Chapter 30: So Tempting… It’s Just Cruel
And so, with the group leader’s blessing, Guqiu became the theater group’s exclusive performance prop.
What a happy occasion, truly worthy of celebration!
Well, not exactly a real member, just a prop, really.
Too bad Guqiu didn’t get that concept.
All it knew was that it would be living here from now on and would get a daily dose of fries.
The group leader and others returned to the pitch-black backstage, leaving only the female members of the troupe.
Lianhua stared curiously at the pigeon perched on a chair, reaching out to touch its chest, her fingers sinking into the soft feathers.
“Night Star actually picked up such a strange thing. It looks so cute!”
The Singer was also observing the pigeon closely.
“It has a vibe similar to ours, so it should be a fellow creature… but why is this strange kind among us? Star Eclipse pigeons are really too odd, right?”
Night Star shook her head.
“I have no idea, I just found it on the beach and decided to bring it back.”
“Good for you for bringing it back to be a performance prop; being treated like a prop is sooo pitiful.”
“Well, we can’t just keep a pet in the theater, can we? Making it a prop at least gives it some value. Otherwise, feeding it a box of fries every day seems a bit extreme!”
“Ma~ as long as the Audience Performer is happy, that’s what matters.”
Not to mention a pigeon, even if Night Star brought a lion to the theater, Kong Yu Bai wouldn’t have any objection, though whether the group leader would is another story.
At that moment, Guqiu chirped, “Goo! What is this place? Why is it so dark?”
“Well, this is the theater, where you’ll be living from now on,” Night Star replied.
“Goo! What am I supposed to do here?”
“Uh, we’ll talk about that later. Basically, you just need to stay quietly here every day and wait for me to deliver fries to you.”
“Goo goo! That sounds great!”
Guqiu flapped its wings a couple of times and flew back to perch on Night Star’s head.
“Goo, this is the dream life I’ve always wanted! To so easily achieve my pigeon existence, you are my benefactor!”
“Eh~ Guqiu really knows how to exaggerate…”
Night Star couldn’t help but notice.
Guqiu seemed to have a much higher IQ than the average bird; otherwise, how could it have such an extensive vocabulary?
If your typical little bird could talk, it’d hardly be able to articulate itself as fluently and richly as Guqiu.
But its common sense was clearly different from humans, so while it had a lot of words, normal conversation was probably a no-go.
Thinking of this, Night Star felt it was necessary to enlighten Guqiu on the concept of “performance prop.” Otherwise, if Guqiu didn’t cooperate during performances, the group leader would surely turn it into dinner.
Night Star definitely didn’t want this cute pigeon to end up as roasted pigeon; that would just be too tempting… Oh wait, too cruel!
So…
Night Star’s expression gradually turned serious as she said to Guqiu, “Guqiu, listen up!”
“Goo?”
“You will be the number one performance prop in the Rising Sun Theater Group from now on. If anyone asks you what you do, you should answer like this.”
“Goo, what’s a performance prop?”
“Uh, if I just tell you, you might not get it.”
Night Star moved closer to Guqiu, took out her phone, and pulled up a video of a magician pulling a white dove out of a hat.
Curious, Guqiu leaned in to watch the screen.
Night Star said, “See, that’s a performance prop! You need to cooperate with the people on stage and follow their instructions. Anything we agree on must be done correctly; otherwise, no fries for you.”
“Goo, so it’s about being obedient, right?”
“Exactly! Besides listening to me, you also need to heed the words of everyone else here. They can all be your caretakers, you know.”
“Goo! I got it! I will be the most loyal performance prop ever!”
After Night Star’s explanation, Guqiu completely accepted its current situation.
As long as fries were involved, it was willing to do anything.
Isn’t that better than begging for fries from beachgoers?
It seems like teaming up with this human was definitely the right choice!
The announcer behind them was watching this scene with a slight smile.
“Guqiu, Guqiu, you found such an interesting thing! Truly lucky for the Audience Performer! An undead type Star Eclipse is hard to come by, though right now it’s only good for science experiments.”
After muttering this, the announcer faded into the darkness, leaving no trace of where she went.
Meanwhile, the Audience Performer, Puppet Master, and Singer were still surrounding Guqiu, discussing how this performance prop could be utilized in different shows.
Is there anything other than magic?
Maybe there is—like fetching things for the performers on stage could make for a great show!
With a bit of training, they could even turn it into a top-notch actor!
Having a talking pigeon as an actor would definitely be a unique feature for the theater group!
In short, Night Star’s mind was already filled with those pictures.
“Guqiu! Let’s practice how to become an excellent performance prop right now!”
“Goo! Okay!”
Guqiu perked up, flapping its wings energetically, showing no resistance to Night Star’s commands.
Although it didn’t have much fondness for humans, it would totally follow this silver-haired loli in a heartbeat.
No need for reasons! If one had to, the only reason was an instinctive urge to obey her; just being around her felt like an extraordinary honor!
The moment they met, Guqiu was practically filled with goodwill.
This was Guqiu’s attitude toward Night Star.
…
Night Watcher Base
Night Lan was deep in thought, staring at the screen, her fingers continuously typing, then pausing for a moment only to continue again like a novelist with sudden bursts of inspiration.
Beside her, White Fish leaned over to see the screen and asked, “Night Lan, what are you doing?”
“Writing an opera script.”
“What’s it for?”
“For the theater group members to perform the opera.”
“Oh~ I see! By the way, can Night Lan really write scripts?”
Upon hearing this, Night Lan’s expression stiffened and then shifted to disappointment.
“Of course not! I’m just mimicking an online template; what I write looks terrible… so frustrating!”
“I’m sorry, I’m not good at that stuff either, so I probably can’t help you.”
“It’s okay! This is the path I’ve chosen; I’ll walk it to the end, even if I have to cry.”
Night Lan was determined. Worst-case scenario, she could seek help from an expert online.
She refused to believe that in this large Night Watcher organization, there wasn’t at least one person who could write a script!
As for the lyrics and melody of the opera, Kong Yu Bai could handle that; it should be a piece of cake!
The world songstress can write lyrics and compose tunes for an opera, after all!
Now, she just needed to finalize the opera’s content.
However, that was the trickiest part.
As of now, Night Lan hadn’t come up with anything.
Darn it!
Seeing Night Lan’s distressed expression, White Fish reached out to pat her head in a soothing gesture. “Hey, don’t rush it. I believe you can think of something, and I’ll be there to cheer you on!”
“Um, thanks.”
In any case, it’s time to speed things up!
