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

"The story Peach told me back then was about that student not getting off the bus... Now that I've gotten off, can I still get back?"

Lixi turned his head to look at the tram tracks behind him, which stretched into the distance and disappeared into the darkness.

She stood there staring at the train tracks, feeling a chill run down her spine, and a strange, unsettling feeling emanated from there.

Conversely, the dark staircase in front of her seemed to attract her. If this were a horror movie set, she probably would have met her demise no matter which path she chose.

But this is a Bushido movie set. Although there are supernatural beings such as giraffes, detectives, and ghosts, it should be a light and fun place overall, right?

In short, after thinking it over, Lixi decided that instead of waiting in this strange place for the tram that would never return, she should take a step forward and step onto the steps in front of her to see what was going on.

The sound of footsteps echoed clearly in the empty and quiet station. After climbing the steps, there was a straight passage with signs on both sides.

These signs clearly indicate that this place leads to the "stage," with every word clearly written, striving to guide her in the right direction.

"Even so... can a stage be considered a location?"

With this question in mind, Lixi slowly walked towards the end of the passage. The lights on both sides could only illuminate her path, and the eerie environment around her made her feel even more nervous.

At the end of the passage was a tightly closed door. Lixi stood in front of the door, glanced back at the passage where the steps she had come from were no longer visible, and finally slowly pushed the door open.

The moment she pushed open the door, the hinges made a dull thud, and a spotlight on the ceiling suddenly turned on, shining several blinding incandescent lights directly onto Lixi, making her the focus of the stage.

The sudden bright light made Lixi squint involuntarily. After she gradually adjusted to the intensity of the light, she could see clearly that she was in Ring's performance hall.

The environment here is almost... no, as a staff member who works at Ring every day, Lixi can be certain that this place is exactly the same as the environment in Ring's performance hall. But this brings new questions. Her home is not only far away from Ring, but also completely opposite. Why did this tram bring her here?

"Lixi-chan is a little late. Is she still hesitating about the stage?"

Just as Riki was looking around, Hinasaki slowly pushed open the door connecting the stage to the backstage, making a slight scraping sound.

Wearing her Revue outfit, Yue walked lightly and rhythmically onto the stage, as if performing a graceful dance.

She stopped in the center of the stage, and the beams of light that were originally aimed at Riki on the ceiling all changed direction and shone on Hinasaki Tsuki, who was standing in the center of the stage. The light shone on Tsuki like a torrent, making her shine on the stage.

"Dazzled by the brilliance, lost on the stage. Hinasaki Tsuki, keyboardist of an unnamed band! Following the footsteps of the starlight and her own wishes, she stands on this stage!"

As the light shone on Yue, she began to recite her own lyrics, making the already bewildered Shiina Ritsuki even more confused.

"Moon? What are you doing? Where is this place? Are all these strange things related to you?"

In this horror movie-like setting, Lixi finally saw a surviving human being, and it was someone she knew. At that moment, Lixi seemed to have found a release point, and she asked a series of questions.

"Shh!"

Hinasaki slowly extended a hand and gently covered her lips, signaling Riki to remain quiet. Her eyes shone with a mysterious light, revealing an aura of solemnity.

"This is a stage, Riki-chan. Even though you don't understand stage performances, when we're on stage during band activities, apart from the MC segment, all we can do is give the audience the best performance. So... Riki-chan, sing! Show your brilliance!"

"Moon... what are you talking about? Shouldn't we be leaving this place right now?"

Shiina Tatsuki ignored what Tsuki had just said and continued to ask Tsuki how to leave.

"I've already said it, Lixi-chan, all we can do on this stage is sing, dance, and give the audience the best performance. When you express your determination, this stage will respond to you."

Yue explained the rules of the stage to Lixi once again.

"Huh? Yue, what are you talking about...?"

Although Li hope often skips classes, sleeps in class, or plays on her phone, she is not stupid, and this is clearly related to Yue.

"I've already said it, this is a stage, everything is prohibited except for performances."

