The comments section all think I'm a really good person.

That seems to make sense... and besides, no one knew that Brother Banana had this plan.

She probably doesn't even know about her health problem herself.

Because you've gotten used to it?

Very likely

[The outward personality of Ahara has no memories of having been in contact with the Silver Garden, but the inner personality of Ahara trusts everyone in the Silver Garden, and everyone is silently protecting her in their own way.]

[...This is so cute!]

【You're right, I can't refute you at all】

Although Ahara's interactions with the Silver Garden are pitifully few, and mostly with Banana... it seems that whether it's the BOSS, Banana, or even Koizumi, they all really enjoy being with Ahara. Last time, when Ahara went out with Chief Koizumi, they encountered a whole bunch of Silver Garden members along the way.

[This is interesting... In other timelines, Ahara is also in a similar position as the group's darling, right?]

I'm so curious about A-Yuan's story with the Silver Garden.

When will the origin story of Kita-Kirihara finally be released? I'm so anxious!

Actually, I feel that the story might unfold in reverse chronological order, and it won't satisfy us all at once...

How could this happen? (Deep sorrow)

[Can I hope that after this storyline concludes, Ahara's origin story will be remade?]

Ah...maybe?

[Banana, she really... I'm so upset...]

[To be honest, the reason A-Yuan agreed to be Banana's photographer was probably because he had some feelings for her, right?]

[Probably. Even though he didn't remember knowing Nana Oba, he still felt a stronger liking for her than for others, which is why he agreed to meet her on their first meeting.]

The story of Kita Kirihara agreeing to be Nana Oba's photographer began the day before.

Kita Kirihara and Ooba Nana's encounter at the school building after school actually happened yesterday afternoon.

As the photographer chosen by Nana Ōba, Kita Kirihara was personally invited into the theater by the theater owner, Nana Ōba, before everyone else arrived.

The email Kita Kirihara received was not an invitation to enter the theater, but an employment notice officially hiring Kita Kirihara as a theater staff member.

Then came today's filming.

Kita Kirihara was backstage, operating the equipment and recording some pretty good footage.

"How was your work experience today?" After seeing Karen Aijo off, Nana Oba went backstage and saw Kita Kirihara checking the camera.

The latter turned to look at her, his expression quite complicated.

"Miss Oba, what's this about [Shining]?"

She showed considerable wariness towards Nana Oba.

Because of the distance, and because Nana Ōba deliberately controlled the volume, Kita Kirihara was unaware that Nana Ōba had set up the theater for someone else.

She expressed confusion about the job.

When Nana Oba invited her to join the company, she actually used the excuse of letting Kita Kirihara have a good time filming as bait.

Furthermore, Kita Kirihara himself wanted to infiltrate this underground theater and had all his records deleted.

The other party said that as payment for assisting with the work, they could grant her one request.

Kita Kirihara appeared here precisely because he wanted to use this opportunity to erase his dark past and because he was also somewhat interested in this theater.

—Of course, this is just an excuse used to the outside world.

Kita Kirihara's true intention was to maintain control of the situation to prevent it from spiraling out of control.

This eliminates the need to showcase it to an audience.

Faced with Kita Kirihara's questioning, Ooba Nana's smile remained unchanged. She simply placed a hot milk that had appeared out of nowhere on Kita Kirihara's desk.

“Shining is shining, you know. The more shining an actor is, the more the stage will respond to her.” Nana Ohba’s answer was quite puzzling.

Kita Kirihara's confusion remained undiminished: "Then, if I take away someone else's [Radiance], will it have a negative impact on my body?"

"Don't worry, it won't happen." Nana Ohba answered without hesitation. "At most, you'll lose a hundred to several tens of grams of weight, which won't have any negative impact on your life."

“…I still can’t believe you.” Kita Kirihara rarely showed such toughness. She looked into Ooba Nana’s eyes with a serious and solemn expression. “My classmates were just killing each other.”

The authenticity of the blood couldn't fool her eyes.

“On this stage, there will be bloodshed, pain, and injuries… but those are the characters’ pain and death, and they won’t affect the actors at all.” Nana Ohba frankly admitted, “Look at Makoto Asagami, even if she got injured because she wasn’t in character, she would recover after the curtain fell, right?”

However, Kita Kirihara astutely found a loophole in Oba Nana's words.

Her brows furrowed even more deeply.

"What if I don't get out of character in time?" She realized the biggest problem, just like Yagawa Mari just now, who inexplicably got into character and even started biting Asagami Shinku's leg.

Nana Oba gave a subtle smile.

She didn't answer immediately, her attitude seeming somewhat ambiguous.

"Hmm... I didn't get out of character in time?" Her answer was vague. "Who knows? I'm not omniscient or omnipotent on this stage."

