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“Once upon a time… there was a very handsome prince. He was very happy, but he found himself in many-”
“Cut!”
Rentarō turns to Shun, lowering his arm holding the script as he raises his eyebrows.
“I thought I was reading the script correctly?” he asks.
“No!” Shun exclaims.
He starts to walk around Rentarō, slowly but dramatically.
“The words you are reading may be in the correct order, Kagura Rentarō. However, I must ask, where is the emotion?”
Suddenly, Shun’s in front of Rentarō, pointing his palms at him. Somehow, he looks far more menacing despite being half a head shorter than him.
“Emotion?!”
Shun continues, “In order to be an effective narrator, there must be emotion in your voice. You must sell that this prince is, in fact, very handsome-”
“Hold it!” Rentarō hears.
Both he and Shun turn around to see Chihiro, who has her arms crossed. Then, she stomps over, pointing aggressively at Shun.
“We haven’t even casted the prince yet!” she yells, “Or anyone else, really. You just shoved a script into Ren-nii-san’s hands and told him to read it! What is this production about, anyway?”
He says, “You will find out when you read the script. I will bore you all should I explain it myself.”
“That’s true,” Honoka mutters.
Shun turns to her, a bewildered expression on his face.
“Excuse me?!”
Before a fight can erupt, Atsushi steps in between Shun and Honoka. Rentarō breathes a sigh of relief as Atsushi turns to Shun.
“Ignore that. Do you have the casting already in mind, Matsumura-kun?” he asks.
“Of course I do!” Shun says, “To assume I would not is slander upon my good name.”
Chihiro interrupts, “Okay, Nijiyarou. Who exactly is who?”
Shun heads towards Rentarō and then passes by him, walking in a circle around everyone this time as he points at each person.
“To start, we have our prince that Kagura Rentarō mentioned earlier. Although kind and beautiful, he is rather susceptible to disasters, such as the kidnapping that kicks off this plot. The person playing him is naturally Konjou Isamichi.”
Everyone turns to Icchi, who looks like a deer caught in headlights. Rentarō would laugh, but he doesn’t want to chance a murder right now.
“Me?! Why me?!” Icchi asks, before looking at Shun, “You’re not casting yourself?!”
Shun puts a hand to his chest as he stops walking.
He says, “While I too am a very handsome fellow, I feel that I fit another role far better. You, on the other hand, will be able to play this one perfectly.”
“I…” Icchi stutters, before sighing, “Alright, fine, if that’s what you say…”
“Next!” Shun says, without missing a beat, “Okamoto Atsushi will play the villain, for he is the most able to play the role of the realm’s worst evildoer.”
Atsushi scratches his head before he speaks.
“I suppose, given my background…”
“Perfect! Ishikawa Honoka, you will play the main character-”
“Hold on!” Iroha says.
Shun stops in his tracks again, and Rentarō watches his sister get up from her seat.
“So Icchi’s not even the main character? Why’s the narration about him?!” she asks.
Shun immediately holds up his index finger, having a smirk on his face.
“Do the most desirable of their stories not get the initial narration?” he says, “The ones most vulnerable to harm are always the ones narrated in these tales. Worry not, the main character will also be told about.”
Iroha pinches the bridge of her nose.
She says, “Okay. Fine. Honoka’s the main character?”
“Yes,” Shun replies, “She will play the hero, who happens to be this dashing prince’s good friend. Despite her being a commoner and him being royalty, they are both cherished dearly by one another.”
Chihiro quickly raises her hand.
“Let me guess,” she says, “The prince has a raging crush on her?”
“Would this truly be a shoujo tale if he didn’t?” Shun replies.
Out of the corner of his eye, Rentarō can see Icchi looking away. It’s completely understandable, given that he has to play that part.
“I knew it,” Chihiro says in the meantime.
Rentarō’s still confused. After all, he’d only known about the prince, the villain, and the hero, but he hasn’t been casted yet. In that case, what is he doing here?
Shun answers that question almost immediately.
“As for Kagura Rentarō, Kagura Iroha, and Amamiya Chihiro, you three will be minor antagonists in the way of our hero’s quest to save her good friend.”
“And you?” Honoka asks.
“I will be playing the villain’s right hand. Given that I know how to serve one that causes misery throughout the land, I will be able to give a stunning performance there.”
