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

She spent about a minute and a half in the elevator.

Saki Koizumi knew the location of the underground laboratory; it definitely wasn't that deep.

Was it because the venue deliberately gave me just enough time to finish reading the entry instructions that I was allowed in...?

Saki Koizumi lowered her eyes, watching the elevator doors slowly open in front of her. Through the widening gap, the theater lights and smells rushed in.

The smell of the curtain.

The smell of wood flooring.

The smell of light burning dust.

Contrary to her expectations, she arrived not at the audience seating area, but at a somewhat empty and dimly lit stage.

Directly in front of her, a cone-shaped, pure white tower stood silently, its top shone with an extremely glaring white light, making only a tiny black dot visible.

Saki Koizumi's abilities were suppressed, preventing her from seeing what was on it clearly.

A slight sense of confusion flashed through her mind.

When I tried to move around, I suddenly realized that something was wrong with me.

The clothes... have been changed.

She was wearing a stage outfit that looked very familiar, almost identical to Nana Ohba's Revue outfit, but there were significant differences in color and the position of the cape.

Her main color is blue, and the red cape that should have been on her left shoulder has been changed to a blue cape that is fixed on her right shoulder.

“Eh… Ms. Kamina’s outfit is very similar to Hikaru’s.” Before Koizumi Saki could even notice, Oba Nana, who was standing at the edge of the audience, made a surprised sound.

Following the sound, Saki Koizumi looked up and saw Nana Ohba, dressed in a white and gold Revue outfit, standing high up, looking at her with great surprise.

This felt somewhat novel to her.

Does this theater have an automatic costume-changing function?

And what's with this outfit on me?

Who is Xiao Guang...?

Before Koizumi Saki could ask anything, she saw Oba Nana, seemingly holding something, jump down from a high place with a "whoosh".

The stage girl landed lightly, nimbly and gracefully, with a nostalgic and friendly smile on her face.

“I forgot to mention, Hikaru was my former companion.” Nana Ohba said in a friendly tone, “I didn’t expect Ms. Kanna’s outfit to be so similar to hers. If you look closely, the hair and eye color, and even the way she speaks, are very similar. It’s such a nostalgic occasion.”

However, Saki Koizumi noticed the popcorn bucket that Nana Oba was holding.

She cautiously kept her distance from Nana Oba, carefully watching her every move... but Nana showed no signs of nervousness at all, and was even holding snacks.

...Could it be that he looks down on himself?

Saki Koizumi was somewhat displeased, but what welled up in her heart was an inexplicable sense of tension.

That bucket of popcorn looked a little different from the others.

"Hmm?" Nana Oba noticed that Saki Koizumi's gaze had been fixed on the popcorn in her arms since earlier, and couldn't help but admire Koizumi's keenness. She took the opportunity to ask, "Ms. Kamina, would you like some snacks?"

“…No need.” Koizumi Saki looked away, feeling inexplicably embarrassed.

She's not that greedy; she wouldn't be thinking about Nana Oba's snacks at a time like this.

The more important thing now is to find Ayuan.

She looked around and found the audience seats were empty, with no trace of Kita Kirihara and the other two students.

Am I too late...?

While I was still in a daze, I heard Nana Ohba eating popcorn.

Saki Koizumi looked on in confusion, not quite understanding Nana Ohba's purpose.

The other party invited me here, but didn't intend for me to stay in the audience as a spectator. They didn't make a move on me immediately either, and now they seem to be watching me with interest, which is a little creepy.

Then, Saki Koizumi overheard Nana Oba talking to herself:

"Hmm, so it's because her abilities were suppressed so much that Miss Kamina didn't notice at all..."

The next second, Koizumi Saki felt the restraints on her body lighten.

Although she could use her abilities to rewrite the rules here, she wanted to keep her trump cards to herself as much as possible when she first started investigating, so she didn't reveal them openly. Instead, she let Nana Oba suppress her power.

However, the theater owner took the initiative to loosen the ropes binding her, remove her blindfold, and stuff part of the truth into Saki Koizumi's arms.

【The Brilliance of Kita-Kirihara】.

I saw this entry on the popcorn.

Saki Koizumi felt as if all the sounds around her had stopped, with only the popcorn in Nana Oba's arms still displaying an unprecedented presence.

She felt a chill creep up her spine, accompanied by a surge of...

……anger.

But it was precisely at this moment that she felt calmer than ever before.

"...Where is A-Yuan?" she heard herself ask in a calm, low voice.

Nana Oba did not answer, but the curve of her lips became even more pronounced.

