Koyomi
-Then let's begin. A rehearsal with just the two of us, Hikari-san and me.

Hikari
Y-Yes...! Thank you for doing this, Koyomi-san...!

Koyomi
Well then, let's see...first, could you perform Ushiwakamaru as you envision him?

Hikari
M-Me, as I envision Ushiwakamaru...?

Koyomi
Yes, exactly as I said. ...I'd like to see the Ushiwakamaru you feel, unconstrained by Gingaza's direction.

Hikari
Ushiwakamaru as I envision him...yeah, okay! I'll try...!

Hikari
"Whether one strikes or doesn't strike, only the one who was struck can say...being asked my name, I have no obligation to answer."

Hikari
"Yet there is another who wears a sword and stands upon this bridge. That person...who might you be!"

Koyomi
(A boy, Ushiwakamaru, caught between his mission of avenging his father and his mother's opposition, facing his final duel tonight... quite interesting.)

Koyomi
"You ask my name, killer? ...Then listen! I am the warrior monk who studied at Mount Hiei, Musashibou Benkei!"

Hikari
(Amazing...! So powerful...! There's a force that could sweep away the small Ushiwakamaru...!)

Koyomi
...Good. That's enough!

Hikari
! Um, just now...how was it?

Koyomi
I'm not a director, so I won't answer whether it was correct or incorrect.

Koyomi
However, that was you performing Ushiwakamaru as you envisioned him...a free and innovative performance, is that right?

Hikari
Yeah, that's right! A new way of performing that I learned while acting with everyone at the workshop!

Koyomi
I see. Then next, could you perform it the way sensei instructed?

Hikari
Got it...! I'll try...!

Hikari
(I couldn't do it well during rehearsal, but this time for sure...! Because I don't want to drag Koyomi-san down anymore...!)

Koyomi
Then-begin!

Hikari
"...Whether one strikes or doesn't strike, only the one who was struck can say. Being asked my name, I have no obligation to answer."

Hikari
"Yet there is another who wears a sword and stands upon this bridge. That person...who might you be?"

Koyomi
...!

Koyomi
(Yes, this is it...Gingaza's traditional acting...the figure of Ushiwakamaru seeking only strength in his solitude.)

Koyomi
"You ask my name, killer? Then listen. I am the warrior monk who studied at Mount Hiei...Musashiou Benkei!"

Hikari
(Maybe it's because it's just the two of us with Koyomi-san...I'm not nervous and I feel like I can perform freely.)

Hikari
(When I express my feelings as Ushiwakamaru, Koyomi-san responds as Benkei. What is this feeling...it feels so good!)

Hikari
(And performing both ways, I understood something...what Ushiwakamaru was feeling as he stood on that bridge...)

Koyomi
Stop. ...This is good enough for today.

Hikari
Koyomi-san...thank you! By performing it both ways, I feel like I've grasped the directorial intent just a little bit!

Koyomi
Is that so...then that's good. But why were you able to perform it now when you couldn't during the daytime rehearsal?

Hikari
Huh? Um...I don't know, but probably...if it's with you, Koyomi-san, I believed you'd catch me no matter how much I put into it?

Koyomi
Heh heh, what a lovely thing to say. I'm honoured to be trusted as an actor.

Koyomi
...Just as you believed in me, Hikari-san, sensei also instructs you believing that you can do it.

Koyomi
This is what I consider trust to be.

Hikari
She believes in me...sensei believes in me too. Hey, what about you, Koyomi-san? Do you believe in me...?

Koyomi
Haah, you...how many times must I say it before you understand? If I didn't believe in you, I wouldn't have voluntarily invited you to rehearse like this.

Hikari
Oh yeah, that makes sense...sorry for asking something weird.

Koyomi
No, if it gives you even a little confidence, Hikari-san. ...More than that, it's gotten late. Let's head back soon.

Koyomi
I'll excuse myself first. Hikari-san, please be careful on your way home too. ...See you tomorrow then.

Hikari
Yeah! Thank you, Koyomi-san! ...See you tomorrow!

Hikari
(Today I got encouraged by Koyomi-san a lot...even though Koyomi-san has all kinds of pressure and is having a hard time too...)

Hikari
(Yet Koyomi-san...didn't complain or show any weakness in front of me at all. Come to think of it, have I ever seen Koyomi-san talk like that?)

Hikari
(Does Koyomi-san have...someone to encourage her? Like Ushiwakamaru and Benkei...someone by her side to support her?)

Hikari
(Right now, isn't it Benkei who needs support more than Ushiwakamaru...?)

Edit

Pub: 21 Nov 2025 19:24 UTC

Edit: 25 Nov 2025 21:35 UTC

Views: 4