“Checks out.”
This time, Icchi’s the one raising his hand. Rentarō’s willing to bet that he’s about to protest something about this production. Sure enough, he’s right.
Icchi asks, “Couldn’t we have done a quiz show or something? Or maybe a robot fight? Why a shoujo tale?”
“That is none of your business,” Shun replies.
Icchi almost jumps out of his seat, agitation palpable on his face.
“Why, you-”
“Enough!” Atsushi yells.
Everyone currently standing sits down. Atsushi sits down as well, but not before sighing.
He asks, “Now that we know, are we going to continue filming?”
“No,” Honoka replies.
Rentarō watches as everyone turns to her. Shun in particular looks confused, but Honoka pays no heed to him. Instead, she gets up from her seat.
“No?” Iroha asks, “Honoka, what do you mean?”
In mimicry of Shun’s actions from earlier, Honoka starts walking around.
“While you were busy prattling on about which roles everyone would be playing, I was reading the script,” she says, before turning to Iroha, “There’s a kiss scene in the end.”
Icchi starts to sputter, but Honoka ignores that too. Rentarō, on the other hand, watches as Atsushi pats him on the back.
“And?” Shun asks.
Honoka crosses her arms as she glares at him.
“I’m not kissing Konjou. No offense, of course, but I don’t wanna.”
Icchi makes seemingly no effort to hide his relief.
“None taken,” he says.
While Icchi looks relieved, Atsushi seems more concerned. Seemingly, everyone else has noticed too, given Shun’s gesturing towards him.
“But then… in that case, who’s going to be the love interest?” he asks, “I would personally not want Iroha-chan or Chihiro-chan to be the main character, if there’s going to be a romance.”
That’s true, Rentarō thinks. Neither of them would be great, and especially not Iroha given her history with Icchi.
Honoka, on the other hand, looks confident as she strides over to Rentarō. It’s only now that Rentarō notices a musketeer’s hat in front of him. Shun must have placed it when he wasn’t looking. There seem to be two others in front of Iroha and Chihiro as well; they’re most likely a symbol for the character.
Honoka snatches the hat in front of him, resting it on her own head.
She says, “Then, there’s only one option, isn’t there?”
Rentarō looks at her, then at everyone else. Then, his confusion exponentially increases as he puts two and two together as to who’s going to have to be the main character.
“Me?!”
Honoka pats him on the shoulder as she shakes her head.
“Your role’s the most interesting to take,” she says, “Sorry not sorry, Big Kagura.”
Rentarō turns first to Icchi, whose cheeks are now beet red. Then, he turns to Shun, who seems lost in thought.
“I suppose the gender of the hero doesn’t matter,” Shun says, “If this is what we must do for the production to go forward, then you, Kagura Rentarō, must be the main character.”
Rentarō’s immediate course of action is to bury his head in his hands. Hopefully, that would get rid of the flush on his own cheeks.
He groans, “I’m not sure how I’m going to go about kissing Icchi…”
Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he looks up, hoping it’s someone who can reassure him. Upon seeing it’s Shun, those hopes vanish.
“You’ll figure it out,” Shun says.
He then points to a door, which Rentarō can read is labeled “dressing room”.
“Now, get dressed.”
A couple of minutes of scanning through potential outfits later, Rentarō’s managed to throw on something. With the shirt being laced up at the front and the sleeves being flowy, it’s not quite his usual fare. Still, it’s modest enough, as are the pants.
Once he’s done lacing up his boots, he stands up, taking a moment to get used to the outfit before walking out.
The women are already dressed, and they’re chatting away with each other. Not to interrupt them, Rentarō sits back at his seat, facing the changing rooms so he could see the rest.
Shun’s the next to step out, and he reminds Rentarō of his Agent Kimoku days; the suit he’s donning is rather similar to those. He’d say something about it, but he’s sure Shun wouldn’t like it.
Atsushi comes out a few minutes later, and he looks rather regal, with the blood-red cape on his shoulders being the cherry on top of his already-decorated suit.
“Looking nice, Atsushi!” Rentarō says.
Atsushi smiles and nods.
“I’m going to have to take a picture of myself in this,” he says, “Aiko’s going to think I look really cool when she sees it.”
