Book Fifteen: Lady, By Yonder Blessed Moon
Page 1
View of Koinu and Kagome. It is nighttime, with a full moon in the sky behind the silhouetted branches of a tree. Koinu's hair is shoulder-length. He wears his glasses and is dressed in a button-down shirt, open at the collar. Kagome wears a modest but romantic nightgown, with long sleeves and a scoop neck. They stand close together, with a blanket wrapped around both of them.
Page 2
Panel 1
View of a choir, 30–40 boys and girls dressed in the dark Japanese school uniform we've previously seen Koinu and Kagome wearing. In front of them stands their conductor, Yamura, who uses a baton (a no-no for choral conductors). At his side is a stand with a pitcher of water and a drinking glass. A girl in a school uniform accompanies at an upright piano.
Choir: Freude, schöner Götterfunken,Tochter aus Elysium, Wir betreten feuertrunken. Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!
Panel 2
View of three boys—Koinu, Sakamoto, and between them another boy, all flushed and sweating as they sing.
Boys (and choir): Deine
Zauber binden wieder Was die Mode streng geteilt…
Panel 3
View of three girls–Kagome and two others, one a round-faced girl named Junko–also singing, hot and sweaty. Kagome has her hair in two braids.
Girls (and choir): Alle Menschen werden Brüder, Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.
Yamura: Choir, hold that last note.
Panel 4
The accompanist plays a single note.
Yamura: Accompanist, please play the correct note.
Page 3
Panel 1
Close-up of Yamura, holding up his baton and looking stern. We see that he has long hair covering the tops of his ears, a thin moustache and goatee, and rather long canine teeth.
Yamura: A whole tone flat! Terrible, terrible!
Panel 2
View of some of the boys, including Houjou, Sakamoto, and the boy between them, who looks distressed. The other boys look annoyed or exasperated.
Yamura: We're going to shame our school and humiliate ourselves tonight.
Panel 3
View of Kagome and Junko. Kagome looks uncomfortable and Junko looks angry.
Yamura: Sopranos and basses, you are disgraceful. Can anybody explain why?
Panel 4
Close-up of Koinu, looking wide-eyed and friendly.
Koinu: Sir, I think the problem is that it's really hot up here under the lights. We're all wearing our winter uniforms…
Panel 5
Close-up of Yamura, looking angry.
Yamura: I'm aware you're wearing winter uniforms, Mr. Houjou. It is not yet June 1st.
Panel 6
View of the three boys. Koinu looks much less friendly. Sakamoto is grinning, the boy between them looks more distressed than before.
Koinu: Sir, if we could turn off the lights for rehearsal…or if the guys could take off our jackets…
Sakamoto: I vote for letting the girls take off their shirts.
Panel 7
View of part of the choir, including the boys and the two rows below them. A bosomy girl is turning around to make an angry retort to Sakamoto (this is the fabled Yuki). Koinu looks peeved.
Koinu: Sigh. Thanks, Sakamoto.
Yuki: I vote we castrate Sakamoto.
Sakamoto: Yuki! You can keep your shirt on for a change.
Panel 8
Profile view of Yamura, with the accompanist and piano in the background.
Yamura: Thank you, Mr. Houjou, for your unsolicited opinion.
Panel 9
Close-up of Kagome, thoughtfully fingering one of her braids.
Yamura: We are guests here. We are representatives of Nakashima High School…
Page 4
Panel 1
View of Yamura, who is pouring himself a glass of water from the pitcher.
Yamura: … and we are going to appear properly dressed while we are onstage. I'm afraid the Beethoven is a lost cause.
Panel 2
Close-up of Yamura, who is drinking a glass of water as he raises the baton.
Yamura: Choir, let's continue with the madrigal numbers.Accompanist, pitches for the Morley. <"Now Is the Month of Maying,">
Panel 3
View of Kagome and the people around her, all looking hot and uncomfortable as they sing.
Choir: <Now is the month of maying/when merry rads are praying./Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra– >
Yamura (offscreen): Stop!
Panel 4
Yamura, holding the glass in one hand and baton in the other, looks annoyed.
Yamura: Choir, how many times have we been over these lyrics? Mr. Houjou, you seem to know everything.
Panel 5
Close-up of Koinu looking hot and angry, but trying to keep his temper.
Yamura (offscreen): Why don't you recite the lyrics for us.
Panel 6
Close-up profile of Koinu, sweaty and annoyed, as another student looks on.
Koinu: Uh…it's English…uh…<"Now is the month of maying when merry lads are playing."> Uh…then…
Panel 7
Yamura looks at choir; the other students turn to look at Koinu, who is hot and embarrassed.
Yamura: Then there is the chorus, Mr. Houjou. The <"fa-la-la-la-la.">
Koinu: Sir…
Panel 8
Close-up of Koinu, who is angry but holding his temper.
Yamura (offscreen): We want to hear you, Mr. Houjou. You do the "L's" so well.
