After dropping out of school, I chose to join a girls' band.

Momoko Kurosawa looked up, her face full of doubt and unease. "Yes, I just received another one, exactly the same as the previous one. I asked a few classmates, and none of them received such a text message."

Hinasaki Tsuki frowned, her unease growing. "I can't find Yukimi Sakura either. I wonder if she's run into some trouble."

“Speaking of which…” When Momoko Kurosawa heard Hinasaki say that she hadn’t seen Yukimi Sakura, her pupils widened slightly, as if she had realized something. “Isn’t Sakuya on duty today?”

Hinasaki's heart tightened, and her pupils dilated. She then realized that Konohana Sakuya, who was on duty that day, hadn't been seen since get out of class ended. "That's right, Sakuya should be cleaning the classroom, but the classroom hasn't been cleaned at all."

The two exchanged a glance, a sense of unease rising in their hearts. Yue quickly found the original enrollment list and ranking, and began to call the people on it in order. However, apart from her, Momoko, and Aoi, the first eight phone numbers could not be reached.

Originally, Yue was still thinking about who had sent the text message, but now it seems there's no need to think about it anymore. Those who didn't answer the phone are the people who were invited to participate in the audition.

"Moon, Momo? What happened?" Yuri Saki rushed over, completely ignoring the fact that she, as a member of the student council, had led the way in violating the school rule that running in the corridors was not allowed.

Just as she received the key from the president and was about to go to the archives to investigate, Yue called. Before she could ask what it was about, Yue hung up after she answered the phone.

When she tried to call back, the line was always busy, so Aoi rushed over from the student council to see what was going on.

After Yue and Momoko explained the current situation to her, Aoi's expression immediately turned ugly.

"So, does that mean we've all been invited by that giraffe to the audition?"

Hinasaki Tsuki nodded, her eyes filled with determination. "And it seems they've already gone to that stage."

Momoko Kurosawa frowned and asked, puzzled, "Then how do we get there? We still haven't found that strange elevator from last time, have we?"

After thinking for a moment, Yue said, "I think... this time, we should be able to see it."

The three quickly reached an agreement and decided to return to the place where they had found the elevator last time. Sure enough, the elevator, which shouldn't have been there, reappeared there.

"This is completely unscientific! What's the principle behind this?" Yuri Saki Aoi frowned and complained, looking at the elevator that had reappeared in front of her.

Compared to Yuri Saki Aoi, Kurosawa Momoko was clearly much more adaptable. She gently patted Aoi's shoulder, saying with a teasing smile, "It's probably like a deus ex machina on stage, no need to worry about it so much. Otherwise, with such a large, empty underground theater under the school, wouldn't it have collapsed long ago?"

After hearing this, Yuri Saki Aoi shook her head helplessly and sighed. "What you said makes sense, but... it's still too strange."

Momoko Kurosawa continued, "Aoi-chan, you'll get used to it. If you treat this elevator as a stage setup, you should be able to accept it. After all, when the stage background changes, no one complains about why the original background is simply pulled up and then the new background is lowered."

"Stage... installation?" After Momoko's question, Yue looked thoughtfully at the elevator in front of her.

Side Story: Prelude to the Thirteenth Selection

"Shall I press it then?" Momoko Kurosawa placed her finger on the touch panel of the elevator button and said hesitantly to the two people beside her.

Hinasaki stopped the other person and asked, "Wait a minute, Momo, tell us what happened when you took the elevator last time, and why we heard your screams last time."

Momoko Kurosawa's face paled slightly as she recalled her previous experience.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Last time... last time when I pressed the button, I thought the door in front of me would open and reveal the elevator car, but instead the surrounding walls collapsed."

"Falling downwards?" Yuri Aoi asked, seizing on the key point in Momo's words.

Momoko Kurosawa nodded, confirming Aoi's statement and further explaining, "Yes, at first there was no slowdown at all; it was a complete freefall. That feeling of weightlessness made you think you would keep falling forever."

Hinasaki Tsuki frowned, a sense of unease rising within her. After a moment of contemplation, she asked, "And then? How did you land?"

Momoko Kurosawa continued, "After falling, the elevator disintegrated halfway down, and I continued to fall in a parabolic trajectory, eventually landing in the underground theater."

Yuri Aoi felt a chill run down her spine and couldn't help but shudder. "This is terrifying... What should we do this time? Should we press the button again?"

Hinasaki pondered for a moment, then said firmly, "We cannot back down. Since the stage has already extended an invitation to us, we have no reason to refuse."

To the two of them. "Ready?"

"Wait a minute!" Seeing that Momoko Kurosawa was about to press the button, Aoi Yurisaki stopped her.

"What's wrong, Aoi-chan?" Momo asked, puzzled, her finger hovering over the button.

"Sorry, I need to go get something to prepare." Aoi looked apologetic and then quickly ran off.

