Title: Opening
Characters: Rui, Tsukasa, Nene, Emu, Sakaki, Tom Gray, Arcland Directors, Townspeople, Coachman, Tavern Owner, Monster (played by Tsukasa), Bard (played by Emu), Hunter (played by Nene)
| Event Story | Episode 1 ・ Episode 2 ・ Episode 3 ・ Episode 4 ・ Episode 5 ・ Episode 6 ・ Episode 7 ・ Episode 8 |
Opening
Assignment Presentation Day
THE CENTER THEATRE Backstage
Tsukasa
-This day has finally come.
Rui
Indeed. This is going to sound repetitive but…thank you all for helping me with my assignment.
It must've been difficult to juggle the rehearsals for this while attending the actor workshop at the same time.
Nene
I mean, we all went into it knowing that it's gonna be difficult anyway…
Tsukasa
Yeah! I also wanted to put what we learnt from the workshop to practice in an actual show anyway!
Emu
I can't wait for everyone to watch us~!
Rui
Right. We will showcase what we've achieved from the workshop thus far in this show.
The audience will consist only of our fellow workshop participants and the instructors. Harsh critique awaits after it's over-
…But let's forget all about that for now. What we'll do is no different from the usual.
We face the audience before us and do our best to put on our show, that's all.
Emu
Yeah!
Tsukasa
I'm also curious about the reception to this show!
Nene
It does have a very different tone from what we've done so far.
Emu
At first, I wondered if we could really pull it off, but playing it now is super duper fun!
Rui
Hehe! I couldn't be happier as a director to hear that.
Tsukasa
The script and staging were a pleasant surprise even though they still felt like something you would create.
You seem to have worried a lot about it…but this is the answer you've chosen, right?
Rui
-Yeah. It should contain everything I could possibly incorporate into it.
Tsukasa
Alright. This is a new frontier for our director, and Wonderlands x Showtime by extension.
Let's make this the best show together!
Emu, Rui, & Nene
Yeah!/Yeah.
Sakaki
"Next up is… Ah, it's that Kamishiro."
"Speaking of, didn't he consult you or something recently, Tom?"
Tom
"Yeah, I just gave him a little bit of advice. I sense a great potential in that young man."
Sakaki
"Whaaat? Seriously? No lip service or anything?"
Tom
"Of course. I'm sure you'll realise soon enough, too."
Sakaki
…Eh, no harm having an ounce of hope.
*Horse carriage running*
Coachman
"Eek…! Help! Help me…!!"
???
"Hahaha! What, you're complaining already?"
Monster
"Surely you can go faster than this? Don't you dare bore me now!"
Coachman
"Th-The monster got on the carriage…! Wh-Whoa…?!"
*CRASH!*
Monster
"…He slipped down the slope. Which means that I'm the winner in this race!"
"Sigh… How boring. And here I thought I'd finally found someone to kill time with."
"Oh, yeah! Why don't I turn into a human and check out the town or something?"
"Maybe I'll discover something fun there."
*Loud chattering*
*Footsteps*
Tavern Owner
"-Here's your ale! I've never seen you around these parts before, lad. Are you a traveller by any chance?"
Young Traveller?
"Yeah, that's it!"
Tavern Owner
"Then it's best that you be careful. A scary monster lurks in the woods nearby."
Young Traveller?
"Really, now… In what way is that monster scary?"
Tavern Owner
"The long and short of it is that it's selfish and cruel. It's also shrewd, and its strength and speed are said to far surpass those of humans. That's why it's a vile creature."
"I even heard that just today, a horse carriage got chased around by it for fun and suffered greatly."
Young Traveller?
"Uh huh. It must have been craving playmates."
Tavern Owner
"No one would want to get chased around because of that! You stay vigilant too, lad."
*Footsteps*
Monster
"…I truly can't see eye to eye with humans."
"Is there even anything in this world that is more important than fun?"
