Postshow

Despite Director Emery offering to hide the incident from the troupe, I was feeling too guilty about losing control to my emotions. I wanted to confess about my wrongdoing to everyone, despite not causing any damage to the tent at the end. It was only right. Everyone had worked so hard.

With Mirai by my side, we explained what happened. I didn't want it to seem like an excuse, but I also told them about Miss Ivone’s conversations with me.

Her close friend Rokuta seemed to be greatly affected, and they couldn't even listen to it all, leaving to their room. Other than them, the troupe’s reactions were varied. Not everyone was accepting of what I had done right away. I let myself feel the shame fully.

However, some were truly forgiving towards me, even saying that they had always found Miss Ivone to have an ‘off vibe’ to her and that they would never blame me for things.

I still didn't want people to talk too badly about her, though. She was just doing what she thought was the best, after all. She was just… being manipulated. She carried not only her own traumas, but the tales of many others. It was not easy on her heart.

I still wished to believe in her genuine kindness.

One thing in common, though, was the shock they experienced when learning about the true nature of the AAA. It seemed like the Director hadn’t told them before, I am sure she had a reason for that. Probably because most of the troupe had experiences since childhood with them, the feeling of betrayal was too strong…

As for what happened to Miss Ivone… she had gone completely missing after that day. I was slightly terrified about what would happen if she reported my ‘disobedience’ to the AAA. Especially after knowing how much power they truly held…

However, the Director reassured me that they would strengthen the security measures. She also explained that they most likely wouldn't risk a direct attack on a young lady, as any harm caused to me would easily be traced back to them.

“This tug of war is a delicate one. Both sides try to pull as hard as they can, trying to get advantages over another, but even one mistake would change the public opinion on them. There have been many who escaped from their schemes after refusing to be a part of their plans. Don't worry.”

In other good news, the newspaper article was cancelled before it got to be published. Some affected people, including Rudi, had hastily signed a letter stating that the news were false and they didn't consent for their photos to be published. This was enough for the company to cancel that day’s issue before they were distributed.

As for our performances… they had gone incredibly smooth. The incidents had the perhaps unexpected effect of bringing everyone closer, and our passion to show the audience about the brilliance of Aberrants had reached peak levels. Surely, we had touched the hearts of many—young or old.

Mister Roan’s offer to have me on stage had resulted in an almost unbelievable number of people praising my voice after the shows. So many people requested to have a word with me just to hear my voice, to have photos taken together with me, and some even asked for my signature!

It was all too unbelievable for me, it's like the days were a dream I never wanted to wake up from…

I had even got to meet Mirai’s family, and they were simply the sweetest people I had ever seen. I never thought I could be someone who would receive this amount of love and adoration. They could not stop praising me, and they invited me to visit their home in Tarrin at least fifty times… and her aunt was most pleased to hear where I was from!

I couldn't help but wish that my mother could be here, as well. However, she had to stay in Balamur to look after my younger brother. Since I could not express myself on the telephone, Rai had kindly called her in my stead.

Just like her parents, my mother was also most pleased to hear about our bond becoming closer and closer. She had always been worried about my loneliness, after all… It was slightly embarrassing, but this was something I wanted her to know about.

She was also intensely surprised to learn that instead of me merely helping with the costumes, I had become a part of the stage as well. She got so emotional that she started crying… Rai found it so sweet, meanwhile Mimi remarked ‘oh so that's where her crybaby self comes from’...

Argh, I just loved them all too much…!

After successfully wrapping up our shows in Birann City, we had dinner together with everyone. It was also decided and announced during the dinner that we would all stay here for three weeks more, as there were a lot of legal processes to take care of after the slander article.

Sometimes we would talk to investigators, and sometimes to lawyers—me getting the help of Mirai, of course. There was one individual in particular who stood out to me, which was Miss Thema, a woman that was practically the head of all the lawyers working for the FHN. She had unique blue colored teeth, and matching blue nails.

She was so charismatic and fun, that the law related processes that I had feared so much actually became something I looked forward to each time.

That was basically the gist of all that happened after that fateful evening. It was truly surprising how fast one’s life could change. Just over a month ago, I would have never even dared to imagine all these experiences that I got to have on the daily nowadays.

With the arrival of summer, my heart was feeling lighter than ever. It was time to pick some new clothes for the season. Me and Mirai had arranged a morning to go out and have a date at the shopping district together. I couldn't sleep well because of the excitement the night prior…

“You're starting to resemble Rai…”

I chuckled as I swiftly braided the long section of her hair and tied it with a black and white ribbon. There were things they were starting to resemble me about, as well—like our music taste. I frequently found them humming the tunes of the songs I liked…

Once I was done with her hair, it was time to leave the garden and catch our bus. A lot of troupe members were sitting on the grass, having a pleasant time together. I waved them goodbye as we walked towards the building to pick up our bags for the day out.

I took a good look at everyone before we left, inhaling the scent of the beautiful trees of the garden. If I could describe the scenery in a few words, it’d be…

Morning time. Boisterous. Together.