Translator: Flowingcloud Editor: Arocks141
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Theater 2: Genius Child Actor Meets Genius Child Actor!? – Ending
Lowell Residence (Evening)
After returning home, Tsugumi plunges into her father’s chest.
When I came home from the first meetup, I was greeted by my smiling parents. I jumped into the warmth of their gentle bodies, and as my tall father picked me up, my field of vision broadened.
“I became friends with Rin’s older brother.”
“Oh, I see, I see. My angel is a genius at making friends, huh?”
“Ara ara.” 1
A gentle smile. Gentle words. When I take into consideration that these were directed to me as their daughter—as parents and child, I felt uneasy.
“I thought Tsugumi might want to watch some movies and dramas as part of your acting studies, so I’ve prepared a theater room, so let’s watch them together later.”
“Really? I’m so happy!”
“When you were younger, we used to watch fairy tales and theater masterpieces together.”
“Ehh! I don’t remember.”
I sorta remember, but I sorta don’t remember? Also, I’m happy—I’m happy, but what’s a theater room?
I didn’t expect they would prepare something like a small movie theater and I was busy trying to hold back the cringe from my face.2
“Tsugumi, let’s go see a play sometime. If you find a theater troupe you like, shall we invite them?”
“That’s a good idea! As expected of my goddess. What were we talking about again?”
Inviting a theater troupe… Errrr, how am I supposed to stop this? Aren’t you spoiling your daughter a bit too much here?
“Daddy, Mommy, um…”
“Hm? Ahh, that’s right. Do you want to sleep with us today?”
“Ah—S-Sure.”
I was looking for words to stop him, but perhaps I was too tired, but I obediently nodded my head to my father’s words. Putting my body aside, even though my mental age was 30 years old, I still wanted to sleep together with my parents!
My father’s big hand gently stroked my hand to calm me down as I tried to have it take his hand off my head in a fluster.
“Would Tsugumi’s room be fine?”
“Haha, it’s a little too small, Dear. Shall we sleep in our own room?”
“I like that. Then, let’s have Haruna burn some aromatherapy oils.”
“Yes. Then, let’s have Koharu-san bring Tsugumi’s stuffed animal as well.”
When I was a child, I longed for my own room. If I had a space to myself, I thought I could escape from my father, who was a violent drunk.
However, in reality, I dreamed of sleeping in the shape of ‘川’ with my parents. I fantasized about how happy I would be just to have them both looking at me and calling out to me gently, and then, the reality came before me.
I’ve never experienced anything like this. I’ve never experienced anything so warm. Even though I’ve never experienced it, now, I’m puzzled by how much I can surely experience it as much as I want.
As a horror actress, Kirio Tsugumi was highly praised for her hungry, mad love acting.
I am now just a child that is growing up enveloped in love.
(How can I respond to both of their love?)
I know how to act that way, but I don’t know how to behave like a spoiled child. I felt that the boundary between the Tsugumi living in the past, and Tsugumi living in the present, was slightly shaken.
Kakinuma Residence (Night)
Kakinuma sets his smartphone on speakerphone and leaves it on top of the desk, then he sits down on his sofa.
“Ahh, hello. It’s me.”
“That’s rare of Uncle to call me.”
“Am I really that lazy?”
“That’s not it, but you’re busy, right? After all, you’re the great actor, Kakinuma Souzou.”
“Stop it. I have just personally experienced my immaturity.”
In a room in my house, I talked on my smartphone. The person on the other end of the line was my nephew ages apart from each other. He, too, followed the same path as I did, and oddly enough, has become popular and he has a similar appearance to me when I was younger. This popularity is not only due to his lineage or appearance. He has more talent than I did when I was young, and he was just as greedy as I was back then.
The last time I saw him was two years ago; when he was only sixteen years old. He looked more sophisticated on TV, but I wonder how he would when we meet up in person. I’m looking forward to that time.
“…That really is rare. Did you become timid? Stop it. Uncle, you’re my goal.”
“It’s easier for you to surpass me now, right?”
“If you really think so, please tell me that in a non-ambitious tone. What is it? Don’t tell me you called because you’re full of ambition after something happened. Haa… my goal got further away again.”
“Hahaha, isn’t it worth it though?”
My nephew’s intimate sigh was somewhat comforting. It was hard for me to lose focus, since he had set his sights on an old man like me. He was born two years after she had passed away, and he was also my hope. My sister, several years apart, gave birth to him in exchange for her life.