"Sigh… This so-called tavern is boring, too… Hm?"
*Music*
???
"♪—————— ♪——————~~"
Monster
"…This is…"
Bard
"Oh? Is this your first time listening to a bard's song, perhaps?"
Monster
"Bard…?"
Bard
"Correct! We travel from place to place and sing or tell tales about local legends and happenings while we walk."
Monster
"Ooh…! That sounds like fun!"
"I forgot about my boredom while listening to the song just now."
"If I could sing bard songs on my own-"
"Hey, teach me how to sing too!"
Bard
"Huh? Does that mean…you'll become my disciple?!"
"A disciple…! I always wanted to have one… Wait, this doesn't make me sound like a master. Ahem!"
"Do you really wish to become my disciple?"
Monster
"Disciple…? Well, if it means I'll be able to sing, then anything goes."
"Make me your disciple!"
Bard
"Oh… I can't say no when you say that with such pure eyes…"
"Sure thing. You have to call me 'Master' from today onwards."
Monster
"Okay, got it!"
Monster
"♪—————— ♪——————"
Bard
"Huh, you've got more talent for this than I imagined."
"But… Can't you do something about those odd verses? They sound like a drunkard's fever dream."
Monster
"What kind of verse would do then?"
Bard
"Something that would resonate better with the heart! For example-"
Townsperson A
"Lad, you're the bard's disciple, aren't you? Can you sing a song for me?"
Monster
"Nope. I'm not doing this for you lot-"
Bard
"Hey! Didn't I teach you not to speak like that?"
"Also, we bards tell tales and sing songs for people. I'll stop teaching you if you say things like that."
Monster
"Grr… That's no good. Fine, just one song."
*Music*
Monster
"♪———— ♪——————"
Townsperson A
"Oohh… This guy's kinda…"
Townsperson B
"Why, you've got quite the skill! It makes me want to listen to this forever."
Monster
"…What's this. So humans do have a teensy bit of good judgment in them!"
Townsperson A
"Thanks, lad! Now I have the motivation to work hard from tomorrow onwards too."
Monster
"Sure! If you'd like, I'll sing for you again."
Townsperson A
"Really? I'll come by with the missus next time for another listen, then."
Bard
"…Hehe!"
Tsukasa
(This way, the monster blends in with the human circles little by little.)
(It only did so for the fun it sought at first-)
Bard
"There are so many smiles surrounding you."
"You pull off some outrageous acts that spook me from time to time… But those are also fun."
"I'm blessed to have such a good disciple."
Rui
(The core of the monster has never changed. It is innocent and only seeks fun.)
(However-)
Tsukasa
(Something has begun to grow deep in its heart.)
(To express that emotion that even the monster itself is unaware of…)
Monster
"…Is that so."
Arcland Director A
…That was really good.
Arcland Director B
Yeah. It's a restrained portrayal, but it feels impactful because of the interval and aperture here."
Emu
(On such a wide stage, we have to exaggerate our actions so that they get across clearly to the audience-)
(But Tsukasa and Rui discussed this loads of times and practised the best intervals and all that for this part.)
Tsukasa
(…So far so good, but this is where the critical scene begins.)
(One day, a lone hunter arrives at the town the monster is living in - and everything changes from here.)
*Footsteps*
Hunter
"-Everyone, please listen to me. A terrifying monster has infiltrated this town."
*Loud chattering*
Townspeople
"B-By that, you mean-"
Hunter
"The monster has transformed into a human and is acting like it's one of you. But not a sliver of its true nature matches up with that of a human."
"It is indulgent, innocent, and cruel. Those are the reasons why it is a monster."
"Before it eventually hurts someone… I have to find it and take it down."
*Loud chattering*
Townspeople
"…How frightening."
Townspeople
"Yeah. Plus, the fact that it'd transformed into a human is just so eerie…"
Bard
"…The mood is kind of awful, isn't it?"
Monster
"Yeah…"