Kathrina
...

Panda
...! Sorry, Katorin. For borrowing a towel...

Panda
Haha... This isn't like me, crying...

Kathrina
No, it's fine.

Kathrina
I'm really sorry. I was too impatient.

Kathrina
...Please try not to worry about what I said earlier.

Panda
Ah, Katorin...!

Kathrina
(...What should I do? I didn't want to hurt Panda.)

Kathrina
(Ugh, why did you say something like that, you idiot!)

Kathrina
(...Is it really impossible for me? If this continues, I'll just repeat the same mistakes...)

Kathrina
...

Kathrina
—K-Kokona, Shizuka. ...Are you back yet? Can I come in?

Yae
Ah, Kathrina-san. Good evening.

Kathrina
Eh?

Kokona
What's wrong? Kathrina-chan.

Kathrina
Sorry, I didn't expect Niizuma to be here...

Shizuka
When we were doing independent practice at the park, Yae-chan contacted us after finishing a work meeting with Hiiragi-san and the others.

Shizuka
She asked if we'd like to have a meeting about the performance content.

Kokona
Right! So we hurried back.

Yae
Did you have business with Kokona-san and the others? Should I step out for a bit?

Kathrina
N-no. It's fine. ...Sorry for bothering you.

Kathrina
Haah...

Kathrina
The Performance A group that's already polished is having meetings to brush up even further...

Kathrina
We're falling further behind. Every second counts.

Kathrina
But because I said something stupid, things got even more complicated...

Kathrina
'I want to become an actor who can stand proudly alongside Papa and Mama'... I absolutely can't let them see me now.

Kathrina
What should I do...

Kathrina
...How did I handle things before?

Ramona
Wait, you two! There's no point in fighting here, right?

Ramona
Kathrina, you should stop making hurtful remarks too. As co-stars, you should be considerate of each other and work together, shouldn't you?

Kathrina
...Thanks to Mona-san, huh. No, I even rejected that and ran away.

Kathrina
I was always fighting with everyone in the troupe, always arguing. ...I said terrible things.

Kathrina
For someone like me to get angry saying 'get along'... No wonder Shizuka laughed.

Kathrina
No, I can't break down. I have to pull myself together.

Kathrina
But then, what am I supposed to do?

Kathrina
...At this rate, the performance will fail. That's the one thing I absolutely hate.

Kathrina
If I were a gentle kid like Kokona, like Wendy, could I have spoken more kindly to Panda...?

Kathrina
How do I become a gentle kid? ...Like Kokona...

Kathrina
...A text?

Kokona
'Kathrina-chan, where are you now?'

Kathrina
...

Kathrina
'On the theatre rooftop'

Kokona
Sorry, Kathrina-chan! Thanks for waiting.

Kathrina
...I wasn't really waiting that long. Is your meeting over?

Kokona
Yeah. I was so worried about you earlier, Kathrina-chan, that I asked to end it early.

Kathrina
...You didn't need to worry about me...

Kokona
I couldn't help being concerned. Sorry if I'm bothering you. I just thought something might have happened.

Kathrina
No, you're not bothering me.

Kathrina
...Hey, Kokona.

Kokona
What is it, Kathrina-chan?

Kathrina
I failed. I couldn't become a gentle kid.

Kokona
A gentle kid?

Kathrina
I... I wanted to become like you. A gentle, considerate girl like you and Wendy.

Kathrina
But today's me was the complete opposite.

Kokona
Complete opposite...?

Kokona
Being called 'gentle' makes me embarrassed. Thanks for the compliment.

Kokona
...Did something happen with Panda-chan and the others?

Kathrina
You know things aren't going well between Panda and Sasuga, right? So rehearsals keep repeating the same things.

Kathrina
That's why I... thought I had to do something. I had to get them to make up quickly.

Kathrina
So I... said terrible things to Panda. Even knowing she was troubled, I said 'bringing that onto the stage is unprofessional.'

Kokona
...I see.

Kathrina
...Then. Panda started crying... I... hurt Panda...

Kokona
...Panda-chan did?

Kathrina
...!

Kathrina
I just thought I had to do something! Otherwise, the stage would fail...

Kathrina
I just wanted to get Panda and the others to talk it out quickly and resolve it.

Kathrina
...I intended to be gentler. I didn't mean to hurt her.

Kathrina
But I... failed again...

Kokona
...Kathrina-chan.

Kathrina
I'm sorry. About all this... You have a different performance. I'm just making you worry unnecessarily.

Kokona
No, it's fine. Thanks for telling me.

Kokona
I understand how you feel. You absolutely want the stage to succeed, and you're worried about Panda-chan and the others too.

Kathrina
...Yes.

Kokona
Supporting someone who's troubled is difficult. I always regret it, thinking 'I should have said it differently.'

Kokona
But I think it's really good that you care about everyone like that, Kathrina-chan, and I'm very happy about it.

Kokona
You're just still getting used to it. I'm sure you'll learn to choose your words well, Kathrina-chan.

Kathrina
...Kokona.

Kokona
Was there some trigger? A reason you wanted to become a gentle kid.

Kathrina
...

Kathrina
There's nothing.

Kathrina
If I'm going to become a World Dai Star, I thought I need to do theatre with everyone, not just by myself.

Kathrina
Not 'everyone is an enemy,' but working together. I decided I need to be able to work together.

Kokona
I see. You've changed since we first talked, Kathrina-chan.

Kokona
In a very good way.

Kathrina
...But today I failed again, and nothing about Panda and the others has been resolved.

Kathrina
Even though the performance day is approaching.

Kokona
You're right. We need to talk with Panda-chan and the others about that.

Kathrina
What if I... make another mistake?

Kokona
Then how about saying 'let's try working together' to Panda-chan and the others?

Kokona
I'm also helped by various people, not just Shizuka-chan, you Kathrina-chan, Yae-chan, and everyone in the troupe.

Kokona
If it's difficult alone, trying it together with everyone might be good too.

Kathrina
Together...

Kathrina
...Can I do it?

Kokona
Then let's do it together?

Kokona
If we're all working together, I want to work hard with you, Kathrina-chan, Panda-chan and the others too.

Kokona
Even with separate performances, we're all Sirius teammates.

Kokona
Hey, want to go talk to Sasuga-chan together? She consulted with me a little too, and I was concerned.

Kathrina
...Alright.