Tetra
...You want to join Eden if I'm moved by your acting? Are you serious?

Hatsumi
Yes, I'm serious. It's simple and straightforward, isn't it?

Tetra
Well now...you've just shown up unexpectedly, and you've got quite the confidence.

Hatsumi
Naturally. I've honed my skills for this purpose.

Tetra
Hmm...

Eden Actor
I'm sorry about this when you're feeling unwell. This person wouldn't listen no matter what I said. She insisted on having you watch her...

Tetra
Ah, it's fine.

Tetra
Still, if you really want to join our company, I think there are better ways to go about it.

Tetra
Our theatre company has annual auditions. If you apply formally there-

Hatsumi
I have no intention of wasting time to demonstrate the same result.

Hatsumi
Besides, I want to confirm something myself.

Hatsumi
Sera Tetra-san-whether you, seeing me as I am now, will be moved.

Tetra
...Alright. If you insist, I'll watch your performance just once. But depending on the result, you'll have to leave quietly.

Hatsumi
Yes, that's fine.

Tetra
So? What exactly will you perform to move me?

Hatsumi
If you have a preference, I'll listen, but if not, I'll decide.

Tetra
Let's see...it would be helpful if you know the classics thoroughly, but there are no particular rules. Perform whatever role you like.

Hatsumi
...In that case, I request "Macbeth".

Tetra
Shakespeare, quite traditional. Wouldn't another theatre company be better than ours?

Hatsumi
I wonder about that. The King Macbeth I wanted to perform never saw the light of day.

Tetra
What do you mean?

Hatsumi
...Nothing, I won't make you regret it. Now, let me begin.

Tetra
The performance Hatsumi showed at that time was extraordinary. Not just me, but other Eden members were watching with bated breath.

Tetra
Hatsumi herself had a strong presence, and I could understand why her performance "never saw the light of day" at the traditional Gingaza.

Tetra
She was that overwhelming, disrupting harmony. I could easily imagine how difficult she must have been for the director to handle...

Tetra
...

Eden Actor
...Are you really going to accept her? That Renjakuno girl...!

Tetra
There's no helping it...after seeing such an incredible acting ability. As a fellow actor, I can't ignore it.

Eden Actor
But still...there's no need to let such a disrespectful person into Eden! The theatre company we've built up will be ruined!

Tetra
..."Built up," huh.

Eden Actor
Besides, that girl caused trouble at Gingaza and left abruptly, didn't she? If we let her join, Eden might also be targeted by Gingaza...

Tetra
Ah, I looked into that too...

Tetra
With such acting ability, I thought she couldn't be inexperienced...to think she was at Gingaza.

Tetra
(So that's what she meant by "never saw the light of day".)

Tetra
...I understand your concern. But...that child's performance I saw won't leave my mind.

Eden Actor
Tetra-san...

Tetra
I'll meet with her again tomorrow and talk. After that, I'll make my final decision.

Hatsumi
It's an honor to have my final interview on Eden Theatre's stage.

Tetra
Easy for you to say. You don't think that in the slightest, do you?

Tetra
Since time is precious, I'll ask you directly. Why did someone like you come to Eden?

Tetra
With your ability, you could have risen higher at Gingaza. If you aim to become a Dai Star, that would be more certain.

Hatsumi
I have no interest in status or honor.

Hatsumi
...Gingaza was too big. It would take too much time to reorganise it to my liking.

Tetra
What do you mean?

Hatsumi
Exactly what I said. I want a theatre company I can move as I please. For that, this Eden is perfect. I even like the name.

Hatsumi
I hope this "paradise" will quench my thirst.

Tetra
Move as you please? Really...how can you say such things in front of the very person who established Eden?

Tetra
Surely you're not saying you don't know who I am?

Hatsumi
I'm not that disrespectful. Your life's work and acting are splendid. You're one of the few actors I feel I could learn from.

Hatsumi
Ah, yes. Let me add that to my reasons for joining.

Tetra
Huh...?

Tetra
...Haha, hahahaha! It frustrates me to feel like I'm being manipulated...but you're interesting.

Hatsumi
Fufu. I'm an actor who can shine in comedy too.

Tetra
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players," is that it?

Hatsumi
"As You Like It"? Honestly, I prefer tragedy to comedy.

Tetra
...

Hatsumi
My respect for you is genuine, so please remember that.

Tetra
In the end, even after the interview, I couldn't grasp the core of the person called Renjakuno Hatsumi.

Daikoku
...

Nikako
But you did let Ren-san join the company, right?

Tetra
Yes. The members of Eden were firmly against Hatsumi joining, but I had certain expectations.

Tetra
Later that decision caused us to lose many members, and made actors cry.

Iruru
...Even right after joining, Hatsumi would voice her opinions to important people without hesitation. She was trying to overturn Eden's system.

Iruru
That said, I'm the only one here who was in the company back then, so the rest of you probably can't imagine it...but it was pretty bad.

Tetra
Yes. Hatsumi was always causing trouble. I could only hear about it secondhand, but the situation far exceeded my expectations.

Tetra
The veterans who had been setting the policies left one after another, and before I knew it, Hatsumi had taken control of the company.

Shigure
I've heard about that episode itself, but I would have liked to see it.

Nikako
Uuu...I wouldn't want to.

Tetra
I was concerned too. Her ability as an actor was certain, but I thought I needed to determine whether she was truly someone I could trust.

Tetra
I needed to take time to have a proper conversation. That's what I thought. But around that time, I witnessed a strange scene.

Tetra
It was...a terribly rainy day.