Epilogue 2

Wataru: Well, then. I’ll hand out the tickets for the ride. One... two... ♪

Hokuto: Don’t say it like The Dish Mansion at Banchou. Not every single thing has to be a performance, you know.[1]

Tomoya: Umm... It depends on where we’re going, but I have a commuter pass for the train.

Wataru: It’s a bit out of the way, so allow me to pay for transportation.

It’s also rather time-consuming to go through the refund process. In any case, I often travel across the country to see plays, so I’m able to get a discount on ticket prices.

Hokuto: Wait, you take the train to school, Tomoya? I do, too, but I’ve never seen you before.

Tomoya: I think we live in opposite directions.

I’ll see you at the station every once in a while, but you’re usually reading some high-level book or something, so I don’t want to interrupt.

Hokuto: That would have been fine; you can just come talk to me. Well then, let’s go back to the station together after school, or after rehearsal.

Tomoya: Whoa, that’d be awesome. Oh, but I usually meet up with my unit after club stuff and we practice together, so it might be hard for us to go home at the same time.

Wataru: Yes yes, it’s all very well that we’re friends, but let’s hurry along now. It’s a popular show, and I had a hard enough time getting tickets for everyone.

In fact, I even had to wait for a cancellation.

It was by chance that I met Anzu-san early this morning...

So I forced her to take a day off and had her accompany me, instead. She was rather helpful, taking care of negotiations for me.

Hokuto: Don’t put too much on Anzu, Buchou. But anyway, what play are we going to see?

Wataru: Rosicrucian Story. It’s based on the same story that our play is, actually.

The script is different, and so the story follows a different path, but it will nonetheless be a good point of reference.

Natsume: I’ve been wondering this since you told me the title... Does it pertain to Rosicrucianism, as in the secret society? If so, I think I’ll quite enjoy it... ♪

Wataru: You’ve always enjoyed the suspicious and esoteric, Natsume-kun.

The original story is largely about the secret society, but this play has been boldly rearranged to focus on a romance.

Tomoya: Huh? A secret society? As in, not a love story between a prince and a princess...?

Wataru: Try to put in more study hours, Tomoya-kun.

Hokuto: The Rosicrucians, from German Rosenkreutz, was a famous secret society.

They worked to save people from death and disease. In other words, they wanted to attain immortality... supposedly.[2]

Tomoya: Oh so this play is about immortality, then...?

The princess I’m playing is supposed to be part of the Rosicrucian Order using a false identity. That clears a ton of things up.

Natsume: I think it’s rather common knowledge for people who know a thing or two about the occult.

You’ll see them in manga occasionally: Haven’t you ever heard of St. Germain or Cagliostro?[3]

Tomoya: Oh, I’ve heard of Cagliostro. He was in Lupin the Third, wasn’t he?

Wataru: Fufufu. When one possesses this foundation of knowledge, they can understand theater and indeed all works of art more deeply... or so it’s said.

Ergo, it’s necessary to go to the theater more, Tomoya-kun.

Through continuous learning and study, you will grow. I’m sure you will see Amazing things in your future... ☆

Natsume: You always resort to saying “Amazing” whenever you grow tired of explaining things, Wataru-nii-san...

I would think that someone as great as you would find the performances of others rather unhelpful.

Wataru: That’s not true at all. To live is to keep learning, and there is always something to be gained even from bad art.

To fail to learn is the fault of the student, not the teacher.

And besides, there are always people greater than you. This I believe.

Hokuto: Not having anyone better than you would feel pretty hopeless, I’d say.

I have you and my mother to look up to, so it’s easy for me to set goals for myself since I have examples on hand.

Wataru: Ah, your mother is an esteemed actress, isn’t she?

Every time we meet, she disdains me and tells me I ought to quit acting altogether.

Hokuto: Sorry, my mother is a child. She hates young people with talent.

She won’t even look at you unless you’re her favorite, though, so I’m pretty sure she adores you.

Tomoya: Hehehe... ♪

Wataru: What is it, Tomoya-kun? Did something amuse you? Please, share with the class ☆

Tomoya: No, it’s nothing. I just thought it was funny that you guys are talking about your parents and going to school and stuff just like normal kids.

And I saw your eyes practically shining when you were talking about theater. You guys really do love it a lot, huh?

Wataru: Yes; doing what you love is the premise of clubs. Are you starting to enjoy theater a bit more, Tomoya-kun?

It’s fun, isn’t it? Let us share in our joy... ♪

Hokuto: If he didn’t like it, he would have run away the second he got a taste of how cruel your criticisms are.

You should take into consideration that out of all the people who joined the club, only Tomoya and I are left.