A door creaks open, and Rentarō turns his head. A moment later, Icchi steps out.
The bright white of his suit is a sharp contrast to the dull tones he normally wears, and the style is one Rentarō’s never seen before on him. That, along with the changed hairstyle and what Rentarō can swear is a bit of makeup, brings out a different shine to Icchi.
Before Rentarō can say anything, however, Icchi makes his way to the filming area. Honoka already stands there, holding a script in her hands.
“Action!” Shun yells.
Once upon a time, there was a very handsome prince. He was very happy, but he found himself in many predicaments. While most of them were about his decisions, or his lacking love life, he hadn’t faced any that horrendous until a certain day.
Icchi sits on a rock, frowning as he mutters to himself. Right as he’s about to hear Atsushi coming in, however, Rentarō hears laughter from behind him.
Turning around, he sees Chihiro clutching her sides as she continues to laugh. He can sense Shun’s glare behind him, but chooses to ignore it.
“Cut!”
Chihiro only continues to laugh further.
“I’m sorry, I really am!” she says in between giggles, “The sight of Konjou just being like that…”
She loses her train of thought as her laughter overtakes her once more.
Rentarō can hear muttering in between Shun and Atsushi, something about how they could continue from what they had after editing the laughter out. Once Chihiro finally stops, Rentarō turns back again, just in time to see Shun sigh.
“Let’s try this once more,” he says, “Action!”
He walks next to Atsushi as they enter the frame, closer and closer towards Icchi.
“This one’s the prince?” Atsushi asks.
“Yes, Sir,” Shun replies.
“We’ll take him, then.”
It shocks Rentarō as to how natural Atsushi looks as someone cold and cruel. Then again, with one of the Okamoto family's specialties being acting, he shouldn’t be surprised.
Shun presses a button, summoning some “guards”. Where he got them, Rentarō has no idea, but they effortlessly manage to capture Icchi.
“Wh- What are you doing?!” Icchi exclaims, frantically looking around, “Someone! Help!”
Icchi starts getting dragged towards the prop cart that’s now in the shot, being thrown on there quickly. Atsushi and Shun take a seat next to him, and Rentarō notices the jutsu Shun uses to make the cart quicken pace.
As Icchi tries to struggle, Atsushi smiles sinisterly at him.
“No one will help you now, so you better sit pretty while we make our way back,” he says.
The camera starts to pan in on Icchi’s face, now moving with the cart. The look on Icchi’s face is one of heartbreak as he no longer struggles.
“If only Shinobi could help me now…”
There’s a beat of silence, then another. Then, the camera and the cart stop moving, and the guards disappear.
“Cut!” Shun says, “Perfect. Onto our next scene. Kagura Rentarō, you’re up.”
With a press of another button, the scenery changes into the outskirts of a bustling town. As lovely as it looks, it still can’t distract Rentarō from what he has to do here.
“Oh, dear,” he says.
He only hopes he’ll remember his lines.
“Action!” Shun says.
Rentarō immediately looks down at the parchment in his hands, adopting an expression of shock.
“What?!” he says, “The prince has been taken?!”
Normally speaking, a civilian wouldn’t be so concerned for the prince. However, the civilian here in question was none other than the prince’s closest friend. Unbeknownst to the prince, this civilian also happened to be the town’s legendary hero, Shinobi.
Rentarō looks towards the sky as he starts to look wistful.
“If it were anyone else, I could trust the royal guard… but it’s him. I can’t leave him with anyone else, I’ll have to go save him myself.”
He curls his hand into a fist, looking down at it.
“I’ll leave tonight,” he says, “I don’t want to cause any problems for anyone.”
“Cut!”
Rentarō turns to Shun, who has a quizzical expression on his face. Does that mean they have to shoot again?
“What?” he asks.
Shun gestures with a hand.
“It’s… passable,” he says, “Next!”
With yet another scenery change, this time in a forest, Rentarō readies himself for a longer scene.
“And… action!”
And so, the hero headed out to save his good friend. While the forests in between his hometown and his destination were dense, it would be the fastest route, and there was a bonus of not being spotted by the enemy.
The hero was rather fast with his pace, and he had made his way to about halfway through the forest with no issue. Then, disaster struck in the form of three young women.
“Stop right there!” Chihiro shouts.
