Funeral Lilies Conjured With a Sleight of Hand - Track 4

This test run with the makeup is mega hype! I can’t wait for what it looks like during the actual shoot. Right, Chiefy?

The makeup is really beautiful! It really suits you all!

(Getting the chance to be on the makeup inspection set is such a valuable experience…! And it looks like they’ll be able to bring out Ev3ns’s charm, I’m so glad…!)

Oooh hey! Let’s shoot a BTS vid so that we can post it on dazzle later~!

Are you sure we’re good to film this?

Obviously! I’d never skip out on getting permission! If I post it after all the info is announced, it’ll just count as an ad~!

Chiitizenssss~! Whaddya think of this? Dark Chii and Dark Kinyari! Pretty awesome, right?!

Today we are testing the makeup for our collaboration with WanWon. We’d like you to see a different side of us.

How is my lion impression, everyone? Rawwwr!

Ahaha! Raitin’s all pumped~!

Maci. My makeup isn’t smudged is it? Could you check it for me?

Woah! You’re way too close, Kuguri-san.

Ufufu… Why so shy? All I did was get closer. You’re so innocent, maci.

Alrighty! I’d say everything’s all perf! Let’s make the real deal good too!

Hey, Nayuki, you should try being a beast tamer after all. Don’t lions and beast tamers go hand in hand? I think you’d find fun in whipping me, too.

Lions don’t understand human speech, do they? Don’t speak to me, please.

By the way, Natsuyaki-kun… have you decided on the contents of the video we discussed the other day? It would be best if we could give the representative an answer before the end of the day.

Ooh! I was thinking the five of us could take turns doing a circus act? It could be fun!

Since Chii’s gonna be a clown, I’m gonna stick to juggling since I’m good at it!

Kinyari, you could be the trapeze artist!

Understood. I will practice before the performance. I have already researched a moveset.

That’s our Kinyari! The MVP!

So we have to act out our roles? Should I jump through rings of fire as the circus lion?

Obviously we can’t use fire. That’s way too dangerous.

Mmkay, yeah. Actual fire is a no-go, but how about holograms? Would that work, Nayuuki?

…Well, I believe that could work for a performance.

And that leaves Kugurin and Taotao for the grand finale~ Remember how the magic tricks you did back in Beppu were a total hit? What if you did a magic trick together?

You two are “Party Trick Magicians” for sure… I’m so hyped to see what you’ll do ♪

(Urk… Why am I paired with Kuguri-san again?)

Ufufu… What kind of cruel magic should we do, maci? We’ll have even more eager eyes on us than those wasted drunks from before, you know.

Um, I’m not really sure. Can we please not make it scary?

Kitami-san is here!

Ah, Nayuki-kun, that’s–

WanWon’s creative director, yes. We should go greet him, Chief.

I’m Kitakata Nayuki from HAMA Tours. I am Ev3ns’s manager.

I’m Kaede Hamasaki from HAMA Tours. Thank you so much for your time today!

Oh, hello. The theme you pitched to me was excellent… I’ve been looking forward to working on it.

Right… At a glance, it seems the makeup fits the concept. Oh…?

Hey there.

Kuguri-kun, was it? I saw you in the photos… but your aura is a lot more intense in person.

You were the one that pitched the theme of “Grand-Guignol”, yes? I’d like to hear more about that. What were your direction plans for the shoot today?

That’s right… I wanted to keep the dark concept intact.

For example, you could scatter blood red sequins around plüss after he falls from the trapeze.

As the ringmaster, I could be impaled after a failed magic trick. An interesting thought, isn’t it?

And that beast over there… could get torn apart by hyenas after it starves. Actually, a death like that would suit him.

(K-Kuguri-san is going off…! And for some reason he’s being particularly grotesque to Raito-san!)

Now hold on. There is no way a cosmetics collaboration would allow for such a frightening script–

Ah! Bravo! Truly a cruel tragedy! You have such wonderful taste!

……

…Are we gonna be okay, Nayuki-kun?

Well, if the director is giving his go-ahead… I believe we’ll be alright?

Domeki-san, while I respect your idea, I must ask you not to make the members do anything unreasonable.

Yeah, yeah.

Domeki Kuguri… So it really is you…

Did you… play the piano in the past?

……

I have a feeling you did… Weren’t you the young genius that dominated piano competitions?

Was I? Are you sure you aren’t mistaking me for someone else?

No. In my line of work, I see thousands of faces and I can remember them… no matter how much time has passed. You must be him.

…I don’t know him.

U-Ummm… excuse me. It’s time to start the photoshoot⁠—

Back in the day, your piano playing truly captivated me… It was perfect, flawless even. Yet, the way you played Liszt felt like it could break the second anyone touched it.

The monochrome memory I lost… was you.

…How annoying.

I’ve had it for today. I’m leaving.

Hold on, Domeki-san…!? Where do you think you’re going!? There’s still filming to be done!

Kuguri-san left…

Was it something I said…?

(That reminds me of something Nanaki-kun told me…)

You know… Kugunii used to be a piano genius until he got into an accident while he was abroad. He lost both his arms…

I heard that he couldn’t play the way he used to with his prosthetics. After that, Kugunii left home… and our families kinda stopped talking too.

I really want to hear Kugunii play the piano again… It was like he took all the beautiful things in the world and turned it into music. Every note was so delicate… like something made of glass.

(I’m sure… Kuguri-san doesn’t want to talk about his time as a piano player.)

Kuguri…

……

(Kuguri-san was… a young piano genius? That’s news to me…)