Bad∞End∞Night Vol 1 Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Intermission Night

Now I’ve done it… I may just have ruined the whole play… 

Applause continued to roar, and the moment I went up into the wings of the stage, the actors approached with frightening looks. I hung my head wordlessly, unable to look them in the eye. That mistake had without a doubt ruined the script, ruined a Burlet play. I’d metaphorically torn up a script written by the playwright everyone here worshipped, broken a prop, and forced everyone to adlib. 

It was said that, while Burlet was alive, he would not forgive any mistake in acting out the most minor details written in the script - not a single blink, sigh, or footstep could be off. The perfect set was to have the perfect players, and their combination would create an overwhelmingly realistic world for the play. Such a carefully-calculated world would crumble from the slightest error. What the Villager had done - it was sacrilege against him. A bead of cold sweat ran down my spine.

“…I’m sorry!! I-I… I made an unforgivable mistake…!” 

Kaito retained his sharp expression and firmly grabbed my shoulders. 

“Are you hurt?!” 

“You swung your hand into the clock, yes? Show me… That must have hurt.” 

“The prop crew went running toward the stage a second ago. I bet it’ll be fixed by tomorrow,” Len told me, still looking at the stage. 

Sure enough, there were two staff members there checking the clock prop all over. Seeing that brought back my urge to get out of here immediately. 

“But I… I messed up the script. I… profaned his play…” 

“Actually, I feel the same. In all my years in this troupe, nothing’s given me such a thrill before. An unintended accident, bringing such exhilaration as to make the scene unforgettable… I saw your face then, and I wanted to provide help, but I couldn’t move. Just as you said "If only this moment could last forever”… you truly did stop the clock. It came out a little rough, granted, but…“ 

"I hate to admit it, but I simply have to respect you for making a miracle like that happen. Even if you are just a clumsy oaf most of the time, you made it into something of an art! It puts all of my roles to shame.” 

Kaito, Meiko, and even Luka were, for some reason, praising my accident. The dread of my mistake dominated my mind and body such that I didn’t even feel any pain in the hand that struck the clock, so I had no opportunity to see what everyone’s reactions had been. Luka was right that it really was just another one of my clumsy blunders. 

“Yeah, we sure were all frozen up! Me included! I was thinking like, the most startling moments are the ones where you don’t even scream! And I was on the other side of Miss Miku from the clock, so I really heard it loud. My heart pounded, and I was watching everyone wondering who would follow up that act!” 

“Oh, Meg… Always taking it slow, aren’t you.” 

“…Thanks.” 

Rin and Len gave their respective thanks to Gack. The others, too, extolled their performance. Yes, if Rin and Len hadn’t brought everything together, the play truly would have stopped, and who knows what would have happened next. 

“Um… Miss Rin, Mr. Len! Thank you so much. I don’t know how to thank you… All of you, I mean. I was so stunned, and I thought, if you hadn’t stepped in…” 

“Enough, Miku! We’re all in this play together, okay? Of course we’ll help each other out… we’re friends! And no one’s gonna shout or blame you for making a mistake. When someone makes a mistake, someone else just has to cover for it. Just trust us, okay? I know I’m believing in our lead actress, too!” 

“Oh, yes.” 

Kaito folded his arms, then slowly opened his mouth as if about to tell a fairy tale.

“Come to think of it, perhaps we never told you the story of how we came to discover Crazy ∞ nighT. Well, this is a good opportunity for that. …One night, after finishing a show, we were drinking in green room #1 for our usual celebration. Then the prop-maker Ia came and told us she’d lost a prop for tomorrow’s show, and couldn’t find it anywhere in the theater. 

"We, too, searched every nook and cranny. And just in case, we decided to also search the rarely-opened underground cellar, where no-longer-used props and setpieces were stored. In doing so, we found an old, rotten box in the back of the cellar. We casually opened the suspicious box, and…” 

“Inside was a book… titled Crazy ∞ nighT.” 

