Inspiration Backstage: SSR Tsumugi [MANKAI ☆ Kaika Sengen], SSR Tsumugi [MANKAI Encore]

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The surrounding trees sifted the sunlight from above. Pigeons roamed the patches of well-tended grass as people jogged along a leaf-dappled path.

Such a scenery was why Tasuku loved jogging. Also, nothing could beat the refreshing sensation of running against the morning breeze, under the shining sun.

"Tasuku, wait up!"

Tasuku stopped in his tracks and looked back. A panting Tsumugi stood, slightly hunched, with a hand on the street lamp beside him. Beads of sweat rolled down his flushed cheeks.

"Let's find a bench then," Tasuku replied.

"Yes."

As they walked along the paved pathway, Tasuku couldn't help but think about Tsumugi's endurance. Tsumugi had only started jogging with him this morning, yet he could run for about half an hour before losing his steam.

Sometimes, Tasuku wondered if Tsumugi's desire to perform action scenes strengthened him. Or maybe his stamina had something to do with his gardening hobby. Either way, Tasuku wished he could be more like Tsumugi in acting, not only when it came to subtle emotions, but also versatility.

Spotting a bench in the distance, Tasuku sped up. The flock of pigeons around the bench flew away as he drew closer to it and sat down.

Tsumugi soon caught up with him and slumped into the bench.

Taking the towel from his shoulders and wiping his face with it, Tasuku looked at Tsumugi. His friend sat limply, gasping for breath with his eyes closed.

"You should drink up," Tasuku suggested, returning the towel to his shoulders.

Opening his eyes, Tsumugi nodded and grabbed a bottle of sports drink from his hydration belt. Then he uncapped the bottle and chugged the drink as if he hadn't drunk anything for hours.

Tsumugi deserved a praise for his feat, but when Tasuku tried to speak up, no words came out of his mouth. Sighing, Tasuku took a bottle of sports drink from his hydration belt and opened it.

"Tasuku."

Tasuku shifted his gaze to Tsumugi. He still huffed a bit, and his cheeks were still a little flushed, but he could still smile.

"How did I do?"

"Better than I thought," Tasuku said plainly. Then he took a swig of his drink and savored the feeling of having a rush of fizzy liquid running down his parched throat.

"You think so?"

Tasuku wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his sweatshirt and capped the bottle. "Yeah."

"I'm glad. I hope I can soon be strong enough to pull off action plays without making others worry." Tsumugi looked at the clear blue sky. "Everybody in the company is so protective of me even though I'm older than many of them. It just...doesn't feel right."

"You're thin and clumsy." Tasuku returned the bottle to his belt. "Remember our 'burning building' etude yesterday? You tried to carry Mikage and move, but then you dropped him and fell flat on your face."

Tsumugi blushed and stared at Tasuku. "I tried showing how panicked I was!"

"Oh, really!" Tasuku scoffed. "Then how about this? Whenever we played together at a beach, you often got so excited that you slipped and fell into the water."

"Childhood doesn't count, okay?"

"Then how about-"

Tsumugi rose to his feet. "Let's do an action-packed etude, Taa-chan!"

Tasuku scowled. "Stop with the 'Taa-chan,' Tsumu!"

"Only if you stop calling me 'Tsumu' and talking about unnecessary things!"

Tasuku stood up. "Fine!"

Hunching with hands on knees, Tsumugi huffed. "Coach, c-can we...take a break?"

Tasuku crossed his hands over his chest and growled. "Says the guy who wants to challenge the champion for his belt."

People gathered around them, eyes fixated at their act. Amid the discordant chatters, Tasuku heard, "A street act?" and "These guys are from Mankai Company!"

He'd better put up a good show with Tsumugi.

Tsumugi slowly rose. "But-"

"You won't last long in the match with that pathetic stamina!" In a flash, Tasuku punched Tsumugi in the gut and knocked him down.

The crowd yelped. Tasuku's ears registered "H-he really hit that scrawny guy?" and "Winter Troupe is performing action scenes? For real?" amid the ruckus.

As Tsumugi held his stomach and reeled in pain, despite the stinging pain in his heart, Tasuku yelled again, "If you wanna win, then get up and fight me now!"

Tsumugi groaned. "C-coach..."

"Get up, weakling!" Tasuku snapped. "Prove that you're ready to beat the champion and take his belt!"

Tsumugi sat up and panted, his hand still on his gut.

"Stand up!"

Face hardened with determination, Tsumugi slowly rose to his feet and readied his fists.

An orthodox stance? Tsumugi, of all people, knew boxing? Fortunately, Tasuku had acted so much that hiding an unnecessary expression wasn't that hard.

Once he had assumed his stance, Tsumugi dashed and launched a flurry of jabs.

Tasuku covered up his body and face with his arms, fear slipping into his facial expression. How the hell could he land a proper blow in such a short range? He towered over Tsumugi!

The barrage didn't even hurt his brawny arms, but Tasuku found himself taking a backstep. And another. And another. And-

His back struck a street lamp, or rather, the corner of a ring. Sweat dribbled down his temple.

Tasuku peeked through his arms and could barely hold back a gasp. Although sweat had drenched Tsumugi's clothes and his face was redder than ever, fighting spirit brimmed in his blue eyes. His facial expression also screamed, "I'll beat you down!"

His friend had gotten so in-character. Not like him, who struggled to act like the stern coach he wanted to be.

Standing still, Tasuku studied Tsumugi. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, Tsumugi's legs were wobbling. Tasuku could also feel how Tsumugi's strength and speed waned with each jab.

In a flash, Tasuku slipped away. Just as Tsumugi turned, he punched. His knuckles slammed into Tsumugi's unprotected side and sent him crashing into the ground. The crowd roared in excitement.

Oh, crap! Tasuku could swear that he'd forgotten to hold back his last punch!

"Tsumugi!" He knelt beside his friend, who was grimacing with a reddened hand on his side. "Get up and thank the audience," he whispered. "Then I'll take you to a doctor."

"Geez, you're such a worrywart, Tasuku." Tsumugi grinned as he slowly sat up and smacked the dirt and dust off him. Then he stood up, looked at the crowd, and bowed. "Thank you for watching!"

Man... Tasuku got up, shifted his focus to the cheering crowd, and smiled. Bowing, he said, "Thank you! Please check out Mankai Company's future performances!"

Once the crowd dispersed, Tsumugi groaned as he clutched his side and limped to the bench. Then he slumped into it, wincing and breathless.

"I'm taking you to the doctor," Tasuku said.

"Told you not to worry about me." Tsumugi smiled. "It'll interfere with your acting."

He did worry about hitting his lanky friend too hard and busting a bone or two, which would sound cheesy if he admitted it, but something else also bothered him. "Actually, your knowledge about boxing caught me off-guard."

"Oh, that." Tsumugi scratched his cheek with a finger. "I've always admired action plays and wanted to perform in one, so I did some research about boxing, MMA, and many more. Had to lie low, though."

"Why? You know, I can help you with all that."

"As you've said, I don't look like a man of action. Everybody will stop me before I can do a thing."

Noticing the resigned tone in Tsumugi's voice, which clashed with his smiling face, Tasuku wished he hadn't spoken about Tsumugi's blunders earlier.

"Say whatever you want, but you gave me a run for my money during the etude." Tasuku smiled. "I'll gladly help you build your muscles. I'm looking forward to performing action stunts on the stage with you."