Double Planet Episode 12

Double Planet
Episode 12: "Even in a year like this, Christmas still comes as Christmas"
Tamaru Luka (Furuta Jun & Kanda Yota / Radio Shonan Personality)

The clubroom in December was colder than I imagined. Leaning against the electric heater that was shaking its head unsteadily, Natsuki turned the pages of the script with his numb hands, and the only sound I could hear was the swish, swish. I was in a daze, remembering that day. The stars we looked up at at the beach, the conversation we had, dawn, the morning glow, the first train, the Enoshima Electric Railway, the excuses to my mother. I don't know what inspires me to express myself. I wrote down the ideas that were overflowing from me, went to the library to do research, and worked all of it into the script as if I was trying to do it all. I'm embarrassed to use this word, but if I may, it's total concentration. Yes, I concentrated completely and finished revising the script for "Sky and Puzzle".

Natsuki said tremblingly after finishing reading to the end.

"What is this... this is crazy."

I was confident. Or rather, to be honest, I didn't think I could write anything better than this at the time.

"The character design and story development are great, I think it's really improved!"
"it was good"

I replied briefly, trying to suppress my joy. It meant that the revisions to the script for "Sky and Puzzle" had gone well. Natsuki and I had taken another step forward.

"So, what should we do from here? How should we stage this piece?"

As expected, I was at a loss for words. As usual, there was no clear outlook for activities due to the effects of COVID-19. Or rather, the situation may be getting worse. Last month's school festival was canceled, and drama club activities have been suspended for a while. It's rumored that if things continue as they are, the farewell party for the graduating class in February will also be canceled. It feels like a long time ago when we were allowed to carry out our activities freely. We've gone to the trouble of writing a script, but we have no opportunity or place to perform it. This is tough. Sigh. After being silent for a while, Natsuki handed me a small folded piece of paper.

"Luka, can you read this for me?"
"What that……"

I took the folded paper and cautiously opened it, and saw the word "Operation" written in messy handwriting. It was not the handwriting of the Natsuki I knew. There weren't many characters that looked like letters, and I realized it was a diagram of the distribution system that connected the camera and computer with a cable.

"You consulted with your boyfriend the other day, didn't you?"
"Uh, wait, wait. Boyfriend...?! Huh? Huh?"
"Oh, I haven't told you yet, Ruka. I've been dating someone since last month. Do you know Takemura-kun from the broadcasting club?"

Takemura Yuji. He was in the same class as me in my first year. I knew he was knowledgeable about music, but that was the only impression I had. To be honest, he wasn't the type to be handsome. I was surprised that Natsuki, who admitted to being a looker, would fall in love with him.

"He kept coming on to me."

Natsuki said with a blush, but not completely opposed. I'm sure there was something that only the two of them understood. But rather than asking about it in detail, I first wanted to know the meaning of the illustration on the paper.

"This plan is..."
"Why don't you just stream it, Takemura-kun?" he said.

It's true that the number of livestreamed performances has been increasing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. I've watched a few livestreamed performances by theater companies that I found interesting. But I never thought we'd do it ourselves. Because I didn't know how to do it, and I'd heard it would cost money to do it properly.

"If I do it, the broadcasting club will help me."
"Eh, really?"
"It's a collaboration between the drama club and the broadcasting club, so the broadcasting club's club funds will be used."

Natsuki felt somewhat proud. He didn't know exactly what kind of person Takemura was, but if he was willing to go to such lengths for his beloved girlfriend, he felt like he could trust him.

"A streaming performance might be a good idea!"
"OK! I'll meet with you today and we'll talk about it. I mean, if that's the case, we have to start practicing!"
"Yeah, it's going to be busy!"

I left the high school and headed towards Fujisawa Station. The area was teeming with people rushing home.
I felt light on my feet. It was great to have taken the next step and perform online.

Suddenly, I stopped inside the station, leaned my back against the wall, and took out my smartphone.

Launch LINE and scroll with your thumb.
I searched for the blue planet icon and found it right away.

"It looks like Sora to Puzzle will be performed as a streaming show."

I pressed the send button.
One minute, two minutes, ... five minutes.
It takes a while for the message to be marked as read.

I felt disgusted with myself for waiting for the message to be read and started walking out of the station.

There was a sign accepting reservations for Christmas cakes. Even in a year like this, Christmas still comes. Natsuki might spend it with her boyfriend Takemura. They might exchange gifts. I have only seen Christmas like that in manga and dramas. I thought Natsuki was adding another skill to her repertoire as an actress. Good, good, go Natsuki.

I heard the LINE ringtone and quickly opened my phone.

"What time are you coming back?"

It was from my mother.
Tap the blue planet icon.
It hasn't been read yet.

Seriously, what is with him?

Aono's reply came two nights later.

"Sorry for the late reply. I think live streaming is great! Congratulations. I've finally finished a song. It's the first song I've ever written from start to finish by myself. It's the theme song for 'Sora to Puzzle'. I really wanted Maruyama-san to be the first to hear it."

After the truncated message, there was an audio file attached.

Suddenly, my chest began to pound.
Before I knew it, my mouth was bone dry.

I tapped the play button and slowly closed my eyes.

"to be continued"

*Back issues can be viewed here .