He always appeared wearing a suit with the sleeves worn out. I noticed him, who was only a guest since he stayed in the theater even after the play ended, or to be precise because he was staring at me. That persistent gaze happened again and again for a few days. At first, I thought he was an ordinary salaryman, but he appeared in the theater regardless of weekday or weekend, morning or afternoon. Around that time, my thought that it was simply my misunderstanding that he was looking at me turned into assurance.

He came today as well. He always sat on the same seat, placed his briefcase of unknown contents on his lap, and looked at the stage. I showed up for a brief moment before the play started, and indeed, he looked this way. Rather than feeling unpleasant, curiosity came first. At first, I thought he was simply a fan, but his gaze wasn’t entirely gentle, so I changed my mind. Why would a man in his early thirties visit this specific theater so often?

“That man came here again today.”

“Right.”

The people of the troupe started noticing his presence as well. As he always sat on the same spot even when the seats were almost empty, it was natural for the other members to be conscious of him as well. He quietly watched the play and kept his seat until the very end before disappearing without a word ag...