Yue snapped her fingers, and a gleaming, cold-looking longsword descended from the sky, its blade slicing through the air in a flash of light. The blade nearly grazed Yue's body, but she showed no fear, standing motionless as the longsword passed in front of her and embedded itself in the center of the T-shaped marker on the stage.

"If Lixi doesn't get into the zone soon, I'll eliminate her."

Yue casually pulled out the Mo Dao from the ground and swung it gracefully. The blade flowed through the air like water, leaving behind streaks of dazzling light. She walked slowly toward Li hope, each step deliberate yet filled with determination.

When the Performance Begins: Chapter Forty-Nine - When the Actors Take the Stage

"Huh...? You're kidding, right...? That's a prop, isn't it?"

Lixi kept backing away until she was pressed against the wall. The cold, hard feeling of the wall behind her made her realize that she had nowhere left to retreat.

"Lixi, can't you sing on stage?"

Yue swung her blade, slicing through the audience's seats in front of her. Wood chips flew everywhere, and the gleaming blade reflected Li hope's terrified face.

The sharp glint of the blade finally shattered Lixi's last illusions, making her feel the threat of death. She finally realized that the scene before her was not part of a drama, but a real and cruel reality.

"Damn it... Yue, what are you doing?"

Lixi fled in the direction away from the moon, but the flat ground in front of her suddenly rose up and turned into a steep staircase.

Her heart pounded wildly. The strange sight before her filled her with immense panic and despair. Looking back at the approaching moon, and disregarding where the stairs led, Lixi could only run up the stairs again.

"call……"

Seeing Lixi act according to the script, Yue felt a sense of relief welling up inside her. Her eyes gradually softened and she raised her arm to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead.

She had been worried about what she would do if Lixi collapsed without following the script. Pretending to have missed a move would seem too deliberate. Fortunately, everything was going according to her plan.

As Lixi climbed the stairs, she saw another strange door. Thinking that Yue was still chasing after her, she didn't care about anything else and smashed open the door to reach the second floor of the stage.

Behind the door stood many wooden standees in the shape of Haneoka, all painted with Haneoka's school uniform, but their heads were shrouded in black, so their faces could not be seen. However, judging from the front and back of the school uniform, they were all quietly watching the empty drum set in the center of the stage.

Next to these standees, there are also various exquisite musical instruments, suggesting that this place is meant to represent a live symphony concert.

Meanwhile, Yue stood backstage watching the helpless Lixi and manipulated the stage to close the door that had brought her in.

"Eh?"

Lixi reached out and pulled the doorknob, hoping the door would open smoothly. However, the doorknob did not respond and remained motionless, as if the entire door had merged into the wall.

Seeing that Lixi could not escape, Yue prepared to carry out the next step of her plan.

She coughed lightly, cleared her throat, adjusted her vocal cords, and then took a deep breath. An anxious and unfamiliar female voice came from her mouth.

"Shiina-san, you've finally arrived! You promised to lead our orchestral club to national number one, just like Shiina Maki-senpai."

"Huh??? When did I..."

Lixi was speaking when she realized that her Flower Girl school uniform had somehow become Yuqiu's school uniform. The schoolbag that she had dropped when she fled from Yue had somehow returned to her hands, with two drumsticks sticking out from the zipper.

"Hurry up, Shiina-sama, everyone's waiting for you."

Yue spoke again in another voice.

A sudden surge of panic and unease welled up in Lixi's heart. Her body began to tremble, and it felt as if something was stuck in her throat, making it difficult for her to speak. She could only grip the handle of her schoolbag tightly, her palms sweating profusely. The drumsticks inside the schoolbag felt like dumbbells, and their heavy weight made her shoulders ache.

Her gaze swept across the surrounding scene. The neatly arranged orchestra was waiting for her to sit in the empty seat in the middle of the stage, anticipating that she, the second-generation Shiina leader, would lead them in their performance.

"What happened to Minister Shiina? Why isn't he going on stage? Is he backing out at this crucial moment?"

A sharp, sarcastic female voice rang in Shiina Tatsuki's ear, and these words seemed to ignite a fuse, causing whispers to erupt throughout the stage.

"Department Leader Shiina doesn't seem nearly as good as her older sister at all..."

