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Dear Tsuzuru,
How have you been? I've missed you so m
Dear Tsuzuru,
How have you been? I've been well. I'm sure it must be strange, receiving a letter from me after years of silence
Dear Tsuzuru,
I'm only sorry that I never got to tell you how much you mean to me,
Dear Tsuzuru,
I hope that this letter finds you in good spirits.
As per usual, I attended the closing night show for Mankai's latest play - I was unable to catch opening night due to an unskippable meeting, and for that I apologize. I wasn't sure what to expect from a play purely about cats, but I was captivated the whole way through! The heartfelt moments balanced the laugh-out-loud ones well, and the actors themselves really brought out - oh, but I didn't write this letter just to comment on the performance. That's for another time.
What I really wanted to say was - I can see you improving with every play that you write, and that makes me prouder than you could ever imagine. I still don't feel quite worthy of someone like you, but with every day that passes, I feel more capable of facing you -
Dear Tsuzuru,
"Stranger" was wonderful - as usual for something made by you! The premise was rather unexpected, but the characters really fleshed everything out and drew the audience in.
And now, I can't help but wonder.
Tsuzuru-kun, are you trying to tell me something?
I don't want to get my hopes up, because, well. You have no way of reading these letters when I refuse to send them to you. I suppose I started suspecting as much during "Sympathy," but haven't dared to think too much about it.
Do you want me back in your life again? Is such a thing possible?
...Maybe, if I ever get the courage to ask you to your face,
Dear Tsuzuru,
Oh, the characters this time were simply wonderful! They were all so human - not to say that your previous plays are inferior in any way, or that your characterization of them is any less believable -
I should stop there, before I dig my own grave even deeper.
The more time that I spend thinking over "Mystery," the more that I find myself resonating with Shizuma. Not in the sense that I've committed any crimes, gods no. But in the sense that Shizuma truly believes what he did was right. He doesn't defend himself when Shiki finally comes around to accuse him, and even turned himself into the police. If this was a crime borne of hate, Shizuma would not have done these things so willingly, no?
I hope that you enjoy the makeshift bouquet of dandelions I left for you in the audience. Turns out that most flower stores don't keep them in stock.
Dear Tsuzuru,
Am I weak for taking so much time and so many drafts to send you a singular letter?
Maybe so. But somehow it still feels right.
I'm so happy that I could help you in any way. And thank you for the answer as well. Knowing that you've been waiting for me means more to me than you could ever know.
It was wonderful to be able to speak with you again. Do you think we could do that again? Preferably when I'm not in the middle of crying, and preferably when I've had time to think over what I want to say to you.
I've missed having you around, more than I care to admit.
Perhaps, if you want it too, we can rebuild our relationship, but with nothing to stand in our way this time. No one around to tell us that we can't be friends, no one around to pry us apart against our will -
Doesn't it sound nice?
This will be my last letter for now. I have to get over my cowardice somehow, and what better way to start than, well, messaging this number that is supposedly yours?
I look forward to being your friend again, Tsuzuru-kun.
Hello, everyone.
Tsuzuru Minagi of Spring Troupe here.
It's been a while since my last blog post, and Sakyo-san said that I was overdue for one, so...here I am. It took me a while to decide on a topic, but I settled on talking about my love for the stage. I think the best thing about writing scripts, one of the best things that a writer can experience, is seeing your characters being literally brought to life. I consider myself very lucky to be able to see eleven plays' worth of characters become real, helped along by some of the best people I know.
Well, the other thing I love about acting is how easy it is to get your feelings across. No matter what emotion it is, as long as you make sure to portray it in your own way, the audience will be sure to receive it. And so, I'm very happy to see that the messages I was trying to convey got through to everyone.
Winter Troupe's third play, Nocturnality, is coming up! We would love it if you all came to watch. It's about a vampire that collapses in the streets, the salaryman that discovers him, and what happens after they meet.
This has been Tsuzuru Minagi of Spring Troupe.
...
Dear Tsuzuru,
I know I said that my previous letter would be the last.
Unfortunately, I'm about to prove myself to be a liar.
Believe me, I wish I could tell you this to your face. But old habits die hard, I suppose, and, well.
I like you, Tsuzuru-kun. More than a friend should.
And your blog post, the one about your feelings being conveyed in your script, combined with "Nocturnality" itself - would it be presumptions of me to hope that you feel the same? Would I be overstepping my boundaries to tell you how many times I've overthought your plays, turning them over and over in my mind and wondering how many more of them you wrote them with me in mind?
Would it be too much for me to admit that my lungs forget how to breathe every time I visit the Mankai dorms and see my previous bouquets sitting prettily in a vase?
I suppose I will receive my answers soon enough.
If you've reached the end of this letter, I hope you know that my heart is in your hands. What you do with it is completely up to you, but I hope that whatever it is, you will continue to be gentle with me.
Mizuno walks into Mankai's dorms once more, toeing off his shoes at the entrance. "I'm here," he calls, and straightens up.
And blinks.
Tsuzuru isn't there to welcome him like he usually is. Faint alarms start going off in the back of Mizuno's mind, but he pushes those away.
He's already dug his own grave. he might as well lie in it.
Mizuno shuffles into the living room, perking up when he sees Sakuya curled up on the couch. "Oh - " he says - "Sakuya-kun! Do you...would you happen to know where Tsuzuru-kun is?"
He watches as Sakuya looks up from his script, blinks several times to unfurrow his brow, and lights up in recognition. "Mizuno-san! Oh, I didn't know you were coming over today, I just ate the last of the cookies...I'm so sorry! This isn't very good host behavior, is it?!"
A soft laugh escapes Mizuno (he can't help it, Sakuya never ceases to be charming) and he shakes his head. "No, no, please don't worry about it. I just got told to come over a few minutes ago, and I was already in the area. Otherwise, I think you would have more of a warning."
"Mm! Well, in that case," Sakuya beams up at Mizuno, and Mizuno has the urge to pet his head like he would with a cat. "Tsuzuru-kun should be in his room. Last I heard, he was doing homework...?"
"Thank you, I'll be on my way, then."
Mizuno bows slightly, prompting a panicked "no need to be so formal with us!" and leaves the living room in much higher spirits than when he had entered it.
So Tsuzuru was still waiting for him. Just like he always had been for all these years, both of them holding onto memories of a precious past until they could meet again. The bundle of nerves in Mizuno's stomach snowballs in size the closer he gets to room 102, until he's standing in front of the door and sweating through his layers.
There's a bright pink sticky note taped on at eye-level.
Mizuno thinks - if he's not wrong, his name is written on there. It wouldn't hurt to take a peek, would it?
Kaya -
You have no idea how grateful I am that my feelings reached you through my plays. I may be good at words when I'm writing, but I don't know if I'd be able to tell you how much I like you to your face.
Come in, I think we have a lot to talk about.