The three of them pop up around Rentarō, who looks between all of them with some confusion.
“Who are you?” he asks.
“That doesn’t matter,” Honoka replies.
Then, she puts on the musketeer hat, with Iroha and Chihiro following suit as she points at him.
“You shall not pass until you solve this riddle!” she exclaims.
Rentarō shakes his head, trying to walk past them.
“Look, I really can’t, I’m in a hurry-”
“Don’t care!” Iroha yells.
The cheshire-cat grin on her face is rather worrying.
She continues, “A man went outside with no umbrella or raincoat. However, not a single hair on his head was wet. Why?”
Rentarō scratches his head.
“Uh… a shielding technique?” he asks.
Chihiro points to him.
“Incorrect! Get him!”
The three of them all spring themselves on him. Meanwhile, Rentarō tries to get away from them. After a bit of struggle, he pulls his gourd out.
At least this process is familiar.
“Henshin!” he says, before spinning the shuriken.
“Dare ja? Ore ja! Ninja! Shinobi Kenzan!”
It’s easy to only use light attacks, but Rentarō supposes they should have choreographed this fight scene first. Thankfully, everyone here is an experienced fighter, so it should look natural.
After a few minutes, Honoka stands back, followed by the other two as she speaks.
“You’re not bad… hmph.”
With a smoke bomb, the three of them vanish. As the smoke clears, Rentarō breathes a sigh of relief.
“Oh, thank goodness, it’s over,” he says to himself, “Let’s get out of here quick.”
He starts walking again through the forests. From behind him, Shun changes the scene so that he’s closer to the edge of the woods, giving Rentarō his cue. He stretches before smiling.
He says, “Only a few more minutes, and I’ll be out of these woods-”
“Just kidding!”
Iroha jumps in front of him once more, with Chihiro and Honoka landing to her right. Rentarō groans as soon as they do.
“You still won’t pass the woods until you solve the riddle!” Chihiro says.
Rentarō says, “What?!”
“Maybe you should have checked that there were trickster spirits in these woods before trying to cross them,” Iroha replies.
Rentarō shakes his head again.
“I… I really am in a hurry. It’s an emergency. I can’t be here long.”
“Really?” Iroha asks, “What for?”
“My friend- I mean, The prince of the kingdom where I come from…”
Rentarō looks up to the sky, now obscured by leaves.
“He’s been kidnapped. I need to save him.”
Chihiro walks closer to him.
“But why you?” she asks, “Don’t they normally send a whole bunch of people?”
“I suppose they do. But I’m the town’s hero. Isn’t it natural for me to want to save the inhabitants of it?”
“...Are you sure that’s all there is to it?”
Rentarō turns to Honoka, who has an eyebrow raised and her arms crossed. He’s not surprised that she’s great at giving knowing smirks, though.
“What else could it be?” he asks.
“...How close are you to this prince, exactly?” she asks, “You did say you’re friends with him.”
Rentarō takes a deep breath, hoping that Shun won’t yell cut for doing so.
“Good friends,” he says, “We laugh at each other’s jokes, and we spend time together when we can. Unfortunately, he’s really busy, and I’m a commoner, so it isn’t much. That being said… I truly do enjoy our times together.”
“Mhm,” is the reply.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Iroha interrupts, before walking to his right, “Anyway, do you want to try solving this puzzle again?”
Rentarō looks at her with feigned confusion.
“What is it again?” he asks.
“A man went outside with no umbrella or raincoat. However, not a single hair on his head was wet. Why?”
With a frown, he looks at the ground.
“So, it’s not the shielding technique…” he mutters, before he brightens his expression, “Wait a minute. You said ‘hair’?”
“Yep!”
“Then it’s got to be because he has no hair!”
Chihiro claps her hands before slinging her arms around her two comrades.
“Ding ding ding!” she says.
Rentarō breathes another sigh of relief.
“So, can I pass now?” he asks.
Honoka shrugs.
“Sure.”
With that, the three of them vanish once again, and Rentarō continues walking.
“Why were they asking me about my relationship with his Highness?” he asks, “Unless… no, we’re nothing of that sort! Besides, he’s the prince, and I’m me… no, it wouldn’t work out. Wait, why am I thinking of that?!”
