Manga-World

 
Garasu No Kamen / Glass Mask / Topeng Kaca
Volume 38
Kurenai Tenno 5 / The Crimson Fairy 5 / Bidadari Merah 5
by 
MIUCHI Suzue


 When she was fainted, Tsukikage Chigusa's mind was back to her childhood..........
7 year old Chizu didn't have parents any longer. The man and woman who took care of her and some other children forced them to be thieves. She was captured when tried to steal in the theatre, but was rescued by Ichiren Ozaki, a young, talented & famous writer and director, and a kind person. Instead of punishing her, he paid some money to Chizu's master/mistress 
and took her home.
He even didn't care of what people thought about adopting a thief child like her.
Chizu considered, all her life was on his hand.
The hand that held her tight. The man who said: "Don't be afraid, I am here".
This hand was her life. Her fate depended on it.
She lived in Ichiren's Theatre, Gekko Building.
She helped the woman whose duty was 
cleaning it. She felt for the very first time, 
that quiet meant happiness. 
In his spare time, Ichiren would teach her to read and write, to talk politely and about manners.
The theatre's members who first saw her as 
a dirt, began to like her. She was loved 
by so many people. 
But Ichiren's wife disliked her.
But Ichiren said: Are you suggesting to put her back to her old life? That's not human way to live. Now she's only a common little girl, not a thief any more. And if she makes trouble someday, I will be responsible!! 
Since I took her, I've decided to take care 
of her life and make her happy....

Chizu who overheard the conversation, promised in her heart, not to be naughty, not to be a trouble.
She thanked him so much and she hoped that she could always stay with him.

The theatre's members taught her traditional dance. She was so talented,
she was permitted to play on the stage.
One day Ichiren asked her, if she would like to be an actress.

Ichiren was a hard teacher. But to hear a word of praise, Chizu didn't mind to practice as hard as anything. Ichiren raised her as an actress... as a human being....
She lived only seeing his figure. Ichiren was her teacher, her father, her older brother... and....


 When she was almost 16 years old....
She performed Diana, the Moon Goddess,
the first adult girl role she got.

First time she saw Ichiren with a weird expression on his face.
She always remembered it.

The show was a success.
Then Ichiren gave her an actress name
Tsukikage Chigusa.


 
Chigusa was disappointed when Ichiren said,
someday she would prefer to let his hand loose.
Feeling sad, she considered, she hoped 
too much... if she thought herself 
as a very close person to him. 
But then she must act as Ayaka who loved Takao, who only her father's secretary.
Their love was impossible because of 
different social class.
Chigusa realized, the feeling was the same 
with her own love to Ichiren.

A success role brought her to another chance.
And because it was also a success, she got another chance.
Though the practice was very hard 
until she cried, she kept happy 
because she was always on Ichiren's side.
But for Ichiren, the praise from his wife 
was the most valuable for him.

Ichiren encouraged her to play on a movie.
Though full of doubt, she did, and the movie
became a box office. And so her next movies.
She became famous.

But then Japan was in war. 
Many young actors who were soldiers were killed. Foreign drama was forbidden, whereas Japanese drama was also forbidden, 
because of too much imagination.
Ichiren's wife went home to her village with their son. Everybody was gone, except Chigusa.
Chigusa saved Ichiren who tried to protect 
Gekko Building from bomb and fire.
But then Ichiren who was hurt 
body and soul, disappeared.
Chigusa tried to find him, even to his wife's village. Ichiren's sister gave her a clue.
So she went to the valley 
of the red cherry blossom.


 
When Chigusa arrived, Ichiren saw her
as The Crimson Fairy.

Later Ichiren told her about it.
Then Ichiren decided, only Chigusa 
who could perform The Crimson Fairy,
the newest story he wrote.

When practising The Fire as Oshichi Yaoya,
deep in her heart, Chigusa hoped Ichiren would also loved her, but her hope was in vain.
She decided to be "the actress he loved", 
a person he needed.

The Crimson Fairy was the beginning of Gekko Theatre's came back after war.


 
The Crimson Fairy was a BIG success.
Ichiren said: You're the outflow of my heart.
I won't allow anybody to be The Crimson
Fairy. It is yours, Chigusa.
To Chigusa, it's the most beautiful gift 
she ever got.

Genzo became Chigusa's assistant. Tsukikage Chigusa name became the symbol of Gekko.

Ichiren said: When I lost everything in war,
maybe I had stopped writing. I am succeeded
now because of you, Chigusa. Thank God I met you. You're the outflow of my soul. Maybe
you're my better half.

To Chigusa, it's more than love words.

The better half....
Ichiren wrote, Chigusa act.
Ichiren the director, Chigusa the actress.
Two human with one soul.

