Blessed Brides Deux JUNO/Story

* Part 1
* Part 2
* Part 3
* Part 4
* Part 5
* Final Part

Who Will Stand at the Alter?

One week before "Maya Tendo" Erased--

 **Claudine:**...I, Claudine Saijo, will be that bride!

 **Kaoruko:**Hah. You mispronounced my name, dear.

 **Kaoruko:**You'll understand just how clueless you are when you see me in that bridal kimono, Clau-han.

 **Claudine:**And you'll know how naive you are when you see the perfection that is me in a wedding dress.

 **Kaoruko:**Grrgh...

 **Claudine:**Mrrgh...

 **Karen:**Heh heh heh... Sorry to spoil your fun, but I'm not handing over the lead this time!

 **Mahiru:**Yeah! Every girl dreams of playing the bride!

 **Junna:**The perfect bride, huh? It'd be a challenge, but well worth the research!

 **Nana:**The costumes are a wedding dress and a bridal kimono. The all-white ensembles are really going to pop on stage ♪

 **Hikari:**A bride at Position Zero... Yeah. I want to play that.

 **Futaba:**Putting Kaoruko in a kimono is so on-the-nose it's boring!

 **Kaoruko:**You couldn't be more wrong! The obvious choice for the finest bride is--

 **Claudine:**Yes, Maya Tendo's bride will be--

***ME!***

Some time earlier...

 **Karen:**Hmmmm... Oh ho... Whaaa!? Hrrrm...!

 **Karen:**Huh... Oh... Haaaaaaaaaah! Hngh... That was \*sniffle\* so goooood!

 **Mahiru:**Karen-chan. Here's a hanky.

 **Karen:**Thank you, Mahiru-chaaan! \*sniffle\* Aah, it's SO good... This script is so GOOD!

 **Karen:**This, um... "Dee-oox...Junno"?

 **Junna:**That's "Deux JUNO!? June Brides."

 **Mahiru:**I really like it, too! It's such an exciting, happy story!

 **Junna:**It really is.

 **Junna:**"Deux JUNO!? June Brides"...

 **Junna:**It stars two brides, Yuno Minazuki and June Hydrangea.

 **Mahiru:**June dreams of wearing the dress of her dreams at the altar with her ideal Prince Charming.

 **Mahiru:**Yuno grew up in a privileged but strict family, idolizing the traditional white bridal kimono.

 **Hikari:**The freewheeling dreamer, June, and the staid, classical Yuno...

 **Hikari:**Their personalities and circumstances and nationality are all different, but they both wind up falling for the same man.

 **Junna:**The ideal wedding, the ideal life... The two go to war to lay claim to what they want.

 **Karen:**But along the way, they form a weird sort of bond, and wind up becoming friends in the end!

 **Junna:**Two women at an age where they're in love with being in love discover marriage, friendship, and true happiness...

 **Mahiru:**And in the big finale, June's in her wedding gown and Yuno's in her kimono, and the answer they both come to is--

 **Karen:**AMAZING! The whole last scene is just amazing! Ahhh, I can't wait to stage this one!

 **Hikari:**But Karen... Do you really think you could play a bride?

 **Karen:**Oh jeez, that's right! ...How DO you play a bride?

 **Hikari:**...That is the question, yes.

 **Karen:**Ooh, but I feel like June's super one-track love is kinda similar to our love for the stage!

 **Hikari:**Ah... I see.

 **Mahiru:**And Yuno being in love with the idea of being in love is...pretty relatable, honestly.

 **Hikari:**...It is?

 **Mahiru:**Ack! I-I don't-- I didn't! I just mean in general! Like a feeling!

 **Hikari:**...Right.

 **Mahiru:**Still, it's an interesting story. How they wind up trading places, and then the huge twist at the end.

 **Karen:**Ahhh, I can't wait for the bride auditions!

 **Karen:**P-L-U-S! This one's more than just a fun play, right, Jun-Jun!?

 **Junna:**True, they said a photo of the two girls selected for the bride roles will be used for next year's Seisho Music Academy annual pamphlet.

 **Junna:**There's no way I'm losing this audition!

 **Karen:**Whoooa, Jun-Jun's all fired up!

 **Mahiru:**Well so am I!

 **Mahiru:**My grandma would be so proud if I were on that pamphlet. I've got to nail this audition!

 **Hikari:**June in her wedding dress, or Yuno in her white bridal kimono... I've never played either type of character. I want to.

 **Karen:**Oooh, everybody's all ablaze and the auditions haven't even started yet! We're like June and Yuno over here!

 **Nana:**Haha, you all sound excited. Talking about "Deux JUNO", are we?

 **Junna:**Yeah, Nana. They'll be doing a photo shoot with the brides.

 **Nana:**Oh, for the pamphlet? That'll be fun! It's going to be a shot of the three characters, right?

 **Junna:**Yeah. The two brides, and then Tendo-san as the groom.

 **Karen:**Yeah! Edward Grovener, the guy Tendo-san is playing! He's funny, but he's also super dreamy!

 **Nana:**The man whose good looks have these two would-be brides fighting over him. A natural-born playboy...

 **Nana:**Heh heh, that's a no-brainer role for Maya-chan!

 **Karen:**I feel like it's beeen a while since we got to see Tendo-san as a guy! But wait, why's the groom role already decided?

