Original subtitles

Very well.

The student council will adjust the schedule to split use of the auditorium

between the theater club and the concert band.

We appreciate your cooperation.

I'm done with the polling!

Thanks for your help.

You're really working me to the bone, Grace.

The campus festival is nearly upon us.

We can't have everyone falling behind schedule

because the student council dropped the ball, now can we?

So, hey, where's Anna?

I'm having Anna focus on laying the groundwork for the play

that we're all going to perform.

That explains it.

I was wondering why I hadn't seen her around.

Huh?

She wasn't in the student council office for lunch?

Maybe she went to the dining hall instead?

No. I was there and didn't see her at all.

We should probably go look for her, huh?

Lady Grace...

Good morning, I think?

How long have you been here?

Well, uh, I came to the library right after class got out.

I wanted to start compiling information on plays by reading books about them...

Oh dear, are you saying you've been here an entire day?!

An entire day?

That's impossible!

Oh, but, I guess it kinda feels like it...

since I'm starving right now...

Anna!

Hang in there, Anna!

From

From Bureaucrat

From Bureaucrat to

From Bureaucrat to Villainess:

Dad's Been Reincarnated!

From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad's Been Reincarnated!

I can never avoid role playing

No matter how much time passes

I'm a cog in the machine from morning to night

All systems nominal

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9

There are nothing but villagers

Everywhere I look

While people wish upon a star

God snickers to himself

Nonsense

Choose for yourself what to believe in

Don't let loud voices fool you

Not everything in the world is just

Sometimes we have to choke back tears

Ah, you've made your choices in life

To sing of the things that you love

Ah, I'm sure that your voice

Is my shining beacon

Doctor's Office

Imma showwy fer cauwshing so mush troumble.

Using your brain for so long without any food and drink

Episode 11: Dad Gets into an Elegant Pickle!

would be enough to exhaust anyone.

Don't apologize and just eat up.

Drink some tea, too.

Tank shu vewy mumch...

I feel bad.

I've been the total opposite of useful.

I didn't realize how complicated plays really are.

It's more than just actors on a stage.

You need a script, a director,

costumes, stagehands,

lighting, sound effects,

set pieces, and props!

There are so many things that have to be done!

I thought it would be best to start by preparing the script for our play,

but no matter how many books about playwriting I read,

it just proved too difficult.

Even though you were kind enough to put me in charge, I...

I'm... nothing but a failure!

Anna...

Yes.

You make a good point.

I'm sorry.

I'm beyond worthless...

Stage plays are complex works of art

that are made by blending the talents of many people.

It's quite impossible for you to create one all by yourself.

My instructions weren't clear enough. I never meant for this to happen.

I apologize.

Although I did say that you would be in charge of the play,

it doesn't mean I expected you to do everything on your own.

This is my fault.

Knowing Anna's personality, I should have seen this situation coming a mile away.

I really screwed up.

B-but, Lady Grace, what am I supposed to do?

As the saying goes, "let the cobbler stick to his last."

Or in more colloquial terms... how shall I put it?

"Let the baker be the one to bake the bread!"

Does that make sense?

Uh, well, my family does run a bakery...

Pardon us!

May we speak with the theater club president?

Oh, you're from the student council. Thanks for your help earlier.

Excuse the intrusion.

To be blunt, we're in need of some advice...

Ah, I see.

So, you need the expertise of someone familiar with plays

to help produce one for the student council?

Indeed.

Not a problem. I know just the girl for the job.

Fran! Are you around?

Francette Mercure!

Coming, chief! What can I help you wit-

Salutations.

I am Grace Auvergne, from the student council.

Omigosh! No way!

I-I know who you are, of coursh!

Wah! F-forgive me!

I'm just a really big fan of the student council!

A total groupie!

"Groupie"?

M-may I ask, to what do we owe the honor of your presence

here in the gloomy wings of the stage?

Fran, you need to introduce yourself first.

P-please forgive my insolence!

Francette Mercure is at your service and ready to face any punishment,

just please spare my family!

Kindly lift yourself up off the floor.

You needn't worry, as the student council has no such authority.

Oh, I see.

The student council is going to put on a play?

As much as I would be thrilled to participate,

I'm afraid I have less than zero confidence in my ability

to contribute anything of value.

Actually, Fran's knowledge of plays runs so deep

that she's the brightest member of our club.

The only problem is the campus festival is centered around our senior members,

so there's nothing Fran can do as a first-year.

