Akane watches backstage as a poorly-timed sound effect washes out one of Sakuya’s lines and Kana seamlessly ad-libs so that the audience gets the information they couldn’t initially hear. Sakuya tips his cap to an actor who’s been at it all her life, and admits he’s never had an easier time acting beside someone.
Even with Akibo adding back some material for Saya in the revised script, Akane has a lot less meat on the bone than Tsurugi, and has to make the most of her limited stage time with careful yet forceful movements as well as words. And of course she nails it, impressing the original creator, her fellow actors, and of course the crowd. Now backstage, Kana also takes notice; Akane’s acting is a rejection of her acting, though she doesn’t understand why.
But what Kana may not know is that Akane is only an actor because of her. She watched the child actor Arima Kana on television absolutely spellbound by her talent, and when her parents suggested she get into acting, it was only the possibility of one day meeting Kana that led her to actually pursuing it. She worked her ass off studying and researching Kana’s acting, and even cut her hair short.
One day she finally gets the chance to meet her hero, and it comes under the absolute worst circumstances. An adult sees Akane in a Kana-like beret and mistakes her for Kana, telling her not to worry about the audition as she’s already been chosen for the role. When Kana emerges and says she doesn’t care if it’s cheating as long as she gets work, Akane is heartbroken, but also doesn’t understand why her hero would say acting doesn’t matter.
So Akane started studying psychology so that she could understand, and she never stopped working her butt off to become the best actor she could be. She now believes it was fear that Kana felt, what with her roles drying up and her eventual pivot to singing. The adults “squashed” her.
Back in the present, when they share the stage and Akane breaks out her most luminous Aikane Eyes yet, she is inviting Kana to join her in a dance. Yet Kana retreats, doing the practical thing for the show and allowing Akane to shine rather than try to share the spotlight.
Akane doesn’t hate Kana, but she hates the timid, pliable actor she’s become. Kana used to “devour” others with her forceful performances, and it’s something Akane has learned how to do. She wants to beat Kana, but not in this weakened, cowed state. She wants to beat her when she’s giving her absolute all, not supporting anyone but herself.
Aqua, who’s been close to Kana for longer, knows what Kana was trying to do on stage, but also knows Kana shines brightest when her face is screaming “Look at me!” As he and Akane head back out onto the stage, he resolves to bring that Kana back out into the spotlight. If Akane couldn’t do it, the two of them working together can.
