Backstage

Tap~ tap~ tap

A light tune rang through the aquarium corresponding to the "deep memory zone." Dressed in a splendid tailcoat with diagonal stripes, a gold-trimmed belt, and a pocket-watch chain, William walked in with light, confident steps.

He continued forward along the winding, narrow passage squeezed between the glass tanks.

At the deepest point, he even had to turn sideways to force his way through.

This was the deepest, darkest part of the aquarium, where the most extreme memories were buried. Large numbers of corpses resembling Yi Chen were piled up here.

Every time Dead Person Makeup was activated, every time he was killed,

another "corpse" appeared here to represent the number of deaths.

Moreover, the surface of each corpse's skin was covered in black writing that recorded the exact circumstances of the killing. It was even possible to possess these corpses and repeatedly experience those deaths.

William crouched down and lightly tapped his fingers against the glass.

"Hey! Time to wake up, Mr. Yi!"

As his fingers tapped,

all the corpses inside opened their eyes at the same time.

Their eyes, already bleached white from being soaked, stared fixedly at William outside.

Only after Yi Chen slowly crawled out from the bottommost coffin did he press his head against the glass.

"There's only one hour left before the performance begins. We'll be drawing identities soon. Do you want me to manipulate things a little and help you determine your identity in advance?"

Yi Chen did not answer directly—or rather, he could not speak while submerged in the water.

Through the glass of the tank,

Yi Chen simply cut off his own head. Then, using his headless body, he hurled the head upward with all his strength, throwing it out from the top of the glass. It landed in