I'd say her brains are better put to use by serving the student council.

Not at all!

I'm just a lowly amateur with no experience!

A first-year?

You're amazing, Lady Francette!

Even though we're in the same grade,

you've already earned the respect of your club president

because of how extensively you've studied the art of theater!

W-well, shucks!

It's nothing impressive,

I'm just so obsessed that I learned a lot of useless facts...

No!

Dedicating all of your focus to a single subject like that

is very impressive!

Please! We really need your help!

I'm a novice at producing plays,

which has made it difficult to figure anything out.

And the whole thing is even more complicated

because we have to cross-cast all of the roles.

You're telling me it's going to have a cross-gender cast?

Yes.

Meaning the male characters will be played by women,

and the female characters played by men?

Yes.

In that case,

please consider Francette Mercure at your every beck and call!

No matter what you need! I shall deliver!

Please feel free to work me like a horse!

Thank you so much, Lady Francette!

Deja Vu

No need for formalities, please just call me "Fran"!

Now then, what shall we start with, soul sister?

O-okay, Fran.

I guess I'd like to start by asking you for advice on writing the script.

Ah, interesting.

So you want to adapt this fairy tale into a stage play?

Then I have the perfect suggestion!

All the old scripts for the plays

that have been performed by the academy's theater club are stored here.

And I know there's a stage version of "The Prince and the Peasant"

somewhere among them!

I see.

That fairy tale has been around for a long time.

Please wait a moment.

I'm pretty sure that I put it back on this shelf

after I finished reading it before...

Before?

Hold on, Fran.

Are you saying you just happened to read a play based on that story?

No.

It's not really a coincidence.

Because I've taken the time to read all the plays in here.

Oh, found it. This is the one!

The original fairy tale is pretty long,

so I imagine a stage version would take about two hours.

But this script skillfully adapts only the major plot points into a shorter version.

It should only take about 20 to 30 minutes to perform.

Thank you, Fran!

What a relief. I was so worried...

but now it feels like we might actually pull this play off!

Oh gosh!

I haven't done anything worth crying over.

Lady Grace!

I understand now!

This is what you meant by "let the baker bake the bread"!

Indeed, Anna.

We members of nobility are expected to be knowledgeable on a variety of subjects.

However...

that does not mean we must accomplish everything by ourselves.

Ah, yes.

This reminds me of the old days...

Authoring

Asking professionals to help bridge the gaps in your knowledge.

Commissioning

And enlisting support from people with the skillsets you need.

There is no shame in any of that.

Distributing Cosplay Booth Babe (and Future Wife) New Doujin Metal Heroes In Stock

I would even go as far as to say they are key abilities

required to bring any large project to fruition!

The genius of Lady Grace at work.

Her words inspired some kind of vision!

Let's see here. We should probably read this script first.

Right!

I'm surprised by Lady Grace.

Even though she's way higher than me on the social pyramid,

it oddly feels like we have a lot in common!

You know...

this is kind of weird.

The cast and dialogue is almost too on the nose.

It's as if this script was written

with the current members of the student council in mind, don't you think?

Yes, I see what you mean.

But the dates inside seem to indicate that this was written some 30 years ago.

Perhaps we just happen to share the same characteristics

of the student council from back then?

The scripts used for performances

are duplicated in a process that leaves behind a magical imprint,

but I don't see one here.

Which means that nobody has actually performed this show yet.

Really?

Then it's almost like this script has been waiting 30 years

just for us to find it and produce the play.

How romantic! I love that idea!

Fran, what is this signature here?

Huh?

Oh, that's the signature of the author.

Do you recognize it?

Yes.

The playwright for this was Jacqueline Auvergne.

None other than my mother!

A New Companion has Joined the Student Council Francette Mercure

Role: Theatrical Advisor

Oh, wow!

So this is where Fran joins the group?

That's cool. What a twist!

I take it this girl is part of the regular game, too?

Yeah. She's the "best friend" character.

Normally, she befriends Anna right after the entrance ceremony

and helps out by providing all sorts of information.

Francette Royal Magic Academy: Theater Club Storeroom

But since Anna became friends with Grace in this world,

I thought Fran wasn't going to show up.

Glad I was wrong. A theatrical advisor, huh?

Nice to see the geeky fangirl character still gets a chance to shine!

They shouldn't have any problems putting on a play for the campus festival now!

How do I look, Fran?

I love it, Anna!

You're totally exuding that "young lad with street smarts" vibe!

