They all pushed me!

Because it seemed that everyone's eyes were focused on the couple since they entered the door, Kitagawa Rumi, who wanted to make an effort to show her presence, spoke with a bit of dissatisfaction, and intimately hugged the shoulders of Kurokawa Akane who was sitting next to her:

"After all, Xiao Qian is the lead actress this time. This dress is even cuter than it looks in the stills."

"Ah... yes, thanks to Ruby for forwarding it. Yes, it's cute - my father and mother think so too."

Akane Kurokawa, who had been staring at the hands of Kitagawa Ryo and Hoshino Ai, who had not let go even when they were sitting together, did not react for a moment that Kitagawa Rumi was talking to her. She was stunned for a long time before she reacted. Even her grammar and intonation were a little fragmented when she answered.

She was wearing a Western-style children's dress today, with her bangs combed neatly. She looked even more well-behaved than usual. After answering Kitagawa Rumi's words in a panic, her eyes could not help but look at the two people sitting opposite her.

Although Kitagawa Ryo and Hoshino Ai had been acting quite ambiguous in the troupe over the past two years, and she had known before that they were already an engaged couple who were preparing for their wedding, she felt strangely complicated the first time she saw them being so intimate and open with each other as if no one was around.

Normally, as a junior in the troupe, she should have wished that seniors Ryo and Hoshino, who had taken care of her all these years, would finally get married. But it was precisely because the two announced their relationship that Kitagawa Ryo missed her acting class for the first time, which had been a regular weekly schedule and had never been changed in the past few years. Although she had informed them in advance, Kurokawa Akane still came to the troupe's practice room that day as usual, and sat there reading a book for two hours, as if she was expecting the other person to suddenly knock on the door in surprise.

Besides, she had seen that scene in Miyazaki last year.

Thinking of this, Kurokawa Akane turned her head to look at Kitagawa Rumi, who was rubbing her cheek affectionately. She felt that her little head could no longer understand her good friend's thoughts.

Maybe she won't understand these questions until she grows up a little more.

"Are you nervous? This is probably the biggest stage Xiao Qian has ever stepped onto since she started performing."

Noticing that Kurokawa Akane had an inexplicably tense face and her right hand was tightly pinching the corner of her clothes, Kitagawa Ryo thought that she had suffered a recurrence of her old illness, so he comforted her softly.

After all, it was a large-scale performance jointly organized by more than a dozen theater troupes in Tokyo. From the size of the stage to the number of actors and even the public's attention, it was not comparable to the children's plays that Kurokawa Akane had performed before. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was the biggest challenge she had faced so far.

"I'm not nervous."

Kurokawa Akane shook her head, her voice sounding as quiet as ever:

"After all, Ryo-senpai, Hoshino-senpai, and Ruby are here to cheer me on, and my dad and mom are in the audience too. I don't feel nervous when I think about how everyone is watching my performance and supporting me."

"That's good."

Beichuan Liang nodded. He originally wanted to reach out and touch the other person's head like before, but he was worried that it would mess up the hairstyle that Kurokawa Akane had combed in advance, so he gave up the idea and looked up at the promotional poster on the wall of the room. He read the most eye-catching line word by word:

"Matilda, starring Akane Kurokawa."

"I have a feeling that from today on, the stage name Kurokawa Akane will become completely famous throughout the theater community."

Then, he also showed a somewhat nostalgic smile, turned to Hoshino Ai beside him and said:

"Come to think of it, this stage name that sounds the same as her real name but is written differently was given to Xiao Qian by me some time ago. She was about this height at that time."

"Girls always grow up very fast. When I first met Liang, Ruby was still a newborn baby, and now she is about to go to junior high school."

Hoshino Ai also chuckled when she heard this. Ever since the two of them officially announced their relationship, they no longer had to hide it in front of other people. Her pretty face became even more radiant than before, and her eyes and eyebrows were filled with happiness that could not be concealed.

Her name was called again, and Kitagawa Rumi gritted her teeth secretly. She wished she could stand up right then and there and argue with her in front of everyone about who knew Liang first.

After calming herself down a little by imagining such a scene, Kitagawa Rumi turned her eyes away angrily. Ever since she last spoke up and inexplicably added a special couple project to "B Komachi×B Komachi", she had learned in disguise to remain silent at the right time.

