Chapter Sixty-Four: Change
Backstage of the gymnasium.
“Damn it!”
Returning to her own dressing room, Ryoko didn’t even have the mood to take off her fiery red princess dress.
In a fit of rage, she kicked the folding stool beside her, venting her anger and dispelling her fear.
She didn’t need to hear it from anyone else; she knew she had lost.
Nagi’s “Angel Field” was within her expectations; after all, it was her signature skill from back in the day.
With this performance, she made everything normal in horror films appear strange and bizarre.
There was a period when many people couldn’t even bear to look at the screen and would tremble at the mention of the movie.
But she had studied Nagi’s “Field” and employed an extremely high-profile performance, focusing the spotlight on herself on stage.
This utilized the characteristics of the “Field,” making her brilliance seem reasonable, and indeed, it had an effect.
In the direct confrontation with Nagi, she had the upper hand.
But to her surprise, Nagi anticipated her weaknesses, making that reasonableness become an opportunity to end the third scene and seamlessly connect to the fourth.
She cunningly used the rules of the stage.
Making it part of her performance.
However, what truly unsettled Ryoko was the fourth scene.
What was that?
For the first time, Ryoko felt fear toward Hoshimiya Nagi.
She couldn’t comprehend that acting.
As a top-tier actress.
She couldn’t even see what the other party had done.
The unknown was the greatest fear.
What kind of performance was it, after all?
No, she couldn’t allow her to continue living in this world.
“Where did that useless guy go!?” Ryoko looked around, not spotting the manager who should have been waiting for her.
With trembling hands, she took out her phone.
——Send that material out, ruin her, I must destroy her here!
But the next moment, a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts and actions.
The person outside seemed unprepared to wait for her response and directly pushed the door open.
What entered were several men dressed in neat police uniforms.
“Ms. Ryoko Yano, you are now suspected of being involved in multiple cases of intentional injury and murder. Please come with us for an investigation.”
“This is our police arrest warrant.”
Ryoko’s phone dropped to the floor.
The screen displayed an unanswered call from Tomita.
At the same time.
In a delicately decorated detective agency.
Tomita was terrified by the materials laid out on the coffee table before him.
If these materials were exposed, he wouldn’t just lose this job; he could very well spend the rest of his life behind bars.
“How much do you want? I can—”
Tomita forced a smile.
It’s fine, in this world, interests come first. As long as he could offer a reasonable price…
“Do you know?” The man in front interrupted Tomita’s words.
“The so-called transaction is a behavior between people.”
“Humans cannot trade with beasts.” He angrily pointed his index finger at the photo on the table.
Trying to cover the bruised skin of the children in the photo.
“W-wait, let’s discuss again. I can give you things other than money; what do you want—”
“All I want is—”
“To see a good show.”
The sound of police sirens grew closer.
…..
…..
Backstage of the gymnasium.
Nagi, now back in her school uniform, heard a knock on the door behind her.
After getting her response.
The one who entered was Kanade, also back in uniform and scratching his head.
This was the first moment the two had been alone together since that day.
“Good job, Kanade-kun~”
Nagi’s eyes sparkled with brilliance as she revealed a bright smile.
“Ah, ah, you too, Nagi, good job…”
“Already changed back?”
“Hm? Ah, you mean this dress?”
Nagi paused for a moment, then realized Kanade was referring to the navy blue princess dress she held.
“Do you like it?”
“Ah, ah!?” Kanade’s cheeks flushed.
“Do you like how I look in this dress, Kanade-kun?” Nagi added.
“Ah, yeah! This refers to….”
“?” Nagi tilted her head, unable to think of anything else it could refer to.
“Um, I think it’s… really beautiful…”
“Is it? Hehe, thank you! If I have the chance, I’ll wear it especially for you again~”
Nagi showed a shy smile, then turned her back to Kanade standing by the door and put the dress back in the bag.
“Little Nagi, actually I—”
Kanade’s voice came from behind.
Nagi halted her movements: “Kanade-kun, I—”
“—I don’t want to see you force yourself to stand on stage again!”
Kanade’s straightforward words interrupted Nagi’s interruption.
“Eh?”
Nagi looked back at Kanade in surprise.
“I don’t want to see you pushing yourself to stand on stage—”
“Although I know I have no right to say this, I want to convey this sentiment to you—”
“I want you to know that no matter what happens, I will always stand by your side!”