And so, the hero’s journey continued on a rather questionable foot. Why would the hero even want anything different with the prince? This was just a friendly rescue mission.
“Sure,” Rentarō says, “I went here without hesitation, but that’s because he’s my closest friend and I care for him- ah, I’m here.”
Shun’s changed the scene once more to look like a different city, far more grand in scale. Far off in the city stands a large castle, and even Rentarō has to marvel at how good his skills with these sets are.
“Cut!”
Finally, he’s done for now. Rentarō steps away from the filming area, gleefully sitting down on his chair as Atsushi gets up.
“It’s your turn now, isn’t it, Shun-san?” Iroha asks.
“Yes,” Shun replies.
He holds out his hand to Atsushi as if it’s an invitation to a dance.
“Okamoto Atsushi, shall we show them how it’s done?”
Atsushi looks at Shun’s face, then at his hand, then at his face again before he grabs his hand.
“Er…” he says, “I guess?”
The set changes to the inside of the castle, and Atsushi takes his seat on the throne there. Once again, Rentarō marvels at how the gentle, kind man can easily change his demeanor to a cold and calculated one even with the way he sits.
Shun says, “Alright, now that we’re in places… action!”
Atsushi leans forward from the throne, looking at Shun in disbelief.
“So, that hero’s rumoured to be here?”
Shun puts one knee to the ground and looks down.
“Yes, my Lord,” he says, “It seems that he was sent before any of the troops. Perhaps, it is a mission?”
Atsushi replies, “That doesn’t matter. Deal with him immediately.”
Shun gets up, this time opting for a simple bow as he speaks.
“Yes, Sir.”
After Shun gets up, Chihiro excitedly waves her hands.
“Cut!” she yells.
Shun frowns at her.
He says, “That’s not your call, Amamiya Chihiro-”
“Don’t care!” she interrupts, “You did it, let’s get this over with.”
Icchi turns his head towards Rentarō.
“She’s right, you know,” he says, “Rentarō?”
Rentarō gets up from his seat, dragging his feet as he gets up.
“Alright, okay, fine, I’ll get my hair messed up.”
A few seconds later, Rentarō’s hair is slightly messier, and he’s in place.
“And… action!”
Rentarō starts tiptoeing near the castle, keeping a low profile.
He says, “Okay, I’m almost at the castle… no one has noticed me…”
“Stop right there!” Shun yells.
Rentarō looks up, seeing Shun with a bunch of the guards from earlier.
“Oh, no,” he hushedly says.
Shun saunters over to him, keeping a cool expression.
“We haven’t seen you in the town before,” he says, “Why are you so close to the castle?”
Rentarō puts on a sheepish grin as a response.
“Uh… sightseeing?”
Shun’s eyes are no longer on him, though. Instead, they go lower and lower, until he’s looking at Rentarō’s hand.
“Then, why is your hand about to reach into your pocket? And why is there purple thread hanging out of it?”
The sheepish grin only widens as Rentarō tries to add alarm into his expression.
“Uh…”
Shun pulls at his gloves as he turns his head from Rentarō to the guards, then slowly swings it towards Rentarō again.
“Guards. Take care of him.”
Rentarō flails as he starts to run, quickly taking out his gourd in the process.
“Oh, no, no, no,” he whispers, “Henshin!”
Thankfully, this fight scene’s rather short. With a bit of fire and well-put slashes, the guards are reduced to ashes in no time. Shun wastes no time in looking shocked, burying his hands in his hair.
“What? You took care of them… so I’ll have to take care of you myself.”
Shun brings out a katana from his belt, brandishing it towards Rentarō.
“I’ll fight you too, if that’s what I need to do,” Rentarō replies.
With a jump from Shun towards Rentarō, they’re off, trying to jab and stab at each other as they get closer and closer to the entrance of the castle. While they’re fighting, Rentarō internally curses Shun for adding dialogue during the fight.
“So, tell me,” Shun says, “Why have you come alone? Did your kingdom send you?”
Rentarō exclaims, “What? No! I came by myself!”
Slash, then dodge, then run back a few steps towards the bridge.
“Oh? So that’s the case… how come?” Shun asks.
“My job is to care for each and every citizen of our nation,” Rentarō says, before jumping over a foot sweep, “As a citizen himself, I care for him.”
