Kazuki Tsukumo/Side Memories

Translator's note: 一幕/One act (as in an act of a play, etc) bares a strong resemblance to Kazuki’s name, as it uses some of the same components found in 一希/Kazuki Translator's note: 仁義, (the same ‘virtue’ in the Barren Flower event), it’s a term that’s very much linked to yakuza. Translator's note: This title is really complex with a ton of layers to unpack, thank you to Kelly for the help here! The original is 九十九に沿えた一筆 if you’d like to look into it some more yourself. Kazuki’s last name is Tsukumo, written as “九十九”/99, and the first character in his first name Kazuki is “一”/1, which brings the 99 up to 100. It’s quite notable that Kazuki’s first name is what is able to round the 99 up to 100, as it’s Kazuki’s individualism that allows him to improve on himself and break away from his life as his father’s ghostwriter. The “沿” in the title and the “希” in Kazuki’s first name carry a similar feeling of meeting expectations/hopes, in the same way that Kazuki’s name itself and other references to 希望/hope in Kazuki-centric events such as Aside Famille and his 315 Special comic give off the feeling of Kazuki being his father’s “only hope”. We don’t know if Kazuki’s father writes with his real name “九十九”/Tsukumo, but if he does this also carries the meaning of Kazuki living up to the “Tsukumo” name, as well as any expectations of his father himself. In essence, Kazuki's "one" brings the "ninety nine" up to a perfect 100, but it's also this "one/Kazuki" that lives up to the "ninety nine/Tsukumo name". Translator's note: Uses 偶像 rather than the usual アイドル, which seems to be used more often for stuff like “idolising” someone, etc.