 **Junna:**Apparently, Amemiya-san wrote the character with Tendo-san specifically in mind.

 **Karen:**Ohh, makes sense, then! That explains why his lines are all so crispy-cool!

 **Claudine:**It's a pretty over-the-top character, so playing the brides is going to demand a fair bit of skill, too.

 **Claudine:**I can't wait for the audition.

 **Maya:**"I'm eager to see which of you lands the role of bride, too, my sweets."

 **Nana:**Ooh, the dashing Edward makes his appearance!

 **Kaoruko:**Heh, it sounds like you've already inhabited that character perfectly, Tendo-han. Just be sure you pick the right bride.

 **Maya:**Of course. I'll use my very best judgement as the head of the audition panel.

 **Nana:**So Maya-chan the groom will be casting the part of bride... Heh heh, this audition is more like a proposal ♪

 **Hikari:**A proposal audition... Interesting.

 **Kaoruko:**Hah, the clear choice is someone who's mastered dance and flower arrangement and calligraphy AND the tea ceremony... Like me.

 **Kaoruko:**Tendo-han. I look forward to your vote for Kaoruko Hanayagi.

 **Futaba:**Haha! If that little performance was all it took to win over Tendo, this'd be easy!

 **Kaoruko:**W-Well, obviously!

 **Claudine:**Futaba is right. The only way to get that role is to win it in the audition.

 **Claudine:**...I, Claudine Saijo, will be that bride!

 **Kaoruko:**Hah. You mispronounced my name, dear.

 **Kaoruko:**You'll understand just how clueless you are when you see me in that bridal kimono, Clau-han.

 **Claudine:**And you'll know how naive you are when you see the perfection that is me in a wedding dress.

 **Nana:**Great, you're all excited for the play. I think that's wonderful ♪

 **Karen:**I wish this proposal audition would hurry up and get here!

 **Junna:**I need to start researching the ideal bride right away...

 **Mahiru:**...

 **Mahiru:**Um, Tendo-san?

 **Maya:**Yes, Tsuyuzaki-san?

 **Mahiru:**When you imagine the perfect bride...What do you picture?

 **Maya:**Hmm?

 **Mahiru:**Oh, er, I just mean, the part of the groom was written specifically for you, right?

 **Mahiru:**So I thought that maybe asking what your ideal bride was could help give me some direction in forming my character.

 **Claudine:**Asking Maya Tendo directly about the groom's ideal bride... I hadn't thought of that.

 **Kaoruko:**Not that it will sway my performance at all, but... I suppose it's worth hearing her out?

 **Maya:**I think it's a wonderful idea, Tsuyuzaki-san.

 **Hikari:**Mahiru... Nice.

 **Mahiru:**Heh heh, thanks!

 **Maya:**Then why don't we discuss it as part of preparing for the audition?

 **Maya:**About June and Yuno, our two leading ladies...and what constitutes the ideal bride.

***Agreed!***

The Two Brides

 **Junna:**Ahem! Without further ado...

 **Junna:**I would like to call to order this meeting to discuss the audition for the upcoming 99th Class production of "Deux JUNO!?" June Brides."

***Woooo! Applause!***

 **Junna:**I will also note that the actors chosen to play the two leads, our brides June and Yuno...

 **Junna:**will be photographed together with the groom, Tendo-san, to grace the cover of next year's Seisho Music Academy promotional pamphlet.

***Woooo! Applause!***

 **Maya:**The cycle of debate and experimentation is the core of character building. This is the perfect opportunity to share your thoughts.

 **Maya:**I would like to express my own vision of the ideal bride, from the groom's perspective. Let's make this meeting a productive one.

***Yeah!***

 **Junna:**June Hydrangea grew up in the American heartland.

 **Hikari:**She's a cheerful, innocent tomboy who loves riding horseback and playing cricket.

 **Hikari:**But inside her beats the heart of a romantic waiting for her Prince Charming. She dreams of the perfect wedding, in her perfect white wedding dress.

 **Karen:**She makes you think she's all wild and boyish, then jukes hard into the girly zone! I love that!

 **Karen:**It's kind of like...Futaba-chan?

 **Futaba:**WHAT!? How is that ME? If anything, it's YOU, Karen!

 **Karen:**Whaaat!? What use have I got for a Prince Charming?

 **Karen:**If some pretty boy on a white horse is gonna ride in and sweep any of us up, it's Clau-chan.

 **Claudine:**Excuse me!? How am I the one getting swept here!?

 **Karen:**I'm just saaayiiing! Image-wise, you know?

 **Futaba:**Hmm...What you're saying makes sense.

 **Claudine:**In what world does anything she says make sense!?

 **Maya:**Heh heh, the debate is already off to a white-hot start.

 **Junna:**And completely off topic...

 **Junna:**But June isn't just cheerful and innocent. She's also got a pragmatic side.

 **Junna:**She's attending a finishing school to make sure she's ready for married life.

 **Karen:**Finishing school How's learning to catch trout going to prepare you for married life?

***That's "fishing," Karen (Karen-chan).***

 **Karen:**Oh.

 **Mahiru:**Junna-chan is talking about finishing school.

 **Junna:**It's a place where unmarried girls can go to learn how to manage a household.

 **Claudine:**And how to appreciate literature and music, how to cook and clean for herself. All the basics of independent living.

 **Claudine:**Most of all, it teaches the etiquette and social skills needed to navigate the highest echelons of society. ...I believe that covers it?

 **Junna:**Exactly right, Saijo-san. As you'd expect.

 **Kaoruko:**That bit about learning to navigate high society feels very much like the western version of bridal training.