Although she heard a slight gurgling sound and the sound of gnashing teeth from her friend's throat, Kurokawa Akane still chose to respond to Kitagawa Ryo first, and spoke to him seriously and firmly:

"It is because Ryo-senpai gave me this stage name that I hope it can be known by more people one day... just like the name Magana."

Akane Kurokawa had already seen the news that Ryo Kitagawa had left the agency in previous news reports. Although she didn't want to admit it, the first thought that came to her mind at that time was that Arimaka could no longer be considered a junior of Ryo Kitagawa in the same agency.

However, Kitagawa Ryo has been renewing her contract with the LALALAI Theater Company. From this perspective, the relationship between senior and junior now belongs to her alone.

Her ambition and desire for success have never been as fierce as they are now. From childhood to adulthood, whether in school or at home, Kurokawa Akane's life can be said to be smooth sailing. The only person who made her experience the taste of failure over the years was Magana.

Although he was not quite sure why Akane Kurokawa in front of him suddenly showed a determined look, it was better than the initial panic and nervousness. Kitagawa Ryo still remembered the shy look on her face when she was first sent to the LALALAI troupe.

As the performance time was approaching, Kurokawa Akane was summoned by the staff to go backstage to prepare. Kitagawa Ryo also gave her a cheering gesture at the end:

"Then - come on."

"Come on, Xiao Qian!"

“Xiao Qian is the best! The pride of the new generation of LALALAI Theater!”

Kitagawa Rumi, Hoshino Ai and other troupe members also cheered for her, which made the little girl feel a little embarrassed. She covered her face, whispered thank you, and trotted out of the room.

"Uncle Min, today's performance uses the latest stage equipment, right?"

After Kurokawa Akane left, Kitagawa Ryo asked Kindaichi Toshiro with great interest.

"Well, it took me a lot of energy and money to modify this over the years."

Kindaichi Toshiro nodded when he heard this, and he lay down on the sofa where Kitagawa Ryo was sitting, hooked his hands around his neck, and hummed and said:

"Someone hasn't performed in the troupe for more than half a year, so of course he doesn't know."

"I was busy with 'It's Not Easy to Run Away' and my wedding with Ai in the second half of last year, so Uncle Min was a little considerate of me."

"Alright, alright. You're the one with the most excuses. Today I'll let you have a good look at the current theater stage and see the 360-degree surround full screen and immersive deep experience technology that our troupe has invested a lot of money in."

After saying this, Kindaichi Toshiro patted Kitagawa Ryo on the shoulder:

"It's almost time, let's go, I've saved a seat for you."

Upon hearing this, Kitagawa Ryo and his companions stood up and followed Kindaichi Toshiro to the performance hall, which had changed a lot compared to the past. Only then did they understand what the other party had just said.

“This auditorium should also be able to rotate.”

After casually taking a look at the surrounding layout and environment, Beichuan Liang asked with a smile.

"It should be used to facilitate the switching between scenes on the stage."

Every play naturally has different scenes. In the past, after a scene ended, the curtains would often need to be temporarily drawn to allow the staff to rush on stage to re-set the scene. The current seamless switching has improved the viewing experience of many audiences.

"There are many interesting little designs like this. You can enjoy them slowly later. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."

Toshiro Kindaichi led the three people to their designated seats and then left in a hurry. As the general manager of the LALALAI theater troupe that provided the venue for this performance, many matters still needed his further confirmation at this time when the performance was about to begin.

The seats that Kindaichi Toshiro reserved for them were in the front row, and the three of them were seated from left to right in the order of Hoshino Ai, Kitagawa Ryo, and Kitagawa Rumi.

"I never thought there would be a day when Ryo and I would sit in the audience and watch a play. In the past, it was always the two of us on the stage."

As if she felt the scene was somewhat fresh, Hoshino Ai turned her head and said this to Kitagawa Ryo who was sitting on her right, and then held Kitagawa Ryo's left hand very naturally.

"So do you think it's better to be an actor on stage... or to be a simple audience member on stage?"

As soon as Kitagawa Ryo said the first half of his sentence, he felt his right hand being pulled over by Rumi on his right and held tightly. So he paused slightly and helplessly let Kitagawa Rumi hook her little finger and draw circles in his palm.

“When I am with Ryo, whether it is co-starring like before or sitting together watching the performance like now, it is a happy memory and experience for me.”

In the darkness, Hoshino Ai gently leaned her head over and slowly pressed it on Kitagawa Ryo's shoulder.

