Chapter 8

(The hunter’s words force the monster to face the truth.)

(—To confront the fact that he’s different.)

The monster disguises itself as human, pretending to be one of you. But its real nature can never coexist with ours.

..........That's true.

I live for what’s fun. Even if it’s dangerous for humans— even if it means hurting them...… I don’t care.

It’s always been like this. I can shape myself to look human, but what’s inside stays the same.

But..… that’s who "I" am.

How could I ever change what I am by nature?

I…......

I never asked to be born a "monster".

(Anyone else would play this with raw fury or barely keep their emotions contained.....)

—For this scene, I want you to play it without showing any emotion.

Without any emotion at all?

Exactly...… This monster has given up on himself.

He understands he can never run from what he is. There’s no way to change who he is from the core.

Even if he cries or screams in pain—he’ll never be like everyone else.

And deep down, no one knows that better than he does.

(The loneliness of having no one who understands you… For the monster, it’s always been part of his life.)

(He’s long since come to terms with it…and yet, something’s making him hesitate now.)

…...It was only a matter of time before I hurt my master or the townspeople.

Should I just disappear into the night and leave this place behind?

But still…....

—Stop right there.

Oh, it's you...... You’ve got some nerve, hunting monsters this late at night.

…..That's right. And now I’ve finally found you for what you really are.

No human can wander in a moonless night with no light to guide them.

...............

I’ll kill you here and now… By the oath I made to the innocent people who’ve suffered at your hands.

…Hahaha! I see! Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad after all.

If my death brings peace to this world, then that’s a cheap price to pay.

—Please wait!

M-Master?! W-Why are you......

Why do you think!? Of course I’d worry if my apprentice’s acting strange!

.......Step aside.

That thing is not your apprentice, it’s just a monster pretending to be human.

Monster or not, he’s still my precious apprentice.

And he’s an aspiring bard who can make people smile.

.............But......I......

........Such foolish nonsense.

If that monster hurts someone again, can you bear that responsibility?

That's........!

…...True enough. An ordinary person wouldn’t be able to stop me.

Once I find something fun, I can’t help myself. I'll always put my desires above everything.

So when that happens…...

Then you can go ahead and be the one to kill me.

…What?

I’ll always be a monster. That fact will never change.

But even so…...

If someone can still accept me for who I am, monster or not…..

…Then..… I want to keep living here.

Just like you said… I’ve hurt many people.

I figured there was no point caring about those I’d never get along with , so I did whatever I pleased. But now…..

When I see humans laughing as they hear me sing, my chest feels warm.

Now I want to sing even better, to amaze them all the more.

I….. I’ve come to cherish humans now.

And what’s a filthy monster like you—

I know you won’t believe me. But I’m not lying.

If I need to prove it to you, I’ll do whatever it takes. If I need to atone, I’ll give you my legs, my eyes. Anything.

So… will you give me a chance?

P-Please! I’m begging you too!

(…...The hunter has his own sense of justice too.)

(He can’t walk away that easily. That's why—)

That won’t do.

A-A gun......?!

Take your legs or your eyes? How arrogant, thinking that’s enough to atone for your sins.

—Die.

Ghh…...!

You’re not going to dodge? Next time I’ll aim for your heart instead.

P-Please stop! He’ll really die...…!!

…...It’s fine, Master.

I’ll take as many bullets as it takes until you believe me.

......!

Go ahead and kill me. If me dying brings peace, then so be it.

You......

…...Show me your leg. I’ll dress the wound.

Huh.....?

I don’t know if monsters even have hearts. Or if your change of heart is real.

So I’ll be staying in this town for a while.

Until the day I see for myself whether your words are true.

..........!

♪————　♪————

—And so, the monster’s tale comes to an end.

No one knows if the monster who could never truly change, ever lived peacefully among people again.

Not every problem was solved, and there was no “happily ever after.”

Even so, there’s one thing that remains true—

The monster, who once knew only loneliness, is alone no longer.

Hmm, this was...… quite unexpected.

Yeah. To be honest, I expected something more mainstream entertainment.

<The overall direction feels like a fairy tale that grown-ups can appreciate.>

<He portrayed the selfish, lonely monster’s growth well, and the human kindness around him came through very naturally.>

True. However, staging this at Arcland would mean—

…Hmm. Seems like their discussion's getting pretty lively.

Yeah. I can’t hear exactly what they’re saying though…...

—Ah! They just waved us over!

Looks like they’ve made up their minds. I’ll head over.

Right— Sorry to keep you waiting. We'll start the director course review now.

Thank you.

To start, your delicate handling of the characters’ inner worlds was well received.

Even though it has a fairy-tale world, it confronts the audience with an absurd reality, and the loneliness and struggles that come with it—

This was where opinions split the most.

…I understand.

To put it bluntly, some parts are a bit too gritty for an Arcland production.

The concept was good, but your execution still needs work.

Yes.

<—I agree, it had its rough spots.

But I enjoyed it. It was sincere, full of passion, and very compelling.>

<…....Thank you very much.>

<I really learned a lot through this workshop.>

<I wasn’t able to match the audience’s expectations perfectly this time, but—>

<I’ll make sure this experience feeds into my next production.>

<Haha. No need to rush.>

<Your shows will grow along with the life you have ahead of you.>

<And today’s show was wonderful, filled with everything you have lived through so far.>

<And from here on, it’ll only gain more depth. I can’t wait to see more from you, Rui.>

<—Yes. I’ll do my best.>

Judging by that look, it seems things turned out well for him.

…..Yeah.

……

That Kamishiro-kun kid..… he actually understood what I was saying.

Yeah. Seems like he mainly wants to do stage direction—

So with you also in that field, you two might clash someday.

…...Fine by me, Kamishiro-kun.

Thanks to you, this just got a lot more fun.