Shun stops, and Rentarō staggers back.
“Hmm…” Shun muses, “Something tells me only half a statement is correct.”
Rentarō leans his head slightly forward.
“What’s with everyone assuming something else?!” he exclaims.
Shun responds with a slash.
“Hah!”
Rentarō starts fighting more to defend, letting Shun take the offensive. He allows himself to almost trip a few times, if only to look worried.
At the bridge, he stops running, instead just dodging.
“He’s running circles around me… but I can’t lose!” he says, “What do I do…”
He dodges a couple more times as he feigns thinking, and then he looks up in what should be delight.
“So that’s it!” he says.
He summons a few clones of himself that all attack Shun in tandem. Then, when the time is right he runs, slashing past Shun and landing on the other side.
The clones all disappear, and Shun falls to his knees.
“Wha- What are you doing?!” he says, “This can’t be happening!”
Rentarō doesn’t look back, instead just holding his stance.
“I can’t let you win. I have to save him!” he says.
Shun falls to the ground, and Rentarō can’t see his expression. Still, he’s confident Shun’s smiling right now as he speaks.
“I see… so that’s how you feel…”
Chihiro presses the button from off-camera, and Rentarō’s surroundings explode. Even as the explosion dies down, he keeps his stance until someone finally speaks up.
“Uh… cut?” Icchi asks.
As Rentarō detransforms, Shun springs up, clapping his hands once. Despite all the soot on his face, the gleam behind his eyes still stays.
“Perfect, Konjou Isamichi!” he says.
Chihiro replies, “Hey! That’s not his call!”
“He timed it perfectly.”
“Whatever, Nijiyarou.”
As the others try to set up the new scene, Rentarō walks over to Icchi, who looks as tired as he is.
“Ugh. It feels like it’s going on forever… how dark is it in real life?” Icchi asks.
“I have no idea,” Rentarō replies, “I think it’s just this and another scene, and then we’re done?”
Icchi looks up to the sky, exasperation evident.
“But we’re both in it!” he complains.
As Icchi gets up, Rentarō puts a hand on his shoulder.
“I know, Icchi. Just these last scenes, yeah?”
Icchi sighs.
“Yeah… I’ll go get changed,” he says.
“Alright. See you,” Rentarō replies.
As Icchi walks off to the changing room again, Rentarō can hear him grumble some more.
“That last scene is going to be the death of me.”
It’s going to be the death of him, too. How the hell is he supposed to kiss Icchi and then pretend as if nothing happened?
That’s his problem in twenty minutes. Right now, he’s got fighting Atsushi to worry about.
A few minutes later, Icchi steps out of the changing room again. His hair’s significantly messier, and his clothes are rumpled. On top of that, there’s makeup that looks like he’s got cuts on his face.
“Huh,” Rentarō says.
Icchi snaps, “What?”
Despite how less regal Icchi looks right now, he looks far more down-to-earth than earlier. Were this not a production led by Shun, Rentarō would have called it cute.
“You… look really nice, actually,” he says.
“Nice?” Icchi exclaims, “I look like a mess!”
“The suit’s really good on you, though.”
Icchi looks to the side with a huff.
“Can’t argue with that,” he says, “Still, the faster we get these scenes done, the better.”
They make their way to the bridge once again, where Honoka ties Icchi’s hands before moving him off-camera. After a quick transformation, Rentarō adopts his post-explosion stance once more.
“Atsushi, you ready?” he asks.
“I think I am,” is the response.
“Perfect,” Shun says, “Action!”
Rentarō waits for Atsushi’s shadow to loom over him before he drops his stance and turns around. Even with them being the same height, Atsushi seems as if he’s towering over Rentarō right now.
“So… you are the one who killed my right hand,” he says.
“I guess that’s me,” Rentarō says, before pointing his ninjato at Atsushi, “But you kidnapped the prince!”
Atsushi picks up Shun’s katana, holding its hilt as he touches the tip to the ground.
“That should be a matter for the royal guard, and not for you,” he says, “Still, if you are foolish enough to cement your doom, I’ll bring your beloved prince out for you so he can watch.”
The guards move away as Icchi’s brought to the front. Rentarō jerks his head up, lowering his arms.
“Your Highness!” he yells.
“Shinobi?!” Icchi says, “What are you doing here?!”