That fake smile on his face was disgusting.

Saki Koizumi stared at Nana Oba's smile and repeated herself, almost emphasizing each word:

"Where is my A-Yuan?"

With a deafening roar, the theater lights went out abruptly as if shattered by the fury, and the curtain fell between Saki Koizumi and Nana Oba, separating the two.

Then came the sounds of the stage equipment operating, and in the background, there seemed to be flames burning.

Nana Oba's face, which Koizumi Saki loathed, was now hidden in the darkness.

But the cheerful voice clearly pierced through the curtain and came through:

"If you want to know the truth, try to defeat me, Ms. Kamina."

"You—" Koizumi Saki was touched on a sore spot and showed unusual anger.

As if in response to her, the theater began to tremble. The stage equipment spun rapidly, and the sound of its operation, falling into Nana Ohba's ears, was the most beautiful concerto.

She knew that Koizumi Saki couldn't see her through the curtain, but she still bent down and bowed to her.

"As expected of Ms. Kamina... She's already received a response from the stage the moment she stepped into this position." Nana Ōba was in a very good mood. She didn't know when [The Radiance of Kita-Kirihara] had disappeared from her hand and she had hidden it away.

As long as she's on stage, Nana Ohba can dominate everything.

If I had to explain why...

“My Stephanie, come here.” Nana Oba softened her tone, chuckling softly, with an indescribable ambiguity and a deeper seduction, “Take my hand…and stand on this stage.”

She is the ghost of the theater, and this place is her stage.

She extended her left hand, gloved in pure white, to Saki Koizumi in a very gentlemanly manner.

Nana Ohba's clothes had changed at some point; the right half of her face was covered by a golden half-face mask, and her original Revue outfit had been replaced by a dark purple, gorgeous, and wide cloak, almost blending into the darkness of the theater.

Her voice was far less clear than before, low and muffled, deliberately leaning towards the male lead's tone, echoing in the spacious room: "Come here... Stephanie. The play is about to begin, and as the leading lady, you can't be absent."

"What are you saying?" Koizumi Saki sensed that, with Oba Nana's performance, the rules of the theater were tightening up.

She felt a sense of intimidation completely different from when facing ordinary enemies.

The other party was like a phantom, revealing a sinister and terrifying admiration to her in this underground theater. At the same time, a bewitching charm was drawing Koizumi Saki's mind, leading her step by step into Oba Nana's "play".

Saki Koizumi realized that if she wanted to defeat Nana Ohba, she had to follow the rules of the stage, at least here.

That's why she needs to know her role.

“Come to me, Stephanie.” Nana Ohba mentioned Stephanie's name for the third time, announcing it with a serene smile. “Try to grab me, grab the ‘ghost’ of the theater… or die. Come! Run onto the stage! Sing, dance, and then crush me…!”

Nana Ohba let out a cheerful, low laugh that echoed throughout the theater.

Then, she withdrew her hand and gently grasped her cloak.

Like a vampire, he wrapped his body in a cloak, and as if by magic, in the blink of an eye, the figure disappeared from Koizumi Saki's sight.

Music began to play in the darkness, its melody flowing into Saki Koizumi's ears.

Saki Koizumi did not panic; she simply stood still and calmly surveyed her surroundings.

Then, to the surprise of both Nana Oba and Kita Kirihara, she simply took a light breath and began to sing:

[Hello private residence placeはどこに

(Hello, where can I find a place to belong?)

スポットライトの光が

(It's under the spotlight)

成かないところ

(Is it a place where the sun doesn't shine?)

Saki Koizumi began to sing in accordance with the rules of the theater.

In fact, it was an extraordinary stage talent that even Kita Kirihara and Oba Nana hadn't expected.

With just three sentences, one can appreciate Koizumi Saki's skill.

The moment she opened her mouth, Kita Kirihara, who had been sitting on the top of the tower silently watching everything, suddenly stood up and stared wide-eyed in surprise.

wrong……!

In her understanding, Saki had never been involved in any stage-related activities, let alone possessed a stage presence comparable to Nana Ohba and Karen Aijo.

This is outside Kita Kirihara's comprehension.

But this is indeed the power that Saki Koizumi, a person beloved by the world, could possess.

[The strongest].

In any field, we can achieve the strongest, the promise given by the world.

Although the initial promise was only for the superpower aspect, The Voice of the World did not leave Saki Koizumi with too many shortcomings in other areas.

Therefore, Saki Koizumi was able to master songs she had never heard before in a short time, adapt to the rules of the stage at superhuman speed, and even...