“Yes, Len was the one who found it. We were so surprised, and thought it couldn’t be true. After all… as far as anyone knows, the mansion Mr. Burlet lived in was burned down long ago, and no trace of it remained. As such, no detailed records of his life or anything else about him remain any longer. It’s also said that he himself died in that fire, but no details on that remain either. If any of his belongings were found, they’d go for a premium on the same level as a national treasure… 

"But here at the Burlet Company, the theater he created, a few of his belongings were found after his death. Including, now, by sheer coincidence, his lost posthumous work. It would appear that sometime before his mansion burned down, he visited the theater and left the script in the cellar.” 

“Perhaps upon his death, he wanted to leave a glimmer of hope for the people who carried on his will… That’s what we felt when we found the script. And we noticed that this play, Crazy ∞ nighT, showed inspiration from his hometown of Zacry Village, his mansion, and the surrounding forest. So we traveled to that village many times, doing research to come if only slightly closer to understanding the play he’d pictured. It was a wonderfully tranquil place.” 

Meiko gently smiled, remembering that time nostalgically. Zacry Village… The village where Mr. Burlet lived, and my own birthplace as well. I was somewhat pleased to hear her complimenting it. 

“Oh yes, we took many trips there. It was inconvenient to be sure, being so backwoods, but it was quite pretty.” 

“Oh, Len… You just want to copy everything Mr. Burlet does, don’t you! Like the other day, you made a wax seal you’ll never use because you said he had one! Gosh, you’re such a Burlet nerd!” 

Without exception, the members of the company aspired to Mr. Burlet’s works and charisma, with such unimpeded passion as to be called fanatical. Len in particular, in contrast to his cool attitude and appearance, was said to likely be the one who adored Burlet the most. His sister had told me in secret that he had a dedicated collection room at home with countless Burlet-related items, strived to be better than anyone at acting out his works, and dreamed of someday becoming a playwright himself. 

“…And that’s a bad thing? Burlet was a man among men. Of course I’d model myself on him.” 

“Geez, Gack! "Youths these days”? You sound like such an old man!“ 

“…Don’t you already?” 

I turned around in surprise and found Len at the now-open door. He was holding a huge blue bouquet improperly like a baseball bat, his left hand leaning it against his shoulder. A complete departure from during the play, his expression was as neutral as ever, but he seemed just a little displeased to me. 

“…M-Mr. Len! When did you…?” 

“Um…” 

“Wrong idea?” 

“Ah… C-Could you have, um… heard me…?” 

“I-I’m sorry! That was rude of me…” 

“Hmm… Then there’s no doubt about it. I bet you anything he’ll be busy checking his vineyard tomorrow.” 

“N-No, I had no idea… Oh, actually, Mr. Kaito said today that he came really early, but he hadn’t seen him since. But wasn’t that because he went to pick up Miss Meg?” 

“…Could’ve easily been both. He seems to be an expert at it, and he isn’t like Meg, making big blunders like being extremely late. He’s not the only one juggling jobs. Luka and Meg are often gone to do modeling or writing… Even we sometimes go do rounds to advertise. The point is, you can go around doing whatever you want. As long as, in the end, you can put forth your assets, your acting talent, then no one will complain.” 

“I see… You all do a lot besides just practice. Which broadens your horizons, and that experience helps with your acting…” 

“…Huh?” 

“…Billiards.” 

“…Yeah.” 

Not good… The conversation wasn’t getting anywhere. I’d never played billiards myself, and while there was a billiards room at the theater, I’d never gone into it for anything but cleaning. 

“…U-Uhhhmmm, Mr. Len! Ah, what’s your favorite play by Mr. Burlet?” 

“Oh! That’s actually my favorite, too…! It was my first Burlet play, which my grandma took me to see when I was little. I was so entranced by the realistic world in the story, I felt like I’d been left behind in the play… I was so moved by it, it got me wanting to become an actress!” 

I had the same favorite play as this prodigy! That trivial coincidence made me happy, and while I knew my words were pretty jumbled, I went on talking anyway. 

“Huh… So you like it too. It’s particularly dark and sad, even for Burlet, but it has a sense of wonder I never get tired of seeing. The story itself is great, but the details of the set are truly amazing. Just a single production of a Burlet play can use so many sets. Even the snow and the way it falls… from the powdery snow to the stormy snow, all the props are made specifically to match their scene. All those minor details compounding is what creates his dense worlds.” 