“I’m here to save you!”
Rentarō can see Icchi’s expression soften as Atsushi starts to speak.
“No. Actually, he’s here to die right in front of your eyes. Now, I shall begin!”
Much like Shun, Atsushi wastes no time fighting. This time, however, Rentarō has to adjust, given his opponent not being much of a seasoned fighter. As such, this feels far more like a dance than an actual fight.
“Do you really wish to save his life, all by yourself?” Atsushi asks as their blades clang, “Isn’t that rather selfish?”
Rentarō skids backwards with another parry.
“You can call it selfish if you want,” he says.
Atsushi raises his eyebrow.
“Oh, my. Not objecting?”
With that, Atsushi brings out his own katana. Now double-wielding, he swings with all his might at Rentarō, who doesn’t dodge. As instructed by the script, he takes all the hits Atsushi launches at him, even getting knocked off his feet.
With one particularly strong attack, he rolls onto the ground. He wastes no time in trying to get up, but he lets his hands give out under him.
“Isn’t it a selfish wish to save someone you care about?” he says.
The lifted eyebrow on Atsushi’s face is now joined with a sinister smile.
“Oh? Do you care for him? This will be interesting.”
“In what way?” Rentarō asks.
Atsushi looks towards Icchi before looking back at him.
“Perhaps I shall take you prisoner as well,” he says, “You did murder my closest associate… I shall punish you however I see fit!”
Rentarō finally gets up, brandishing his ninjato.
He says, “That’ll never happen.”
Atsushi’s suddenly in front of him, lifting his chin with his sword.
“It would serve you right to not doubt my words,” he says.
With another slash, Rentarō’s back rolling on the ground again.
“Shinobi!” Icchi exclaims.
Atsushi turns to Icchi with a tut.
“Your Highness,” he says, “I’d suggest you shut your mouth lest you or your beloved hero get hurt any further.”
Rentarō whispers, “No…”
Atsushi pays no heed, instead walking towards him.
“Hmm… how shall I start with your punishment?” he asks.
“Don’t you dare hurt him…” Icchi says.
Rentarō looks up at him. Then, he unstiffens his body, tilting his head gently. Most likely, the camera’s slightly unfocusing, just to soften the shot.
“Don’t worry about me!” Icchi yells, “I’ll be fine, just make sure you’re okay and-”
A guard feigns elbowing him in the stomach, and yet Icchi’s wince is rather convincing. Rentarō wonders if he would have gone into acting, were he not beholden by Konjou Company.
“He’s… wanting me to be okay?” Rentarō asks softly.
With a dodge, his back is turned towards Icchi.
“No, I can’t leave you be!” he says, “I can’t let you get hurt!”
Then, he puts a hand to his helmet in fake confusion.
“Hold on. What the hell am I saying?”
The camera zooms towards Rentarō, who starts alternating looking between the now-still Atsushi, Icchi, and his own hands.
“Sure, I can’t let him get hurt because that’s my job, but… I truly do care for him,” he says.
He keeps his gaze on Icchi.
“All these good times I’ve spent with him… I can’t let go of those when there’s so much more we can do!”
With a turn to Atsushi, he starts to get up, changing his tone from exclamatory to a more normal one.
“The truth may be that we’re from different walks of life. But I don’t care. I care for him… no. That isn’t it, huh?”
With one last glance at his own hands, he looks at Icchi once more as he softens his voice.
“I… love him.”
A look of realization dawns on Icchi’s face as he too makes his voice softer.
“It can’t be…” he says.
The pillowy tension is replaced with the cold, hard, steely kind as Atsushi clears his throat.
“Oh? So you decided to have a love epiphany right before you perish,” he states, “How cute.”
Rentarō sharply turns back to Atsushi, shaking his head.
“No. Today, you’ll be the one who perishes!”
Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Iroha doing a jutsu. A moment later, the prop he’s supposed to be using appears in front of him, and he grabs it before turning to Icchi yet again.
“Your Highness!” he shouts, “Wait for me. I’ll get us both out of here!”
Icchi beams at him, eyes soft as he nods. With a nod back, Rentarō puts the prop on his belt.
“Henshin!”
Much to his shock, the prop actually works to make new armour for him.
“Honne de kagayaite~” the belt exclaims, “Kirameki!”
