Ōtsuka opened his eyes behind the mic. He wasn’t Akio Ōtsuka anymore. He was tragedy in a helmet.

When the line “ Anata wa watashi no deshi datta, Anakin! Watashi wa anata wo ai shite ita! ” (“You were my student, Anakin! I loved you!”) came, Morikawa’s voice cracked—a calculated, perfect flaw. In Japanese, the directness of “I loved you” hit like a blade.

“Anakin, Chancellor Palpatine is sick ,” said Toshiyuki Morikawa (Obi-Wan), his voice calm as a stone lantern.

Outside, rain fell on Shinjuku. Suzumura lit a cigarette. Morikawa joined him. Neither spoke. They had just screamed across lava fields and whispered through betrayal.