The spacious stage of the gymnasium was set with a wooden table, chairs, and a kerosene lamp.

"Good morning, young lady," Dubian Che stepped onto the stage.

"Good morning, Mr. Devil," Jiutiao Meijie, her hair quickly tied up to become a village girl, responded with a smile.

Kiyono Lin sat below, with the script in her left hand and a pen in her right, watching the two actors' interaction closely.

"First act, cut!" she yelled, and the movements of the two on stage ceased.

Jiutiao Meijie put down her luggage and glanced at Dubian Che's blood-red eyes, "Colored contact lenses?"

"This is my GEASS, gained over the weekend, its power is to make young girls fall in love with me," Dubian Che gestured with his right hand as if removing a mask, "Jiutiao Meijie, I now command you—fall in love with me!"

"The play's already over," Kiyono Lin reminded from below.

Dubian Che lowered his hand and said to Jiutiao Meijie, "This person is so boring."

"You're the boring one," Jiutiao Meijie didn't show any mercy to her own boyfriend.

The two left the stage and joined the others around Kiyono Lin.

"Remove the spotlight when the Devil comes on stage," Kiyono Lin thought for a moment, and added: "The Devil should stay in darkness the whole time, without any lighting."

"But there are surely many girls who buy tickets just to see Dubian," Xiaoquan Aonai said.

Kiyono Lin looked towards Dubian Che, asking him, "What's your opinion?"

"How about giving me the spotlight at the end?"

"When the Devil enters the Immortal Realm?" Kiyono Lin confirmed.

"Mm-hmm."

After thinking for a moment, Kiyono Lin nodded, "That's fine. Any other thoughts on the first act?"

"No," only Ichiki Aoi spoke up in reply, while the others were either silent or shaking their heads.

"Then let's start the second act," Kiyono Lin commanded, "Setting: the meadow; Characters: the village girl, the first Secret Keeper, and the Devil."

The three unnamed passersby, after discussion, were changed to Secret Keepers—those who knew the secret pathway to the Immortal Realm.

Although the second act included Dubian Che's part, much of it was Jiutiao Meijie completing Xiaoquan Aonai's tasks. When not performing, he picked up the camera and started the video recording mode.

The two actors on stage, and everyone else watching the performance below, were all captured on film.

After the performance ended, Dubian Che even went up for an interview.

"Mr. Xiaoquan, are you confident about this play's performance?"

"I'll do my best!" Xiaoquan Aonai made a fist like a young girl.

"So cute~ Let's interview the lead, Jiutiao..." Jiutiao Meijie's white hand blocked the camera lens, much like a big-name star who detests reporters.

After a round of rehearsals, their time at the gymnasium came to an end, and everyone went back to the Human Observation Department.

Twilight streamed in through the windows like spilled egg yolk.

"The acting skills of Mr. Xiaoquan and Ichiki Aoi are still not up to par," Kiyono Lin said as she sat atop the elm desk.

"Sorry," Xiaoquan Aonai said with embarrassment.

Ichiki Aoi bowed her head, pretending to study the script seriously, putting on an earnest atmosphere as if deeply contemplating the acting technique.

"Not just acting, but overcoming stage fright as well," Kiyono Lin continued, "From now on, we'll practice on the overhead corridor."

"Ah!" Ichiki Aoi exclaimed in surprise.

"Do I have to?" Xiaoquan Aonai was a teacher after all, and practicing lines and voice projection on the busy overhead corridor full of students was an extremely embarrassing affair.

Even if one weren't a teacher, any ordinary student being asked to stand in front of a crowd and recite lines from a script was a challenge to their limits of shame.

"How about we just practice voice projection?" Dubian Che suggested to Kiyono Lin, "If we also practice the lines outside, it would definitely spoil the plot."

"That's right, that's right!" Ichiki Aoi hurriedly agreed.

Xiaoquan Aonai nodded in agreement as well.

Kiyono Lin accepted Dubian Che's suggestion: "Besides the critical acting and stage psychology, we also need to start making the promotional posters..."

After the meeting, Xiaoquan Aonai and Ichiki Aoi procrastinated for a while before leaving the clubroom to head to the overhead corridor.

"Feeling shy?" Dubian Che asked Xiaoquan Aonai, who was trailing behind.

"Of course," Xiaoquan Aonai grimaced with her pretty egg-shaped face.

"Just think of it as teaching a class, then you won't be afraid."

"I'll give it a try!"

On the fifth-floor overhead corridor, the Wind Instrument Club practiced, the Calligraphy Club wrote giant characters, and the Robotics Department experimented with their homemade robot dogs.

Xiaoquan Aonai, who had mustered up her courage, suddenly reverted back to the same expression as Ichiki Aoi.

The five stood in a row in the order of 'Dubian, Jiutiao, Xiaoquan, Mayi, Ichiki,' with Kiyono Lin standing opposite them.

"Voice projection exercises are basic, but also very important, let's begin!"

"a, e, i, u, e, o... ko, ka, ko."

Jiutiao Mei, Mayi Asuka, and Kiyono Lin projected their voices without any timidity.

Xiaoquan Aonai and Ichiki Aoi's voices were stuck in their throats.

"Mr. Xiaoquan, Ichiki," Kiyono Lin paused for a moment, "How can you perform in a play if you are afraid of speaking in front of people?"

"Yes!" both responded.

Their voices slowly grew louder.

Kiyono Lin continued, "To perform to your full potential on stage, you must overcome shyness."

The two caught up with Dubian and the others in voice volume.

At that moment, some girls from the Wind Instrument Club greeted Ichiki Aoi with a laugh, "Hey, Ichiki, what are you doing?"

Ichiki Aoi's face turned red, and her voice shrank again, looking down in embarrassment.

Xiaoquan Aonai's voice also dipped, but after taking a deep breath, she quickly opened up.

"Ichiki," Kiyono Lin reminded.

"Yes!" Ichiki Aoi responded loudly, but no matter what, she couldn't project her voice freely.

"ka, ke, ki..." Dubian Che's voice suddenly grew loud, overpowering the choir group's voice in the atrium below.

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