Ayano: Your hair was still long when you entered the Music School, Miwacchi (Aine). You were tall and thin, too, so you looked like a graceful musumeyaku. As a first-year student, though, you seemed like you were always mad (laughs).

Aine: Yeah, and I would be dejected whenever I got angry (laughs). I don’t really remember you from our first year, Mihoko (Ayano)…

Ayano: We didn’t really have much in common because I lived in the dorm and you didn’t. The room for first-years felt like it was divided into zones: one for the students from the dorm and another for those who lived outside. So the two of us didn’t sit together.

Aine: The students from the dorm had their own relationships, and those of us who lived outside couldn’t understand that. In our second year, you always sang heartily at song recitals and the like.

Ayano: Everybody sang!! (laughs)

Aine: In acting class, too, the teacher would often call on you to be an example for the rest of us. We would just sit there, unable to do anything. We were amazed by your acting talent: “Wow, she's incredible!” (laughs)




Ayano: After we were assigned to Flower Troupe as first-year performers, we would cry or get angry about a variety of things together.

Aine: That’s right (laughs). You and I would frequently end up being the youngest cast members in Bow Hall shows. We had conversations about mistakes that we cannot reveal even now (laughs).

Ayano: (laughs). Soon we won’t be able to publicize those at all… (laughs). That brings back memories of how we used to cry a lot in the rehearsal hall (laughs).

Aine: The two of us all alone until late at night, yeah (laughs).

Ayano: And now that same Miwacchi will be playing the lead in the upcoming shinjinkouen! Time flies, doesn’t it.

Aine: Seriously. I guess the thing that sticks in my mind the most from our time as underclassmen is the Bow Hall performance Romeo & Juliet ’99. It was the first time you played the heroine.

Ayano: You also got a big role for the first time. You played Benvolio, the close friend of Mizu-san’s Romeo.

Aine: I was so overwhelmed at the time that I didn’t know what to do anymore (laughs).

Ayano: That was another performance where we were the only classmates. I was overwhelmed, too. We didn’t have any spare time or energy to help each other out.

Aine: I would say, “I’m trying my best, so you do it, too!” (laughs). (Note: she says this in a very masculine way.)

Ayano: You’d say it like a motto whenever something happened (laughs). In the performance, you had to say “Yo!” and grab Mizu-san’s shoulder, even though she is several class years ahead of you. But the hand you put on her shoulder was stiff and awkward…

Aine: It was like shouting “We’re actually not close friends!” (laughs)

Ayano: You sent me a postcard of the statue of Julietta that was the model for Juliet when you went on a trip to Verona, Italy.

Aine: I would recall a lot of things from that performance whenever I went someplace that was connected to the story, so I wrote you a postcard.

Ayano: I was really touched by that!! (laughs)

Aine: (laughs). Since you and I spent our time as underclassmen together, Mihoko, I knew how troubled and worried you had been. I’m happy to see how you shine in your activities in Cosmos Troupe now. Today I brought along the letter you gave me when you had to change troupes.

Ayano: Wha—!! What a surprise (laughs). You still have it.

Aine: This kind of letter is full of memories. I can’t throw it away!

Ayano: Letters are things that last a long time, aren’t they. How embarrassing…




Aine: When I go to see a performance by Cosmos Troupe, I always end up watching it as just another fan of Ayano Kanami-san.

Ayano: You liar.

Aine: It’s true! I’m like, “She’s so great—”

Ayano: (laughs). When I attend a show, I do end up enjoying it as a member of the audience.

Aine: Exactly. That’s why all I can say is “It was very moving” when I’m asked to be critical of the performance.

Ayano: That happens, doesn’t it (laughs).

Aine: It’s been over a year since you changed troupes. What’s Cosmos Troupe like?

Ayano: Cosmos Troupe welcomes newcomers as though they have always been part of the troupe. I was more worried before I went to Cosmos Troupe than I am now.

Aine: It’s fun when you can adapt to a new troupe soon after you join it.

Ayano: But I was lonely for a while, thinking about how everyone in Flower Troupe is doing different performances than I am. Still, changing troupes means I can go and see Flower Troupe’s shinjinkouen. I was really impressed by the shinjinkouen for Kohakuiro no Ame ni Nurete (''In the Amber-Hued Rain').

Aine: I saw how hard you and Mochin (Yuumi Hiro) and the others were working in the shinjinkouen for “Youhei Pieeru” (“Pierre the Mercenary”). By the time you gave the last speech to the audience, I couldn’t hold back my tears…

Ayano: (laughs)

Aine: What was it like being leader of the shinjinkouen? (Note: each shinjinkouen has an older underclassman serve as chou or leader, fulfilling duties similar to that of a kumichou.) I bet it was hard.

Ayano: Until then, it had been enough for me to worry about myself and do my very best, but as leader I had to keep my eyes on a lot of other things. I personally experienced the weight of the responsibility of being the leader. But I think it was worth it.




Aine: I’ve always been frantically dealing with things as they come. Even now I’m like that. I don’t have an answer when someone asks me, “What kind of otokoyaku do you want to be?” Of course, there are many wonderful upperclassmen who can serve as examples, but I still don’t have an image of what type of otokoyaku I want to become. I’m easygoing about it, though, and tell myself I’ll figure it out eventually.

Ayano: As an underclassman, I thought that your charm lay in your sweet, fluffy style of otokoyaku. But as I became an upperclassman, I realized that wasn’t all. Maybe that’s because I left the troupe and can view you more objectively now. You had sex appeal as an otokoyaku in the past, too, but I was shocked by your performance of the female role Eva in the Kohaku-iro no Ame ni Nurete shinjinkouen. I thought, “I just watched a comprehensive survey of Miwacchi’s sexiness.”

Aine: Wow! (laughs)

Ayano: I thought, “Miwacchi’s changed, hasn’t she!” That prompted me to tell myself that I needed to change, too.

Aine: (laughs)

Ayano: When I see a classmate doing her best in another troupe, I realize I have to try my best as well.

Aine: That does give you energy. I think you’re an amazing performer!

Ayano: You’re flattering me (laughs).

Aine: (laughs). From the time you were an underclassman, you’ve responded appropriately to all the things that have come your way. That’s why I can watch your performances in Cosmos Troupe without worrying about you. I want you to play a lot of different roles in the future, too. I’m looking forward to seeing what the heck Ayano-san is going to do this time (laughs).

Ayano: (laughs). I want to act on stage with you again sometime.

Aine: I do, too. I will continue to support you, Mihoko!

Ayano: Without fail, I will attend each of your performances. I’m looking forward to them!




Q&A: Harei Aine
If Ayano were a color, she would be...?
The color of an aurora that changes into shades of light pink and purple.

If Ayano were an animal, she would be...?
Definitely a koala! She seems like she would chew her food like one (laughs).

What is Ayano’s charm?
The way she is gorgeous the moment she goes on stage. She also has a heartfelt sense of gratitude, which I think is outstanding.

Q&A: Kanami Ayano
If Aine were a color, she would be...?
The color of a pearl.

If Aine were an animal, she would be...?
A dog. She does everything with all her might and keeps going.

What is Aine’s charm?
The way she keeps going with tenacity and perseverance. That’s what I thought when I watched her practicing by herself for a long time in Flower Troupe.