Perhaps because of the fact that out of over a hundred Burlet plays, we had the same favorite, he became significantly more talkative than before. 

“Is that right? I’ve only been here half a year, so… I’ve never seen The Silence of the Snowy Night performed by the current main cast…” 

“Is it?! Wow… I can’t wait!” 

I wondered, what would that masterpiece look like played by this cast? The part of the protagonist, the boy who loses the girl he loves… Could it be? 

“It seems like there’s no one but… well, for now, no one but me for the lead part. After all, I can play the part, and I’m not too old for it.” 

“…Well, it’s not all fun and games. That script calls for more acting skill than others, so I’m sure it’ll need a lot of practice. And I’ve no doubt you’ll be picked for the cast, too.” 

“…” 

I might be picked, too…? Again? For the next Burlet Company performance? I believed that I’d been picked as the lead actress for Crazy ∞ nighT on account of being an unknown newcomer from the same village as Mr. Burlet - to “make some news,” in a sense. Thus, I was completely prepared for, and resigned to, the possibility of being discharged after this show if I didn’t do well. 

“That performance you put on today… It was pretty good.” 

“Basics?” 

“Nope.” 

“Nope. I mean, that’s important. But the most important thing is insight.” 

"Making the fake… real…?” 

“To put it bluntly, it’s a trick. Us fooling the audience. We convince them that what they’re looking at is another real world. That’s what a play is. A totally fabricated sham. A world with props, sets, people, and surrounding events that are all downright lies. So, how much can you do to make it seem like it’s not? Can you show it as if it were the real world? That’s our job.” 

“Yes… I see. But what do you mean by insight being most important?” 

“You have to act like this sham is real, and fool the audience into thinking that. That fooling is where insight is key. Let’s say I do some action, and somebody… let’s say you’re watching. You’re going to feel some way about it, have some kind of reaction. Well, what if I could make predictions about how you’d react, and what if my prediction was almost never wrong? Then I could fool you as much as I wanted without you noticing anything amiss - I could freely manipulate your feelings.” 

“Huh…?” 

Len approached me slowly, a hint of madness in the back of his eyes. A few blue petals, thicker in color than even his eyes, fluttered off the roses. I stood up and almost reflexively backed away from him. 

“What must I say… or do… to scare you? Go for the visual, and tear apart these roses…? Or maybe swiftly go to your pain receptors, forcefully punch you… But depending on the person, things done to instill fear might not instill fear, but rather anger or sadness… or even joy. Yes, surely even that’s a possibility… And all of those possibilities are in a big mix. But you want to know the exact result. How do you find out? What should you do, to find out what emotion they’ll feel?” 

Len had gotten up right in front of me, staring right at my face. There was a faint smile on his lips, and his wide, unblinking eyes showed the cold-blooded cruelty of a predator about to leap on prey. I’m scared… Why did I feel scared of him? He’d been talking perfectly normally, but then this sudden transformation… he had completely changed in an instant. He held up the bouquet toward the ceiling, and quickly swung it down. I shut my eyes to brace for the coming impact. 

“…” 

“…” 

“…Huh?” 

I timidly opened my eyes and saw only blue. It was the bouquet, right? My vision was too blurry to tell; I’d started crying. 

“My bad. I went too far.” 

“…Please don’t cry. I’m sorry.” 

“P-Punishment for muh-making me cry…” 

“Huh?” 

“…That’s right. I’m happy that you finally get it,” Len replied, without a trace of happiness in his face. 

Was he acting all cool to make it impossible to discern what he was thinking? Or was that his normal way of expressing emotions? I didn’t know yet. How could I know he was really thinking “I’m happy”? 

“…I… never thought about all that at all… I just wanted to act in a play, and hoped people would like me as the Villager… that’s all I thought…” 

“Well, it goes the other way; it’s not good to read the audience too much, and play right to their expectations. You have to keep betraying their expectations, in a good way. But you also have to balance it with their assurance that you’ll always come through in the end. An unstable performance that no one understands makes the audience uneasy, and then there’s no way they can enjoy the play. So keeping balance is the hardest part, in a way.” 

“So just dedicating myself strictly to acting won’t do…” 

“Yeah… That’s right.” 

