The Male Lead

“Princess, your life ends here!”

Yada stood in an intimidating pose as she towered over a cowering Fukuda. She mimed holding a poisoned dagger in her hand using a rolled-up script as a prop.

“This can't be!” cried out Fukuda. “So you were tricking me this entire time?”

“You're the fool for believing that peace could ever last between Maltimus and Geralon! Now you shall sleep forevermore!” Yada swung down with the dagger, punctuating the action with an evil cackle.

The two froze in position for a moment, before finally Izumi cut in while clapping his hands. “Okay, end scene! Good job, you two!”

The other students joined in the applause as Yada and Fukuda broke out of their roles. “That was pretty good, huh?" one student remarked. I had reservations before, but now I think this play might actually turn out pretty well!”

“Yeah. Fukuda-san is also a real surprise. I didn't think she could act so well. We might even win best event like this!”

Everybody in the room was pretty cheerful and optimistic about the play – except for Takahashi, who sat at a desk with an annoyed expression on his face. “It's true that everyone's been doing very well, but I have to ask: where's our male lead?”

Almost everyone in the classroom winced at the question. Sure enough, the student playing the male lead hadn't shown up to the class's first rehearsal. They worked around it by rehearsing the parts of the play that didn't involve him, but that turned out to not be too many scenes.

“Um, Sensei,” a student sheepishly spoke up, “I think Nagasaki-kun is at baseball practice today.”

Hiroshi Nagasaki. That was the student who was playing the male lead Benedict. When the role of Benedict was brought up, Nagasaki won the vote by a landslide. He was the star of the baseball team and a rather popular and athletic guy, so that result wasn't unexpected.

“We can't have people missing rehearsal, especially when they're playing the lead role,” Takahashi declared. “Let's go talk to Nagasaki-kun.”

“Let's?” Fukuda asked. “Don't tell me that you want me to go too.”

“This should concern you, especially since he's going to be acting opposite you.”

Fukuda sighed. “Fine. Let's get this over with.”

Takahashi and Fukuda left their classroom and headed out to the baseball field, where the baseball team was supposedly practicing. Sure enough, they were out there practicing pitches and doing laps around the field. Takahashi walked up to who he assumed was the baseball club's manager, a young girl in her gym uniform making notes on a clipboard.

“Nagasaki-kun is here, right?” Takahashi asked her. “Where is he?”

“Nagasaki-kun is taking a break right now,” answered the manager, who pointed to a young man sitting on a nearby bench with a towel on his face. Takahashi walked over and pulled the towel right off of his face, which surprised the young man.

“Sensei,” Nagasaki said with some surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“That's what I want to ask you. Didn't I say there was gonna be a rehearsal today?”

Nagasaki stood up from the bench and ran a comb through his hair. He was quite flashy for a baseball player, though his tall stature and chiseled features certainly cut a handsome figure. He flashed a toothy smile as he began to make excuses.

“Oh, the rehearsal! Sorry about that. I promise that I didn't flake out on purpose, it's just... my juniors wanted me to help them out with their training. We've got a really important game coming up, and I just couldn't leave them hanging, you know?”

“That's weird,” Fukuda remarked. “I heard that we were already knocked out of the tournament for the season. There shouldn't be any 'important games' for the baseball team to worry about.”

“W-Well, I meant next season's game!” Nagasaki explained nervously. “We don't want to lose again after such a poor showing. Gotta get into Koshien, after all.”

“That's enough. Your excuses are terrible.” Takahashi sighed. “Why didn't you bring this up when you were nominated for the role? If you had just refused it then, we wouldn't be dealing with this right now.”

“Please.” Nagasaki let out an arrogant snort. “I'm the best person for the role, you know? Got the good looks and athletic poise and everything. Can't give that role up to someone who's not gonna be able to live up to that.”

“But you won't come to the rehearsals?”

“Well, I figured I could do without that. I mean, I'd still know my lines either way. I'm pretty sure I'd be able to pull it off without having to waste my time on rehearsals.”

Takahashi pressed a hand against his face. He didn't think he'd ever heard something so preposterously dumb. To say that Nagasaki was underestimating the difficulty of acting was putting it very lightly.

“Nagasaki-kun, please reconsider that idea,” Fukuda said, stepping closer to speak to him. “Acting is a lot more difficult than you give it credit for. If you don't properly rehearse your role, you're going to be a mess when it's time to do it live.”

