Tune In to the Midnight Heart (真夜中ハートチューン)

Good morning, everyone! How are you all doing?

I'm doing swimmingly, of course!

Morn, morning!

Morn, morning! Morn, morning!

Morning.

You're in great spirits so early.

What's the matter? I said good morning.

It's yours truly.

Okay.

Let's get ready for the morning broadcast.

About the revisions to the script...

Talk to me, dumbass!

What was that for?!

Don't just ignore me! Ask me what's bugging me!

Right, sorry about that. Did something happen?

I'm not telling you.

What's your problem?!

I've never seen a hit-and-run in a convo before.

Do you want to talk about it or not?

Shut up! Shut up!

I have things to do, so I'm leaving!

What's her deal?

Gotta love it when she bleps.

She joined the theater club last week as a temp helper.

The theater club?

But it looks like it hasn't been going so well.

She agreed to it since it'd help her practice her acting.

Huh... Knowing her, I'd think she could work with anyone.

Oh, please. Nene-chan actually shuns people she isn't close to.

She's cheery in class, though, of course.

Nene only likes people who like her.

Really? Her?

I hate all the people who hate me!

That does make sense.

Can you do something about this, Yamabuki-kun?

I couldn't say. Not without knowing what the cause is...

You can't, Bucky?

Don't be absurd.

How am I meant to resolve this when she doesn't want to talk about it?

Besides, acting and voice acting aren't quite one and the same.

Half-baked advice would only plant weird ideas in her head.

Unfortunately, nobody can give her a helping hand right now.

Unless...

It's me, yours truly!

Hook, line, and sinker!

Wow, he's so fun to egg on.

THEATER CLUB

Oh!

Please forgive me for being so pathetic!

I was the one closest to you,

and yet I couldn't give you all my love!

Oizumi-san's been in the zone lately.

Her dream is to become an actress and marry a celebrity to get his money.

Huh? What happened to marrying the heir of a big corporation?

If... If you'll forgive me—

if you're still willing to give me your love—

won't you tell me that you love me once more?!

Yep. I love you.

Wassup with that?!

Oizumi-san?!

Cut, cut. Stop the cameras.

We don't have any.

Himekawa-san!

I told you this before. Did you actually read the script?

Huh? I did...

That's not the impression I'm getting.

H-How uncharacteristically meek of her!

Listen up.

This scene has a couple oh-so-in-love,

and yet the foolish man has run to another woman

after a trivial disagreement.

He then desperately begs for forgiveness like the pathetic loser he is!

The girl has mixed feelings, but she bottles them up and forgives him.

It's a highly complex and powerful scene.

And yet, this is how you acted it out...

"Yep! I wuv you!"

It's shallow as hell!

Oizumi-san?!

Please stop throwing yourself at the equipment.

Too shallow! Your acting is a sham!

A-A sham?

But I put a lot of thought into it.

I'm acting for real.

"Thought"? Don't tell me...

You actually think when you're acting?

Huh?

You're not supposed to think while you act.

When you cry or get angry, do you stop to think, "Okay, time to cry"?

Emotions are born of impulses, not conscious thought.

Is that not the case for you?

I-I...

Unbelievable.

You have to think to answer that question, too?

I see. I've heard of this before.

Let's take it from the top.

Get it right this time, Himekawa-san.

Okay...

How irritating! What exactly did I do wrong?

I agreed to help because it'd improve my acting,

but if I was gonna be berated like this, I wish I hadn't! Ugh!

Do I think when I'm acting? Of course I do!

My brain is in overdrive!

I just don't have anything to base it on, unlike with anime and manga!

How do I put on a good performance? How can I portray the emotions?

Even now, I'm thinking about all that.

...won't you tell me that you love me once more?

I think and I think and I think...

Y-Yep... I love you...

The restroom's out the door and to the right.

I-I'm not holding it in!

Massage the pressure point behind your knee to wake up your legs.

M-My legs aren't asleep!

I never expected her to be so meek outside her comfort zone!

Let's have another great day today.

Okay, time to go back to class.

Is it just me, or is she getting grumpier by the day?

Disaster will strike our village if we don't offer a sacrifice.

Gah! This just pisses me off!

Damn that Oizumi girl!

"Don't think, feel"? Who are you, Bruce Lee?

"Emotions are impulses"? She's just saying random crap to boost her ego!

None of it makes any sense!

You're such a good girl, Nene. You do everything your dad wants.

Of course I think about it.

I was always trying to think of ways to make him happy.

Whoa, Yamabuki-kun's going in.

What do you want?

I saw what happened in theater club yesterday.

Huh?

There's something I want to say.

What?

Are you here to cheer me up or something?

I've been wondering...

Your hair ornaments.

Are they an homage to stag beetles?

Did you come here just to ask me that? You piss me all the way off!

What the hell are you thinking?!

Now that's impulsive, Himekawa.

Did you think before you got mad and sent me flying just now?

Shaddup!

I...

I was trying, okay?

That's the way, Himekawa.

Your raw emotions are spilling out.

And yet...

She just kept berating me! I hate it!

Excellent! This makes for great acting!

Empty your mind and obey your instincts!

You want to get back at her? Let's do just that!

I'll give you some special training!

Over my dead body!

Good! You're showing a lot of feeling!

FEELINGS ARE IMPULSIVE

They often say to "get into character," but...

I doubt you can do it for something you don't have experience with.

You're not a professional actress, after all.

So, to play the role of someone who's been cheated on,

you'll first need to experience being cheated on yourself.

On that note...

I'm sorry! Please forgive me for cheating on you!

We're not even dating!

The role you're playing...

is a woman cheated on after a fight by a man she was happily dating,

and she still forgives him.

Is that correct?

Yeah.

What do you think?

Suppose a cheater professed his love for you again.

Could you actually say you love him just like in the script?

Erm...

You'd think about it, right?

I guess.

That's why experiencing it is the way to go.

The impulse you feel then will make your acting authentic.

We're doing this again?

I have to pretend to be your girlfriend

and also have to experience being cheated on?

Who are you going to cheat on me with?

That'd be me.

Wha... Why Iko?

It's because I'm in love with Bucky.

Wha?!

Or so the story goes. Don't take it seriously.

She just has the most free time now.

So you and I are in love, and you cheat on me with Iko?

That doesn't sound realistic. There's no point.

Are you going to let Oizumi get away with trash-talking you, then?

She'll mock you forever, saying you're all voice and go,

"Oh, I guess all those faceless voice actors just aren't that good at acting!"

Don't you want revenge?

Don't you want to make her pay?

I so wanna get back at her!

Yes! That's the spirit!

I'll make her cry uncle!

Great! Your feelings are exploding!

I'll make her kneel and lick my shoes!

I don't know about that.

Let's begin our special training, then.

We'll take this somewhere more suitable.

Okay.