In order to make Hoshino Ai's posture less awkward and save a little effort, Kitagawa Ryoya subconsciously planned to move closer to her.

As a result, before his butt moved two inches, he felt a counter-pulling force from the right hand. Although the force was not strong, the dissatisfaction was undoubtedly revealed. Then, Rumi's little head also moved over restlessly.

But because Kitagawa Ryo had already lowered his shoulders slightly towards Hoshino Ai, and Kitagawa Rumi was now a little shorter than Ai, she was unable to reach his shoulders either, and had to settle for the next best thing and rest her head on his forearm.

Kitagawa Ryo, who had in a sense completed the act of hugging women on both sides, did not have any romantic thoughts in his mind at this moment, especially after recalling that the total length of "Matilda" was two and a half hours, he was secretly praying that his arms and shoulders could try harder.

After all, his current posture, being sandwiched in the middle, was the most awkward and uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the situation did not develop into the worst direction. Within five minutes after the show started, Kitagawa Ryoichi stood up on the left and right, looking more like they were preparing to sleep than watching a show. Except for their hands which were still tightly clasped, they looked like they were completely absorbed in the performance on the stage.

After all, it was a team from more than a dozen theater troupes. In addition to the excellent production and superb performances of the actors, Kitagawa Ryo quickly understood what the "immersive deep experience" that Kindaichi Toshiro had just mentioned was.

If he were to evaluate it, the experience was a bit like the 4D cinema he had been to before. The seats of each audience member would tilt and shake, spray water and create special sound and light effects at specific times in coordination with the plot. From time to time, you could hear the surprised laughter of the children who came to watch the show.

The development and progress of science and technology also provided help to the actors on stage, greatly enhancing the impact and appeal of the plot itself. Especially when Matilda, played by Akane Kurokawa, showed her telekinetic superpowers, one could hear cheers and applause from many children who were already immersed in the story.

Once you get into the play, you will feel that time flies. By the time you come to your senses, the two and a half hour performance has come to an end. The actors on the stage come out together to take their bows, the audience is generous with their applause, and excited comments can be heard everywhere.

"Ruby didn't drool this time."

After giving a thumbs-up to Akane Kurokawa who was at the front row on the stage, without knowing whether she had seen it or not, Kitagawa Ryo turned his head to look at his sister to his right, who was slightly opening her mouth and seemed to have not yet gotten over the story, and teased with a smile.

"...Brother, please don't talk about this kind of dark history casually."

Kitagawa Rumi's little face immediately turned red, even the roots of her ears were quickly dyed red, and she protested in a low voice.

Of course she knew that Kitagawa Ryo was talking about something that happened a long time ago, almost ten years ago, when she came to the theater to watch the performance of "Youth Taboo Game". At that time, she was entrusted to the care of Saito Kyoko, and out of fun, the other party secretly recorded her entire reaction with her mobile phone.

If this secret video was not known to only a few people, Kitagawa Rumi probably wouldn't even have the courage to debut as an idol.

"She's really cute, and a very attentive audience."

"What what? What are Ryo and Ruby talking about?"

On the other side, Hoshino Ai also came over curiously.

"Nothing, it's just that when Ruby came to watch our "Youth Forbidden Game", she was so focused that... ahem, okay, okay, I won't say any more."

Beichuan Liang had only said half of his words when his sister, whose head was almost steaming with shame, covered his mouth, and he was forced to stop.

"Let's go and see Xiao Qian. She performed very well today."

"Ryo and Ruby, go ahead. I'm going to the bathroom."

Hoshino Ai smiled and shook her head, finally letting go of her right hand, took her bag, put on her sunglasses and mask, stood up and spoke.

"Then we'll wait for you in the lounge."

Feeling that he had indeed gone too far in digging up the dark history, Beichuan Liang rubbed his sister's hair and said a few words to comfort her.

After parting with Kitagawa Ryo and Kitagawa Rumi, Hoshino Ai did not go to the bathroom immediately, but opened the address book on her phone and murmured:

"The performance of 'Youth Forbidden Game', I think Kyoko is here too."

After I mentioned this to Kyoko Saito, she quickly responded:

"That's true. Ruby was only three years old at the time, and I was holding her while watching the show. I even took a video and sent it to Liangle afterwards. That's probably what they were talking about."

“Does the video still exist?”

"I am searching."

