AKI: "So, now we're all here, what should we do?"
KARIN: "I think this is a good opportunity to find out Setsuna's secrets."
Uh oh. I should have saw that coming.
SETSUNA: "Wait, my secrets?! Don't you guys already know mine...?"
KARIN: "No one cares that you're the student council president. You are who you are. We want to know the real secrets about Setsuna Yuki, the school idol!"
SETSUNA: "What? I don't have any secrets, though."
AKI: "..."
KARIN: "We want to know what the normal you is like. You must have secrets about your normal life, right?"
SETSUNA: "My normal life..."
SHIZUKU: "I'm curious too. Like whether your expressiveness on stage is a natural talent, or if you do some kind of special training."
KARIN: "Yeah. You're interested about that too, right Shizuku?"
SHIZUKU: "I am."
SETSUNA: "Uhh... Wh-What should I do?"
AKI: *Sigh* "Setsuna, why don't you just show them how you are normally?"
SETSUNA: "But that's... I'm not sure... Just showing you was a big step for me..."
AKI: "You said how it was nice to finally have someone to talk to about the things you like, right?"
SETSUNA: "Right..."
AKI: "They both want to know, so if you explain things you'll have more people to talk to about it."
SETSUNA: "Talk? You're right. If I can't do it, I'll just stop."
AKI: "So, what are you gonna do? We can't force you so-"
SETSUNA: "No, I'm going to do it. Karin, Shizuku, I will tell you my secret!"
AKI: "That's the spirit! In that case, we will continue what we originally planned."
KARIN: "What you originally planned?"
AKI: "Meet us after school. You'll see."
-------------------------------------------
SHIZUKU: "Why are we all in Senpai's room?"
AKI: "Setsuna, here's that DVD I recorded last night."
SETSUNA: "Thank you. Umm..."
AKI: "It's okay, go ahead."
SETSUNA: "Umm, *ahem* Karin, Shizuku, I'm about to show you my favorite DVD. It became as such 2 years ago. It was a cold day..."
KARIN: "You're going off again. You don't have to talk so much, just show us the DVD. This is the secret to your performance, right?"
SETSUNA: "Oh, sorry. I was getting off track, wasn't I?"
A little.
SETSUNA: "That's correct. This DVD gives me courage and hope."
SHIZUKU: *Gulp* "I won't miss a single second!"
SETSUNA: "That's good, Shizuku! Don't miss a single frame!"
AKI: "I'm going to play it now."
...
SETSUNA: "Ah... Uhhh... But it..."
SHIZUKU & KARIN: "..."
She's talking again.
SETSUNA: "I know. I understand that logic. You're right. If I were you I'd say the same thing. But they have their own reasons for doing that. It's not about logic."
She really is immersed in a world of her own. It's kinda cute.
SETSUNA: "Oh, every time I see this scene my heart aches. They both have feelings for each other but neither of them can see it. They need to talk more, but they're too afraid to talk when they're around each other!"
Come on... They should clearly see if someone has feelings for them. How could they not notice something so painfully obvious?
KARIN: "Setsuna, this anime is your favorite DVD?"
SHIZUKU: "Wasn't this based off a light novel? I didn't realize they'd made it into an anime."
KARIN: "Just when I thought Setsuna's secrets would be revealed, we get...anime?"
SETSUNA: "Karin, Shizuku! This is not just any anime! It's the magnum opus of romantic isekai! This anime gives me courage and the will to strive! I mean look at it! Watch this scene!"
AKI: "This scene?"
SETSUNA: "After all that was said, she still follows him without question. Any normal person would have left at this point.
But, she feels that he has some inexplicable reason for all of it, and she trusts that, supporting him the whole time. It's no small act to build a relationship with so much trust. You can see in this one scene just how much story isn't shown on screen!"
Wow, I guess not everything in a story is shown. You gotta read between the lines.
SHIZUKU: "I see..."