However, in hindsight, I may have been naive. If I hadn’t been remonstrated in such a way by a child with the same name as hers, I wouldn’t have realized that I had lost my energy.
“So, what are you calling for?”
“Well, it’s nothing much. A project within my group of friends got brought up. I wanted to invite you—as a competent actor.”
“Is that sarcasm?”
“Heh heh heh, It’s not. I meant it.”
“Tsk, just you wait and see before long… And, the project?”
I opened my diary and scrutinized the regrets from that day. In fact, I was thinking about refusing. However, today, on my way home from work, I contacted my friends and decided to act. It was because I felt like she would laugh at me if I held on to my regrets.
“Do you remember a movie called “Saya”?”
“…You’re bringing this up even though it’s traumatic for you?”
“Haha, I’m glad you seem to remember.”
“Saya”. Saya, a girl who lost her life due to bullying, roamed about the school as a ghost. One day, Saya, who was supposed to have disappeared with deep sorrow and loneliness, meets a girl who can see her. The lonely girl, Sae, and the ghost, Saya, become friends and deepen their bond as if their harmony was pre-established. However, on the day of Sae’s graduation ceremony, she encountered a random attacker who broke her heart, and she became like a doll. A few years later, at a class reunion, Saya—sunken deep into sadness—learned the truth about Sae’s assault by a classmate. Having her best friend best, Saya becomes an evil spirit and takes revenge on Sae’s former classmates. 3
“We’re remaking “Saya”.”
“Huh? No, but, isn’t the leading actor—”
“That’s right. It’s Kirio Tsugumi—the legendary actress.”
“That’s right, that’s right, the reason why Uncle has remained single.”
“Kai.”
“Yeah, yeah, you don’t have to be so serious and angry… Sorry.”
“Good grief.”
The first half was about a lonely, kind-hearted female ghost. The second half was about an evil, terrifying, sorrowful evil spirit. It was a horror movie where the duality of the characters creates fear, and the scene in which Saki, the main character and sister of the assailant, gets caught up in the whirlpool of fear was so terrifying that there was no end to the number of children who started crying when it was broadcast on television.
At the time, she was often used for her dual nature themes because of her previous hit, and this was the work that made the “horror” of her dual nature be known. Therefore, in foreign reviews, those who prefer “the abyss of evil”, which displayed her performance of deep love, call her a “ghost”. However, those who prefer “Saya”, which showed the madness of love, call her an “evil spirit”.
There has not been a suitable role for this child actor and he has been wandering here and there, but… he might manage one way or another. That was one of the reasons I decided to take part.
“Well, sure. Of course, the role I’m playing is Endou Hiroki, right?”
“Yeah. Are you worried?”
“You’re joking… I’ll make them say that my acting was better than yours.”
“Heh, I’ll be waiting.”
At that time, I played the role of Endou Hiroshi, a detective hired by the assailant. Now, my nephew will play the role. This could be said to be the perfect stage to make a break with the naive idea of leaving it to the younger generation.
(It’s been twenty years since you left this world. I won’t let anyone tell me that these twenty years were days of nothingness anymore.)
I finished my call and put my smartphone down on the desk, then I stared at the moonless night. When I thought of you in that night sky, strangely enough, my fighting spirit that I was convinced was all used up was boiling and overflowing.
If you are reading from a pirate or aggregator site, please read from the translator’s site: yado-inn (dot) com I have to put the link like this or else the bots will remove it, sorry 🙁
──Let’s Move on to the Next Theater──
Translator Note: The shortest Theater (chapter) of the three in Volume 1. Overall, this was more of a world-building chapter more than anything else. This was more focused on the other characters, rather than Tsugumi herself, which is great in my opinion. We get to see Yoruhata Kou, one of the main rivals in the series, as well as Kakinuma Souzou. We also get to see small character development happening slowly from Tsugumi like usual—my favorite part of this novel to be honest. Nothing significant changed in this chapter compared to the light novel, but that won’t be the same next Theater. Theater 3 is going to be a bit longer than this one, but not as long as Theater 1. We’ve finished 70 percent of this volume. Well then, I hope you enjoyed Theater 2: Genius Child Actor Meets Genius Child Actor!? and I will see you in the next theater!
- Flowingcloud: Ara ara mom at it again.
Arocks141: Ara ara. - Arocks141: The text says ‘cramp on’ and not ‘cringe from’… But we all know how things really are.
- Flowingcloud: Fun philosophical theory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-established_harmony
oh this gonna be good
It promises to be interesting. Thanks for the chapter