Great!

So, what's the deal with that flashing box?

It's one of the latest magical gadgets called a "camera"!

You can use it to create a visual record of people!

In the game, it's the icon for the screenshot function.

How interesting.

But there's really no need to record me, is there?

On the contrary! This is valuable history in the making!

Thank you for waiting.

Lord Pierre!

Does this seem all right?

I've never worn a maid outfit before.

You look great, Lord Pierre!

That almost looks natural on you, Pierre.

I could say the same about you, Your Highness.

You're the spitting image of a queen.

Who could imagine that I'd end up as the queen before becoming the king?

It's quite amusing, Your Highness.

Thank whatever god blessed me with this feast for the eyes!

My hands are trembling so bad I can't get any decent pictures!

But I still have to try!

Wow, I can't believe I get to see this firsthand without paying a penny.

But I have to pay somebody, right?

Cuz this feels like one of those

"doomed to die after exhausting a life's worth of luck" scenarios...

Comfortable, aren't they?

Those costumes were all handsewn by the Auvergne family tailors.

Yes. They're quite nice.

Except I must admit that wearing this is killer on the hips and lower back...

Well, that's something you'll have to bear with.

If I may, Lady Grace...

preparing our costumes early is all well and good,

but we still have no idea what the actual content of the play will be.

Ah, yes.

I haven't been able to pass out the scripts yet.

Allow me to give you a quick summary.

Our main characters are Toby, an impoverished peasant boy.

That's who yer lookin' at!

And Edmond, the crown prince of the kingdom.

That is the role I will be filling.

Although coincidentally born on the same day,

the two boys are raised in very different circumstances.

Please forgive me, son.

If it weren't for my bad lungs, we would never be-lung in the slums!

Healthy enough for puns.

Until one day,

Toby chances upon Prince Edmond in front of the gates to the palace,

where he gets invited inside.

The two of them then have a conversation.

I wish I could experience a day in the life of a commoner.

The feeling's mutual! I'd do anything to live in this palace!

That's when they are visited by...

a prankster fairy named Fee!

Tee-hee-hee!

Here's an idea!

How about I use my magic to make you two trade bodies?

Perfect casting.

The fairy makes a quick exit after casting her magic spell...

Zoom!

...and Prince Edmond, now in the form of Toby,

gets kicked out of the palace.

Just so you know,

no human eye is sharp enough to see through a fairy's magic!

Troublemaker.

The prince wanders through town as Toby,

until he is caught by a corrupt merchant who tries to sell him into slavery.

Unhand me! I'm the crown prince, I'll have you know!

Don't give me that crap!

Nobody abuses children!

Not on my watch!

Pretending that you're the crown prince?

What a vivid imagination you have!

The prince is saved by Marielle,

a dame on her way back from the battlefield.

Using the armor to hide those broad shoulders was a smart move!

Meanwhile, the Queen falls very ill at the palace,

prompting her to try and abdicate the throne to the prince before it's too late.

I Can't Go On Seriously From: The Queen

You're actually a peasant boy from the city?

My, how silly! You do love your pranks.

Hmph!

The prince has been acting very odd as of late.

I know without a doubt that MY son would be much better suited as the next king!

Inside the palace, the Queen's younger sister,

Simone, carries out a scheme to steal the throne.

He makes a even better villainess than I do.

The question is:

Will Prince Edmond and the young Toby find a way to switch back

before the coronation ceremony?

I see.

That is an entertaining premise.

The problem is we only have two weeks until the campus festival.

Even for an amateur production such as this,

we need to do some rehearsing before it's too late.

O-of course...

That is true.

But the script is rather dated, you see.

There are many parts that we must take time to adjust first.

Isn't that right, Fran?

Um, yes!

I've been rushing through the script to finish the rewrites.

But I'm afraid I will need just a little more time...

C'est la vie, I suppose.

We're counting on you, Francette.

Yes! I'll do my besht!

I feel bad for giving Fran so much work, but this is an absolute necessity.

We must find a way to reduce the number of scenes that Grace appears in.

As for why...

One Week Earlier

One thing I realized after reading the script

is that Anna and I must actually portray two separate roles.

What do you mean, My Lady?

Well, I play Prince Edmond.

But also Prince Edmond when he has the mind of Toby.

They have two different personalities.

Oh, right! That takes real acting chops!

But the prince's personality is already a perfect fit for you, Lady Grace.

"I must say, that is a rather fascinating story!