 **Nana:**Reading through the script, June has that unfettered, almost wild feel to her...

 **Nana:**But she's also really serious about cultivating herself to be an excellent partnet. I think that's great ♪

 **Junna:**Meanwhile, as June is going to finishing school to make sure she's ready whenever her Prince Charming arrives...

 **Nana:**She runs into her childhood friend and lifelong rival, Yuno-chan.

 **Junna:**The bride in the white kimono, Yuno Minazuki... The archetypical Japanese beauty who moved from Japan with her diplomat father.

 **Junna:**The Minazuki family name is synonymous with history, tradition, and authority, and Yuno has lived a life of cultivation since birth.

 **Junna:**Noble, smart, beautiful...and proud. She hasn't let life abroad change her in the slightest, and has no qualms about being different.

 **Kaoruko:**Strong-willed, refined, beautiful... This role was clearly made for me.

 **Junna:**But Yuno doesn't dream about getting married like June does.

 **Nana:**"Marriage is a means of securing the future and prosperity of the Minazuki line." ...She puts a pretty fine point on it. Total opposites from June.

 **Maya:**Yes, the two are certainly foils.

 **Maya:**Her core is an aristocrat's pride. It won't allow her to fall behind her friend June in getting married.

 **Futaba:**Giving up on love for her family's sake? That's a contrast to Kaoruko. By which I mean the complete opposite. You're in love with yourself.

 **Kaoruko:**Y-You hush! I can cover that bit over with my acting skills!

 **Kaoruko:**You can yammer on all you like. It won't change the fact that my expertise in dance and flowers AND tea AND calligraphy all give me a huge advantage!

 **Junna:**Do they, though?

 **Kaoruko:**Ngh!?

 **Junna:**When it comes to the culture a bride needs, I'm second to none.

 **Mahiru:**And I've got keeping house covered!

 **Nana:**If it's a home-cooked meal the groom's after... Bana-nice ♪

 **Futaba:**Haha, seems like you don't really have much of a lead at all, Kaoruko.

 **Kaoruko:**Grrgh!

 **Claudine:**Still, the deeper you read the script, the more opposite they are. June and Yuno.

 **Maya:**Yes. Their dialogue evokes extremely well fleshed-out characters. They feel very human.

 **Claudine:**So, what does the groom have to say Who do you think are the best fits for the dual brides Who do you want for your co-stars?

 **Maya:**Let's see...

 **Maya:**"I could see having a blast with all of you. It's just too hard for a groom to choose, my sweets."

 **Claudine:**\*sigh\* Should have seen THAT coming.

 **Junna:**We're got a groom who hasn't been able to pick a bride yet... Guess we'll have to settle this at the proposal audition.

 **Karen:**Okay! Then it's time to start practicing, practicing, practicing!

 **Maya:**Thank you all for coming. I think we made some excellent progress here today.

***Meeting adjourned!***

 **Claudine:**Well that accomplished absolutely nothing.

 **Maya:**Arriving at an answer is important, but sometimes discussing the question itself is even more so.

 **Claudine:**Hmph... I'm well aware, thank you.

 **Kaoruko:**Awww, and here I was hoping to nail down that Yuno role early on...

 **Futaba:**Haha, everybody's gunning for this one. It's not going to be that easy.

 **Futaba:**But I can understand wanting to have that Seisho pamphlet with you in a white kimono on it to brag about to your family!

 **Kaoruko:**Th-That's not! I wasn't! That... They have nothing to do with this!

 **Karen:**Hikari-chan, Mahiru-chan! Want to go read through the script together?

 **Mahiru:**Sure! I'll go see if the practice room's open!

 **Hikari:**.....

 **Karen:**I guess just for now, I can read for June and Mahiru-chan can read for Yuno...

 **Hikari:**.....

 **Karen:**Hm? What's up, Hikari-chan?

 **Hikari:**I...I see you as June too, Karen.

 **Hikari:**And Mahiru or Hoshimi-san as Yuno...

 **Hikari:**But... I can't picture myself as either.

 **Karen:**Whoa...really!?

 **Karen:**I was just going off a super vague mental image, you know? That's all!

 **Hikari:**I know. But...

 **Hikari:**June or Yuno... I have no mental image of how I'd play either of them.

 **Hikari:**How should I perform them for the proposal audition?

 **Karen:**Hikari-chan...

A Sudden Etude

 **Hikari:**.....

 **Hikari:**.....

 **Maya:**Good morning.

 **Maya:**Oh, Kagura-san. You're here early today.

 **Maya:**Here alone? You usually come with Aijo-san and--

 **Hikari:**"Edward, I beg you! Accept this love burning in my breast!"

 **Maya:**...!

 **Hikari:**"If you don't, I... These feelings... They're going to burn me to ashes."

 **Maya:**.....

 **Maya:**"My sweet June, forgive me. I fear I am unable to accept."

 **Hikari:**"But why? How can you say that when I love you this much!? What is it I'm lacking?"

 **Maya:**"You lack nothing at all, my dear. I've simply set my sights too high."

 **Hikari:**"Then what is it you see!? Tell me what is it you desire, please! If it means our marriage, I'll give you anything!"

 **Maya:**"Anything...? I see."

 **Maya:**"Then will you give me the love that burns inside you, given material form?"

 **Hikari:**"My love, in material form...? I don't... That's not possible."

 **Maya:**"Ah... You're surely right. Even I know it's an impossible request."

 **Hikari:**"Wait... It's not impossible. I'll find a wy to grant my love form. Whatever it takes, if I can be your wife!"

