“Troupe Leader, are you going to put on performances in the theater from now on?”

After the Troupe Leader warned Yexing not to go near those two abnormal girls, she continued looking around with him.

“No. This is where we rest. We put on performances outside.”

“Why?”

“Because nobody comes to this theater, we have to go out and draw the audience’s attention ourselves. But unfortunately, our performances don’t seem to be very popular.”

“Really? But they’re amazing...”

In fact,

ordinary people couldn’t perceive Star Eclipse.

Every performance by the Tragic Shadow Troupe was, in essence, a Star Eclipse phenomenon.

Ordinary people were merely affected by their power—their minds were contaminated—and that was what allowed them to perceive the troupe’s abnormalities.

Under normal circumstances, only one kind of person could resist this mental contamination and see the new reality: the so-called performance.

Only Star Holders. That was the necessary qualification for seeing this new world.

And most Star Holders were Night Watchers. Their duty was to deal with Star Eclipse, so when would they have the leisure to enjoy a performance by the Tragic Shadow Troupe?

The moment they met, it was a fight to the death.

Only Night Watchers could become their audience, but Night Watchers were the very people who got in the way of their performances. It was a closed loop.

But now...

a completely clueless rookie Night Watcher had met the Troupe Leader and offered heartfelt praise and affection.

And so Sunrise Theatre welcomed its very first Spectator: Yexing.

Even now, Yexing still thought they were just a strange troupe and didn’t seem dangerous.

“Um... Nobody likes your performances...?” Yexing felt sorry for them.

They were a troupe, yet they didn’t have a single loyal audience member. Not one person looked forward to their performances.

She could already picture them performing outside while passersby looked on with cold indifference.

It felt rather sad, as if the troupe members’ very identity was being denied.

The Troupe Leader had said he performed to bring joy to lots of people. It was a simple dream, but one that seemed so difficult to achieve now.

If Yexing were in his shoes, she probably would’ve changed her dream long ago.

As she thought about it, Yexing gradually made up her mind, summoning her courage.

“Um... Mr. Troupe Leader, if you ever feel like nobody likes watching your performances, don’t forget that I’m here. I like watching them! I can be your audience, and I’ll keep supporting you from now on!”

A cute blush had already appeared on Yexing’s face.

It felt like being put on public trial.

After all, it took a lot of courage for a social klutz to say something this embarrassing.

Yexing wanted to bury her head in the ground the moment she finished speaking.

“Uuugh...”

If Mr. Troupe Leader laughed out loud, she’d absolutely run away as fast as she could.

Just thinking about it was mortifying!

But the Troupe Leader didn’t make fun of her. He simply smiled warmly.

“Miss Spectator, on behalf of everyone in the Rising Sun Troupe, I’d like to thank you for your support. I’m deeply moved. It makes me feel that, rather than showing our wonderful performances to false audiences who can’t feel joy, we’d be better off showing them only to you, our adorable little Spectator. Bringing joy to just you is worth it to us.”

The Trickster and the Gentleman were standing not far away, apparently able to hear their conversation.

After hearing what Yexing said, the two exchanged a knowing smile.

Was it approval?

It was the first time they’d ever heard anyone say something like that.

It felt pretty nice.

Back to Yexing.

Hearing the Troupe Leader’s words made Yexing feel a little embarrassed instead. She unconsciously twirled her hair.

“Ehehe... You’re making me blush.”

“How about this, Miss Spectator? I’d like to formally invite you to join our troupe. You won’t need to perform; all you have to do is watch our shows. You can be the only audience member at our theater, and whenever we put on something new, you’ll be the first to see it. What do you think?”

“Huh?”

Yexing’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. Only after a moment did she begin to understand what he meant.

“Join the troupe...? But I’m really lazy and like staying at home. I might not be able to come every day.”

“That’s all right. You can come whenever you want. The theater doors will always be open to you, and we won’t restrict your freedom.”

“Really? Then I can join.”

As Yexing understood it, “joining” just meant being a member in name only—the sort of person who could take it or leave it.

If it wasn’t a job, then there was nothing to worry about.

She didn’t mind if there was no pay. Getting to watch free performances was even better, wasn’t it?

She’d have something to take her mind off things whenever she was bored. There were plenty of benefits.

The Troupe Leader smiled happily.

“Then from now on, you’re one of us. Our troupe has a custom: we address each other by code names, just like how you call me Troupe Leader.”

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

Yexing even thought the custom was pretty cool. For an anime fan like her, it really hit the spot.

“Then, when you’re speaking to outsiders, you can use Spectator as your title. That way, everyone will know our troupe has a member like you. We’ll call you our Spectator. How does that sound?”

“Spectator? I don’t know why, but that really hits the spot. Thanks, I love it.”

Yexing felt that ever since she’d turned into a little girl, her life had become much more colorful.

First, her other self—Ye Lan—joined the Night Watchers and made a friend named Ling Miao.

Now Yexing had joined a troupe that seemed wonderful and met several very friendly coworkers.

One side represented the extraordinary.

The other represented the ordinary.

It was something she’d never experienced before.

Just as Yexing was getting a little excited, something suddenly occurred to her. She took out her phone and checked the time.

“Huh? Is it this late already? I haven’t eaten yet...”

Only then did Yexing realize she was hungry, so she had to apologize to the Troupe Leader.

“Um, I’m really sorry, but I should head back now. I’ve memorized the way here, so if I have time, I’ll definitely come by. See you next time.”

“In that case, we’ll have to part for now. I’ll look forward to your next visit.”

“Goodbye!”

After a quick farewell, Yexing turned and left.

Her petite figure gradually disappeared from view.

The Troupe Leader watched her go in silence, then suddenly remembered something.

“I completely forgot—I was supposed to put on a private performance for her. Oh well, I’ll save it for next time.”

The Trickster and the Gentleman walked over.

The Trickster asked, “Troupe Leader, how did you find such an interesting Spectator?”

“It was fate.”

The Gentleman smiled faintly. “Spectator, huh? I don’t mind well-mannered children. She’s a very good audience member.”

At that moment, every member of the Rising Sun Troupe—except for two abnormal ones—had accepted a certain innocent, airheaded little girl.

Yexing, on her way home, had no idea what kind of strange organization she’d joined.

Right now, all she wanted was to get home and fill her stomach.

It was too late to go to a restaurant.

She’d be better off going home and waiting patiently for delivery.