Upon looking down at himself, he’s almost blinded by how reflective his suit is. While it could work, it’s far too noticeable, and far too tacky.
“Cut!”
Rentarō supposes he took too long staring.
“What is it, Kagura Rentarō?” Shun asks.
Rentarō gestures at himself, wondering how no one is laughing right now.
“This is the suit I have to work with?!” he asks, “It’s too flashy!”
Shun shakes his head.
He says, “This is the only time you have to work with it. After that, it shall never meet the light of day again.”
If he never has to use it again, then Rentarō supposes he could go through this just once.
“Fine,” he says, before transforming back into his normal form.
“Action!”
Once again, he puts the prop on his belt, this time keeping his composure as he becomes the antithesis of his creed once more.
“Honne de kagayaite~ Kirameki!”
Atsushi chuckles in response.
“Ah, so you decided to don a disco ball,” he says, “If that foolish getup is what you choose for your doom, then so be it.”
“I think you’ll find that you’ll be the one doomed instead!” Rentarō replies.
They charge at each other again. This time, Rentarō’s allowed to be far more successful, pushing back Atsushi as the latter tries to avoid being blinded by the suit.
With a jab and then another, he finally hits Atsushi, knocking him to the ground. Then, he swings his shuriken.
“Finish Ninpou! Special! Shimmer!”
He punches past Atsushi a couple times, with Atsushi acting more disoriented by the second. Then, he jumps into the air, spinning before his kick grazes past Atsushi.
Atsushi, ever the fantastic actor, collapses to the ground anyway.
“No…” he says, “How could you have…”
Rentarō starts to talk, back still turned to Atsushi.
“It’s because I can’t give up. Not when I have someone I can’t lose!”
Honoka is the one to press the button this time, making the surroundings explode once again. With that cue, the guards proceed to flee. As everyone else, Atsushi included, leaves, Rentarō walks towards Icchi.
“You okay there, your Highness?” he asks, as he unties Icchi’s hands.
Icchi chuckles.
“Just drop the formalities, old friend.”
Rentarō pulls off the prop, letting the rest of his belt form into the gourd once more before pocketing it.
He says, “I suppose I should, but… how’d you know it was me?”
“Your realization gave it away,” Icchi says.
The sheepish grin makes a comeback as Rentarō looks away from Icchi, putting his hands behind his back for good measure.
“Ah… right,” he says, “I did say that in front of you…”
He turns back to Icchi, ignoring the pit of dread at the upcoming scene as he sees his friend smile.
“Huh? Why are you smiling?” he asks.
Icchi takes a few graceful steps towards Rentarō. Then, smile growing wider, he leans in a bit close for comfort.
“Isn’t there something you’ve got left to do?”
Rentarō drops the sheepishness from his smile as it too grows. Then, with one hand, he holds Icchi’s back as the other goes around his waist. As he starts to dip his friend, Icchi yelps, putting an arm around Rentarō’s shoulder.
The smiles on both of their faces are still wide as Rentarō holds Icchi.
“Yeah,” Rentarō says, “If you’ll let me.”
The scene is finally here.
Icchi takes it like a champ, smiling like a natural as he nods. Taking a breath, Rentarō starts to lean in, preparing for the kiss… only to burst into laughter.
How absurd could this possibly be? He’s stuck recreating a shoujo manga plot when he could have been doing anything else. Bonsai trimming, training, or even going to Hanamichi Cafe if he had to be with Icchi.
The snickers only grow as this realization sets in, and he’s sure Shun will murder him when this is done.
“Sorry…” he mutters to Icchi through his laughs, “I can’t do this!”
Much to his relief, Icchi starts to laugh as well.
“I can’t either, what the hell am I doing?” he asks.
Rentarō can hear the others start to laugh too, but he keeps his eyes on Icchi as they both continue to ruin the scene.
“What’s the point of this whole thing?!” Rentarō asks, “I mean, isn’t this a bit sudden? You’d think the hero would get a bit more time to develop his love.”
Icchi nods.
“And none of us even have names!” he points out.
They both close their eyes as they finally lose control of any laughter they were holding back.
In the meantime, Shun, being the only one unamused by this, stomps in front of the camera before doing a slicing motion across it.
“Cut!”