In one of Masami's scripts two years ago, he was supposed to die.

The ending would meant literally, for Masami. Although the play was meant to be fictional, it was fixed upon Masami's mind that just like in the script, he would pierce the blade right in his chest and that would take his own life. However, he does not remember accomplishing this when he woke up in an inn, realizing that he had fainted after the play. The script this time was quite similar, but he had hoped that he doesn't faint just like before. The memory, although quite vague, was awfully clear. Masami believes that his story currently had connections with that past memory. And if that journey through the afterlife was real, then it would mean that he must be cursed, as well.

Masami had a pen stuck between his upper and lower jaws as he flipped the pages of the script he held upon both of his hands. "Nothing else?" he asked, then took the pen off of his lips and looked at the script writer, brushing a quick smile. He was told that there was nothing else apart from the script lines (and their dependency regards Masami doing a good job no matter what), and that Masami didn't need to check anything else. The script, although taking a long time before he had finished reading it (due to his poor non-Joyan script reading ability), he found that the lines were easy to understand and to manage. When he was ready, he simply signaled the director and everybody seemed to follow. For this play, Masami will be taking the lead role. It was about time, considering that he was staying out of that role every time he came to the theater to help out, but taking the hero role was inevitable enough for Masami.

The sword held in his right hand was uncomfortable, simply because it was unfamiliar in both appearance and weight. It wasn't a Joyan sword nor a katana, but it was something used in the medieval era. It was a long sword, but slightly smaller enough to be one. However, considering the fact that this sword is used mainly for only theater and acts, it slightly made Masami bad about himself. Knowing that after all that practice, hard work and effort, he will still be unable to use a real sword. Masami gazed at the blade as it reflected the sun's light, then sighed, unsheathing it back inside the scabbard.

Masami practiced sword stances he had never done before. His shoulders and knees felt cramped, he has never been this uncomfortable before. He was slowly starting to think that though he was a supreme actor and performer in Joya, he was nothing outside. Though nobody seemed to mind his mistakes in practice, he knew himself that he wasn't doing well. None of what he is accomplishing is good enough, perhaps because he had failed to please a Very Important Person in his previous effort as a manager, and that his experiences scarred him. "You seem tired, Masami." when the manager asked him this, Masami couldn't help but act surprised. "Ah... no," he replied back, scratching the back of his nape, "It just... feels unusual. I don't think I'm doing a good job."

The manager laughed at this, tucking his arms into his stomach. "You're already doing better than the rest, what is it that you're trying to accomplish?" Masami slightly dwelled in disbelief as he started to think for himself, flabbergasted, as if a deep secret was revealed without his awareness after all. He found it annoying to scratch the back of his neck once more on impulse, and being repetitive.

It was his first time feeling nervous in a long time; a few minutes before the show starts, he couldn't stop peeking through the curtains. They said that you should get scared if you no longer feel nervous, because it means you're no longer lowering yourself to anyone, and they called that worse. "I was always nervous before, though?" Masami forced a chuckle after speaking his thoughts out loud, "Have I grown stupid?"

The script told Masami to pierce himself with the sword in the end; the tale of the hero who took his own life to save the world, that hero was going to be played by Masami. However, when the crowd jeered in their fighting stances, being filled with anxious that the hero might die, Masami knew that the story shouldn't end this way. In fact, the story wasn't supposed to end this way in the first place.

So, when he raised his sword, almost to strike himself, the crowd couldn't help but open their mouths in fear. Masami launched the sword away, then acted as if he was desperate. "This wasn't how it's supposed to..." he shouted out yet believing that he was being calm, not knowing what to say next. He changed the entire ending, and from afar, he could see the director rise a brow, standing up in disappointment and surprise. Even the rest of the actors questioned Masami's reasoning; though they believed and had faith in Masami, knowing that he was a great and charismatic actor especially in Joya, they just couldn't get his reasons. They were confused and afraid as well, but the crowd doesn't seem to be aware of this at all.

However, Masami played professional and didn't show a single sign of fear, which is why the crowd was calmer than the theater staff. Nobody should know that he was being anxious, and nobody else should know that he changed the script. "For the glory..." he muttered, the speakers amplifying his shaky voice as everybody held their breaths and depended their fates upon Masami, "if I take... my own life now, then nothing would... happen." His breath was shaking more, and he held the sword tightly in his arms.

"Captain!" one of the actors charged in, realizing Masami's ventures; then he tugged Masami's arm and winked. "The knights... they are looking for you." Masami didn't question this and followed him, until they were both hidden behind the curtains. "What about...?" he asked when they were completely hidden, halting another step. "You told us to change the ending, did we not?" mentioned the actor whom acted as the subordinate, but Masami responded instead with a laughter. "Did I?"