“…Sniff…” 

“I guess I’ve said a lot. All I want to say is… Your honesty and the way you never doubt anybody is admirable, but if you want to climb higher in the world, that won’t be enough. You should learn about strategy, too - using your insight to fool the audience.” 

“Eh?” 

“…” 

“Once you’ve got enough experience, maybe you can fool me someday, huh?” 

"Wha…?! It… is it…?” 

“But…” 

“…It’s fine, Miku.” 

A boy who, though younger than me, had a wealth of experience, genius intellect, and natural acting talent. I always shrunk before his mature and frigid aura, but I felt like he was a really good person. He was sparing his time to give inexperienced me advice, and showed a desire to get me feeling comfortable with talking to him without scruples. If only slightly, I was being recognized by the other members of the troupe as a true friend. 

“Um… Thank you. Really, I’ve been… really nervous… and wondering if it was really okay to be in this troupe. It was always something above the clouds to me, that I always looked up to. Even though I’ve been getting to practice with all you amazing people… it’s been hard for me to move past that. So, um…” 

“…We’d be worried if you decided to quit. If you went away all of a sudden like she did, everyone would…” 

“…There was a friend of ours who suddenly left us. She had no problem getting lots of lead parts, and her acting was… well, it was good. So… when she left, it was hard for us to deal with.” 

“Wow, I see… She must have been amazing if you’re praising her like that, Len. Oh! When Miss Meiko was talking about financial woes and trouble with "rebels” before I entered the troupe, she mentioned losing friends… Is that related…?“ 

He seemed to tremble a little bit, but I wasn’t sure. Our eyes briefly met, and his seemed to have a hint of sorrow, but he quickly turned aside. 

"Well… yeah, some things happened. But, now you’ve joined us. …I have high hopes for you. No, not just me. We all do.” 

“That’d be appreciated. Oh… and the "mister” came back.“ 

“…I’ll give those to you. They’re a good fit for you today… right down to the meaning of the flowers.” 

“I’m a guy. I don’t get any joy from getting flowers.” 

Len lifted his lips into a wonderful smile. Ah, I see… So this was the face he had when he was really “displeased.” 

Picking up the bag of old newspapers with both hands, I left the second floor props room and went downstairs. On my way down the hall to the stage, I found Rin in front of the door to green room #2. She was carefully holding her shoulder bag in her hands, watchful of her surroundings. That unusual scene I’d seen in the green room before the show returned to my mind. I carefully observed Rin, and saw something move ever-so-slightly inside her bag. I approached her and spoke.

“Miss Rin!” 

“(Aaaah! Miku, shhh!)”, Rin whispered at me. 

So she’d snuck a kitten into the green room. Pets weren’t allowed in the theater, so if any managers saw it, she’d probably get yelled at. 

“…Did you… pick it up off the street?” 

“…Yeah. I just feel so bad for them. Its mother wasn’t nearby, and it was about to get run over by a car. And the streets were really busy this morning thanks to the fire at Harrods, right? If I’d just left it, then…” 

Rin’s expression was somewhat gloomy. She stared at the stray cat in her bag, but her gaze was uncertain, as if looking at something else past it. She went silent. 

“I know how you feel. When I see an abandoned animal, somehow I can’t just leave it. I didn’t have parents myself, so when I saw kittens or puppies left alone without their parents, I always picked them up. Though my grandma would get mad at me…” 

“Huh? Miku, you didn’t have a dad either?” 

“I see…” 

The kitten in Rin’s arms slipped through and sunk back into her bag. It seemed to like it in there. Rin gently stroked the cat’s head with her open right hand, and placed her left on her neck. I glanced at the locket she always wore around it. 

“Um… Miss Rin, do you also not have…?” 

Immediately, Rin stared piercingly at me. With a look like she was scouring through me for something. She had just the same eyes her brother did when I encountered him in the props room. 

“W-Well… Yes, I have one, a father. And a mother too… probably.” 

Only looking sad for a brief moment, she instantly turned around from her nervous attitude and put on her usual lively smile. 

“Oh, but! This kitty has me now! So everything’s fine!” 

“Yeah! I’m allergic, though!” 

“Yeah… Somehow! Len can help too.” 