Koinu: . . . <Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.>
Panel 9
Koinu, hot and angry, looks down at Yamura.
Yamura: Continue. <"Fa-la-la…">
Koinu: <Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la. Each with his bonny lass, upon the greeny grass.>
Yamura: And the "fa-la’s"…
Koinu: Oh, for…Fa-la-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.
Page 5
Panel 1
Close-up of Kagome, looking unhappy, and Junko, who is angry.
Junko: Could we get back to our rehearsal? It's getting really hot up here. I'm getting sick to my stomach.
Panel 2
Close-up of Yamura.
Yamura: Perhaps you shouldn't eat so much, Miss Murata.
Panel 3
Close-up of Koinu reacting angrily to what Yamura is saying.
Yamura (offscreen): And if you weren't so fat, you wouldn’t be so hot. Continue, Mr. Houjou.
Koinu: Sir, I don't…
Yamura: Continue.
Panel 4
Close-up profile of Koinu, with others looking on. His face is flushed and angry.
Koinu: <The spring clad all in gladness doth laugh at winter's sadness.">
Yamura: <Fa-la-la…>
Panel 5
Koinu is very flushed and angry, his eyes seeming to glow.
Koinu: <Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la…>
Panel 6
Close-up of Kagome fiddling with the rubber band on one of her braids.
Koinu (offscreen): <Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la.>
Panel 7
Close-up of Kagome's hand holding the rubber band.
Koinu (offscreen): <And to the bagpipes' sound, the nymphs tread out the ground.>
Panel 8
Close-up of Kagome, holding the rubber band in one fist.
Koinu (offscreen): <Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.>
Yamura (offscreen): Continue.
Panel 9
Close-up of Koinu, glowering now, and very flushed and angry. His eyes seem to glow.
Koinu: … <Why, then, now sit we musing, youth's sweet delights refusing?>
Panel 10
Close-up of Yamura, grinning diabolically.
Yamura: Ah, youth's sweet delights.
Panel 11
Close-up profile of Koinu. He's losing it.
Yamura (offscreen): Interesting, isn't it, Mr. Houjou?
Koinu: Sir, do you want me to do this?
Yamura: Yes, continue, please.
Page 6
Panel 1
Koinu is very angry.
Koinu: <Say, dainty nymphs and speak, shall we play barley break?>
Yamura (offscreen): Ah! Do you play <barley break,> Mr. Houjou?
Panel 2
Close-up of Kagome, looking down at the rubber band in her hand. One braid is unraveling.
Koinu (offscreen): I don't know what that is, Sir.
Yamura (offscreen): What does it sound like, Mr. Houjou?
Panel 3
Close-up of Kagome's hands. She catches an end of the rubber band under one finger.
Koinu (offscreen): I. don't. know. what. that. is. sir.
Yamura (offscreen): No? Can't even guess?
Panel 4
Close-up of Kagome's hands. She stretches the rubber band around her thumb.
Koinu (offscreen): I don't know. A game, I guess.
Panel 5
Kagome has the rubber band secured on one pointing index finger.
Yamura (offscreen): A game indeed.
Panel 6
Close-up of Yamura, smiling evilly.
Yamura: <Barley.> It's a grain. Oomugi. It grows in the field, and the field is plowed.
Panel 7
Profile of Kagome, who points the finger with the rubber band between the girls in front of her.
Yamura (offscreen): But Mr. Houjou doesn't play that game.
Panel 8
Extreme close-up of Koinu, who is furious. The pupils of his eyes look like slits.
Yamura (offscreen): Mr. Houjou with his long red hair prefers to play the Kagome-Kagome game, isn't that right?
Panel 9
Kagome releases the rubber band, unnoticed, near the head of the girl in front of her. It flies leaving a glowing trail.
Yamura (offscreen): But perhaps in this case, "Kagome-Kagome" and "<barley break>"…
Page 7
Panel 1
Yamura pours himself another glass of water as the rubber band, still glowing, heads toward the pitcher with Kagome looking on.
Yamura: …are the same game.
Panel 2
Several girls scream as the pitcher explodes in the hand of the astonished Yamura.
Girls: EEEEEEEEEEE!
Yamura: !
Panel 3
Close-up of Yamura, who is dripping and angry.
Yamura: What the hell was that? Could anybody see what that was?
Panel 4
Close-up of Koinu, looking surprised and suspicious.
Yamura (offscreen): Was that lightning? That looked like electricity!
Panel 5
Close-up of Kagome, undoing her other braid.
Yamura (offscreen): Is the stage manager here? I think there’s a short in the electrical system.
Panel 6
As Yamura talks, Koinu, still surprised, looks down at Kagome, who turns to meet his eyes, smiling.
Yamura: Rehearsal is over. Please assemble outside.
Panel 7
Sakamoto points calmly downward, as Koinu looks down, dumbfounded.
Sakamoto: Ah…Mr. Yamura? Inouye just passed out and fell off the risers.
Panel 8
View of the outside where the choir members have gathered outside the Japanese-style auditorium building.