“I’ve said it before, Shiina-sama could never lead us to win those awards like her sister did.”

"..."

Countless sarcastic remarks rang in her ears, words that pierced her eardrums like sharp blades, each one like a needle pricking her heart. The pressure was like a huge mountain, crushing her and making it hard to breathe.

"Stop talking..."

Li hope's lips parted slightly, uttering a faint sound. Her voice was weak and trembling, as if she were bearing an unspeakable pressure, almost imperceptible in the noisy and chaotic atmosphere.

"I told you to shut up!"

Lixi's suppressed emotions finally erupted. Her voice was deafening, like a thunderclap that ignited the surrounding air. Her purple eyes were filled with anger as she poured out all the bitterness she had been holding in for so long.

The noisy surroundings fell silent, and the cardboard cutouts all turned to look at Lixi, shocked by her sudden outburst.

"You want to play a piece? Okay! I'll do it!"

The rage burning in Shiina Riki's mind made her ignore the horrific scene. She casually threw her schoolbag on the ground, took out the drumsticks, and walked straight onto the stage along the path cleared for her in the middle.

She stepped onto the stage with steady and powerful steps, each step seemingly releasing her inner anger and repression, and the spotlight on the stage illuminated her path forward.

"call……"

Hinasaki, backstage, breathed a sigh of relief again. She had almost suspected that when Riki roared, he would have picked up his drumsticks and smashed all the stage equipment.

Fortunately, the situation she feared did not happen. Li hope did not lose control; instead, she finally agreed to step onto the stage after a period of devastation.

Yue knew that her plan was about to enter a crucial stage, and the only variable was how much brilliance the existence named Shiina Riki could display on stage to supply her reproduction.

"Lixi-chan... Good luck!"

----------

Shiina Tatsuki, who had already taken to the stage, obviously couldn't hear Hinasaki's cheers from backstage.

The closer she got to the drum set, the slower her steps became. Although she had just declared her intention to perform on stage in a fit of anger, once she was actually on stage, feeling the heat of the spotlight and the gazes of the faceless cardboard cutouts behind her, she realized that the pressure of the stage made her feel the pressure.

Lixi was also very uneasy. According to what was said on the broadcast, this stage was because she had not chosen to run away, continued to study at Yugaoka, and had even inherited her sister's orchestral club.

"Am I really capable of doing as well as my sister?"

Standing on the stage, Lixi thought about this question again. She was clearly no match for Xiangzi. Could she really perform like her sister?

However, when Lixi opened the sheet music, the melody written on it was one she was very familiar with.

'Wild-screen baroque? Can this really be used as an orchestral performance?'

If Yue, who was backstage, knew what Li hope was thinking at this moment, she would probably complain: "After all, I'm not a professional composer. If Sheng Xiang hadn't done a symphony concert before, I wouldn't have been able to find this kind of sheet music. I'll just make do with it."

"The performance is about to begin. Please get ready, performers."

This time, Yue used a more formal female voice.

As the conductor waved his arm, the atmosphere on the stage became increasingly exciting. The notes of the violin danced, like a flock of free birds echoing in the room, and the melodious tune resonated in everyone's heart.

Soon, the music moved into the part requiring percussion. Lixi sat in front of the drum and felt the pressure on her growing heavier. She had never rehearsed before, the unfamiliar music and the strange sequence of events all brought her immense pressure.

However, under such pressure, Lixi closed her eyes, relaxed her body, emptied her mind, and cast aside all distractions. She stopped thinking about other random things and simply focused on the music. Then, Lixi precisely struck the drumsticks.

After casting aside all distracting thoughts, Lixi felt an unprecedented joy and relaxation. Now, only music remained in her mind, and all she could think about was swinging her arm and striking the drumhead. Each strike brought a vibration, which was her best effort to communicate with the music.

At that moment, Yue once again felt a sparkling sensation emanating from Lixi; Lixi truly made her feel incredibly radiant.

As the performance ended, one by one the lights dimmed, and the life-size cardboard cutouts below the stage were gradually swallowed by darkness, leaving only the stage where Lai Lixi stood in the empty room, filled with light.

"Is it... over?"