Double Planet Episode 4

Double Planet
Episode 4: “The animal I thought was a dog was actually a cat”
Tamaru Luka (Furuta Jun & Kanda Yota/Radio Shonan Personality)

Who could have predicted that the new school year would turn out like this? It was unclear whether or not my second year of high school had even started, and the school was temporarily closed from spring break until May 6th. Only my feelings are in limbo, and only time is moving forward. Summer vacation was so exciting, but I'm not happy about this temporary closure at all. A part of my youth has been taken away from me by Corona. Even though I'm not really enjoying my youth, I'm attacked by such persecutory delusions. Oh, I'm really pissed off now.

Of course, there are no club activities, only the drama club's group line is exciting. Everyone has free time, right? We're doing stupid things. I'm just watching everyone's interactions.

“Hey, I have some free time, so would you like to practice online?”

The person who spoke was my classmate Natsuki.
Apparently, recently, there are people using Zoom to stage online plays.
Now that face-to-face encounters are no longer possible, I have to think about it a lot.
Even so, Natsuki's antennae after the theatrical switch was turned on were amazing.
He now knows more about the current state of theater than anyone else in the club. Which theater company managed to win an award? I heard that the alumni of that high school's drama club have produced famous actors. I'm so knowledgeable that my seniors scold me and ask me, ``Are you a theater writer?''

The online training that Natsuki proposed was these two.

・Would you like everyone to practice speaking on camera at the same time?
・Why not decide on a theme and perform an etude (improvisational play) online?

As I watched without reacting, I was quickly subdued by the new third-year students who were not happy with Natsuki's suggestion.
Natsuki must have felt frustrated. As a friend, perhaps I should have offered support and said, ``I want to try it!'' even if it was a lie.

Actually, there was a small change in me as well.
It's not just that you stink.
Because I'm alive too.
Since then, I've been listening to the radio program "Love & Music" every week, and this feeling has come to me.

"I think I'll try writing a story too..."

That's what I came up with.
I didn't declare it to anyone, just a random idea that I decided on my own.
I downloaded a memo app on my smartphone and typed out some story ideas.

I have a huge amount of time, so this is a great way to kill time.

There were times when I got so addicted to it that it was 2am before I knew it.
I don't really stick to one thing, but right now I feel like I'm just writing down whatever comes to mind.
It felt like I was blindly throwing a ball to a place with no target, but it was fun.

What kind of fun is this?
It's like nothing I've ever tasted before.

I came up with several stories, but my favorite is:
A comedy about an animal that the entire family thought was a dog, but was actually a cat.

I laughed when I thought of it.

"what is that?!"

I wanted to poke fun at myself.
The story is about a family who have never seen a cat and have lived their lives under the assumption that all animals of this size are dogs.

I wanted to tell someone about this idea.

There is only Natsuki.

First, I send Natsuki a casual LINE so that she doesn't realize.

"Sleepy"

Honestly, I don't sleep at all. In fact, his eyes are incredibly clear. I tried to make a joke out of the flow of our exchange at a casual rally.

“I had so much free time that I came up with this story (lol)”

I sent a message saying that the dog was a cat.
It was marked as read, and I waited and waited, but there was no reply.
I wonder what's wrong with her...even though she's famous as Natsuki who responds immediately.
I decided to take a bath and came back refreshed.
I had received a long message that I had never seen before.

Natsuki kept saying things like ``I don't think it's good at all'' in a roundabout way. I didn't want to read further in the middle, but I read it to the end anyway.
I felt exhausted and heavy.

I just thought Natsuki would say something like ``Interesting!'' with her usual attitude.
I was hoping that I would be praised for the richness of my ideas.

"There's no reality."

It even came with such plausible words.
Reality. Is reality necessary?
After all, aren't impossible stories more interesting? That's what I think.
In an empty room, I tried to mutter a counterargument.

Being criticized like this made me feel completely depressed.
I started spending more and more time not touching the memo function app, and once again I felt like I was missing a hole. Even if I watch anime on Netflix or watch serial dramas on TV, I feel unsatisfied. Time doesn't accumulate in me at all.
I don't know if he's alive or dead.

I look at the date, depressed and in agony. It was Saturday.

I turned on the radio.

Emails from regular listeners are introduced.
I thought it was nice. I would like to participate too.
Well, who is it... Yes, it's Subtle Blue.
Like the high school listener's Subtle Blue.

I decided to send my feelings to the radio.

Kanda : Here's the email. It's from the radio name "Lucas."
"nice to meet you. She's probably a second-year student at a high school in the prefecture.
It's school holidays right now and I'm super bored.
No matter what I'm doing, whether it's playing games or watching anime, I'm always bored.
Corona is stupid.
The other day, I was thinking of something like an idea for a story.
It was fun and I came up with many ideas.
When I showed my friends which one I was most confident about, they completely rejected me.
This was my current status report. ” ”

Furuta “Ho”

Kanda: “Speaking of stories, it’s Furuta-kun.”

Furuta : “When you were young, didn’t you have baseless confidence in what you created?”

Kanda : “I was there too.”

Furuta : “But I get depressed when someone with a certain amount of experience shows up and is denied using plausible words.”

Kanda: “Furuta-kun, are you depressed?”

Furuta : “I felt depressed at times, but soon my baseless self-confidence began to emerge, and I tried to convince myself that the person who denied me was wrong! I was right! (lol) ”

Kanda : “I kind of get it (lol)”

Furuta : ``I don't think there is a right answer when it comes to making things.I believe that anything that the person himself finds joy in the process of making is genuine.As you continue to make things and become an adult, there are many moments when that isn't the case.'' It's coming. It's pure fun to make it right now, and that's what I think! It's precious. If you have a feeling that you want to express, don't be afraid!"

"to be continued"

*Back issues can be viewed here .