“So you don’t have to force yourself anymore!”
“Kanade…”
…..
…..
At dusk.
“This child must be exhausted today…”
Nagi’s father, sitting in the driver’s seat, glanced at Nagi, who was sleeping on her mother’s shoulder in the back seat.
“Yeah, after all, she returned to the stage after a long time~”
The setting sun cast a warm glow on her well-defined, lovely face, making her look like a sleeping princess.
Nagi’s mother gently stroked her daughter’s hair.
“…..What a blissful sleeping face~ My little princess, dreaming of your prince charming?”
…..
At the same time.
“The celebration banquet is starting now~!” In a large family restaurant near the school.
To celebrate the success of the stage play at today’s cultural festival.
Rin invited Kanade, Chika, Alice, and Mana to a small celebration banquet.
She initially planned to invite Nagi, the star of today, but she seemed too tired today, and her performance had caused a big sensation.
Now there were media reporters and fans everywhere looking for her for interviews.
It was really inconvenient to let her go out.
“Mana, where are you now?” Kanade sat in her seat, calling Mana, who was still on the way.
“Almost there~”
Mana’s voice on the other end of the line was unusually cheerful.
“I’m on the road where we used to go to school together; I should be there in about ten minutes~”
After saying that, Mana hung up the call.
She looked around at the streets dyed golden by the setting sun.
This was the path she walked with Nagi and Kanade when she first got to know Nagi.
Strolling here, she wanted to find the road that belonged to her future from the bygone times.
Her platinum hair fluttered slightly in the wind, shimmering beautifully in the sunset’s afterglow.
“Finally, I found you….”
A shadow, elongated by the sunset, suddenly intercepted her path like a sharp blade.
“Who are you…”
The figure emerging from the corner of the road caused her to stop in her tracks.
“It’s all your fault… that silly woman is in chaos… it’s all your fault…”
Covered in bruises, Tomita blocked Mana’s way; his tattered clothes revealed the kind of escape he had just undergone.
The fruit knife in his hand glinted ominously in the light.
——I must escape.
Mana quickly assessed the situation.
Even though he looked exhausted, he wasn’t someone she, a frail girl, could confront, especially since he was armed.
Just as Mana turned around, ready to run away from the man.
“It’s not just you; it’s that Hoshimiya Nagi as well—”
The name in the words behind her stunned her for a moment.
That was a very fatal mistake.
The sharp blade.
From behind her, it pierced her heart—
…..
…..
“So slow…”
Standing outside the family restaurant, Kanade repeatedly checked the time on her phone.
It had long passed ten minutes.
Yet, she still hadn’t seen Mana.
The afterglow of the setting sun cast a long shadow on the ground.
“Kanade? What are you doing?”
Curious, Rin followed her out and asked.
Meanwhile, Chika was selecting desserts with Alice in the self-service area inside.
“Because I haven’t seen Mana; I’m worried she got lost…”
“Who?” Rin responded, puzzled.
“Eh?” Kanade couldn’t help but turn her head to look at Rin.
“Hey, did your memory finally degrade to the level of a fool?” Kanade teased, seemingly playing along with Rin’s act.
But Rin tilted her head in confusion.
“No, it’s you; what are you suddenly talking about?”
A sense of ominous premonition flashed in Kanade’s heart.
“….Mana is my childhood friend, Akira Mana.”
“Isn’t your memory the one that has degraded? Your childhood friend’s name is Hoshimiya Nagi, right?”
“Or do you have some other childhood friend you haven’t told me about?”
“…..” Kanade furrowed her brows and hurriedly lit up her phone.
Scrolling through her call log.
Nothing.
She had just made a call ten minutes ago.
But there was no record of a call with Mana on the screen.
“It can’t be…”
Kanade opened LINE and checked her friend list—Mana wasn’t there.
“Hey? Kanade, are you okay? You look a bit pale?”
“Tsukimi classmate?” Alice seemed to notice Kanade’s abnormality and walked over.
“Alice, do you… still remember Mana?”
“Who?” Alice also tilted her head.
Alice’s response sent a chill running down Kanade’s spine.
“What are you talking about? Isn’t Mana your childhood friend, Tsukimi classmate?”
Chika’s voice interrupted the conversation.
However, the information in her words shocked Kanade.
