Chapter 17: It’s Hard Not to Fall
The theater troupe members relaxed after confirming that the Audience Performer was just experiencing temporary amnesia.
Since her wishing ability was out of commission, that was clearly the root of the problem.
They thought perhaps the Audience Performer had made some bizarre wish again, causing this whole mess.
Once the “Assistant” got back on track, all their woes would be solved!
Until then, any worries were completely pointless.
“Let’s have the Audience Performer stay in the theater to rest. You don’t look so good right now. At least until the Assistant recovers, you need to be extra careful,” the Group Leader said softly, his tone laced with concern.
He had a point.
Right now, Night Star Lan was practically enveloped by a cloud of drowsiness, dragging through the day like a sloth on vacation, itching to snooze at any given moment.
This was clearly a side effect of the wish-making fiasco—it was unavoidable.
Even if she could tackle regular crises with her other abilities, if Old Six decided to set a trap, Night Star Lan could very well end up face-planting.
After all, it had only been three years.
Conquering the world wasn’t on her resume just yet, and there were undoubtedly eyes watching her.
Take First Generation Star Eclipses, for instance.
Rumor has it, in this future, she only ran into the Dream Narrator, the Uncrowned Wanderer, Oya, Hilo, Loti Shana, and the Ballad Conductor—six of them in total.
Then there were three more lurking in the shadows.
Without Kuro in this future, her encounters with them were bound to be different from what she originally experienced.
She had gathered some intel from the Dream Narrator before.
The Uncrowned Wanderer, Oya, and Hilo had once teamed up to bully her, which pushed her mental prowess to B-rank and gifted her a third of their abilities.
It was no wonder she had tried to help the Dream Narrator fulfill wishes in her dreams.
But unlike before, this time the attempt had flopped.
Without Kuro in the picture, the wish would only have nixed the Dream Narrator over to Bai’s side.
The failure implied that Night Star Lan’s B-rank mental prowess wasn’t enough for such lofty wishes.
She felt like Kuro was operating on a whole different level.
Was this a clue that Source of White was somehow scarier than Source of Kuro?
After all, even wishes were unable to interfere.
Night Star Lan began to doubt if she could even pull the Dream Narrator back.
At this rate, she might not only fail to rescue them but end up as their captive!
Her companions wouldn’t stand a chance against Source of White.
If it escalated to that point, the only option left would be to rely on Ji!
“Hmm… No, I shouldn’t be so pessimistic. Who’s to say Source of White isn’t actually on the friendly side? It’s always best to look on the bright side,” Night Star Lan thought, taking a deep breath and trying to clear her mind of wild thoughts.
Being too gloomy would only worry her friends.
Night Star Lan didn’t want Lianhua and the others to fuss over her.
She felt a pang of guilt.
“What’s the Audience Performer thinking?” came Kong Yu Bai’s concerned voice.
“Uh… Nothing much. Singer, my memories are a bit hazy. Do you remember when we first met?”
Night Star Lan wasn’t entirely sure if this future would unfold like the past.
It was possible the influences of Kuro and Bai might have introduced some subtle differences.
She wanted to confirm it with Kong Yu Bai.
Just then, Lianhua piped up, “How about watching my puppet show? It’s adapted from the stories of the Audience Performer and us! Maybe it’ll help jog your memory!”
“I want to see it!” Night Star Lan’s eyes sparkled.
She figured it was a brilliant idea.
Who would have thought Lianhua’s little habit would end up being so useful today?
What a lifesaver!
With so much she didn’t pick up on yet, snuggling into the theater to watch Lianhua’s puppet show seemed like the best way to go.
Perfectly satisfying her curiosity.
Though, she wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t many differences.
Even so, Night Star Lan was totally game to hang out here, mostly because she had zero motivation to do anything else.
She was like a husky that just ran out of juice.
“So, I’ll leave it to the Puppet Master!”
“Yup, I’m super happy to perform for the Audience Performer!”
After agreeing, Lianhua quickly took to the stage and conjured an array of puppets for the show.
The other troupe members lingered by Night Star Lan’s side, showing no intention of heading off.
Maybe it was because the “amnesia” situation had everyone more attentive than usual.
Plus, given how weak the Audience Performer was at the moment, even taking a step could be a bit risky.
Night Star Lan could sense that Kong Yu Bai and Book Yao were holding back, likely worried that their actions might unsettle the “amnesiac” Audience Performer.
When it came to being considerate, they really nailed it.
Of course, this made Night Star Lan even more curious about how things would unfold with them three years down the line.
She had initially thought they could maintain that just-above-friends-but-not-quite-lovers dynamic and keep it together.
At least, she wouldn’t cross any lines.
But could that really happen?
Maybe Kong Yu Bai and the rest could hold the fort, but she might just be the one clawing for more.
Why did it feel like she was teetering towards becoming that “Old Pervert”?
Clearly, the people around her were spoiling her rotten.
In this cushy environment, it’s hard not to fall!
She was more than willing to dive into cuddly comfort.
She just hoped there wouldn’t be any ax-wielding surprises down the line.
Reality check!
Night Star Lan decided to stick around the theater with her troupe buddies while Lianhua put on her puppet show to pass the time, curious to see how this future’s past differed from what she’d gone through.
Meanwhile, Night Lan had other plans.
She aimed to head over to the Night Watcher Base in Yun Chang City.
According to the Night Watcher’s website, the Audience Performer hadn’t disclosed her identity.
To most Night Watchers, she was still a mysterious little loli.
It seemed only Night Lan, being the closest pal, knew the real story.
All in all, still pretty enigmatic.
So, Night Lan didn’t face any huge repercussions from this.
If her identity were to spill, her own reputation would be even more fearsome.
Three years had passed, and she was still grappling with her social anxiety.
Thank goodness she never had to reveal the Audience Performer’s identity!
Otherwise, Night Lan wouldn’t even know how to handle that kind of situation now.
Night Lan returned to the Fish Playing House.
She planned to change into something nice before heading out.
When she opened her wardrobe, she was greeted by an array of cute outfits that looked completely foreign to her.
They had definitely been collected over these past three years.
She had a hunch that these weren’t her purchases.
They were likely handpicked by friends like Kong Yu Bai.
There was no way she would buy such flamboyant clothes herself.
She was all about low-key.
Never one to flaunt her cuteness through flashy attire.
So she randomly grabbed a set of normal clothes and changed.
Ready to step out!
Before leaving, she responded to all her friends’ messages, excitement bubbling up inside.
Three years had passed.
The little lolis, like White Fish, had surely grown into full-fledged young ladies.
Night Lan scrolled through her phone gallery, spotting loads of photos featuring them.
Sure, they lacked some of that soft adorableness, but they sure had stepped up their beauty game.
Lolis morphing into teenagers.
Getting prettier by the day.
And here she was, still a petite loli.
How on earth did she plan to stick together with them now?
Wouldn’t it look like a younger sister playing up to an older sibling when they got closer?
Totally felt like she was losing all control!