 **Hikari:**Huff, huff...

 **Maya:**Huff, huff...

 **Hikari:**"...Please, Edward. Say we can be wed. Say you'll take my hand."

 **Hikari:**"If you turn me away, I... I have nowhere left to go..."

 **Maya:**"I'm so sorry, Yuno. I'm just not able to give you what you ask of me."

 **Hikari:**"No... At least tell me why! Why, when I love you so deeply, so true!"

 **Hikari:**"From birth I have studied and trained to prepare for this day. What is it that I'm missing?"

 **Maya:**"You lack nothing at all, my dear. I've simply set my sights too high."

 **Hikari:**"Then what is it you desire? Speak, and it's yours, for there is nothing this world I can't give you!"

 **Maya:**"Anthing...? I see."

 **Maya:**"Then take a large canvas and paint me a picture of the confidence that lets you make that claim."

 **Maya:**"A grand oil painting that any stranger off the street would look at and say, 'That is a picture of the confidence that says there's nothing in this world I can't procure.'"

 **Hikari:**"A painting of an abstraction, yet so concrete!? That's... You are cruel to ask this of me..."

 **Maya:**"Ah... You're surely right. Even I know it's an impossible request."

 **Hikari:**"...No. Not impossible. You will have your painting of the confidence that says there's nothing in this world I can't procure!"

 **Hikari:**"If it means your hand in marriage... If it means I beat her to you!"

 **Hikari:**Huff, huff...

 **Hikari:**...Thank you. For joining me.

 **Maya:**"What kind of groom would I be if I failed to answer my bride's request?"

 **Hikari:**Heh heh...

 **Maya:**Heh heh... So, did that clear things up?

 **Hikari:**Huh?

 **Maya:**I assume you invited me to join you because you had some doubts?

 **Maya:**A Stage Girl always finds her answer between the stage and her performance.

 **Hikari:**A Stage Girl's answer...

 **Hikari:**I...still don't know. But...

 **Hikari:**I feel I've caught a glimpse of it, thanks to you.

 **Maya:**Oh? As the bridegroom, might I be so bold to ask what it is you saw?

 **Hikari:**...Yes.

 **Hikari:**If I'm honest... During the debate yesterday, I couldn't picture either June of Yuno's role in my mind.

 **Hikari:**But acting it out with you, I feel like I can begin to understand their strong drive to marry... Just a hint.

 **Hikari:**Like what Karen said yesterday... That it's the same feeling as a Stage Girl has for the stage. It just clicked.

 **Maya:**It sounds like June and Yuno are growing inside you.

 **Hikari:**Yes... If I had to say, June in particular. I think I found the June inside me.

 **Hikari:**...I think it was the Edward in you that woke her up.

 **Maya:**I see.

 **Hikari:**Stage Girls get better day by day... Tomorrow, I'll be someone who could play her.

 **Maya:**Those are Aijo-san's words.

 **Hikari:**...Yes.

 **Hikari:**...And a Stage Girl always finds her answer between the stage and her performance. Those words are yours.

 **Maya:**Heh, it sounds like our little session has been fruitful.

 **Hikari:**I want to understand June and Yuno better... Will you indulge me a little longer?

 **Maya:**Gladly.

 **Hikari:**All right, then from the proposal scene--

 **Karen:**Ahh! There you are, Hikari-chan!

 **Mahiru:**You were already gone when we woke up. You had us worried!

 **Hikari:**Oh...I'm sorry.

 **Mahiru:**Were you and Tendo-san doing some...early morning practice?

 **Maya:**Yes. Kagura-san asked me to join her for a scene of "Deux JUNO."

 **Karen:**WHAT!? Before the proposal audition!? Hikari-chan, no fair jumping the gun!

 **Hikari:**S-Sorry...

 **Karen:**Sooooo... Do one with me too, Tendo-san!

 **Mahiru:**Ooh, and me!

 **Maya:**Heh heh... Now you're sounding like Stage Girls.

 **Maya:**"As you wish, my sweets. Fulfilling your every desire is my duty and priviledge as bridegroom."

 **Karen:**Awesome! Let's go!

 **Karen:**"--Accept this love that burns in my breast! All I can do is make my plea heard, but... But please!"

 **Claudine:**Bonjour. Good morning, everyone. ...Hm?

***\*chatter\****

 **Claudine:**It's certainly noisy in here...

 **Nana:**"My love, in material form...?" I don't... That's not possible."

 **Claudine:**That was a "Deux JUNO" line. Is someone rehearsing this early?

 **Claudine:**...Gah! What's this uge line!?

 **Karen:**Oh hey, Clau-chan! Bonjour!

 **Claudine:**Don't "Bonjour" me! What in the world is this line!?

 **Mahiru:**Oh. We're waiting for our turn with Tendo-san.

 **Claudine:**What? What does that mean?

 **Hikari:**She was helping me practice, so then Karen wanted a turn...

 **Karen:**And then when I was done, Mahiru-chan wanted a turn...

 **Mahiru:**She finished up with me right as Kaoruko-chan and Futaba-chan arrived...

 **Futaba:**While we were going at it, the line formed...

 **Junna:**And now we're up to Nana.

 **Claudine:**\*sigh\*

 **Junna:**I'll say thus, running a scene with Tendo-san has really helped me get a better handle on my June.

 **Mahiru:**Yeah! Now that the character's firming up, I'm getting a way deeper understanding of each line.

 **Karen:**I keep thinking, "OOH! I want to try it THIS way next!" Or "OHH! I should try THAT out next!"

 **Hikari:**Which leads to asking for another round, and another, and...

 **Claudine:**And now we're up to Nana.

 **Futaba:**Tendo really is something else. Whether she's playing a man or a woman, she knows just how to elevate your performance.

