~Suzuna
What a wonderful place.

Takashi
There's a live piano performance here three times a week.

Suzuna
Oh, piano...?

—Oh no.
Now I'm thinking of Shou-san again...

(A sort of sadness enters Takashi's eyes as well.)

Takashi
...

(Back at Shou's table...)

Sensei
—And all the wine here is wonderful as well.

(He notices Shou's distraction.)

Hmm?
Shou-kun?

Shou
...Ah...
It's nothing.

Sensei
Really?

Reichelt
Shou...

Shou
Suzuna-chan and Takashi—...
That's...true, isn't it.
They were affianced to each other, so why would it be so strange for them to go on a date?
What am I so agitated about?
Suzuna-chan
—The girl that I liked back then...
We were all still young then, and it wasn't realistic, but
Now that I think about it, Grandmother was pleased with Suzuna-chan.
Their parents decided to engage them to each other.
Of course they will be married at some future date—...

Sensei
—That's strange.

(Shou starts out of his thoughts.)

Shou
Huh?

Sensei
He's missing everything today.
His performances are usually not like this.

Shou
What have I been...

(The pianist, an older gentleman called Sugimoto, rises suddenly from the piano, looking ill.)

Sugimoto
Excuse me.

Sensei
!
I'm going to go take a look.

(Backstage, Shou's teacher catches Sugimoto as he begins to collapse.)

Hey, Sugimoto, what in the world—
Sugimoto?!

Restaurant personnel 1
Appendicitis?!

Restaurant personnel 2
That's what we think, but they said that it's usually more spread out...

Restaurant personnel 1
Holy mackerel!

Restaurant personnel 2
No help for it, I guess we'll have to let the guests know that the performance will have to be suspended—...

(Reichelt is listening to the discussion. He notices a violin case.)

Reichelt
Hmm, they left a violin here, too...
—...
—Wait a moment.
You don't have to suspend the performance.
—I have a great idea...

Woman guest 1
—My.
I guess they've switched people.
But they look pretty good.
Heh.

(Shou is sitting at the piano and Reichelt is standing in front of him with the violin.)

Suzuna
So I was wondering where I should go this summer. What about you?—

This music...?!

It can't...be.

(Suzuna is stunned when she sees Shou sitting at the piano.)

—Shou-san?!

Why?
Shouldn't he be in Germany?—

(Takashi's eyes slowly slide shut.)

Takashi
—Aah.
—Shou's music.—
—How I've missed it.
The music I heard in Augsburg.
How many times since then have I heard it in my dreams?
So is this also a dream?
A dream I will soon awake from...

Woman guest 2
The man playing the piano is great, but that violinist is playing in perfect accompaniment.

(Takashi stares at her.)

Woman guest 3
—What a wonderful performance.

Shou
Reichelt.
Isn't it rather too audacious of us to just suddenly take over?

Reichelt
It's fine.
They looked like they were in a bind, and besides—...

Shou
And besides...?

(Reichelt's eyes narrow.)

Reichelt
Nothing...

(Reichelt glances at Takashi and Suzuna's table.)

Takashi
...!
That's...Reich...elt?
So he came too—...? Then the two of them came to Japan together?
Why—

(The audience claps delightedly.)

Shou
Eh...?

(Reichelt leans in close and gives Shou a kiss.)

Reichelt
Wunderber.

Takashi
—He—...!!

(Reichelt glances back at Takashi while Shou blushes, looking uncomfortable.)

He did that on purpose...!
Was it...to show me...?

Restaurant personnel 1
Aaaah, thank you so much.
You've really helped us out.

Shou
Ah, no, it was nothing...

Waiter
Excuse me, there's a phone call for you—

Shou
For me?

Reichelt
Maybe it's from your teacher?

(Shou goes out. Reichelt sighs. The door opens behind him.)

Sho...

(Takashi and Suzuna are at the door.)

—Takashi...

Takashi
—Hello.
It's been—about six years, hasn't it, Reichelt.

Reichelt
—...
That is...

Suzuna
Oh!
I'm Suzuna.

Takashi
She's my fiancée.