Wataru: Fufufu. If your “passion” disappears after just a bit of hardship, it would be better for you to throw it away altogether.

Such is how I justify my behavior.

Make note of it, Tomoya-kun, because it is important to know.

For you are playing the role of princess: you must embody that passion which drives away all hardships.

Show your passion in all that you are! Perform, and fear no one’s judgment!

That is what a princess is. I gave you that role because I knew you could play it.

I believe you will be able to pull it off, so I hope that you will believe in yourself, too.

Hokuto-kun and myself will be the princes who draw out and safeguard your passion.

Ah, but! I know we have been chattering on, but we must hurry! The curtains will rise whether or not we are there!

Now come, let us savor together every line in this play we call life… ♪

  1. The Dish Mountain at Banchou is a traditional Japanese ghost story that recounts a female dishwashing servant whose master wanted to marry him. When she refused, he hid one of her ten dishes then accused her of losing them. In a panic, she began to count and recount her plates over and over again, always coming up with the nine remaining. The master offers to overlook the matter if she marries him; when she refuses again, she is subjected to abuse until she’s eventually murdered. Her vengeful spirit returns to torment her master by counting up, but when she gets to ten she releases a horrifying shriek to represent the missing plate. This story has been adapted many times into stage productions, including a Japanese-style puppet show.
  2. Rosicrucianism gets its name from the legendary and possibly allegorical founder, Christian Rosenkreutz (the surname literally meaning “rose-cross”). Researching this order gives me all kinds of incredible sources and straight-up conspiracy theories, but what I can gather is that the original inception of the Rosicrucians had nothing to do with immortality and everything to do with humanitarianism: each member was a doctor who vowed to heal the sick without payment. Published anonymously circa 1610, the manifesto which claims this is now and then widely considered to not be a literal account of fact.

    Other manifestos were released in the early 17th century, which claimed that the Rosicrucians were a secret society of alchemists and sages that would revolutionize the arts and sciences. The fervor this brought across the continent led to the development of the Invisible College, which is apparently the precursor to the UK’s Royal Society, founded in 1660. Emboldened by the European Age of Enlightenment, those who subscribed to Rosicrucian thought seemed to follow a level of scientific rigor and aimed to contribute to the growing body of scientific knowledge.

    There is no mention of immortality on the entire Wikipedia article about the order, and the only credible(?) source I can quickly find that mentions immortality is a collection of writings by Max Heindel, compiled in 2001. In his writings, Heindel says that the “Rosicrucian Teachings claim that man is an immortal Spirit,” and does not, from what I can gather, make the claim that physical immortality is a goal of the Rosicrucian order. Rosicrucian.org, as well, seems to imply the same: that immortality is of the spirit and not of the body. I can’t follow up on that because it’s a paid course lol, but this all seems very in alignment with what I’ve read.

    In any case, Hokuto (or Akira) seems to be quite wrong about what the actual Rosicrucians did (and do, I suppose), and rather has learned more from the conspiracy theorist side of things than the historical side.
  3. The Count of St. Germain (real name unknown) was a European adventurer who made achievements in science, alchemy, philosophy, and the arts. He hung out with famous figures of the time, including Voltaire and Mozart, the former of whom dubbed him “the Wonderman” due to his “far-fetched claims” that he made about himself (such as him being 500 years old); Voltaire also said of him that “he is a man who does not die, and who knows everything.” In modern times, he is known for his role as a supernatural being known as a “Master of the Ancient Wisdom” in the occult religious movement known as Theosophy. Theosophical teachings claim that he is responsible for “ushering in the Age of Aquarius.” He has been described as an “Ascended master, like Jesus, who is assisting humanity.” He is believed to have magical powers, and certain Theosophical sects believe that his past lives include Proclus, Saint Alban, and Sir Francis Bacon, and at least one esotericist has attributed to him the writings of Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Edmund Spenser, and Miguel de Cervantes. The same esotericist also indirectly asserted that St. Germain was the founder of Rosicrucianism.

    Count Alessandro di Cagliostro (real name Giuseppe Balsamo) was an Italian occultist in the mid- to late 18th century. He pursued various “occult arts,” such as psychic healing, alchemy, and scrying. After his death, his reputation deteriorated, and he eventually became known as an impostor: Thomas Carlyle pronounced him in 1833 the “Quack of Quacks.” He is credited with helping to spread Freemasonry by opening lodges all over Europe and introducing the acceptance of women into the order. Occultist Aleister Crowley also believed that Cagliostro was one of his past lives. He’s been featured in countless fictional works since even before his death, both by reference and as a character; his fictional counterparts are typically associated with the occult or supernatural in some way, and sometimes Freemasonry.