 **Junna:**It's true, you can feel her pulling you up higher and higher until it feels like you've got this bird's-eye view of the character.

 **Claudine:**.....

 **Maya:**"Ah...You're surely right. Even I know it's an impossible request."

 **Nana:**"Wait... It's not impossible. I'll find way to grant my lvoe form. Whatever it takes, if I can be your wife!"

 **Nana:**Huff...huff.... Thank you, Maya-chan ♪ I feel like I've got a clearer view of the role now.

 **Maya:**Huff, huff... It's my pleasure.

 **Claudine:**Hey, your voice is completely hoarse!

 **Maya:**Oh... Saijo-san. Would you like to go a round?

 **Claudine:**No, thank you! Honestly... Are you going to make it through tomorrow's proposal audition in that state!?

 **Maya:**"Fulfilling my sweets' every desire is my duty and privilege as bridegroom."

 **Claudine:**\*sigh\* I knew it. There's no such thing as a sane Stage Girl. You're stage-crazy!

 **Maya:**"Your praise is honey to my ear... My sweet."

 **Claudine:**It is NOT praise!

 **Claudine:**You're the craziest one of all, Maya Tendo!

The Fated Day

The day of the audition...

 **Claudine:**Hmm... Looks good.

 **Claudine:**It's just something I threw together for the audition, but it's got that sparkly June vibe.

 **Claudine:**... \*inhale\*

 **Claudine:**"Let me be the one, Edward! Let me stand by your side... I won't give that spot to anyone else!"

 **Claudine:**Cheerful, innocent June. I've got a solid grip on the character.

 **Claudine:**I'll land the lead. I WILL be Maya Tendo's bride... The best bride the stage has ever seen!

 **Claudine:**.....

 **Claudine:**.....

 **Claudine:**Maya Tendo's bride...

**Sakuragi:**Now, then...

**Sakuragi:**We're ready to begin the audition for the brides in the 99th Class production of "Deux JUNO!? June Brides."

**Sakuragi:**The actors cast for the roles of June Hydrangea and Yuno Minazuki...

**Sakuragi:**will join Maya Tendo as the groom, Edward Grovener in a photo shoot for next year's Seisho Music Academy pamphlet.

***Right!***

**Sakuragi:**Tendo, I leave the screening in your hands.

 **Maya:**I won't let you down, Sakuragi-sensei.

**Sakuragi:**Let's dive right into casting for Yuno Minazuki, the bride in the white kimono. We'll go in the random order you were assigned yesterday.

 **Claudine:**(Yuno's first? All right, let's see who's going to be my rival.)

 **Nana:**Actor Training Department, 99th class, Student Number 15. Nana Daiba!

 **Mahiru:**Actor Training Department, 99th class, Student Number 17. Mahiru Tsuyuzaki!

 **Futaba:**Actor Training Department, 99th class, Student Number 2. Futaba Isurugi!

**Sakuragi:**Okay, Act 3, from page 15. Aaand, action!

 **Nana:**"Edward, my beloved..."

 **Nana:**"Marrying you is my fondest dream... If I'm certain of anything, it's that I wish to spend my life with you."

 **Claudine:**(It's finally starting...)

 **Claudine:**(Hmph, look at her sitting there all smug in the judge's seat. Just watch. I'll show you.)

 **Claudine:**(The perfect bride... I'm going to perform a woman so compelling, she makes the groom pale in comparison.)

 **Futaba:**"Wait! June-sama!"

 **Claudine:**...!

 **Futaba:**"Me, running away!? That's preposterous! I have EVERYTHING, what would I ever need to run from!?"

 **Claudine:**(Futaba is really...brilliant today.)

 **Futaba:**"Yes, as a matter of fact! Getting married WILL bring me happiness! Marriage itself IS happiness!"

 **Claudine:**(Yuno's personality, her pride, her intensity... The emotions are all there. Each line of dialogue feels so alive.)

 **Futaba:**"I won't accept this... I refuse. But... June-sama, the days I spent jockeying with you were some of the most fun I've ever known."

 **Claudine:**(It's like Yuno Minazuki herself is standing right there...)

 **Claudine:**"Maybe to me, marriage was always--"

**Sakuragi:**--And, cut.

***Thank you!***

**Sakuragi:**Next up, we'll hold auditions for the bride in the wedding dress, June Hydrangea.

 **Claudine:**(It's time!)

 **Karen:**Actor Training Department, 99th class, Student Number 1. Karen Aijo!

 **Claudine:**Actor Training Department, 99th class, Student Number 11. Claudine Saijo!

 **Hikari:**Actor Training Department, 99th class, Student Number 29. Hikari Kagura.

**Sakuragi:**Right, Act 4, page 15. Aaand, go!

 **Karen:**"Edward, I beg you! Accept this love burning in my breast!"

 **Claudine:**"Edward, I beg you! Accept this love burning in my breast!"

 **Claudine:**(Feeling good... I'm on track to eclipse the other bride and groom completely!)

 **Hikari:**"Edward... I beg you! Accept this love burning in my breast!"

 **Claudine:**\*gasp\*

 **Hikari:**"I didn't jump the gun. I've dreamed of marriage since far, far before you gave it a single thought!"

 **Claudine:**(What is this? Hikari...)

 **Hikari:**"The same's true for me! I thought if I could just marry my Prince Charming, I'd live happily ever after... I really believed that!"