Reichelt
!
Fiancée? This girl? Is this why Shou looked like that?
Shou...could it be that Takashi is still your—...
But what a thick-skinned guy he is,
Bringing his fiancée here to see Shou—...

Suzuna
Um...
You're Shou-san's—...

Reichelt
Aah.

—What a cute girl...

I'm sorry for not introducing myself, but I'm Shou's manager. I'm here in Japan on business.

What is he going to say to Shou when they see each other,
When he has such an adorable fiancée?

(Suzuna looks startled.)

Suzuna
Your Japanese is really good...

(Reichelt smiles.)

Reichelt
Shou taught me.

After all these years—

I can say a few words after six years. —That's right.
People can learn and change with enough time...!

I won't let you hurt Shou again...!

(Takashi stares at Reichelt.)

Takashi
?!

(Reichelt chuckles.)

Reichelt
—You're a bit slow, aren't you, Takashi.
Do you not understand what I'm saying to you?
Shou and I have been together for six years. Did you think that there would be nothing between us?

Takashi
—What are you talking about...!

(Suzuna gasps.)

Suzuna
...!

Takashi
You can't mean... But he's—

Reichelt
"But he's...?" Do go on.
If he had that kind of a relationship with you,
Then why would it be so out of the question for him to have it with me?

Suzuna
Wh...!
How can you say that...!
But Shou-san and Takashi-san are brothers—...

(Reichelt smirks.)

Reichelt
But that didn't stop you, did it...?

(In another room, Shou is speaking on the phone with his teacher.)

Shou
Yes.
I see, so the operation was completed without any complications?
Ah, no, when you left with him I didn't quite know what to do, but somehow everything turned out—...

(Shou hears a thump.)

?

Yes, ah, I'm sorry.

What was that?

Then I will call you tomorrow.
...Yes.

—Did something happen?

(Shou rushes back to see Reichelt down against the wall with a hand to his mouth, Takashi standing over him. He rushes over to Reichelt.)

Shou
!
Reichelt!
How could you...
Why—...
Why did you hit Reichelt! Takashi!

Takashi
—He

Shou
?
Reichelt

Takashi
...said some terrible—...

Shou
I don't know what he said to you, but you didn't have to hit him!
How could you overreact like that?!

Takashi
I—...

Shou
...It made me happy to know that you were visiting Mom's grave.
I'd thought that you were different than before, that you had become kind—
But—...
...I guess you haven't changed at all.
You're still an arrogant, self-righteous person
—who carelessly hurts other people...!

Takashi
—...
We're going, Suzuna-chan.

(Takashi takes Suzuna's hand and pulls her away.)

Suzuna
Takashi-san!
That's not true, Shou-san! It was because—...
Takashi-san, wa—...!

(For a moment Shou stares at their linked hands. Suzuna runs after Takashi, beginning to cry.)

Suzuna
Takashi-sa...
Takashi-san! Please wait!
It's so horrible...
It wasn't your fault, so why—...
Why did Shou-san take his side? Is he so important to Shou-san?
More important than us—...?

Shou-san said that we haven't changed, but—...

Takashi
...Suzuna-chan.

Suzuna
He believed that person without even listening to your reasons —...

Is changing such a good thing...?
—Has Shou-san really changed so much...?

Reichelt
...ow...

Shou
—Are you all right, Reichelt?

Reichelt
...Yeah, I'm fine. The inside of my mouth just got cut a bit.

Shou
But why...what happened?

Reichelt
—...
I...said a bit too much.
But I couldn't forgive him—...
Takashi always—....

That's right, Takashi always upsets Shou.
He hurts Shou, so I—
...No, that's not true. I...

Shou.

I'm—
—afraid.

(He hugs Shou tightly.)

Shou
...!

Reichelt
That Shou would be stolen by Takashi—...

...You know, Shou.

I'm afraid, so I attacked him.

Do you

I've become weak—

...love me...?

Shou
...? Of course I do.

Reichelt
Knowing you.
I'm afraid of losing you.

—I love you too...

And I slowly turn into more and more of a coward—...