Hinasaki Tsuki and Kurosawa Momoko exchanged glances, wondering what Aoi was going to get. A few minutes later, Yurisaki Aoi came running back, panting, carrying a pillow in her arms.

"What is this...?" Hinasaki looked at her in surprise.

"I was thinking, if the elevator really does suddenly lose weight and freefall like last time, we can at least use pillows to cushion the fall," Yuri Aoi explained between breaths, a slightly embarrassed smile on her face. "It might seem a bit silly, but it's better than doing nothing."

Hinasaki couldn't help but laugh and gently shook her head. "Aoi, where did you find a pillow? It must have been really difficult for you in this situation."

Yurisaki Aoi blushed slightly, but still explained, "I found this in the student council office. It seems to be the president's usual nap spot. I was just thinking about it and figured it might come in handy, so I grabbed it."

Momoko Kurosawa smiled, relaxing a little. "The president is really particular, isn't she? Taking a nap with a pillow, that's quite a treat."

Hinasaki nodded and teased, "The president probably never imagined that her nap pillow would come in handy at a time like this."

Yuri Aoi hugged her pillow tightly, her eyes resolute. "No matter what, it's better to be prepared. Can we press the button now?"

Momoko Kurosawa placed her finger on the touch panel again and looked at the two of them. "Ready?"

Hinasaki and Yurisaki Aoi nodded at the same time.

Momoko Kurosawa pressed the button, and the three of them felt their hearts race, holding their breath and nervously awaiting what was about to happen.

Suddenly, the surrounding walls began to collapse, as if the whole world was crumbling.

Hinasaki and Yurisaki experienced weightlessness for the first time, and a sense of panic washed over them.

Yuri Aoi hugged the pillow tightly, trying to use it to cushion the feeling of weightlessness. Although she knew it couldn't completely relieve her fear, she still felt much more at ease.

Momoko Kurosawa's face remained pale as she struggled to remain silent, but as the descent accelerated, her panic intensified. Despite this being her second experience of such a freefall, she was still unable to adapt, and the fear within her surged back.

"Aa ...

Hinasaki and Yurisaki Aoi had been gritting their teeth and trying to remain calm, but Momo's scream seemed to ignite the fear within them. As they plummeted faster and faster, their heartbeats became more and more violent, and panic spread uncontrollably.

"Aaaaaaah!!!" Hinasaki finally couldn't hold back any longer, gripping the elevator handrail tightly and letting out a scream.

"Aaaaaah!!!" Yuri Aoi screamed in response, clutching the pillow in her arms as if it were her only source of security.

The three people's screams echoed throughout the elevator, fear and helplessness filling the space. The elevator continued its rapid descent, everything around them seemed to blur, only their screams remained unmistakably real.

Just when they thought this terrifying descent seemed endless, the elevator suddenly shook violently, the walls began to disintegrate, and fragments scattered everywhere. Hinasaki's heart tightened; the last thing she saw was the abruptly broken track.

She then realized that it was more like a roller coaster than an elevator. Due to forward momentum, the three of them traced a parabola in the air, their bodies instantly losing support.

Inside the container, at least there were walls around them, which provided some sense of security. Now, thrown out, they were directly facing an unfathomable abyss of darkness. This intensified their fear.

"Aaaaaah!" Hinasaki couldn't help but scream again, feeling as if her heart was about to jump out of her chest.

"What on earth is going on!" Yuri Saki hugged her pillow tightly, trying to find a sense of security, but there was nothing to rely on in the darkness, and her cries were filled with despair.

Momoko Kurosawa also let out a sharp scream. She tried to reach out and grab something, but there was nothing around her and nothing to hold onto.

Their bodies plummeted through the air, everything flashing past them, nothing but endless darkness and terror. Each second felt incredibly long, as if they were falling into a bottomless abyss, with no idea where they would end up.

Suddenly, all three of them felt a strong pulling force, as if some force was trying to hold them back. As this force took effect, their falling speed gradually slowed down, and they finally landed gently on a soft ground.

------------

I played Black Myth all night again, here's some drafts from my archives.

Side Story: Prequel to Saint Sho - Side Story 14 Starlight

"Ouch, ouch, ouch..." Hinasaki rubbed her bottom, her face full of pain. Although the sudden drop slowed them down, they still fell from a height of one or two meters in the final stage.

Momoko Kurosawa struggled to sit up, clutching her lower back and frowning. "I'm so fed up with this feeling. It's like I'm going to fall apart every time."

It's clear that Peach faced the same problem when she landed last time.

Yuri Saki hugged the pillow tightly, slowly stood up from the ground, patted the dust off her body, and realized that she was the least injured of the trio, because the pillow from the president had relieved a lot of her stress.

As the three slowly recovered, they helped each other to their feet. Looking around, they discovered that the other six people who had disappeared were staring at them with strange expressions. The soft lighting illuminated the entire theater, reflecting the confusion and surprise on everyone's faces.