 **Claudine:**(Energetic, innocent, just a little bit wild...)

 **Hikari:**"But the more I learned how you felt...what you thought... I started questing everything I thought I knew."

 **Claudine:**(Single-minded and quick to jump to conclusions... This is the perfect June!)

 **Claudine:**(Hikari... You can play a role like this, too!?)

 **Hikari:**"But true happiness... I only discovered that because of you, Yuno!"

 **Claudine:**(...She's good.)

 **Claudine:**(Really good. Amazing, even... Both Hikari's June and Futaba's Yuno.

 **Claudine:**(Oh. I get it now...)

 **Maya:**.....

 **Claudine:**"Governors, generals, back presidents and professors! All of them came here to celebrate your wedding!"

 **Claudine:**"Rragh! You've dragged the Minazuki name through the mud before all of them!"

 **Claudine:**Huff, huff...

 **Maya:**An old-fashioned father, haughty and ambitious...

 **Maya:**Genjuro Minazuki is a man who cares more about his reputation than his own daughter's happiness... You've presented Yuno's father perfectly.

 **Claudine:**Mm. How nice.

 **Claudine:**...So? Why are you here? Have you come to laugh at me for failing the audition?

 **Maya:**Not in the slightest. I admire all your hard work... That's all I came to say.

 **Maya:**I'll see myself out.

 **Claudine:**.....

 **Claudine:**...Wait just a minute.

 **Maya:**Yes?

 **Claudine:**Tell me. What's the ideal bride, to you? The ideal marriage?

 **Maya:**That's...a rather difficult question.

 **Claudine:**I don't know, either.

 **Maya:**Huh?

 **Claudine:**But the one thing I DO know is that a bride is happy.

 **Claudine:**It's no mystery why Hikari got June and Futaba got Yuno. They were the two happiest brides out of all of us.

 **Claudine:**I assume you must have thought so, too.

 **Maya:**...I wonder.

 **Claudine:**I lost sight of that crucial happiness. All I cared about was outshining the other bride, and outshining you, the groom.

 **Claudine:**It's only natural that I'd fail the audition. Who wants a bloodthirsty bride?

 **Claudine:**Do you remember what I told you once? That there were roles you could never play because your acting is too perfect.

 **Maya:**Of course. That was when we went to see Aladdin.

 **Claudine:**I didn't expect my own words to come back and bite me. It's mortifying.

 **Claudine:**Plus... I couldn't help wanting to see them. Even in the middle of the audition...

 **Claudine:**I want to see these happy brides. Hikari's June and Futaba's Yuno.

 **Maya:**I see... That explains the look of relief on your face when the audition ended.

 **Claudine:**Hmph. That, and there was one other thing I realized.

 **Claudine:**Maya Tendo... I have no interest at all in playing YOUR bride.

 **Maya:**My, my.

 **Claudine:**I'm not here to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you. I cam here to surpass you.

 **Claudine:**If there had been a second groom who stole June and Yuno away from you, THAT would be a role I'd eagerly play.

 **Maya:**I'll be sure to pass that suggestion on to Amemiya-san as an idea for her next script.

 **Claudine:**Next time, then.

 **Claudine:**Now, I have until the end of today to get all of Genjuro Minazuki's lines in my head. Sorry to keep you.

 **Maya:**Likewise. ...Congratulations on a solid audition, Claudine Saijo.

 **Claudine:**And you did well as the lead judge, Maya Tendo.

 **Claudine:**I look forward to seeing the perfect groom.

 **Maya:**I'll strive to meet those expectations. In preparation for the next time.

The Brides' Secret

 **Futaba:**"Jumping the gun is a coward's tactic, June-sama!"

 **Hikari:**"I didn't jump the gun. I've dreamed of marriage since far, far before you gave it a single thought!"

 **Futaba:**June approaches, so I sidestep, and--

 **Hikari:**I stop and...turn. To face Yuno again. Correct?

 **Futaba:**Yeah, we're ending right on our marks.

 **Futaba:**I've got most of the footwork in muscle memory. Now I just need to double-check it on stage.

 **Hikari:**...Will you be able to move in that kimono?

 **Futaba:**That's what I'm worried about. Bridal kimonos are different from the one we use for period dramas.

 **Futaba:**What about you and that wedding dress? There's so much fabric down at your feet.

 **Hikari:**...I'm worried I'll trip on the hem during the scene where I chase Edward's car.

 **Futaba:**Ooh, right. That's pretty scary. Sheesh, both of us have it rough in the costume department this time!

 **Hikari:**...Actuak brides are amazing.

 **Futaba:**Seriously. Hats off to them.

 **Futaba:**But I suppose there's no use worrying about it. Kaoruko's used to moving around in a kimono. If I just walk like she does, I should get by!

 **Hikari:**Right... And I'll try to power through with Karen's power.

 **Futaba:**Right! We both just have to copy our model's-- Huh?

 **Hikari:**Yes, if we can move like they do in our heads-- Wait.

 **Futaba:**.....

 **Hikari:**.....

 **Futaba:**Don't tell me your basing your June off Karen?

 **Hikari:**Then are you basing your Yuno off...

 **Futaba:**I thought so!

 **Futaba:**The more I read through Yuno's scenes in "Deux JUNO," the more I started seeing her as Kaoruko!

 **Futaba:**She's got dance and flower arrangement and the tea ceremony and calligraphy all mastered, but she's all pompous and keeps tripping over her own pride!