Her attitude earned her a slightly cold look from Kita Kirihara: "Answer me."

“…It’s a little scary, Kita-giri-san,” Nana Ohba said, the curve of her lips remaining unchanged.

144. Less than half a year

Asagami Shinku wakes up from a nightmare.

"Waaah!"

She was awakened by the horrific scene in her dream, and almost sprang out of bed.

Before she could distinguish between dream and reality, she subconsciously touched her left leg.

The moment she touched her own intact limbs, she couldn't help but feel a great sense of relief.

"...My leg is still there."

Slowly, with a heavy sigh, Asagami Shinku finally let out a long breath, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally relaxed.

She leaned back against the headboard of her bed.

I wiped my forehead and realized that cold sweat had soaked my bangs and the tank top that I was wearing as pajamas, and I felt a little irritated.

My gaze couldn't help but drift to the wall, where I saw the clock hanging there, its hour hand pointing to fifteen minutes before my wake-up time.

It seems there's no way I can continue sleeping.

She calmed her breathing, which was disordered by the nightmare of the theater, and tried to calm herself down.

"...So annoying."

She initially thought it was just a dream, but the overwhelmingly realistic feeling left a deep shadow on the girl's heart.

She fell into a coma at the theater, and woke up again in her own room.

After lying in bed in a daze for a while, Asagami Shinku resignedly got up and started washing up.

...Maybe it really is just a dream?

Anyway, my leg is fine...

But that thought vanished the moment he saw Mari Yagawa at the breakfast table.

Because the other person's expression became even more unpleasant, upon seeing Asagami Shinku, it seemed as if they remembered something nauseating, and they even gagged for a while.

"Hey, Mari... what's wrong?" Mari's nanny, Yagawa, asked in surprise, then turned to Asagami Shinku and apologized, "I'm sorry, my Mari doesn't have any problem with you, she just hasn't been feeling well since she woke up today."

Normally, Asagami Shinku would be furious and enraged by Yagawa Mari's attitude, and the two of them would start arguing before class, only to have their fates sealed by the teacher.

But today is different.

Asagami Shinku's face turned deathly pale, and she took a step back.

She and Mari Yagawa exchanged a grim-looking glance, both realizing that what happened last night was definitely not a dream, or at least not such a simple dream.

The latter recalled the sensation of uncontrollably tearing off Asakami Shin's calf muscle, the rich, bloody taste filling her mouth... and felt nauseous, gagging violently until she almost vomited up the acid in her stomach.

Neither of them had much of an appetite for breakfast; they just hurriedly ate a few bites before pulling Ai Cheng Hua Lian, who was late, away to a secluded corner to talk.

After all, Edison Chen seems to know something.

Karen Aijo seemed a little down. After some hesitation, she told the two actors chosen by Nana Ohba about what she knew about the underground theater.

“That’s the stage realm created by my friend Nana Ohba,” Karen Aijo explained. “There, the stage is the rule for everything.”

Because Nana Oba is the master of the stage and possesses directing talent far surpassing Karen Aijo's, the stage she has created is currently indestructible to Karen Aijo.

"...I'm sorry, I can't help you right now." Karen Aijo seemed quite ashamed, and the crown hairpin on her head seemed to slip down a little. "Before my scene begins, I can't interfere with Banana's stage performance, so I can only sit in the audience as a spectator."

She and Nana Oba should have been rivals of equal caliber, but Nana Oba's ability as a stage builder far surpasses that of Karen Aijo.

If she weren't challenging herself on that stage as a performer, Karen Aijo wouldn't be able to withstand Nana Oba's stage rules.

After all, she had lost the fuel to step onto the stage for someone.

"Um, but, but!" Aijo Karen, who was always full of energy, realized that she shouldn't be so depressed, so she cheered up and said seriously, "I can give you special training!"

"...Special training?" Asagami Shinku and Yagawa Mari looked at each other in bewilderment.

But they knew nothing about the stage.

To be honest, just hearing Aijo Karen use words like "stage" and "performer" was enough to create a communication chasm between the three of them.

The other person's abilities seem to be the same type as that blonde girl's, but the problem is...

These two people's abilities are far from being suitable for acting.

Asagami Shinku's dark purple lightning and Yagawa Mari's acceleration are completely out of place on stage.

Moreover, the former is tone-deaf and the latter is somewhat uncoordinated; they might even fall down on the spot while running in daily life.

Not to mention dancing.

Edmonton's Chinese love affair was not affected at all.

She excitedly grabbed the hands of her two classmates and firmly encouraged them, "So, the rules of the underground theater set up by banana don't actually restrict it to only stage girls!"