Chapter Text
ONE PROLOGUE
Wonderlands x Showtime wasn’t meant to last forever. It wasn’t a taboo topic, or the elephant in the room. Everyone was aware of it, the troupe was just four high schoolers who came together to help one another reach their dreams. The thing was, none of them anticipated that it would end so soon. They were all getting mass amounts of recognition, and their skills were progressively becoming too advanced to just stick with performing in an amusement park. It felt like selling themselves short. So, as expected, the members began to leave.
☆♪
“Um.. so I have some news..” Nene said, just before they were about to start rehearsing. She looked slightly uneasy, but equally as excited. Tsukasa waited for a second, before speaking up. “Good or bad?”
“Both..? I don’t really know. I won’t play around with it, I’ll just say it; I’ve been offered a role in a new movie.”
Emu looked as if she’d never been happier, excitement radiating off of her. She bounced up to Nene, shaking her shoulders energetically. “That’s so awesome! What movie is it? What’s your part? Can we come watch? Will you become famous?!”
Nene smiled for a second, before her expression faltered and turned into something more negative. “Yeah… so about that… the schedule is insane. And there’s a chance that if it goes well, there will be multiple sequels since it’s an adaptation of a really popular book. So that means, um, I don’t think I can continue doing shows with you guys.”
The atmosphere immediately switched, no one knowing what to say. The group stood there in silence, unable to comprehend what was actually happening. In the span of two years, they had all grown so close that the thought of splitting up was foreign.
Cutting through the silence, Rui gave an awkward smile, putting a hand on Nene’s shoulder. “We’re all really proud of you, this is amazing. Of course we’re all sad that you’ll be leaving, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”
The whole group seemed to be in agreement of that, and so after that rehearsal, and the show which came after, Nene handed in her staff ID to HR.
☆♪
The three continued to operate shows, but without a songstress, it was hard to produce convincing musicals. And what use is a director if his shows no longer appeal to his audience?
“I think I’m going to leave too” Rui announced. “It’s not that I don’t want to be here, believe me I do, but I’ve been offered to work with Asahi again, and this is something I cannot turn down forever. I think my shows would reach more people that way, and as a director, that is my main goal.”
Tsukasa and Emu both nodded, disappointment apparent on their faces. All three of them had tried their best to continue shows, but it was getting harder and harder. So they were aware that after Nene left, the troupe wouldn’t last much longer. It didn’t make it any easier to hear though.
“We understand, Rui. Good luck”
The director left a notebook, full of scrapped ideas which he though may be useful for the two remaining members of the troupe in the future, but after giving in his staff ID, those ideas wouldn’t lead back to him anymore.
☆♪
“Tsukasa… there’s this new troupe who have auditioned.. and…” Emu looked at him nervously, aware that he already knew where this was going. “My brothers said that I could have more of a say over Phoenix Wonderland, and because our shows aren’t really gaining any attention anymore, I thought that this new troupe would make more people smile and-“
Tsukasa nodded, sighing and setting down a script which he was intending to use for their next show. “It’s okay. I understand. Good luck, Emu.”
Being alone didn’t make him any less of a star though. No, for Tsukasa, being alone meant that he had time to reflect on his own talents, and therefore become better. He just needed to catch up to everyone else. And to do that, he needed to go back to square one. Auditions.
☆♪
Dear Tenma,
Thank you for your application and interview regarding our new additions of cast members. The effort and time put into your entry was greatly appreciated.
After much discussion, we have unfortunately offered these positions to other individuals whom we believe better meet our requirements and needs for the cast.
Once again, we would like to thank you for your participation, and wish you good luck in your future career.
Best wishes,
Solait Theatre Company
Thats fine. No one succeeds on their first try.
Dear Tenma,
We would like to thank you for your time and effort dedicated to our auditioning programme. Our team thoroughly enjoyed discussing your experience and aspirations.
However, we have decided to move forward with another candidate for this position. This decision was not an easy one given our talented selection, you among many others being very strong contenders.
Thank you for your enthusiasm towards our new productions, we strongly encourage you to stay connected with us for future opportunities
Kind regards,
Panier Des Sens Productions
Or their second try, he’ll just have to keep applying.
Dear Applicant #12 Tsukasa Tenma,
Thank you for applying to join us at SC and Co. Your experience and enthusiasm was very impressive, and with continued effort could be a strong contribution to future projects.
After careful consideration, our team have decided that you are not as suited to our company’s needs and ideas compared to other applicants.
Our thanks nonetheless for auditioning to join our cast, and we wish you much luck in the future.
Sincerely,
SC and Co.
Thats okay. He was raised to never give up. He’ll just have to try harder.
We regret to inform you After careful consideration, we have concluded that You just aren’t what we’re looking for at this time
Your application does not fit our requirements
A bit harder..
Rejected
Denied
Turned down
Denied
Denied
Denied
And after hundreds of applications and rejections, Tsukasa concluded that perhaps some things just weren’t meant to be.
☆♪ A YEAR LATER
“Tsukasa! Tsukasa! I need urgent help! My skirt ripped and I’m going out with Ichika in 20 minutes! Can you sew it up for me, please please please? I promise I’ll… I don’t know! Buy you something?” Saki ran into his room, clutching a slightly torn denim skirt in her hand, frantically explaining to him.
He walked over and took the skirt, inspecting the damage. There was just a small rip, nothing that he couldn’t fix. And besides, he had nothing better to do apart from moping around like the sad loser he was, so he might as well help out his sister.
“Sure, sure. Give me.. 10 minutes? A trifling tear like this is nothing a star like me cannot resolve!”
Saki laughed at that, and seemed to relax. “You sound like a salesperson, but thanks so much! You’re a lifesaver!”
10 minutes later, Tsukasa had the skirt ready as promised, the tear all sewn up and small flowers embroidered along the hem.
Saki’s face lit up as she took in the sight of the fixed skirt. “I love it! It looks so much better now, and those flowers are super cute! You’re the best, thank you thank you thank you! You could be a professional!”
A professional? He hadn’t really considered that before.
STITCHES AND STARS - COSTUMES FOR THE STAGE
Tenma Tsukasa —————————————— Reviews
SOLAIT THEATRE COMPANY
★★★★★
“Amazing! The costumes arrived in under a week, were exactly what we asked for, great quality, and completely affordable! Thank you so much, Tenma”
PANIER DES SENS PRODUCTIONS
★★★★★
“An excellent choice for stage outfits! In comparison to everywhere else, Tenma was the nicest and best seller! Stitches and Stars will be seeing a lot more of us!”
SC AND CO
★★★★★
“I definitely recommend Stitches and Stars to anyone looking for affordable and amazing quality stage costumes. You’ve outdone yourself, Tenma!”
☆♪
“Stitches and Stars… a five star company… it might be awkward, but I’ve never not relied on Tsukasa to bring my performances to life”