“Hmph... You're a machine. Speak when you are spoken to.”

“Understood. Please excuse my insolence.”

“I possess the power to shut you down at will. Don't ever forget that.”

“...”

“I suppose there's no way for you to understand the implications of what I just said.”

“To be shut down...is to die...”

“You seem like a pain, robot...”

Okay, stop there.

Nene, let's try that scene again with Asahi in Tsukasa's place.

Oh, okay.

Let's do our best.

Yes, let's.

Alright, let's take a short break.

Interesting...

(Asahi and Tsukasa interpret that scene so differently from one another.)

(Compared to Asahi, the tone of the voice for Tsukasa's version of Bartlett seems kinda random sometimes.)

(I want to say that it has to do with how he believes Bartlett is trying to process everything he's being told...)

(But they're like polar opposites when it comes to that discussion about death.)

(Tsukasa seems to hesitate a little, like he's not sure if what he's saying is the right answer.)

(While Asahi says that line like it's purely a matter of fact. No ifs, ands or buts.)

(He says, “Please excuse my insolence,” with some bit of force, which makes how nonchalantly he delivers the next part about dying all the more surreal...)

(It's hard to believe how they can diverge so much on just one role...)

Nene, that was great!

You're doing such a good job of playing a really scary drill sergeant! I got goosebumps all over!

Oh, um... Thanks.

Hm? You don't seem all that happy? What's wrong? Oh, are you getting hungry?

Emu, I'm not you...

But you're not wrong...

I was wondering just now if I doing a good enough job as I interact with Tsukasa and Asahi.

Huh? Really?

They both tried playing Bartlett, but ended up playing him so differently...

Oh, I felt that too.

The same thing happened when they played Alfred.

So it wasn't just me...

Yup! I totally get it.

They play Alfred really differently, but it's still Alfred.

Right.

And I need to do my best to act alongside them...

Nene, you seem concerned. Is something wrong?

Oh, Rui, Asahi.

There's something I want to ask you... Wait, where's Tsukasa?

He's talking to my castmates about the next scene.

Oh, okay...

For now, I'll ask you two...

I see... You're worried that you could be doing a better job of interacting with Tsukasa and Asahi as they play Bartlett...

Really? I thought you were doing just fine.

But you believe you could be doing better... Right, Nene?

Y-Yeah, I think so...

Oh! Oh! I wanna learn how to interact with them better too! Lots better!

Thank you, Emu.

In that case, well...

This may not sound all that profound, but doesn't that have to do with really seeing how the person opposite to you is acting?

Really seeing how they're acting...?

I thought I did...

Yes, I agree that you've both established a good foundation. However, there does appear to be one difficult bit.

Do you concur, Asahi?

Yes. For example, the scene we just practiced...

Remember how you spoke with your back turned to Bartlett, Nene? You were treating him like someone who deserves that little respect, no?

Oh, you're right...

I wasn't looking at Tsukasa's face that time.

She's doing a good job of showing how Sergeant Willis feels about Bartlett, so I'm not sure we can do much to change that part.

I noticed something when Tsukasa and I played that scene just now. When I say, “Please excuse my insolence,” I never looked towards Nene.

But when Tsukasa played Bartlett, he tried to make eye contact with you.

Huh...?

I believe that is Tsukasa's way of presenting a small aspect of Bartlett's humanity.

I liked what he did there too. It felt like he was making a real effort to make a human connection.

Really?

I had no idea...

Yeah, there are times when I can't tell what other people are doing because I have my back turned to them...

That's perfectly fine. “Seeing” how someone is acting doesn't literally involve looking at them.

So, when you're not sure, it's good to ask others who watch you practice about particular scenes.

Oh, now I understand...

Hehe. We've been making an effort to dissect our performances up until now, but it's nice to be taking such a deep dive like this.

Yeah! I'm gonna try asking more people from now on!

Me too.

(Asking is easy, and even though it's not like I did until now... Being more intentional about it is gonna make a huge difference moving forward.)

Rui, Asahi, thank you both for taking the time to answer my question.

Thank you very much!

You're welcome.