KARIN: "But the party was just obliterated because of the main character. How can they fight the final boss in this shape?"
SETSUNA: "Just watch... There it is! No matter how much they fight, their bond holds strong and they can't abandon each other!"
SHIZUKU: "That seems...like a very convenient plot point. Although, theater was built upon deus ex machina in Greek comedies and tragedies."
SETSUNA: "But doesn't it feel great seeing how everything turns out for the best, just like you hope it will?"
KARIN: "It is quite relieving to see it turn out the way you expect it to."
SETSUNA: "I love it so much because there are no surprises and twists. You can just have fun watching it."
AKI: "I like swerves and surprises as much as the next guy, but it's nice to see what direction a story is going. This is good so far, I see why it gives you courage."
SETSUNA: "Look how cute they are together! *Sigh* This series gives me hope that I can find love like that one day. What about you guys?"
SHIZUKU: "Y-Yes."
KARIN: "Kinda..."
AKI: "Finding true love. I'd love to find that one day."
SETSUNA: "Like having that one special knight sweep you off your feet. Him holding you close and keeping you safe fro- *Ahem* Sorry, I'm rambling again. Now, let's head into the final scenes!"
...
KARIN: *Sniff* "That was so interesting!"
SHIZUKU: "Karin, pass the tissues... *Sniff* I'm sorry for calling it just another anime. It was incredible!"
KARIN: "I can't believe the main character Yuki was so selfish because he was injured in real life. You can't hate him for wanting to fulfill a dream in the virtual world that he couldn't in the real world."
SHIZUKU: "The characters helping him recover were his managers in the real world. They couldn't do anything about his injury in the real world, but they could in the game. And through it all, Setsuna stayed by Yuki's side."
Overcoming injury to accomplish his dream. And then getting the girl at the end of it all. It brings a tear to my eye. What a happy ending.
SETSUNA: "We watched the entire series. All 13 episodes in five hours."
AKI: "Wait, what?!"
SETSUNA: "I went off again because I thought I could teach you all about my favorite thing! I'm sorry! As usual...I've just been a waste of time."
As usual...?
KARIN: "It's fine, Setsuna. I'm actually thankful for it. I think some of that story can be applied to all of us. Plus, your explanation was great."
SHIZUKU: "Yes, the passion Setsuna has for it helped me believe. It definitely immersed us into the story."
AKI: "You're talented when it comes to conveying what you love to other people, Setsuna."
KARIN: "Yeah, something about the things you say and do has an irresistible allure to them. I guess the secret isn't in the technique but just how much Setsuna loves it."
SHIZUKU: "The power of empathy. I've learned a lot from this. I hope I can leave the same impression on the people who watch us."
SETSUNA: "You're not mad?!"
KARIN & SHIZUKU: "Not at all!"
AKI: "Isn't that great, Setsuna? Now you can have fun talking with everyone about anime."
SETSUNA: "Y-Yes, I'm so glad."
AKI: "I'm happy to hear that."
SETSUNA: "Oh, guys! I have a copy of the book this is based off, hidden in the student council room. You can borrow it whenever you want."
KARIN: "You have something like that in the student council room?!"
SETSUNA: "I-I know it's not right, but I can't have it at my house. Anime and manga and idol stuff is banned there. I've been wanting a copy of this anime for so long... But our Chief helped me, he recorded the entire series last night."
SHIZUKU: "I see, so that's why we're in Senpai's room."
SETSUNA: "Yes, that's right."
KARIN: "Right, you've suffered a lot."
SETSUNA: "More than you could imagine..."
AKI: "..."
KARIN: "But now I understand how you want to protect the things you love! If you ever need it, I can hold onto some stuff for you!"
SHIZUKU: "Yeah, me too! I can record anything for you, so just let me know!"
SETSUNA: "Karin, Shizuku... Thank you so much!"
AKI: "And if you ever want a safe place to watch it, just let me know."
SETSUNA: "I love you guys!"