About two minutes later, Hoshino Ai received a video file.

"I sent it to you. Speaking of which, why did Ai suddenly think of asking this?"

"I'm a little curious, and I kind of miss those days. Maybe I can find some footage that can be used at the wedding."

After Hoshino Ai replied like this, she plugged in her headphones, clicked on the video, and chose to play.

To be fair, Kyoko Saito's filming technique is obviously average, and since the video was taken almost ten years ago, the picture quality is particularly blurry. The camera even shakes frequently, and the noise is very loud. All of these are lines from "Youth Forbidden Game" that were recorded at the time.

But Hoshino Ai still watched very attentively, her eyes fixed on the little girl in the center of the screen.

Then, she discovered a somewhat bizarre fact.

The other person's expression did change all the time with the performance on the stage, especially when Valodia, played by Kitagawa Ryo, was giving a monologue. He was almost completely focused on appreciating it, and even ignored the saliva that inadvertently fell from the corners of his mouth, and could only let Saito Kyoko keep helping him wipe it.

"Ruby can understand."

This thought subconsciously emerged in Hoshino Ai's mind.

I have diarrhea and I can't hold on any longer. I've written several hundred words intermittently and I really can't continue.

Obviously I didn’t eat Wallace either, I guess it’s because I used the air conditioner too much.

I hope montmorillonite powder works. I hope montmorillonite powder works. I hope montmorillonite powder works. I hope montmorillonite powder works. I hope montmorillonite powder works. I hope montmorillonite powder works.

Chapter 44: Ruby's Failure

If she was simply reacting to Kitagawa Ryo's monologue, it could be barely explained that Kitagawa Rumi simply did not understand the so-called drama and performance, and just saw her familiar and close brother appear and unconsciously paid attention, just like many children who did not pay attention to or understand the single episodes of Ultraman when they were young, but would still cheer excitedly after Ultraman transformed, with their eyes fixed on the TV screen.

But what made Hoshino Ai suspicious were some of the subsequent scenes. As one of the leading actors in "Youth Taboo Game" back then, she could easily infer where the plot was going through the background sound included in the video.

"Yelena Sergeyevna, I am now formally proposing to you. Of course, the prerequisite is that you must give us the keys first. Oh? I didn't hear you? Do you agree? Why is it that there is no joy and excitement on your face that a fiancée should have?"

"Make up your mind, Elena Sergeyevna, I will not let you down."

This line is an almost insulting teasing by Valoya, played by Kitagawa Ryo, to the female teacher Yelena, but Kitagawa Rumi in the picture seems to understand these long and difficult sentences for her age, and she keeps nodding her head.

"S'il vous pla?t, Madame. (Please, ma'am)"

This is the line that Valodia, played by Ryo Kitagawa, speaks when he threatens to rape Lala, played by Ryo, and tears off her stockings.

At the same time, Kitagawa Rumi, who was so excited just now that she wanted to lie on the back of the chair in front of her and move closer to see more clearly, suddenly curled up like a deflated balloon. Her little body buried her little head between her knees, almost hiding outside the camera.

It would be fine if it was just one or two places, but after watching the entire video, such scenes that made Hoshino Ai suspicious appeared too many times. As the video played, her eyelids drooped lower and lower, her eyes slightly narrowed, and she calmly put the phone back in her pocket and walked towards the lounge.

Being able to understand a play like "Young Adult Game" at the age of just over three, Ruby should be an extremely smart child in every aspect, and it would not be an exaggeration to even call her a genius.

But in all these years of getting along with the Kitagawa siblings, Hoshino Ai is also very aware that Kitagawa Rumi's academic performance in school is only average, and she is not shrewd and mature in dealing with people. On the contrary, like girls of her age, she is sincere and cheerful, and sometimes she can be a little temperamental and clever.

As if she suddenly remembered something, Hoshino Ai took out her mobile phone from her pocket while walking, and searched the keyword [Kitagawa Rumi's first appearance] on the video platform. She successfully found the program that was filmed that year, and now the number of views has increased a lot because of Kitagawa Rumi who has already debuted.

Kitagawa Rumi, who is also over three years old, appeared in Hoshino Ai's vision again. She passed the layers of tests of the program team and successfully completed her first dispatch. She helped her brother buy soy sauce and received hugs and kisses on the cheek from him. She hung on Liang's body like a little koala, with an innocent smile.