Funeral Lilies Conjured With a Sleight of Hand - Track 10

(I still can’t get used to this makeup… It’s like a mask’s stuck to my face.)

Woah, there’s really a tent here. There’s even a trapeze set, this is crazy…!

(It’s like a real circus. The guys at WanWon must’ve gone all out to get what Kuguri-san wanted…)

But still, Kuguri-san said he wanted to make it more like a freak show tent, so I thought the interior would be creepier…

But it’s actually kinda… nostalgic?

(It kinda reminds me of the Asahi Circus tent…)

……

(I never really understood why Kuguri-san chose a circus as the theme.)

(It caught me off guard when he said he watched the same circus I did though…)

Kuguri-san.

Why did you decide to change the concept? It was more bloody and… gruesome before, wasn’t it?

I already told you I changed my mind.

……

The circus to me is the “Grand-Guignol”. In my monochrome memories of it, only a sickening red stands out.

But I realized that even that color has faded away with time. Because of you.

Huh…? Because of… me?

(I was taken to the Asahi Circus because my mother took me there on a whim…)

(Back then, I was never taken anywhere unless it was for piano. So obviously I, as naive as I was, felt happy.)

(But all my mother wanted to do was introduce me to the ringmaster. Just another way to use her son to get into the entertainment sphere.)

(To me… the circus was nothing more than a gross freakshow to feed her vanity.)

(That day… my mother wore a hideous shade of red lipstick. I can still remember it, yet…)

It’s all far behind me now. A distant memory that’s just black and white.

All of it is faded and washed out. So this is a funeral in the guise of a circus. For me… and for you.

Huh? Umm…

I’m sorry. I really don’t get it.

Right.

But I know that even if I don’t understand… You’ve told me how you really feel.

Right now, even though you’re wearing makeup… You’re showing a bit of your true face, aren’t you?

Oh? Are you still playing that selfish detective act? It doesn’t suit you at all.

…Oh, no. I know that. I’m just saying what came to mind.

Ufufu. Well… I suppose it’s up to you to decide which face of yours is real and which isn’t.

If you think my true self is what’s hidden beneath this mask of makeup…

Then rip it off with those claws of yours, Mr. Bear.¹

What’s that mean?

Well, we may both be wearing heavy makeup today, but… I think you can keep being your usual lightly masked self.

Yeah? Are you saying you can’t get enough of my normal self?

No, I wouldn’t go that far… Come on, don’t lean on me.

Ughh… By the way, are we really going to do that for our magic trick?

Oh? Were you still hoping to do the skewering act, maci?

Absolutely not! I just thought it might be boring to watch…

Are you going to prepare it to my taste, then? How sweet. How should I devour you?

…No, nevermind. Forget I said anything.

(Looks like Kuguri-san’s turned his teasing mode back on…)

…I just felt like staying close to the faint light within your monochrome world, this time.

And that’s fine the way it is.

Huh…? Thanks, I guess?

Alright! Places, everyone! We’re going to begin rehearsals!

Shall we head into the ring? I’ll stay beside you during filming too, maci.

Please go easy on me…

(He’s in high spirits for some reason… Seriously, dealing with him is like asking for trouble.)