“Oh, yes. There may be some things to clean up still…” 

“Then can you tell the cast to meet in green room #1 when they’re all done? We’ll have a meeting about act two, and a nice little celebration for the success of the first day! Okay, Miku?” 

“Oh, and you can drop the "miss”! Just call me Rin.“ 

Just the same thing her brother had told me earlier… 

"I was just thinking Len might’ve told you that, too.” 

“I kneeew it! Aww, Len beat me to the punch again. He always runs ahead to snatch the best opportunities! Even though everyone knows it’s Rin who keeps spirits high in this company!” 

Did the twins have some kind of telepathy? I was stunned that she’d guessed right about Len’s conversation with me in the props room. Unless, heaven forbid, she was listening from outside the room in secret…? It didn’t seem that way. Maybe this was a talent that came with the “insight” Len was talking about. 

“Oh yeah, and Luka, too! Pleased with that handkerchief she gave you today?” 

“Great! Actually, she bought it the other day when I went shopping with her. She looked so serious about trying to pick out the perfect one! Apparently, she wanted to wait until the show was all over and give it to you as a present then… Oh, but don’t tell her I said that, or she’ll get mad!” 

With that, Rin waved her hand and ran off in a hurry. Once she was out of sight, I carefully took out the handkerchief Luka had given me and focused my eyes on it again. Luka, yes, that Luka, had picked this out just for me… The corners of my eyes heated up, and I pressed the handkerchief to them. 

Everyone thought of me as a friend… That happy fact gave me the strength to keep doing my best tomorrow. I had to try harder, so that I could at least repay them a little for all they’d given me. I’d steel myself for tomorrow, and make up for my mistake. 

After Rin left, I went to the right wing of the stage. The backstage set crew, stagehands, and lighting staff were all gathered, more or less finishing up with their preparations for tomorrow. Kaito stood in the middle of them giving managerial directions. Over in the left wing, I saw Meiko, Gack, and Meg talking with the prop-maker Ia about something. 

“…Oh yes, indeed! Then, too. Though she’s usually very clumsy…” 

“Like? She totally was! Like she lept right out of the play!” 

“Well, I anticipated as much. Len and Rin caught you, didn’t they?” 

“…Is it really that blatant?” 

“Yes, very! But that’s a fine thing. Lovable, even.” 

“Indeed. I feel you have a very good character about you. It’s ador… cough, ahem! …Ah, it’s magnificent.” 

“M-Mr. Gack… are you actually praising Miss Miku? That thing you said to me earlier, too… "That blunder was truly magnificent! I haven’t seen such a hilari… cough, cough - pleasantly wonderful mistake in years!” I wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be pleasing or depressing.“ 

Ia looked up at Gack with scornful eyes, and he smiled awkwardly. 

"Gack is quick to compliment anything as "magnificent,” but… sometimes that compliment isn’t particularly appreciated, hm? I was carrying some set parts once, and he told me “Miss Meiko, your upper biceps are truly magnificent. Very practically useful!” My pride was really hurt by that one…“ 

“Oh, yes! He’s done that to me, too…” 

Like a dam bursting, the women spoke up about the thoughtless things Gack would casually say to them daily. He backed away in fear of their intensity, looking around wildly. He usually stayed calm and composed with a cocky smile, so it was amusing to see him flustered like this. 

Gack was cool and orderly in appearance, very popular with women without any rumors of frivolity; a serious, kind, likable young man. But being such a good person, sometimes he’d slip up and I’d see him get a scolding, usually from his female colleagues. I’m not sure how to best describe it, but he was never doubtful of people, had a tendency of being too pure, and would be leniently forgiven at times when he should have been admonished, sometimes even applauded. And often times, this didn’t please the women. 

He winced, red-faced, and his eyebrows sank, quickly losing his usual mature dignity. Seeing him so droopy and shrunken-away reminded me of a dog being scolded by its master for doing something that it thought was good, and not understanding why. I felt a little sorry about it, so I came to his aid. 

“Um… I think that sort of slight thickheadedness Mr. Gack has is just great! He usually always has this grown-up feeling to him, so from time to time, seeing him getting scolded and turning frantic… It’s kind of cute, like watching a dog. I guess I just think it’s great that he has all these sides to him.” 