 **Hikari:**She said it herself... "This role was clearly made for me."

 **Futaba:**Right!? That's when it clicked into place for me.

 **Futaba:**Remember what Amemiya from Group B said about Edward?

 **Hikari:**...I do. That she wrote the groom's dialogue with Tendo-san in mind.

 **Futaba:**Yeah! So I took a page from that.

 **Futaba:**I figured if I could trim off Kaoruko's haughty side, and her selfish side, and her...

 **Futaba:**Anyway, if I focused on her good parts and all her talents, I'd have the perfect Yuno Minazuki!

 **Hikari:**That's amazing... It's exactly the same as me.

 **Hikari:**At first I had no idea how to play the role...

 **Hikari:**But running scenes with Tendo-san, I found it... My image of an energetic, innocent June.

 **Hikari:**It was the Karen in my head.

 **Futaba:**That makes so much sense! So you've been building off your version of Karen...

 **Hikari:**Yes. In my head, Karen is this ball of sparkly, sunny energy.

 **Hikari:**Subtract the oversleeping and the forgetfulness and umeboshi...and I was left with June.

 **Futaba:**That's exactly how I hit on my Yuno!

 **Futaba:**So we both wrote our... Well, we ACTED our roles with the girls closest to us in mind, and that won us the audition!

 **Hikari:**Right. I got to play June... Got to wear that wedding dress thanks to Karen.

 **Hikari:**Once the play is over, I should buy her some umeboshi.

 **Futaba:**What!? M-Maybe that's not such a good idea, Kagura!

 **Hikari:**Why not?

 **Futaba:**Why not...? You landed the role by borrowing all of Karen's best bits, right?

 **Futaba:**If you tell her that, she might be like, "How could you use me like that, Hikari-chan!?" ...Right?

 **Hikari:**I...never considered that. But...you may be right.

 **Futaba:**Right!? If Kaoruko found out I'm playing her, minus the haughty, selfish bits... Yikes.

 **Futaba:**I can hear it now. "I'm going back to Kyoto!"

 **Hikari:**Y-You're right... Better to say nothing. I won't tell Karen.

 **Futaba:**Yeah, let's not. It's safer that way.

 **Hikari:**Then... It's our secret.

 **Futaba:**Huh?

 **Hikari:**A secret, just between the two of us.

 **Futaba:**...Yeah. Yeah, it is.

 **Futaba:**Between me and you, Kagura... A secret between us brides!

***Hehehe!***

 **Futaba:**Okay, let's take it from the top one more time! We can dedicate this one to Kaoruko and Karen!

 **Hikari:**Right!

June or Yuno. June and Yuno.

"Deux JUNO" performance day...

**Yuno:**"Jumping the gun is a coward's tactic, June-sama!"

**June:**"I didn't jump the gun. I've dreamed of marriage since far, far before you gave it a single thought!"

**June:**"No more running, Edward! Have a bite of my wedding cake!"

**Yuno:**"Ignore her, Edward. My cake awaits you!"

**Edward:**"Now, now, ladies. You shouldn't rush this sort of thing."

**Edward:**"I still haven't chosen between you. I haven't even made up my mind to marry."

**June:**"You say that every time... When, then? When will you marry me!?"

**Yuno:**"Edward... It's dangerous to toy with a woman's heart like this!"

**Edward:**"Then you have me in quite a pickle, my sweets. Why are you both so obsessed with marriage?"

**June:**"To be happy, obviously!"

**June:**"Marrying Prince Charming is the secret to living happily ever after... And I WILL live happily ever after!"

**Yuno:**"Exactly! Marriage binds two houses together. Makes them larger, stronger for it! Marriage is the greatest purpose in life!"

**Edward:**"It's certainly a huge event in a person's life. But isn't that a reason NOT to rush it?"

**Edward:**"Life is short. We have to live for the present, enjoy the moment!"

**Edward:**"And isn't waiting until a groom is truly ready to settle down one of a bride's biggest responsibilities?"

**June:**"But if I want, you and Yuno will--"

**Yuno:**"I won't step back and let June-sama steal you away!"

***"Edward... I beg you! Right here and now, accept this love burning in my breast!"***

**Carelina:**"Now, now. You aren't the only ones with a passion to share!"

**June:**"Ed...ward? Who are these women!?"

**Carelina:**"I brought it, Edward-san! A stone of blue flame, taken from a burning mountain!"

**Matilda:**"I found it, Edward-kun! A flower two millennia old, plucked from a forgotten ruin!"

**Julia:**"Here, Mr. Edward! The hide of the legendary snow-white lizard of Mt. Everest!"

**Nastasha:**"Thanks for waiting, Eddy ♪ A death worm's gallstone from the heart of the Sahara ♪"

**Xiangzi:**"Your wait is over, Edward-han! A pearl snatched from six miles beneath the sea!"

***"Now, marry me!"***

**Edward:**"Ahh, Carelina, Matlida, Julia, Nastasha, Xiangzi! My sweets, my darlings!"

**Edward:**"You actually brought what I asked for? That puts me in a rather tricky position... Those things were never meant to be found."