To Takahashi's surprise, Nagasaki's entire demeanor changed. He suddenly began staring at the ground, and his voice had suddenly became quiet and unsteady.

“O-oh, is that so? W-well, I don't know what to do... but I mean, baseball... you know...”

“Nagasaki-kun? I'm sorry, I couldn't catch that.”

“No, I mean... It's just... you know...”

It was like a complete transformation. Takahashi had no clue where the previously arrogant Nagasaki had gone. He waved over another member of the baseball team walking nearby.

“What's wrong with Nagasaki-kun? He went pale the moment Fukuda tried to speak to him.”

“What's that?” The member glanced at the situation and smiled wryly. “Oh, I see. Nagasaki can't talk to girls. He freezes up whenever he tries.”

“T-That's not true!” Nagasaki stammered in objection. “I can speak to girls just fine! Girls swoon over me at every game!”

“Yeah, but you never say anything back, right?”

Nagasaki grumbled as he tried to hide his red face, but he ultimately gave in. “Fine, it's true! I get awkward around girls. But I can't help it! I went to an all-boys school before coming here, you know?”

“Hold on, Nagasaki-kun,” Takahashi interjected. “Is this the real reason why you didn't go to rehearsal?”

“W-well, maybe. I mean, yes sir.”

That only made the current problem worse. If it was just Nagasaki not having the correct attitude or not being motivated, he'd eventually have been able to figure something out. But what was he supposed to do here? Even if Nagasaki were to come to rehearsal, he'd just be a complete wreck the entire time he was there. To make things worse, most of his parts in the play involved him interacting with several female cast members. There was no avoiding it!

As Takahashi racked his brain for solutions, he suddenly noticed Nagasaki looking at him with some level of expectation. “What is it?” he asked cautiously.

“Sensei, I'm perfectly aware of my inadequacies as a human being.”

“That's a particularly strange way of putting it, but go on.”

“Well, this is just a little weird for me to ask, but... please help me get over my shyness with girls!”

“Huh? I am your teacher, but even if you ask me something like that...”

“Please! This is going to be a problem for you too, right? Sensei, if you can help me get over this hump, I'll show up to rehearsal every day, I promise!”

“Slow down, slow down!” Takahashi put some distance between him and Nagasaki. “Well, it's true that I'll be in trouble if you can't get over your issues with girls.”

“I'm begging you, Sensei! At this rate, I'll graduate high school without even having a single girlfriend! Don't you think that's a terrible fate for the star of the baseball team?”

“Don't ask me!” Takahashi was starting get a little annoyed at how pushy Nagasaki was being. Sure, he'd be put out without one of his lead actors, but at this point replacing him seemed like a much easier path to success.

Still, Nagasaki seemed to be seriously torn up about his inability to talk to girls. Takahashi couldn't help but feel bad for the guy. Plus, the roles had already been decided a while ago...

“Argh, all right then!” Takahashi grumbled as he threw his hands in the air. “I don't know what I can do for you, but if you promise to show up for rehearsal, I'll do what I can.”

Nagasaki brightened up in an instant. “Leave it to me, sensei! I'll dazzle the crowd with my mere presence.”

“No, like I said, it's a rehearsal. You aren't going to be dazzling anyone.”

Takahashi sighed. Looks like his male lead was going to be a handful. Still, the real problem was trying to cure Nagasaki of his shyness. Was he going to be able to do that in time for the school festival? As he racked his mind for ideas, he noticed Fukuda walk up to Nagasaki once more.

“Nagasaki-kun, do you have your script with you? If so, we can do a little practice right now...”

“Eh? Well, uh... I don't have it with me today. Sorry about that... I mean... I usually bring it, but...”

This was going to be a real headache.

*****

“Come on, then,” Takahashi growled, dragging Nagasaki by his shirt. “Time to go to rehearsal, like you promised.”

“Hold on, Sensei!” Nagasaki called out. “I need some more time to develop my role! It's an essential part of being an actor!”

“Yeah, yeah. What do you know about being an actor anyway? Just get in here!”

Takahashi pulled Nagasaki into the classroom, where the rest of the class was waiting to start rehearsal. The moment Nagasaki stepped in through the doorway, he immediately put on his Adonis persona.

