I purchased our tickets, headed inside, and took our seats. The place wasn't exactly packed to capacity, but most of the seats were taken. Just as I’d seen at the shooting gallery, the interior was likely expanded with space magic; it felt far more cavernous than its exterior suggested—easily the size of a major playhouse.
With such a high occupancy despite the massive seating capacity, the troupe performing "Hero of the Forest" must have been quite popular.
Naturally, the fact that a pair of prime seats with an unobstructed view remained open for us was undoubtedly thanks to the gods' meddling.
Shortly after we sat down, the house lights dimmed, leaving the stage as the sole beacon of light. The play began.
Honestly, I’d been a bit apprehensive at first. Knowing the source material was based on my own life, I wondered if I could actually enjoy it... but my worries were entirely unfounded. Once the performance began, the superb acting drew me in immediately.
Actually, the original script was already so heavily dramatized that after another layer of adaptation, it was practically a work of fiction anyway.
It played out like a standard otherworlder’s heroic epic, making it easy to watch and enjoy. Though, I did feel a bit of a tickle of embarrassment during the parts where the hero fought off enemies that were clearly Black Bears to protect the Town of the Elf Race, or when he petitioned the Forest King for aid. Knowing the real story made it... a bit much.
The play was nothing short of magnificent. The magical effects combined with the raw, evocative acting made me lose all track of time.
The stage lights cut out, and I thought it was over, but a moment later, a jaunty tune started up. Lights flooded the stage once more almost instantly.
"Oh, there's more?"
The troupe returned to the stage, so it seemed the show wasn't over yet. However, the atmosphere had shifted entirely. Now, it was a musical, and the story progressed through cheerful choreography.
The story was a musical arrangement of the same "Hero of the Forest" play, but the change in tone kept it fresh and engaging. Watching characters sing and dance even during battle scenes was lighthearted yet surprisingly tense.
I was completely swept up in the fun until... wait. Hasn't this been going on for a while? Was this really only an hour? I felt as though far more time had passed, but the auditorium was too dark for me to check my watch.
"You are wondering about the time? It has been nearly two hours since we arrived. By the way, I have ensured our conversation is private, so you may speak freely."
"...What? But why? The sign outside said the performance was only an hour long."
"Would you like to know why?"
"I-I do."
"I researched the various events for our date, so I already know. This troupe is famous for immediately re-staging their plays as musicals. It started as a surprise during their debut, which caused their popularity to skyrocket. Since then, it’s become their trademark tradition—to perform the musical without listing it on the playbill. See? The gap before the next troupe’s performance is quite large."
So that was it. Shiro-san really was a cut above the rest—she’d even done her homework. I felt a bit of an awkward laugh bubbling up. I really wish she’d shared that little detail before we sat down, though. Now what?
If it had been an hour, we would have been fine. The Clock Tower is only ten minutes away, leaving plenty of time to catch the sunset. But two hours changed the math entirely.
I didn't know exactly how long a sunset lasted, but I knew it was a narrow window. There was a real possibility the sun had already dipped below the horizon.
"Shiro-san? Look, I think a night view would be lovely as well. Very romantic for a couple... We don't have to be obsessed with the sunset. It's my fault for losing track of time, so I'm sorry, but... please, can we agree not to rewind time or anything like that?"
"It is fine. I will not rewind time."
If the sun suddenly started rising again after setting, I’d be genuinely worried for Laguna-san and Chronoa-san’s physical well-being. So, when I tentatively suggested the night view as a compromise, she agreed far more readily than I’d expected.
That was a relief. I’d been sure she’d be fixated on the exact scenario from her magazine, but if she was okay with this...
"I anticipated such a development, so I have simply stopped the sun at the perfect sunset state. Thus, we can enjoy the finest sunset without any need to manipulate time."
"..."
I really wish she’d stop dropping such world-shaking power words with that smug look on her face out of nowhere. My brain simply can't process it fast enough...
Serious-senpai: "Stopping the sun at sunset... That is a power word if I ever heard one. The other gods are probably staring at the sky with dead-fish eyes, knowing they can’t do a single thing to get in Shiro’s way."