Until one day a man came....
He had a transportation company and a big fan of The Crimson Fairy. His name's Eisuke Hayami. He sent many flowers, gifts, and dinner invitation. Chigusa tried to explain, that she and The Crimson Fairy were different persons. Politely she sent back the gifts.
He came with another reason. He wanted to help Gekko. He became the promotor of the shows in other cities. He began to buy theatre buildings. Later Ichiren felt disappointed with him and broke their cooperation. Hayami built Daito to perform foreign drama, which became a rival of Gekko. Many actors/actresses left Gekko. Soon Gekko was in critical condition. But Daito didn't have Ichiren and Chigusa. Daito's shows were failed. Hayami asked them to perform The Crimson Fairy in his building. Then he brought 
a lot of money to buy the right to perform The Crimson Fairy. Again Ichiren refused him. Then Hayami offered Chigusa to join Daito, but she never answered it. Hayami began to play rudely. He ordered a man to cheat Ichiren about buying stocks. Soon Ichiren was deep in debt.
Ichiren fell sick. Gekko building was sold.
Hayami came again with his offer. But Ichiren
refused him. Chigusa said loudly, that someday they would reperform The Crimson Fairy by their own. But they don't have any money left. Even for eating was difficult. Ichiren's wife took their son and left him alone. Chigusa tried to collect investments. But the show was failed. 
The investors left them. Ichiren lost his confidence. He asked her to leave his theatre, but Chigusa refused to go.
Hayami was a real businessman. He hired people who understood art to perform shows. He was succeeded. His movie and transportation companies became big. He also succeeded in politic, economy, and became friends with the yakuza. 
Then Chigusa found out that Hayami bought Gekko building, that he was behind all their bad luck. All the people who cheated Ichiren were his friends. She waited for him in purpose, on the day they celebrated Gekko as his.
She only watched him. Hayami was scared of her. He left without a single word. Chigusa swore to take revenge.

Chigusa: (Damn! I will never forgive you. 
I will make you suffer someday!)

Ichiren asked her where did people go after death and why did people born for.
Chigusa said, she was born to meet him.
Chigusa: I always love you. Being together with you is enough to make me happy.
Ichiren: Thank you, Chigusa. Only you who say to me like that now. Meeting you is the most happy time I ever experienced.

They made love that night.
But in the morning, when Chigusa woke up alone, she felt so weird, she ran to Gekko building following her feeling.
She was so shocked.
Ichiren committed suicide.
He left the right to perform The Crimson Fairy to Chigusa. She tried to kill herself, but Genzo was there. He reminded her, that Ichiren left The Crimson Fairy to her. If she died too, Hayami would take the right. If she reperformed it, as long as she was The Crimson Fairy, she could make Ichiren's soul kept alive.

Realizing it, Chigusa tried her way.
She reperformed The Crimson Fairy.
She signed a contract with Daito's rival.
She didn't permit anybody disturbed her life, 
not even Eisuke Hayami.
She became an independent great actress.
Her name was a guarantee for a success show.
She made friends with political people and
top businessman to protect herself.
She was really a famous actress.

Until finally the day of the accident came.
The lamp above the stage fell when she performed The Crimson Fairy.
It hurt her face.

*

Tsukikage Chigusa woke up from her long flashback dream.
She saw Genzo, Maya, Ayumi, a doctor and a nurse slept around her bed.

Later she asked Genzo to help her to go to the place she met Ichiren. It's still the same, only he was missing. With all the memories still fresh in her mind, she promised him to give birth
a new Crimson Fairy.


 

Maya felt so happy when her "Tsukikage and Ikkakuju" friends came.

 Mrs. Tsukikage asked several questions to Maya and Ayumi regarding their understanding of The Crimson Fairy. Then she asked Ayumi to watch the nature more and Maya to think as an actress.
She said to Genzo: You hear that, Genzo? Interesting, ne? Ayumi thought of the dialogues as an actress, Maya as The Crimson Fairy.
I am very interested to see tomorrow practice!

On the next morning, Mrs. Tsukikage offered other roles to all Maya's friends.


 
They became the spirit of wind, of mist, of water, of grass flower... the spirit of the mountain with its echoes, the dragon and genies who protected the red cherry blossom valley.

Mrs. Tsukikage gave Maya and Ayumi each a piece of cloth. Maya happily thought it as a scarf. They were ordered, that they just woke up and showed themselves in front of the others, but they were not permitted to move and must wait until Mrs. Tsukikage's second sign.
They chose their own place. Maya chose 
a red cherry blossom tree.

The others enjoyed their roles.
Within time, Ayumi began impatient. Ayumi was back to herself. Whereas Maya whose eyes were still opened but her heart was covered by white mist, and with her innocent mimic, 
became forgetting herself.
Then Mrs. Tsukikage gave the second sign.
Ayumi was so pretty and beautiful.
But Maya... with the time delay... 
she expressed herself as The Crimson Fairy 
with her voice.

She held her scarf.
Mrs. Tsukikage who was very excited,
ordered her to perform the dialogues.
She performed it very well.

Recalling back the memory of her being The Crimson Fairy, Maya felt the feeling so weird. As if there was a great energy from the bottom of her navel. She hoped to reperform it once more
in the red cherry blossom valley.
Meanwhile, Ayumi who was very disappointed of herself, packed her things and decided to leave the place to Tokyo. She decided not to come to the valley again. On her way, a man told her, that it's dangerous to use the hanging bridge. Then she saw Maya was walking toward the bridge.
(She would like to reperform The Crimson Fairy once more in the valley).
Would Ayumi let Maya walk on the bridge, so if something happened, she would get the role?


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