“How's it going, everyone? Sorry I missed rehearsal yesterday. Couldn't turn down a junior, you know? Anyway, I'm here and I'm ready to act, so let's get to work, eh?”

As the other students turned their attention back to what they were doing, Nagasaki leaned in close to Takahashi. “So, who's the female lead?” he asked nervously. “I've been prepping myself all day for this, so just lay it on me.”

“Her name's Fukuda-san, and you already met her yesterday,” Takahashi answered.

“What, that plain girl in glasses?” A smarmy smirk appeared on Nagasaki's face. “Well, that's no big deal, then! I've already gotten used to a homely girl like her.”

Takahashi was a little annoyed at how he said that, but he decided to drop it for now. If Nagasaki wasn't going to have a problem working with Fukuda, then all the better. They only had less than three weeks before the festival began.

The door opened, and a couple of students, including Fukuda, came into the room. “Okay, Fukuda's here!” Izumi shouted out. “Let's start with the scene where Altera meets the mysterious knight for the first time.”

Takahashi turned around to see Fukuda and nearly did a spit take. Unlike yesterday, Fukuda was completely done up in makeup, and she was wearing a styled wig that gave her long, luscious locks of hair. Takahashi ran up to the girl next to her and whispered in her ear.

“Ooe-san, what are you doing?! Why is Fukuda-san all made up for a rehearsal?”

“I wanted to make sure that we got a properly fitting wig before it was too late!” Ooe explained. “The drama club is already running out of props, you know.”

Takahashi grumbled as he glanced at Nagasaki. Sure enough, his eyes were already darting all over the place and his hands were already starting to tremble. So much for being used to her already.

There was nothing he could do to help. Takahashi stood back as the students began to rehearse the scene. A number of students playing the assassins surrounded Fukuda, who had already assumed the character of Princess Altera.

“Scoundrels! Do you not know who I am?!”

“We know exactly who you are, Princess Altera. Someone has paid a lot of money for us to spill your blood onto the ground.”

“Stop! Peace between Geralon and Maltimus is at stake here!”

“Gyahahahaha! That's what we want, Princess! For war between the two kingdoms!”

The assassins lunged at the princess, but they are all stopped by Nagasaki, who struck them all down with a prop sword. Takahashi was impressed by his natural athleticism; Nagasaki looked like the very image of a gallant knight in battle.

The assassins feigned defeat and collapsed to the floor. Nagasaki stood still for a moment before standing up and sheathing his blade. Silence ensued for a moment before Fukuda finally spoke.

“Thank you for you help, sir knight. May I have your name?”

Nagasaki answered with his face turned away from Fukuda. “I have no name to give.”

He started to walk away, but Fukuda ran and stood before him. “Please wait! I must show my gratitude to you for saving this life of mine!”

“Oh,” Nagasaki said as anxiety began to show on his face. “I... I mean, that is not... n-necessary... ma'am! I mean, princess. I-I only... meant to...”

He was a wreck. Takahashi put his head in his hands. After all, it was no good. Nagasaki continued to struggle through his lines until Izumi finally called for the scene to end. Nagasaki stumbled away from the rehearsal area and made a beeline for Takahashi.

“Sensei! You lied to me!”

“What? What do you mean?!”

“You said I'd be acting with that plain glasses girl from yesterday, not this refined beauty! I was completely caught off guard!!”

“I didn't lie,” Takahashi shot back irritably. “That was Fukuda. She's just wearing makeup today.”

“What's that?” Nagasaki glanced back at Fukuda, who had taken off her wig. With her normal hairstyle, Nagasaki was able to recognize the girl he had met the other day.

“That's her? For real?”

“I don't know why I'd lie to you. Dealing with you is already tough as it is.”

Nagasaki took out a comb and ran it through his hair. “I'm in love, Sensei.”

“What?”

“With that girl. So unassuming, yet so refined and gorgeous! There's a passion in my heart that cannot be denied!”

Takahashi felt irritation begin to rise inside of him. Every day, Nagasaki seemed to bring along more and more annoying problems. First, he was unwilling to come to the rehearsals. Then, he was too awkward with girls to actually perform the role. Now, he was saying he's in love with the female lead – and he still couldn't perform the role properly!

