Chapter 1

—Wait, are we sure it’s okay to go in?

Of course! The staff gave us the go-ahead!

Ehehe~ It’s been forever, huh? I’m sooo excited!

Then let’s enjoy it as if we were the audience ourselves. Ready, and—

Whoa…....

…..Feels like a reunion.

It’s been quite some time since the contest, after all.

Sooo—"Here’s to working together again 'till opening night!" Hehe~♪

Absolutely!

Still… my heart’s racing!

To think we’d get to perform as Wonderlands x Showtime on such a grand stage!

...Yeah.

(Two thousand seats...… it’s truly one of the largest theaters in Japan.)

(Once it’s packed with people, it must feel even more incredible…)

(Two thousand people… all here to watch our show.)

(And I’m the star of the show........)

...Nene-chan? You okay?

Huh?

Cause your hand’s like, suuuper tensed up right now!

Oh…

...Hehe, I didn’t even realize it myself.

Hweh?

I was just thinking… I guess I still get nervous after all.

Nene-chan…

Well, I can’t blame you. It is our first time in such a grand venue. Still—

Don’t worry, Nene. A bit of nerves can be good for you.

...Really?

Yes, it’s true that it comes from fear or unease, but—

In moderation, it boosts your reflexes and keeps your mind sharp.

...Heh, yeah. That makes sense.

I mean, I am nervous, but… it’s not that gross, cold-hand kind of nervous.

It’s more like an "I’m ready! Let’s do this!" kind of nervous. So…

—I’ll turn this nervousness into my strength.

Well said! That's the spirit!

Then let’s all get super duper hyped and gooo for it~!

Hehe, what's with all the sudden energy?

Alright then, let’s move to the rehearsal room.

Yeah!!

Okay, let’s go over the next scene now.

This is the scene where Princess Heart realizes Prince Bless is under a curse, and tries to tell him.

This is where their journey begins, so let’s give it a solid rhythm and focus.

You got this~!!

“—Listen to me, Bless.”

“What the fairy said earlier is true. You’re..… under a curse.”

“Cursed? Heart, what are you—”

“Try to remember, Bless!”

“The Bless I knew would never say something so cold about his own people!”

"......."

“I love that you only look at me and it makes me really happy, Bless. But still…”

“Right now, it hurts just as much as it makes me happy!”

“Because I realized… the Bless I love is the one who cares about everyone’s happiness just as much as mine…”

“…Heart…”

“...Now that you mention it, something has felt strange lately.”

“...!”

“Little by little, everything’s started to feel meaningless to me.”

“I figured I’d simply loosened up, like Nido said… but maybe this numbness is the curse?”

“Bless…!”

Yeah, that was good.

You rushed a bit here and there, but that intensity actually worked in your favor.

Nene-chan, you were sooo cool! When you looked like you were about to cry, I got all gu-gyuu~ inside too!

Agreed. That was a kind of emotion we’ve never seen from you before… it pulled me in too.

I could feel it all from your face. The frustration of not noticing the curse, the guilt of not understanding what made him dear to you until now.

Really? That’s… good to hear.

Fufu, that healthy tension seems to be sharpening your acting.

Indeed! I must strive not to fall behind!

Then it’s a race to see who can raise the bar higher.

On that note, it’s nice that we’re allowed to rehearse here right up to the show.

We can always double-check the stage equipment as we rehearse. Very convenient.

Exactly! We’ll make full use of this opportunity—

Ah!! That reminds me!!

Wah! What’s wrong, Tsukasa-kun?

No, no, I just realized! Since we’re rehearsing at ArcLand, that means we can visit him anytime!

Visit? Oh, could it be that you mean—

Heh heh heh….. Did someone call for me?

Huh?

Oh! Speak of the devil—!

Asahi-san…!