**June:**"Oh, really? And you were able to send us off on the same wild goose chase."

**Yuno:**"While keeping all these others 'sweets' of yours a secret..."

**Edward:**"Er, you mistake me, darlings. These are just..."

**June:**"Yuno... I feel like I've just awoken from a long dream."

**Yuno:**"That's quite the coincidence, June-sama. I was just feeling like I'd stepped out of a deep fog."

**Edawrd:**"Now, now. Don't leap to any silly conclusions here, June, Yuno. My sweets..."

**Edward:**"The world's a breeze, a bed of clouds, and all of us birds upon it. Que sera, sera--"

***"You....PIG!"***

***\*SLAP\****

**Edward:**"Bwargh!"

***"Eeeh! Edwaaard!"***

**June:**"AHH, that felt good!"

**Minazuki Genjiro:**"Y-Yuno! Is that any way to treat your groom!?"

**Minazuki Genjiro:**"And in front of all these guests! Have you no shame!?"

**Yuno:**"Father... I'm calling off this wedding!"

**Minazuki Genjiro:**"C-Calling it off!?"

**June:**"Haha, you tell 'em, Yuno! I'm out of this mess, too!"

**Minazuki Genjiro:**"Governors, generals, bank presidents and professors! All of them came here to celebrate your wedding!"

**Minazuki Genjiro:**"Rragh! You've dragged the Minazuki name through the mud before all of them!"

**Yuno:**"Let's get out of here, June-sama!"

**June:**"Right beside you, Yuno!"

**June:**"You don't live happily ever after because you married Prince Charming... You marry the one you love so you can make each other happy!"

**June:**"I lost track of that... I was blinded by my infatuation. Yuno, it was you who shook me out of that!"

**Yuno:**"I don't think I really knew what marriage meant. What it meant to be in love..."

**Yuno:**"What do I love? What does ti even mean to love someone? ...I used marriage as a way to avoid answering those questions."

**Yuno:**"I never knew how foolish that was...until you showed me, June-sama!"

**Yuno:**"Call me just June, Yuno."

**Yuno:**"All right them, June. Let's go. Let's find our true match!"

**June:**"I'm pretty sure we both just got disowned. There'll be no turning back, you know."

**Yuno:**"I couldn't care less, June. With you at my side, I'm sure it'll be an amazing adventure."

**June:**"Heh heh... My thoughts exactly! Then let's go search for our future grooms--"

***"Together!"***

**Narrator:**"This concludes our performance of 'Deux JUNO!? June Brides'..."

**Narrator:**"presented by the Seisho Music Academy's 99th Class."

**Narrator:**"We hope that all of you who joined us today will think of the ones you love as you make your way home."

**Cameraman:**Okay, smile for the camera.

***\*snap snap snap\****

 **Futaba:**Hnngh... Why's this kimono got to be so heavy...?

 **Kaoruko:**Oh, tough it out until the shoot's over, Futaba-han.

 **Futaba:**GAAAH, how many more pictures do they need to take!?

 **Kaoruko:**As many as it takes to get one everyone's satisfied with, obviously.

 **Junna:**You're representing all of us here, so it better be a good one!

 **Nana:**And this is your prize for winning the audition. You want a nice memento of that!

 **Futaba:**Nrrgh... But I'm fresh off the stage and completely beat...

 **Claudine:**Maya Tendo's smile hasn't budged an inch. Are you willing to get upstaged by the groom, Futaba!?

 **Futaba:**Okay, okay, jeez! I'm smiling, I'm smiling!

***\*snap snap snap\****

 **Karen:**Ahhh, that was a super fun play!

 **Junna:**Tendo-san's Edward was a blast. We haven't seen her in menswear in a while, and the character was so flamboyant!

 **Nana:**I guess we all ow Amemiya-san a thank-you for writing Maya-chan such a perfect script ♪

 **Claudine:**More than anything, the two brides were fantastic.

 **Claudine:**A wild Hikari and a demure Futaba... I feel like those two have really expanded their creative range.

 **Mahiru:**And the scaaary father played by Clau-chan! "You've dragged the Minazuki name through the mud!"

***Ahahaha!***

 **Karen:**Oh, yeah! There was something I noticed this time around!

 **Futaba:**Urk...!

 **Junna:**Oh? What's that?

 **Karen:**About the script... Or about the brides, I guess?

 **Hikari:**Karen... Don't tell me you...

 **Futaba:**She found out!? About our models...

 **Mahiru:**Tell us, Karen-chan. What did you notice?

 **Karen:**WELL, you see...

***\*gasp\****

 **Karen:**I'm pretty sure this story uses the legend of Princess Kaguya as a motif!

***.....***

 **Karen:**The part where he makes impossible requests of all his admirers is almost straight out of the legend, don't you think!?

 **Junna:**Uhh... Karen.

 **Karen:**Hmmm? Surprised? Mind totally blown?

 **Junna:**You didn't catch that? Until just now?

 **Karen:**Huh...? Wait, What!?

 **Kaoruko:**Sending marriage suitors off on impossible errands is literally straight out of Princess Kaguya.

 **Karen:**Whaaat!?

 **Claudine:**Everyone else picked that up the first time they read the script.

 **Karen:**Whaaat? No way! I thought I was super smart to figure that out!

 **Mahiru:**D-Don't worry, Karen-chan! It's nothing to beat yourself up over!

 **Nana:**She's right. Here's a banana madeleine to cheer you up ♪

 **Hikari:**Whew... That was close.

 **Maya:**Haha... Aijo-san's naive, cheery personality is just like June, hmm?

***\*double gasp\****

 **Maya:**You two took all the relevant bits from real people and used them to fuel your characters. You both made marvelous brides.

 **Maya:**I suppose if you turn that around, one might say that Aijo-san and Hanayagi-san both have what it takes to be marvelous brides as well.

 **Futaba:**Tendo...

 **Hikari:**I'm sure you're right. But, for now... that's our secret.

 **Futaba:**Yeah! One shared between us winners of the audition...

 **Hikari:**We two brides, and our groom.