Takahashi pinched the bridge of his nose as Nagasaki continued to wax romantically about Fukuda. There was a non-zero chance that Fukuda was interested in Nagasaki, but it was more likely that Fukuda would end up rejecting him. If that happened, he expected Nagasaki to abandon the play altogether. Still, Nagasaki seemed like the type of person to rush headlong into love regardless of the risks. He probably wouldn't listen even if Takahashi told him to hold off on the confession.

“Alright, Nagasaki-kun,” Takahashi finally declared. “I'll give you some time to talk to Fukuda-san.”

“Really, Sensei?! I'd seriously appreciate it!”

“Not right now, though – on the weekend. And you'll have to give your all in the rehearsal today too.”

“Huh? Urgh... Fine, then. You better keep your promise, Sensei!”

Nagasaki went back to the other students to continue the rehearsal as Takahashi sighed. He had no idea how he was going to explain this to Fukuda. Still, this might yield an opportunity to help Nagasaki get over his awkwardness around girls. Of course, he doubted that things would work out the way he hoped that they would. If he wanted results, he would have to intervene himself.

****

The weekend came fairly soon, and Nagasaki found himself standing nervously in front of Kagayaki Dreamland, the most popular amusement park in the city. Since it wasn't really amusement park season, there were far less people than usual, which made him feel a bit better. Still, he was anxious enough to arrive at the park an hour before the meeting time. He had done a lot of research to put together the best casual outfit, but it was causing him to sweat in the noontime sun.

“Hey, Nagasaki! We're over here!”

Nagasaki turned around to see Fukuda, along with Takahashi, Izumi, and a bunch of other students. His anxious excitement suddenly turned into dismay. As the group arrived, Nagasaki pulled Takahashi over to the side.

“Excuse me, Sensei, but may I ask what you're doing here? I thought you were going to set me up on a date with Fukuda-san!”

“When did I say that? I said I would give you some time to talk with her. If you want to flirt, you'll have to do it with your own initiative.”

Nagasaki felt betrayed, but his retort was stopped by Fukuda, who came up to speak to the both of them. To Nagasaki's surprise, she was wearing make-up again, and her hair was styled into a long braided ponytail. She wore a simple one piece dress that wasn't flashy, but it suited her style immensely.

Takahashi coughed as if to clear his throat. “Nagasaki-kun, Fukuda-san tells me that she's never been to Kagayaki Dreamland before.”

“Eh? Really?”

“Yes,” Fukuda answered somewhat humbly. “I'm afraid I've never had the chance to go to a place like this before.”

“We'll be going around the park as a group, but just in case, I'm going to have a buddy system in place. Nagasaki-kun, will you be Fukuda-san's buddy?”

Nagasaki, understanding Takahashi's intent, flipped out his comb and ran it through his hair with a toothy grin plastered on his face. “Leave it to me, Sensei. You're in good hands, Fukuda-san.”

Takahashi rolled his eyes and turned to the rest of the group. “All right, you brats! This trip's on me, so you better have some fun!”

The students cheered in response. Confused, Nagasaki leaned in to Takahashi once again. “So, what exactly are you all doing here?” he asked in a low tone.

“I told everyone that I'd treat them to a trip to the park if we managed a full rehearsal of the script. Turns out this class is actually pretty easy to motivate.”

With that, the amusement park trip began in full force. While Takahashi kept an eye on the students, he wasn't particularly strict, so the students wandered off on their own, making sure to stay within shouting range of the others. Nagasaki in particular took the first chance he could to pull Fukuda away from the crowd and show her around to the various attractions.

“What's this?” Fukuda asked curiously.

“T-This is where they have the game stalls,” Nagasaki explained, trying his best not to stammer. “It's the same kind of games they usually have at festivals. L-Look, here's a shooting gallery.”

Nagasaki pointed to a stall in which a row of targets were placed in front of a number of stationary toy rifles. It was a bit more sophisticated than a festival stall, but the resemblance was obvious.

“Pick out whatever you like,” Nagasaki said as he tried to flash his usual smile. “I'll get it for you in one shot.”

“You don't have to go out of your way.”

“No, I insist. I know! I'll aim for that.”

Nagasaki pointed at a stuffed animal of Kagayaki Dreamland's mascot, Tammy the Tapir. It was the most valuable prize at the stall and only obtainable by hitting the bullseye.

