ||
| Side Utsuki Chikage (3/3) | |||
| Chikage: | This is quite the party, isn't it? Long ago, I'd be forced to celebrate Christmas because my... friend liked it so much, but this is probably the first party I've been at with this many people. By the way, Izumi. Would you like to see a bit of Christmas magic? Look into my eyes, okay? One, two, three! Haha. Surprised? Here, this is my Christmas present to you. You're very welcome. Hmm? What's inside? You'll just have to open it to find out. Don't worry. It's a proper present, I promise. Having fun with everyone, eating gingerbread...seeing you smile. This isn't as bad as I thought it'd be. I could come to like this kind of Christmas. Merry Christmas, Izumi. | ||
| Chikage & Muku's Chat | |||
| Chikage: | You seem like the type that really likes Christmas and other Festive holidays. | ||
| Muku: | I really do! They're wonderful! I love hearing the holiday music that plays everywhere and seeing the sreets decorated with lights and trees and wreaths. It's all so lovely! You've traveled a lot, right, Chikage? What's Christmas like in other countries? | ||
| Chikage: | Well... Some places abroad hold very extravagant celebrations. There are places where big Christmas markets are held yearly, too. | ||
| Muku: | Wow, I can't even imagine what that would all look like! I'd love to go see something like that one day. | ||
| Chikage: | Until then, I've got a present to hold you over. Here you go. | ||
| Muku: | A present for me? Thank you. Wow! A Christmas picture book! This one's not from Japan, is it? This is so neat! Oh my gosh, it's got pop-up pictures, too! | ||
| Chikage: | I found it during one of my recent business trips and I thought you might like it. I hope it's not too childish a gift. | ||
| Muku: | No, not at all. This is perfect! Thank you, Chikage. I'll treasure this forever! | ||
| Chikage: | You're very welcome. Heh. He looks so happy. I wonder if this is how Santa Claus feels when he gives presents to people?
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