On Noah's side, Noah stood in front of Lou Yan in his strange but elegant white clothes, and she stood in confusion from what Noah said as if she heard him speaking a strange language, and her reaction was...
"What the hell are you talking about?!" said Lou Yan, surprised, with signs of astonishment and confusion on her face.
"It's nothing you should worry about," said Noah with a light smile on his face.
"For you are not real either, if you were the real Lou Yan, you wouldn't have spoken to me," thought Noah to himself coldly, but he was aware of the reality, even if it was bitter, it helped him perceive his surroundings.
"You and your usual nonsense, when will you leave this mystery behind and explain the bullshit you say?" said Lou in an annoyed but understanding tone as if she was used to Noah's methods.
"Never!" said Noah with a confident tone, certain of his unchanged self.
Lou Yan sighed in annoyance while holding her head in irritation, but what could she do except stand there and only imagine how comforting Noah's handsome face was.
"Let's leave this aside before I throw you into a lake... Let's go anyway, the rest are waiting for us," said Lou Yan, gesturing to Noah to move as she began walking away, giving him her back.
"The rest?" thought Noah to himself in confusion and curiosity as he followed Lou Yan.
———————
Outside, despite Noah being detached from reality, the passage of time was completely different. A full day had passed since his sleep. In the hospital, at dawn, Sirius entered room 247 and closed the door behind him. The atmosphere was cold since the cooler worked nonstop, even Sirius felt a chill from the sudden change from the hot air outside to the comfortable cold air.
The room was empty except for a few chairs, traces of the others present yesterday. Sirius walked near Noah and dragged the back of his hand on Noah's forehead.
"You're warm despite the cold weather," whispered Sirius lightly the moment he felt the warmth of the boy's forehead.
Sirius pulled a nearby chair and sat beside Noah, gently holding his hand.
"…How funny it is how warm you are despite your coldness, as if your body is trying to tell me that you're kind and gentle inside behind that cold mask of yours… Humans rely on lies, let alone you, whose entire life was a lie... It's not that I know this or don't know this, I say this only because I want to," said Sirius, with a calm, light smile rising on his face.
Then, he gently placed Noah's hand back on the bed to let him relax, stood from his seat, and headed to the door. He opened the door and was about to exit before stopping and half-turning toward Noah.
"It's my fault that you're in this state... So while you sleep, I will continue my art... and I will kill whoever did this to you... I swear."
———————
On the other side, Lou Yan took Noah to a room behind the stage. The moment he entered, Sirius and Livia were also there. Sirius had removed his silly clothes and only his makeup remained on his face, while Livia was still in her serious, practical outfit.
"Go ahead," said Lou Yan, gesturing to Noah to enter. And the moment he entered, he was able to take in the view around him.
The room was wide, painted white, clean. Its floor was polished and covered in resistant wood, free of obstacles to ease movement for the characters. A long makeup table lined up, equipped with a huge mirror surrounded by circular lights, and comfortable chairs. Its drawers filled with makeup tools and accessories. On the back wall stood four small lockers, with white curtains between them, as if each were a changing room, and a tall mirror next to each locker to show the final look.
Comfortable sofas were spread out facing the opposite wall, which had a whiteboard with notes in addition to a performance schedule and character names. Above it, a TV screen displayed what was happening live on stage, allowing those who remained here to see everything.
On the sofas were a few people sitting, and Noah was able to recognize them all. They were the rest of her companions—Neriah, Enel, and surprise—Calli was there too. And of course, they too were wearing ridiculous outfits.
Neriah wore clothes bright white like light, a stylish white coat that strongly showed his shoulders, with a white necktie barely visible due to its whiteness and that of the coat, and white pants as well, in addition to white leather shoes. He also wore a tall white hat while holding a black cane with a golden lion head, representing wealth and power, while sitting with one leg over the other.
While Neriah was the most natural-looking among everyone Noah had met, he wore a long, wrinkled white lab coat and round medical glasses. He looked taller in this place than usual outside.
As for Calli, she was the most elegant but at the same time with a strange flavor. Calli wore a long black cloak made of luxurious fabric, and a tight black dress under the cloak allowing easy movement. She wore thin black gloves and simple black shoes. On her face, she wore a Columbina mask decorated with feathers, covering the upper part of her face, with dark feathers of varying lengths hanging to the sides and top, adding to her appearance a theatrical and mysterious tone.