“No, like I said, it's really not-”

“Just wait here and see,” Nagasaki declared, buoyed by a sudden rise in confidence. He walked up to the elderly attendant manning the stall and handed over two hundred yen.

“It's five hundred yen to try now, boy,” the attendant replied.

“What? When did the price rise?”

“Two years ago. Everything's getting more expensive all of the time.”

Nagasaki irritably handed over an extra three hundred yen and the attendant loaded up the gun. “Three shots. Don't waste 'em.”

Nagasaki kneeled down and aimed straight down the barrel at the bullseye in front of him. He squeezed the trigger in one swift movement. Missed. He tried two more times, but failed to hit the bullseye once again.

“That's three shots. If you want to try again, that'll be five hundred yen.”

Nagasaki hesitantly pulled out another five hundred yen, but this attempt also ended in failure. As he debated sinking another five hundred yen into this game, he heard someone come up and take a crack himself.

It was Takahashi, and he managed to hit the bullseye with his first shot. As the attendant came up with his prize, a number of students came by to marvel at his feat.

“Wow, Sensei, you got that thing in one shot!” Yada exclaimed.

Takahashi let out a loud guffaw. “When I went abroad to study, I spent several months working in a carnival. There's not a game here that can stump me for even a moment!”

“What does that have to do with you studying abroad, Sensei?”

As a feeling of competition suddenly began to rise up in him, Nagasaki slapped down a thousand-yen bill on the counter. “Give me six tries, old man!”

Unfortunately, his passion did not translate to skill, and Nagasaki failed to hit the bullseye once again. As he sighed, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Fukuda looking at him with a sympathetic look in her eyes.

Nagasaki suddenly shot up and pointed in the distance. “Look! There's a haunted house! Are you okay with haunted houses, Fukuda-san?”

“Uh, sure, I suppose. I've never been, so I can't say.”

“Then let's go!” Nagasaki said while forcing himself to laugh. The haunted house would be nice and dark, allowing him to recover from his embarrassment. Plus, if Fukuda turned out to not be great with haunted houses, he could play the heroic boyfriend and shield her from the horrors.

Or so he thought. The haunted house turned out to be more thought-out and inventive than he expected, and it sent a true chill up his spine. To make things worse, Fukuda seemed more impressed by the whole attraction rather than scared. By the time they made it out of the haunted house, Nagasaki was barely able to stand, and collapsed as soon as he made it out into the light.

“What was that?” Nagasaki asked, bewildered by the sights he'd seen. “I've never seen a haunted house like that before!”

“Are you all right, Nagasaki-kun? We can always take a break.”

“N-No, I'm fine!” Nagasaki claimed as he picked himself up. “I know, let's get on a ride! You can't come to Kagayaki Dreamland without riding the Soaring Fairybus!”

Nagasaki led Fukuda over to a large, winding roller coaster ride, in front of which a sizable line was beginning to build. Thankfully, the wait to the ride was not too long, and the two of them soon found themselves sitting in one of the cars.

“How exciting!” Fukuda exclaimed as she looked around the ride. “I've never ridden a ride like this before!”

“Just hold on tight,” Nagasaki said nervously. “W-Wouldn't want you to fall off or anything.”

Nagasaki clutched his stomach. He had always been weak when it came to rides like this. However, you couldn't come to an amusement park and not ride any of the rides. He was adamant about showing Fukuda a good time.

The ride suddenly lurched and began to advance along the tracks. As the other passengers cheered, Nagasaki could only feel his stomach get worse and worse. He told himself to hold out for at least this ride. The Soaring Fairybus was a pretty fast ride, but that was all. It was relatively tame as far as roller coasters went.

Sure enough, the ride soon came to a rather uneventful end. Nagasaki felt his hands shake as he tried to climb out of the car. Still, he was pretty happy to see Fukuda having fun.

“That was quite a thrill!” Fukuda exclaimed as she clapped her hands together. “I'd like to go on another ride!”

“Another ride?” Nagasaki repeated weakly. “I mean, sure! What ride did you want to go on next?”

“How about that one?” Fukuda asked, pointing out a ride in the distance. Nagasaki's eyes widened as he followed her finger. She was pointing at the Destiny Drop, a ride with multiple loops and tons of fast drops.

“Uh, are you sure about that one? It might be too much for someone who isn't all that used to...”

