Soon, the announcement that the play was about to begin was heard again, and the Empire Theatre entered the stage of dimming the lights.
Suzuki Sonoko and the others, who had been chatting, closed their mouths and quickly focused their attention on the stage.
The curtain slowly rose.
The familiar scene and the well-known blonde detective, Miss Quinn, appeared once again before all the audience.
In this public showing of "The Lost Lady: Voice of the Dead," more than 80% of the audience were attendees from the first day's performance a month ago.
Although they had already seen the opening scenes of the play, most of the audience still enjoyed the performance attentively.
In fact, it was precisely because of their high expectations for this play that they were willing to come back to the Empire Theatre to watch the performance again after a month.
Yoko Okino's performance was as magnificent as ever.
To many viewers, Yoko Okino's already perfect performance from over a month ago seemed even better today.
It wasn't just Yoko Okino.
The other actors in this play had not let their performances dull despite the month-long hiatus and the previous unexpected events.
On the contrary, the extra rehearsal time had allowed them to become even more familiar with their coordination.
The performances of the first three acts concluded swiftly.
Then, in the fourth act, they reached the scene where Danny Hecker, originally played by Koichi Nishihara, appeared.
After Koichi Nishihara was arrested for murder, director Mine Takemura brought in a friend to play the role of socialite Danny Hecker.
Although this friend of Takemura Mine was not as famous as Koichi Nishihara, who had debuted as a child star, his theatrical experience made his stage acting skills much better than Nishihara's.
This new Danny Hecker skillfully portrayed the transformation of a socialite both during and after work:
The reluctance while at work, and the gradual return of vitality and energy while unwinding with a drink at a bistro after work.
This captivated many in the audience, drawing them quickly into this character.
"Now that I think about it, Nishihara could only deliver such lively and cheerful performances because he had actually committed murder!
It's so disgusting!"
As the fourth act concluded, Suzuki Sonoko covered her mouth and whispered in Mouri Ran's ear.
Mouri Ran didn't look at Suzuki Sonoko but nodded silently.
"What's wrong, Ran-chan? You seem a little off."
Suzuki Sonoko noticed a subtle shift in Mouri Ran's demeanor. Normally, her friend would enthusiastically agree with her.
"I just feel a little uneasy," Mouri Ran murmured as she placed her hand over her chest.
"Eh?! Why?"
"Because... isn't the actor appearing in the fifth act the victim of the last murder?
I heard this play was his first work as an artist. Who would've thought he'd experience something like that?"
"Yeah, I heard Nishihara attacked him with the intent to kill. That's bound to leave some psychological scars."
As Suzuki Sonoko listened to Mouri Ran, she started to grow concerned as well.
"This is the debut performance of Shinichi's father's play. What happened last time has already greatly affected its reputation.
It's only been a month, and the actor must've only recently recovered from his injuries, with little time to rehearse."
"Well, Ran-chan, you do have a point."
Suzuki Sonoko's worry deepened after hearing Mouri Ran's reasoning.
The actors' performances in the first four acts had been much better than they were a month ago.
Because of this, any flaws in the fifth act would stand out even more in contrast.
Apparently, many in the audience shared Mouri Ran's concerns.
The better the earlier performances, the more nervous everyone became about the execution of the fifth act.
"It seems everyone is worried about Akikawa's performance," Sera Masumi whispered to Conan.
"During this intermission, the chatter is much quieter than it was previously."
"Yeah, after all, Akikawa is just a new artist. He was injured and nearly died," Conan nodded.
The intermission after the fourth act finally ended.
The already slightly tense atmosphere in the theatre became even heavier as the curtain rose again.
If there were any flaws in the performance, it would ruin the excellent work of the previous actors.
——This should have been Akikawa Kyousuke's greatest concern, as the main actor of this scene.
But the audience seemed far more anxious than the actors themselves.
As the curtain opened, a classroom with a British atmosphere from the late 19th and early 20th centuries was revealed on stage.
Several young girls in school uniforms sat in the classroom, chatting cheerfully about trivial matters in life.
The tense air in the theatre wasn't eased by the youthful vibe emanating from the girls.
After all, everyone knew the protagonist hadn't appeared yet.
About half a minute later, the classroom door suddenly creaked open as someone reached in from outside and pushed it.
A student stepped into the classroom.
"Good morning, everyone~"
A clear voice, slightly green but brimming with youthful energy, rang out.
Thousands of breathless eyes immediately fixed on the classroom door.
The lone actor wearing a British school uniform with uniquely brown hair was now center stage.
When the audience saw the high school student Kotani Sae enter the classroom with a natural, cheerful smile and greet the other students, it felt as if the light around him had grown slightly brighter.
"Good morning, class president!"
"Morning, president!"
The girls chatting in the classroom shifted their attention to Kotani Sae, their conversations instantly replaced with cheerful greetings that filled the theatre.
Any other actor portraying this section might have made the audience think of Sae Otani, the protagonist, as overly charming.
But with Akikawa Kyousuke, no one felt he was frivolous.
It wasn't just because of Akikawa Kyousuke's outstanding appearance.
The audience subconsciously felt that such attention to him was natural.
From the moment Akikawa Kyousuke stepped on stage,
His overwhelming presence made it impossible to look away, and his aura infected the audience with a shared sense of joy.
Conan, Sera Masumi, and Misaki Itakura, seated in the last row, all found themselves instinctively gaping at the high schooler Otani Sae on stage, who was completely different from the somber Kyousuke Akikawa they remembered.
Mouri Ran clasped her hands over her slightly open mouth in surprise.
Next to her, Suzuki Sonoko's eyes sparkled as her face radiated admiration, completely captivated by Otani Sae on stage.
It wasn't that the stage lights had grown brighter.
But from the moment Otani Sae appeared, everyone around him seemed to fade into the background.
No one had any lingering doubts or worries about the fifth act's execution.
With just a few words and simple actions after his entrance, Akikawa Kyousuke had immersed the audience in his performance.
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(End of Chapter)