“…Miku? That… doesn’t follow from what we said at all… And Gack, is that remark really something to be happy about? Sigh…” 

With a great sigh, Meiko scrunched her face sourly, like sucking a lemon. 

“Hmm… I can see some overlap between Miss Miku and Mr. Gack. I mean, maybe they’re trying to be serious, but they’re just out-of-it by nature. Sometimes I feel like I’ve run out of responses to their antics…” 

“U-Unfortunate… elements, Miss Meiko…?” 

“I’ll help any time you need it!” 

Ia thanked me with a charming smile and went back to finishing up her other work. I then went back up on stage with Meiko to prepare for the beginning of act two. 

“Helping with the prop-making… Now, that’s great!” 

“Ia’s working double time to do the setpieces for this play too, so she’s really busy. I’m sure that even you helping out with the small tasks is a big help to her. We’re short on hands right now…” 

I was reminded of earlier remarks about numerous people quitting during the conflict a year and half before I arrived here. Thus, in order to get the large-scale set for this play done in time, it seems all the backstage staff had to do extra work outside their usual fields. 

“Everyone! Stay where you are and listen!” 

Kaito, who’d been observing the entire stage and giving directions, began to shout directions loudly enough for everyone to hear. 

“We’re almost done with the final adjustments for tomorrow’s set. Backstage staff, I know you have early-morning preparations to do, so head home for today and get some good rest. And the rest of you, finish up quickly so you can go home soon. All the cast members, we’re about to do our final checks for tomorrow. Sorry to wear you out, but as soon as we finish this, we’ll meet up in green room #1.” 

“Um, Mr. Kaito. I know we’re backstage staff, buuut… we can still do what we like, right?”, the stagehand Mayu quickly asked from behind Kaito. 

“Sure, as long as it won’t impact you tomorrow. Looking at the state of things, I don’t think we’ll be able to do an afterparty for the whole crew. Tell everyone that for me. Oh, and Mayu… Don’t drink too much. Good work today!” 

“All riiight! Let’s get drinking! I’ll have to get Meg to make you-know-what again, heeheehee…” 

Meiko put on a face-filling smile at the mention of the word “afterparty.” 

“Ohh, Meiko, do you just think of me as a handy drink dispenser?! I know you love beer and all, but it feels like you only consider me "useful” at times like these…“ 

Having worked at a bar in her bottom-of-the-ladder days, Meg knew a lot about alcohol. She was intimately familiar with cocktails, all kinds of beer, and the tastiest ways to drink everything. I guess it was just her way to thoroughly master anything she got involved in, as she was apparently on the same level as first-class bartenders. In fact, it wasn’t just beer; she was an expert in all drinks, particularly tea and coffee. I’d often seen the cast badger her to mix drinks for them. Particularly our beer- and tea-lover Meiko, of course. 

"M-My… That’s not true at all.” 

“Well said, Miku. Yes, you’re exactly right! Meg’s a wonderful person, not just restricted to beer, but capable of making delicious tea, coffee, or any other drink. Truly dependable. And even so, her occupation is that of a playwright. And she’s a stellar actress on top of all that? Such an inspiration!” 

Meiko overbearingly sung Meg’s praises, bringing in totally unrelated topics. They were all true statements, but surely even Meg had to sense her true intents heaping this praise now, of all times. 

“Ah, geeeeez! Miss Meiko, that’s too much! You’re going to make me blush… All right! In commemoration of the success of today’s show, I’ll make your favorite Meiko Special!” 

“M-Miss Meg…?! (You do realize she’s back to only complimenting you for drinks…!)” 

“A-hem! But of course! Despite appearances, I know all about drinks. The Meiko Special is mostly made from premium alcohol, so it would normally go for a very high price… But today, we splurge! Because today is the commemorable first production day of Crazy ∞ nighT! Miss Miku, I’ll make you a Miku-Miku Special for being such a hard-working lead actress, too!” 

“I see. That’s good. But… She does have asthma, you know, so I wonder…” 

“Oh, did you not see? I was certain she was hiding another stray kitten or something in green room #2…” 
&ld

Chapter end