Showtime - Chapter 3

[bakemonoremy]

Location: In front of the Fountain

Natsume: Before thAT, do you have a secoND?

Wataru: Whoops. Interrupting me right as I am about to start my magic performance, is this some kind of edging play? Natsume-kun is so relentless to Wataru-niisan, sob sob.

Natsume: I told you to spare me the crocodile teaRS… Wataru-niisAN, you did say the magic show was going to be held on an underground staGE, didn’t yOU.

And you said it’s not fit to be used for a large-scale shOW.

But back when you came to ask me to be your partnER, you said you were looking for one because you were planning something large-scaLE.

What is the meaning of thIS. There’s no way Wataru-niisan would overlook a simple contradiction like thIS, rigHT?

Wataru: Hrm~m. It happened just yesterday, so I doubt a “I don’t remember saying that” will fly, huh.

As I said earlier, the underground stage isn’t suited for a large-scale show, so I’m planning to do salon magic.

But I do plan to put on a few flashier stage magic performances. And the pigeon magic I plan to instruct Sora-kun in will make it to the stage, too.

The large-scale show I’m involving Natsume-kun in will be separate from that.

Aah, but as for what kind of magic tricks I’ll be performing during the real thing, you’ll have to wait until then to find out.

I’ll leave the revealing of the tricks for until after you watched and were amazed by them.

Just like how it isn’t any fun to read a mystery novel where you already know the end, there’s nothing as boring as watching magic tricks you know the secret of already.

I can’t bore my audience! Offering fresh and exciting wonders and having people enjoy them is my greatest joy...☆

Natsume: That’s just like yOU, Wataru-niisAN.

As you know I work as a fortune tellER, and as suCH, not all of my predictions are the kind people find delight IN. There are times when I have to inform people of their cruel futurES.

“Why would you say such a thing”, “Please foretell me a more convenient future”

Getting confined to customers who mistake fortune tellers for counseloRS, I keep hearing these complainTS...

Lately I’ve been gaining popularity as a fortune tellER, and while that’s desirabLE, weird customers have also been on the increase because of IT.

This is a bad side-effect of the faME, but Mommy has it rough with even more customers than ME.

If I can’t overcome this exteNT, my hand won’t ever be able to reach MomMY, even if I stand on my tiptoES.

NevermiND, this conversation got off traCK. SoRA, haven’t you gotten borED?

Sora: HiHi~, not at all! Sora loves Shisho~’s voice~. Sora could listen to it fore~ver and never get tired of it ♪

Natsume: I also love Sora’s voiCE. No matter how exhausted I AM, just hearing Sora’s voice makes my exhaustion disappeAR.

And it’s not just ME, I’m sure there’s a great number of people who have been saved by yOU.

Wataru: Natsume-ku~n, Sora-ku~n. Please don’t flirt among yourselves. Being neglected makes me feel lonely!

Please remember me, too~!

Natsume: Wataru-niisAN, don’t scatter roses about just because you’re loneLY… HuH?

So it’s really yOU, little kittEN. Are you okAY? Looks like you fell on your behiND, do you need a haND?

ThanKS, you sAY? No need to thank ME. You must have been surprised by the flowers appearing out of nowhere and fallen down because of IT.

Sora: HuHu~. Shisho~, it actually looks like Anzu fell down because she tried to avoid stepping on the flowers and lost her balance~.

Whoopsy-daisy, Sora will take care not to step on any flowers, either~. Flowers have a beautiful color, so Sora loves them ♪

Wataru: Fufufu, you’re making a face like you’re wondering what we’re doing here, Anzu-san! How would you like some show-and-tell?

Actually, I’m about to put on a petit magic show, and the larger the audience, the better.

Now then, take a seat on the bench and enjoy my magic tricks...☆

Very well. What I just took out from my pocket are nothing but completely normal coins.

You there, who is suspicious of there being a hidden mechanism! How about you touch them, top to bottom, and confirm it for yourself?

There! Anzu-san, did you confirm it? 

Now that we’ve established that there are no hidden mechanisms, let me itemize these coins. One, two~...♪

Now then, I’ll pick these counted coins up one by one. One, and two~...done! The coins are all in my right hand now!

And now, I’ll open my hand~... What’s this?

Sora: HoHo~? There’s not enough of them~. One of them disappeared!

Wataru: It seems like one of the coins was eaten up by a gluttonous monster.

Sora-kun, let’s ask him together, saying “That’s not food so please give it back”.

Sora: HaHa~, Sora will ask him! Monster-san, that’s not food so please give back the coin~.

If you’re hungry, Sora will buy candy for you! Candy is sweet, so it has the color of happiness~♪

Wataru: Fufufu. It seems like Sora-kun’s request has gotten through to the monster~. Look, just like that the coin has appeared in my left hand, please applaud~!

Sora: Clap clap! Great-Shisho~, Sora is going to buy some candy~. By giving it to the Monster-san, Sora will express his gratitude!

Wataru: I’m glad you enjoyed that~! Among magic tricks, this one is really simple so I don’t mind teaching it to Sora-kun!

Now then, let me dramatically reveal how the trick is done! I actually thumb palmed* the coin in my left hand in the very beginning!

While I was nimbly moving the coins to my right hand, I concealed one between my thumb and palm like this.

If I turn my right hand around, you can easily tell, right?

In this state, when I open my hand, one of the coins is missing, but that’s because I thumb palmed it earlier.

At the end, when you open your other hand, the audience will see the coin you thumb palmed before and think that it traveled between the hands.

How about that! If by watching my magic trick you gained just a fragment of your goal, I’m most delighted ♪

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*Thumb palm