### Chapter 8: The Theater Group Singer
Inside Night Star’s Fish Playing House.
A certain silver-haired loli and a very young little puppet master were hanging out together.
For the entire morning, Night Star watched Lianhua perform puppet shows.
Clap, clap, clap—
After finishing yet another puppet show, Night Star gently clapped her hands, revealing an adorable smile.
“Lianhua, this puppet show is so amazing! It’s a shame it’s just for me. Do you want more audiences?”
“Eh?” Lianhua paused her movements, pondering thoughtfully.
“If possible, I’d love to perform the story of how Night Star saved me for more people! But if not, that’s okay as long as Night Star is here.”
To Lianhua, Night Star was like a spiritual support, her most important audience.
Even if she eventually got more fans, none would compare to Night Star.
“Hmm~ really? How about I introduce my friends to you? They might hit it off with you and would probably be interested in puppet shows.”
She was talking about White Fish and Zero Meow, of course.
But first, Night Lan should check with them to see if they had any interest in puppet shows.
If they weren’t into that, she’d have to drop it.
However, right now, Night Lan was busy watching a concert livestream with those two lolis, so she would have to wait before asking.
“Night Star’s friends? Hmm… I’m looking forward to it!”
Saying she was looking forward, Lianhua didn’t feel overly excited.
As long as Night Star liked her puppet show, that was enough.
Lianhua’s biggest goal now was probably just to make sure Night Star always liked her puppet shows.
With that in mind, it was time to hone her performance skills for an even more exciting experience!
Suddenly, Lianhua turned to Night Star and said, “Hey, Night Star, how about we go to the theater? Performing puppet shows on a real stage would feel even more amazing, right? The audience experience must be fantastic!”
“The theater?”
Night Star’s smile froze slightly, her delicate toes tightening under the table, revealing her nervousness inside.
The theater…
If she had been here before, it wouldn’t have felt so daunting.
But now, that was a different story.
Now that she knew the group leaders were all Star Eclipses, Night Star would probably struggle to keep her cool in front of them.
Even after deciding to stay with the Rising Sun Theater Group, accepting the reality would take more than a quick moment!
Waaah.
Couldn’t they give her a bit more time to adjust…?
After thinking it over, Night Star wanted to refuse but couldn’t bear to see Lianhua’s disappointed face, so she reluctantly agreed.
She’d just have to flex her supreme acting skills when the time came.
She definitely wouldn’t be nervous!
“Uh-huh! Let’s go then!”
Night Star declared with enthusiasm, but her excitement flopped right from the start.
Lianhua stared at her adorably anxious face and couldn’t help but chuckle, gently taking her delicate little hand.
“Alright, let’s head back together, Audience Performer.”
…..
At the Rising Sun Theater.
Night Star and Lianhua returned together.
“Hmm~ I wonder if the group leaders are here?”
Night Star mumbled quietly, walking cautiously as if afraid to disturb any potential resting group leaders.
Having just crossed the dark tunnel, they smoothly entered the theater.
It was still dimly lit, casting an eerie vibe throughout the place.
In the past, Night Star might have just thought this place was abandoned for a long time, hence its spooky silence.
But now that she knew many Star Eclipses resided here, the creepiness shot up!
It felt like a ghost story set!
“Hmm… time to get used to it again.”
Night Star let out a gentle sigh, trying to relax her body.
Just then, a shadow darted out, suddenly appearing beside Night Star and Lianhua.
“Eep!”
Night Star jumped in fright; if Lianhua hadn’t been holding her hand, she would have bolted with a “Godspeed B” escape!
Once she could see who it was, she calmed down.
A gentleman in formal attire appeared, looking warm and polite—a true gentleman.
And indeed, that was who it was.
The gentleman of the Rising Sun Theater.
Night Star just recently got reacquainted with him; he was known as the “Polite Devil,” the Star Eclipse embodiment from the Tragic Shadow Theater.
“Mr. Gentleman…?”
“Shh—”
The gentleman raised a gloved finger to his lips, signaling the two to be quiet.
“Huh?”
Night Star and Lianhua exchanged puzzled glances, wondering why he was acting this way.
In fact, Night Star was so puzzled that she even forgot her nervousness.
Then, they heard the gentleman softly say, “Listen, someone is singing.”
At his words, Night Star and Lianhua instinctively quieted down, straining to hear the sounds within the theater.
“Ah…la~”
A faint, melodious voice reached their ears.
Though it was soft, it definitely existed.
Just as the gentleman had said, someone was singing.
“So beautiful…”
Night Star recognized it.
The voice seemed to hold an indescribable emotion, giving a wordless yet exceptionally beautiful song a soul.
Night Star didn’t quite know how to critique it, only that the melody was mesmerizing.
No need for fancy critique; it was simply art for everyone to enjoy.
The gentleman smiled gently.
“Audience Performer, let’s go take a look. This is a performance by one of our group members, and she needs you as her audience.”
“Eh? Okay.”
Hearing this, Night Star completely forgot how to interact with a Star Eclipse.
Wasn’t anything really that different than before?
Alright, just stick to normal conversation like always.
These Star Eclipse embodiments didn’t seem so intimidating after all.
With that thought, Night Star started making her way toward the source of the singing.
The gentleman and Lianhua silently followed behind her.
A little while later, Night Star found herself at the front of the stage, staring at a transcendent girl singing passionately in the dim light.
“Is this… the singer?”
Night Star recognized her.
When the group leader invited her to check out the theater, he had introduced this peculiar girl, code-named “Singer.” At that time, she had been perched atop tall performance props, completely ignoring her surroundings, like an ethereal girl on the brink of fading away.
All Night Star had heard from the group leader was, “She has a beautiful voice.”
And now, she could see that was absolutely true.
As the singer began to sing, Night Star realized the group leader wasn’t exaggerating.
“So, how do you like the singer’s performance?”
The group leader’s voice sounded near her.
The fraudster was also present, seemingly listening to the singer’s melody.
In that moment, Night Star felt as if she had forgotten their identities as Star Eclipses, her eyes reflecting the slender figure of the singer onstage, a scene that would be forever etched in her memory.
Faced with the group leader’s inquiry, Night Star instinctively nodded.
“Mm, I love this voice.”
“Thank you for recognizing the singer. I’m sure she’ll be delighted to hear that.”
“Uh…”