“It'll be fine!” Fukuda insisted. “Come, let's go!”

Nagasaki reluctantly followed Fukuda towards the line for Destiny Drop. Even looking at the ride tied Nagasaki's stomach into knots. Riding it seemed unimaginable. And yet, he soon found himself strapped into the car with Fukuda by his side.

The ride suddenly burst forward onto the track at breakneck speeds as Nagasaki tried his best to keep his eyes open. As the ride blasted through the drops and loops, Nagasaki felt his stomach swirl as if it was being thrown across the park. To his side, he could barely hear Fukuda's delighted yelps as the ride blasted through each segment.

As the ride came to a stop, Nagasaki stumbled out of the car and ran desperately to a trash can. Keeping himself from vomiting on the ride was the most strenuous thing he had ever done. As he emptied the contents of his stomach, he heard the sound of soft footsteps coming up behind him.

He had done it now. The whole day, he was trying to do his best to show Fukuda a good time and now he was throwing up in front of her. The class would hear about this all by Monday.

To his surprise, he felt a small hand gently rub his back as he remained hunched over the trash can. “I'm sorry, Nagasaki-kun. I didn't realize that you were having stomach problems.”

“Y-Yeah! Sorry about that. Guess I ate something bad for breakfast.”

“Shall we take a break for now? There's a bench over there.”

The two of them walked over to a nearby bench, where Nagasaki was finally able to take a seat and relax. Fukuda left and came back with some drinks, and the two of them sat in the bench as they watched the other park-goers pass by.

“Sorry about this,” Nagasaki said meekly. “You could be enjoying the festival, but now you've got to look after me.”

Fukuda gave Nagasaki a gentle smile and gripped his hand gently. “It's alright. I've really had fun. You don't need to worry on that account, Nagasaki-kun.”

Nagasaki felt as if he was being graced by a goddess's presence. To think that she could be so kind... Nagasaki felt as if he had never met a girl as wonderful as Fukuda-san.

“When you feel better, let's go see what the others are doing, okay?” Fukuda suggested softly.

“Of course!” Nagasaki replied heartily. Though his stomach was still out of order, his heart was full of energy.

*****

“Hark, princess!” Nagasaki shouted as he waved a wooden prop sword. “The forest of death! All those who enter surely lose their lives!”

“Yet my journey requires that I pass through,” Fukuda answered, her face a mix of sorrow and determination. “Sir knight, I thank you for your aid, but you cannot stop me.”

“Stop you? Perish the thought. On my honor, I shall not allow a single hair on your head to come to harm!”

The rehearsal continued, with Nagasaki putting even more vigor into his acting than ever before. The class watched, astounded by this sudden turnaround. Izumi leaned in and whispered to Takahashi as Nagasaki continued to give a stellar performance.

“What did you do, Sensei? There's no way Nagasaki got this much better just by practicing.”

“Well, practicing did help. I guess there was also that other thing I did.”

“What thing?”

“When we all went to the amusement park, I told Fukuda to put on a little act while she was there. I'd said it was an acting exercise, but it was more for Nagasaki-kun's sake.”

“What? What did you tell her to do?”

“Nothing much. I just told her to act as if she was Princess Altera for the whole day.”

Izumi was confused. “Why did you do that?”

“When Nagasaki first showed up for rehearsal, he said he'd 'gotten used' to Fukuda,” Takahashi explained. “I don't know how true that was, but I figured that if I could get him used to seeing and interacting with Princess Altera, he'd have an easier time getting into his role, you see?”

“I see that you have no compunction about messing with your own students.”

“It all worked out, right? Nagasaki-kun is doing great as the Masked Knight, and his confession won't come until after the school festival. Everyone wins!”

“And that, sensei?”

Takahashi turned around to see what Izumi was talking about. It was a scene between the Masked Knight and the Sorceress confronting each other. Nagasaki's earlier demeanor had disappeared, and the sword he was holding was shaking uncontrollably.

“S-So it was you, f-foul Zaleera! I'll stop – I mean, I'll rescue the princess... and stop your foul plan!”

“I somehow doubt that Nagasaki will be interested in going on a date with Yada anytime soon,” Izumi jabbed sarcastically.

Takahashi sighed and leaned back into his chair. “Let's tackle these problems one at a time, alright?”