Miss Yukimi Sakura looked at them with a complicated expression. She stepped forward and couldn't help but ask, "Moon... how did you two fall from the sky?"

Hinasaki patted the dust off her clothes, trying to calm herself down. "Well... it's a long story. We took the elevator down, but it suddenly disintegrated, and we were thrown out."

Momoko Kurosawa added with a wry smile, "Yes, it felt like riding a terrifying roller coaster."

"Elevator?" Xuejian Ying looked puzzled, her brows furrowing slightly. She was clearly confused by the statement.

Upon seeing this, Hinasaki had a sudden realization that Yukimi Sakura and the others hadn't arrived through that strange "elevator." "Wait... how did you all get down here?" she asked curiously, her eyes revealing a hint of doubt and anticipation.

"Take the stairs?" Xuejian Ying had a matter-of-fact expression on her face. "Didn't Mr. Giraffe's text message include a way to get here?"

"Huh??" Hinasaki exclaimed in surprise, then quickly pulled out her phone to check the text message. After careful examination, she found an attachment in the message. She opened the attachment and found a detailed map, clearly marking the path to the underground theater.

Momoko Kurosawa and Aoi Yuri also quickly took out their phones to check and found that they had the same attachment in their text messages.

It turned out that the giraffe had already attached a map to the text message, but the three of them hadn't carefully checked all the emails since they had already been there once.

Harumi Mana looked at the three of them with a helpless expression, arms crossed, brows slightly furrowed, but a mocking smile playing on her lips. "I didn't expect the three of you to be so confused together. But since you didn't even look at the map, how did you manage to find your way here? Should I call you clever or stupid?"

Hinasaki, Momoko Kurosawa, and Aoi Yurisaki were a little embarrassed by Mana's sharp tongue. They looked at each other and their faces showed awkwardness.

Just as everyone was joking and chatting, a deep yet authoritative voice interrupted their conversation: "Alright, let's end the chat here." Everyone was startled and turned to look at the strange giraffe that had appeared in the center of the stage, its cold gaze sweeping over them.

"Now that all the actors have arrived and the stage setup is complete, let's open the audition!" As soon as the giraffe finished speaking, the lights in the entire theater suddenly dimmed, leaving only a few spotlights on the stage to illuminate the mysterious space.

The stage scenery began to move slowly, emitting soft mechanical sounds, and a huge curtain rose gently, as if unveiling a mysterious veil. Behind the curtain, a completely different scene was revealed, leaving everyone stunned.

At the center of the stage, the Starlight Tower slowly rises from the ground. This tower, soaring into the clouds, is exquisitely designed and rich in symbolism. Its body is constructed of smooth silver metal, its surface engraved with intricate star patterns, as if each star were twinkling softly.

The most eye-catching part is the spire, where two stars, one large and one small, hang, their surfaces emitting a soft glow, as if real stars had fallen to earth.

The scene around the tower was also full of dreamlike colors, with a starry night sky backdrop all around, the starlight seemingly enveloping the entire stage in a vast galaxy.

The nine people present were all students of Seisho Music Academy, and they naturally knew what the scene in front of them represented.

The Tower of Stars represents their shining dreams and endless pursuits, symbolizing StarLight—a classic that has been performed countless times on the Seisho Festival stage.

“StarLight…” Hinasaki said slowly, her voice filled with awe and excitement, her gaze fixed on the two stars hanging at the top of the tower. Under the starlight, her eyes shone with a resolute light.

"If you pluck a tiny star, you will find a small happiness." Momoko Kurosawa slowly recited the lines from the play, her voice gentle yet firm. Her gaze wandered across the stage, as if she could see that dreamlike starry sky.

“If you pluck the biggest star, you will gain great wealth,” Yuri Aoi said, following Momo’s words, her voice clear and firm. Her eyes sparkled, as if the brilliance of stars shone within them.

"If you can obtain both, you will gain eternal wishes." Hinasaki took a deep breath and continued her lines, her voice trembling slightly with anticipation. Her gaze was fixed on the two stars at the top of the tower, as if she could see their future.

"Reaching for the stars is the forgiveness of sins, reaching for the stars is the miracle of the night," Xuejian Ying said slowly, her voice deep and captivating, as if telling an ancient and mysterious legend.

Flora, her eyes scorched by the starlight, falls from the tower, her face filled with despair and pain. Previous installments of Starlight have ended here, leaving the audience with endless imagination and sorrow.

However, the most legendary female students from the Class of '99 at Shengxiang discovered the sequel to the story after reviewing the original English StarLight document.

Claire, to atone for Flora's sin of trying to pluck the stars, was imprisoned in the Tower of Stars. She lived alone in the tower, day after day, year after year, waiting for an unattainable redemption. On the stage, Claire's figure appeared so lonely and tragic, her eyes filled with deep regret and endless waiting.