Come and regale me with more details!"

That sounds just like you!

Yes, his lines shouldn't be a problem.

But let me try one of Edmond's lines when he's actually Toby on the inside...

"Man, what a cock-up! I gotta get outta here and find Mom!"

"My, what a pickle!" "Man, what a cock-up!"

"I must leave here now and return to Mother!"

Was that another one of the prince's normal lines?

N-no...

That wasn't right. Let me try another one.

"The real prince has already cleared outta here, get me?"

"The real His Highness has already departed, I say."

"Ya got any proof that fella did the dirty deed?"

"Do you have any proof this gentleman is indeed the culprit?"

It's the Elegance Cheat!

THE ELEGANCE CHEAT

Even the dialogue from the play

gets translated into fancy people speak when I try to say it through Grace!

All of those just sounded like the normal prince talking...

This is not good.

The Elegance Cheat is an ability

that was already active when I first came into this world,

so I have no idea how to turn it off!

And that's why I had to come up with an excuse

to ask Francette to rewrite the script, but...

M-my deepest apologies!

Despite my vastly inferior skillset,

I took up the challenge to shorten your scenes by adjusting the script...

but the impeccable writing has left me no leeway.

When I tried removing one scene, it created inconsistencies with others,

and trying to fix those just made things worse!

Duchess Jacqueline Auvergne's writing skills are truly formidable!

Mother, please...

Forgive me if this comes off as presumptuous, Lady Grace.

But I suspect your real reason for doing this...

is to let Anna's character steal the show

by taking away time from your own character, right?

W-well, yes.

I can't deny that's part of it.

Anna is the main character of this world, after all.

I figured as much!

The theme of this play is about trading social status,

which is very similar to how Anna is a commoner

who got placed in a central role on the student council.

And so...

you planned to make the overall theme of the story even more prominent

by yielding your spot at the top to someone of lower standing!

Do I have that right?

How genius! That's Lady Grace for you!

However, I'm so sorry!

My writing skills just aren't good enough!

Please, Lady Grace! Don't be too hard on Fran!

Th-that's okay.

It's my fault for making such an outlandish request.

Well, shoot. I guess everybody has their limits.

But we're only talking about a play for the campus festival.

Even if it bombs, the worst we'll suffer is a little embarrassment.

Oh! Perfect timing, Grace!

Father?

A letter from your mother just arrived.

Oh, really?

She's over the moon after learning that you and your friends will be performing

that play she wrote at the campus festival.

She even plans on coming to see it herself!

Except, I imagine your mother might end up sick again

if the play doesn't live up to her expectations.

Surely you jest!

Lady Grace would obviously never let such a thing happen.

I guess you're right.

Oh, jeez! Time to buckle down and practice!

All I can do now is spend every free minute reciting my lines!

Or, at least, that's what I planned on doing...

but the students only became busier the closer that the campus festival loomed,

which naturally left the student council absolutely swamped with responsibilities.

And to make matters worse...

My apologies.

His Highness has an appointment with an important visitor at the palace.

I'm sorry.

Our schedules are packed with meetings about

maintaining security for the festival.

But we'll be sure to memorize our lines.

Everyone else having jobs outside of the student council

is really complicating things...

I hate to say it,

but we might face the worst-case scenario of the campus festival starting

without us ever having the chance to rehearse as a group!

She jinxed it...

Take-a-Number Queue System Next Number

Document Office - Pick-up Window Please Take a Number and Wait Your Turn

PR Division

Come play the bongos

Come hear the samba

Dance to the rhythm of the carnival

Let’s party day and night until we feel all right

Don’t stop the fun tonight, we are shining bright!

I feel the hot breeze blow and let my body go

I wanna dance and dance until I'm in a trance

The waves sing my song with samba, we belong

Expense Report

The rhythm in my heart, we'll never be apart

Olé, Olé!

Matsuken Samba

Olé, Olé!

Matsuken Samba

Ah, fall in love (amigo)

Just dance (senorita)

Forget about the time today

And let's dance the night away

Samba, viva, samba!

Matsuken Samba!

Olé!

A wise man once said: "There is no such plant as a weed."

Therefore...

I do declare, there is no such character as a villainess!

Dad's just done a total 180! But why now?

Ah, such compassion! Lady Grace is a genius!

You gotta trust me on this.

Take my word for it.

If I say it'll be all right, then it'll be all right!

Next Episode: Dad Celebrates at the Campus Festival