New chapter of Control Engineer is out! (1/2 chapters)

 

 

Big Moment

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

The season had grown bitterly cold. It was now the middle of December.

About 10 days earlier, Adele-san had spoken to me over lunch, which she had kindly prepared in my room. Her cheeks were faintly flushed.

“Well, it seems it will be on Monday and Tuesday of the week after next.” (Adele)

I was rather proud of myself for not blurting out, “What will be?” right then. Instead, I properly congratulated her and shared in her joy.

Those two days were yesterday and today.

After taking the horse-drawn railway four stops south and transferring westward for another three, I arrived at a location only three more stops from the southern district’s center. It was quite a convenient area.

The Lothar Theatre stood there, an old stone building. At the front entrance facing the street hung a large sign that read, Salomea Opera Company’s 489th Winter Young Performers’ Production: “The Splendid Journey of Count Galfen”.

Although Adele-san had said it was not a particularly large theater, compared to the Gustave Grand Theatre, the home stage of the Salomea Opera Company, which I had once passed by, this one was indeed smaller. Yet even so, it was still about half the size of the Emilia Theatre, which had been built to reflect the dignity of the Earl’s domain. This theater, too, was splendid in its own right.

The performance I was to see was the second session, scheduled for this afternoon.

When Adele-san had informed me of the performance date, I immediately purchased an advance ticket. She had mentioned that the performer’s allocated tickets were given to her Uncle Duncan and Aunt, apologizing that she could not offer me one. Of course, I had no problem with that.

The young performers’ production was designed to discover new talent, so its primary aim was not profit. To give as many actors as possible a chance to appear, all roles were double-cast. The performers in the morning session were completely different from those in the afternoon, which I was about to see.

At the entrance, I handed my ticket to the usher and received the stub in return. The theater, though old, was neat and tastefully maintained. This was only my second time attending a theater performance, so I could not compare it to others.

Upon entering the hall, I noticed that the first three rows were probably reserved for the performers and related members of the troupe, as they had already been filled when I bought my ticket. My seat was in the fifth row, a few spaces off to the side.

Truth be told, I was not interested in the play itself. I only wanted to see Adele-san on stage. Perhaps a few of the people seated ahead of me were here for the same reason. Duncan-ojisan and Oba-san had attended yesterday’s performance, so I would not meet them today. Not that it would have mattered much if I had.

Looking around, I estimated that the hall was a little less than half full. That was preferable to being empty, since an empty audience can drain the performers’ enthusiasm.

As I turned to glance behind me, a burst of excited voices erupted near the back entrance. A group of young women in navy uniforms streamed in. That uniform surely belonged to the Opera Company’s training school.

Instinctively, I ducked my head. According to Adele-san, the color of the handkerchief in the breast pocket indicated the student’s year. Pale yellow meant first-year students, the same as Lotte-san.

Could she be among them, I wonder?

Peeking through the gap between seats, I saw that the students were taking seats near the back.

Phew.

That was unexpected, but it made sense that the younger students would watch their seniors perform as part of their studies. As long as I faced forward, there should be no issue.

A buzzer sounded, and the curtain rose.

Oh.

Adele-san was already on stage. As expected of someone playing a leading role like Count Galfen. She wore a white robe and had golden hair. Her face, though accentuated by the dramatic stage makeup which lent her a different kind of beauty than usual, was strikingly elegant. She was the very image of a handsome woman in male attire. Her movements retained their characteristic grace, yet her demeanor carried a somber air that contrasted with her costume.

“Burn, oh black flame that dwells within my heart.” (Adele)

Ah, I see.

Her clear, resonant voice filled the hall. It was a unique, rhythmic chant, the hallmark of opera. Indeed, Adele-san might be the perfect performer for a male role.

From the back came a flurry of high-pitched cheers, followed by applause.

I thought I heard someone shout, “Onee-sama”. Surely not, since Lotte-san’s way of addressing her was “Onee-chan”. Even so, to think she had already become so popular despite only recently becoming a trainee was remarkable.

A young woman playing the female lead appeared next. She was quite beautiful too, though perhaps I was biased, but I found Adele-san far more appealing.

“To think you would forget someone like me and choose a noblewoman instead.” (Female Role)

From what I had heard earlier, the character that Adele-san played, Count Galfen, was not yet a count at this point in the story, perhaps only a baron. In any case, he was said to be an incorrigible dandy, famed throughout the nation of Listria for his countless affairs with beautiful women. Enviable, or rather, scandalous.

“If it means abandoning you, then I would rather resign from the army and flee to the enemy nation with you.” (Adele)

Ah, her pose.

That was unmistakably the exaggerated stance I had once jokingly shown her, covering her face with her right hand and extending her left behind her back.

Our eyes met.

In that instant, she smiled faintly and playfully winked her right eye. The audience erupted in a wave of shrill, adoring screams. The word “chuunibyou” suddenly crossed my mind, though I was not quite sure what it meant. Perhaps it was a name.

Despite my embarrassment, the hall was filled with cries as delicate as silk being torn.

Well, it could not be helped. Adele-san is, after all, beautiful.

Ah, now she has begun to dance with the female lead.

Since the character was a noble’s daughter, she was probably not a commoner.

Wow. What elegance. There is a sensuality that surpassed that of most men, a kind of refined allure that made me feel oddly restless.

The scene shifted, introducing another female lead.

Suddenly, she embraced him.

Wait, what about the first woman? How outrageous.

The pattern repeated several times, and though I knew it was only acting, a strange sense of jealousy stirred within me.

By the end, Count Galfen, or rather, Galfen-Adele, had persuaded his noble patron to adopt the first woman as a foster daughter and then married her. He subsequently took the other women he had courted as concubines, one after another.

Well, in a sense, that is taking responsibility, I suppose.

Though I did not quite understand how, his wives apparently lived in harmony, and Galfen-Adele ultimately reached the pinnacle of success as both a military officer and a practitioner of magic art.

The story concluded on a grand note.

As the curtain closed, thunderous applause filled the hall. There were a few points in the story that made little sense, but such details hardly mattered. What mattered was that I had seen Adele-san perform with such grace, delivering splendid acting and dancing, and above all, that she had seemed genuinely happy on stage. Moreover, she had clearly noticed that I was watching. It was worth coming here for that alone.

Now, if I could only leave without attracting the attention of the training school students gathered near the exits.

Just then, the applause swelled again, and the curtain rose once more. The day’s cast lined up in a row and bowed toward the audience. The word “curtain call” floated into my mind. It seemed that such customs existed even on Earth.

Wait, what is this?

Three students from the back walked forward carrying bouquets of flowers. They approached the stage and presented them to Adele-san and the two female leads. The audience’s applause reached its peak, and I found myself clapping fervently as well, until I froze.

There, among the students, was a face I had not expected to see, a face I thought had long since faded into the distant corners of memory.

Why? Why is she here?

 

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(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)