"Is this a costume party?" thought Noah to himself tensely as he entered the room, and Lou Yan entered after him, closing the door.
Everyone turned to Noah the moment they heard the door open, and joy and excitement appeared on their faces as Neriah stood up from his place.
"The actor! Come here, you bastard!" said Neriah in an excited tone with a wide smile, opening his arms enthusiastically for Noah.
"Uh... yeah," said Noah calmly, and he shook Neriah's hand instead of hugging him. Neriah remained silent for a bit before turning back.
"Why does everyone refuse to hug me?" thought Neriah out loud while a tear fell from his eyes in sadness.
"Drop dead!" seemed to be everyone's shared thought.
"Anyway, you did an amazing performance! Our sales went up by 30%! Everyone loves the magician now!" said Neriah excitedly, with a proud tone while wiping his nose in pride and amazement at Noah's performance.
"When did this happen? Didn't the show end just a few minutes ago?" asked Noah in confusion and wonder.
"Time doesn't matter, nor what fate says if it says the opposite—as long as I, the merchant, am with you, we will always win!" said Neriah, proudly pointing at himself and looking at the ceiling. He was thinking only about money, but he stayed silent as if waiting for applause or praise from someone.
"Alright, to our next topic…" said Livia, turning to the rest and walking toward the whiteboard.
"Not again!" thought Neriah in annoyance and defeat. Of course, his exaggerated sound effect was loud enough for others to hear.
"The merchant? What's with these weird names? Sirius called himself the jester, Livia the spy, and now Neriah the merchant, and both he and Sirius called me the actor… I'm really confused," thought Noah to himself naturally, but he sat on one of the sofas looking at Livia and the whiteboard in front of him.
Everyone sat looking at the whiteboard and at Livia, waiting for her announcement.
"…You did excellent work today," said Livia with a proud smile, which made everyone sigh in relief and made Noah look around in confusion and surprise.
"She approved," whispered Neriah in relief as if a heavy weight was lifted off him, as if he had avoided his death.
"Actor, good job today. I hope you're ready for the next show," said Livia, waiting for Noah's answer.
"The next show?" asked Noah in confusion and anxiety.
"Yes, the next show. You will play the role of the monster," said Livia, pointing at Noah with a proud and arrogant smile on her face.
"The monster?" said Noah, pointing at himself too, in confusion and surprise.
"Yes! You'll be a monster in human form, trying to kill your sister to gain power and rule the Colosseum!" said Livia excitedly, putting her hands on her hips.
"You are the sister, oh Champion!" said Livia, looking at Lou Yan this time with high expectations.
"I should have expected this," said Lou Yan in annoyance, burying her face in her hands and letting out a groan of frustration.
"The Champion? Is this another code name or just an expression?" thought Noah to himself quietly and confused.
"You, horse, you will act too! You'll be the brave Champion's knight!" said Livia, pointing her finger toward Calli, which caused an enthusiastic reaction that made her stand up straight.
"Yes!" said Calli firmly, though the excitement and tension were obvious on her face despite her attempt to control her expressions.
"Horse and Champion? It's like I'm looking at a deck of cards," thought Noah to himself half-jokingly and somewhat seriously.
"You can rest now. The show will be tomorrow," said Livia, signaling everyone to leave and prepare for tomorrow.
"Isn't tomorrow too soon?" thought Noah in anxiety and worry as he stood up from his place.
That's when Lou Yan and Calli approached him with friendly smiles.
"Let's prepare together, actor," said Lou Yan in a friendly tone and a light, kind smile.
"Alright," replied Noah, nodding in agreement.
"Working with the actor is always fun," said Calli in an overly friendly tone with a wide smile on her face.
"Stop simping," said Lou Yan in annoyance while clenching her fist tightly.
"Oh come on, he's the actor, I can simp all I want," said Calli with an excited smile as if pointing out something obvious.
"Whether a horse or a Champion, a merchant or a monster or an actor… this is a game. We're like cards in the deck, played, folded, discarded… But if I'm going to be a card… then I'd rather be the rebel who flips the table.