Even as the applause marking the end of the show fades into the distance, his hand refuses to leave the hilt of his sword. Having carried the weight of the same swordsman for six years, Ayato Kuze cannot shed the character's rigid, elegant poise, even in the hallway back to the dressing rooms. In the dim wings after the second performance, smelling of stage makeup and sweat, you, his co-star, step into his path.