I Want to Know About Your Past

"I've read Shakespeare's original works, but this is my first time seeing him as a play."

The two found the best seats and chatted idly for the last five minutes before the show started:

Although Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's "Four Great Tragedies," most people seem to have only heard of Hamlet.

"There are also people who consider Romeo and Juliet to be one of the four great tragedies."

Shiina Hiyori and chuckled softly.

Which of the four great tragedies is Liang's favorite?

"Hamlet?"

Why?

"Perhaps it was the final scene of the female lead Ophelia, that left such a deep impression on me; dying in the flower river was truly stunning."

"But this kind of tragic love story is..."

Shiina Hiyori wanted to say something more, but the lights above her head dimmed suddenly, the curtain on the stage rose, and the theatrical performance was about to begin.

Kitagawa Ryo relaxed and curled up in the large, comfortable seat. Just as he was about to pull his right hand back from the armrest, he was unexpectedly gripped tightly by another hand.

In the darkness, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't see Shiina Hiyori's expression, but he didn't break free. He just felt the other's fingertips pry open his tightly closed fist and probe into his palm.

Perhaps Kitagawa Ryo's words had stimulated Shiina Hiyori in some way, because she used the warmth of her palm to convey a message to Kitagawa Ryo, like two ants reaching out their antennae to each other, waiting for Kitagawa Ryo's response.

Shiina Hiyori is a girl who seems light and carefree, but once she gets serious, she becomes surprisingly stubborn. Kitagawa Ryo scratched her palm.

This action immediately relaxed Shiina Hiyori's nerves, and she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but she didn't let go of that hand until the end of the entire play.

The Actor on stage bowed to the audience of only two people below the stage, Kitagawa Ryo and Shiina Hiyori, who responded with enthusiastic applause. Only then did they realize how long they had been holding hands, so much so that their palms still retained the warmth of each other, and there was a strange temperature difference when they struck each other's palms together.

"Shiina isn't alone this time."

It seems this Theater Troupe is quite familiar with Shiina Hiyori, but considering what the girl mentioned earlier about booking the entire theater, it can explain why the elderly man who claims to be the Theater Troupe leader kindly walked off the stage to speak with Shiina Hiyori.

"Hello, I'm Kitagawa Ryo from Class 1-C, Hiyori this time. Your troupe's performance was superb, especially the scene where Lady Macbeth comforts Macbeth; it was truly amazing."

Kitagawa Ryo took the initiative to introduce himself, his manners impeccable.

"What a rare and polite child! At first, I thought he was just reluctantly coming to see the play because he was with Hiyori. I didn't expect him to not only watch it patiently to the end, but also listen to you and know a lot about theater, right?"

"Having only read the complete works of Shakespeare, it's more accurate to say that after seeing your troupe's performance, I realized the difference between a script and a play. Bringing those vivid words to life in reality is truly a wonderful art."

"Looks like there are still kids who share Shiina's interests."

The old man, pleased by Kitagawa Ryo's praise, stroked his white beard Shiina Hiyori a teasing look.

"And they seemed to have a good relationship, after all, they were holding hands the whole time."

Only then did she realize that the Actor on stage had been watching her actions the whole time. Shiina Hiyori was unusually shy and hid behind Kitagawa Ryo, only peeking out her head.

The old man was somewhat surprised by Shiina Hiyori's appearance. After all, in the past few days, this girl, who always came here alone, always looked lonely, sitting for the whole day. She would even leave when he reminded her to go Shiina Hiyori wait until the theater closed. He had originally thought that Shiina Hiyori was being Shiina Hiyori, but judging from the current situation, she was probably just feeling lonely and missing someone back then.

Thinking of this, the Theater Troupe leader also spoke with great interest:

"There are only Shiina and Kitagawa today, but we don't have enough time to perform another play."

"I see that you two are both children who are interested in drama. If you would like, would you like to try performing a short scene on your own?"

Shiina Hiyori seemed quite interested in the suggestion, her face showing an eager expression. Kitagawa Ryo didn't want to refuse her, so he nodded in agreement.

"What kind of show does Hiyori want to put on?"

"Hamlet!"

Shiina Hiyori grinned slyly at Kitagawa Ryo, her eyes crinkling into crescent shapes:

"But you want me to drastically rewrite the script?"

Kitagawa Ryo put on his performance costume in front of the standing mirror backstage. His white gloves gave him the impression of a noble young master, and the black piping embroidered with elegant patterns extended from his sleeves to his upper body. He was dressed in a smart and neat medieval prince's outfit, which made even the Actor in the Theater Troupe sigh, as if the real Danish prince Hamlet had appeared there.

The scene chosen by Shiina Hiyori is the "Death of Ophelia" that Kitagawa Ryo mentioned earlier. Ophelia was Hamlet's fiancée. Deeply in love with Hamlet, she was torn between her father and her lover and ultimately drowned herself in a river covered with flowers.

This play was originally intended to be Ophelia's solo performance and the final scene, but Shiina Hiyori blatantly altered Shakespeare's original work.

Kitagawa Ryo lifted the curtain to look at the stage, where the backdrop was already set up and the ground was covered with flowers.

Shiina Hiyori is standing at the other end of the stage.

The girl was wearing a pure white dress with countless pleats on the hem, and a thin mist covered the dress with gauze.

The uneven lace trim on the cuffs reveals a graceful posture, while the gemstone patterns spiraling down from the shoulders shimmer with light. Shiina Hiyori and places her arms in front of her chest, making her look like a princess in the clouds or a sleeping beauty. Her silver hair reaches her waist, giving an elegant and gorgeous impression.

And will he not come again?

Narration begins.

Music begins.

And will he not come again?

No, no, he is dead.

Go to the deathbed, he will never come again.

Amidst the mournful and helpless background sounds, the girl walked step by step to the flower burial site and lay down amidst the sea of flowers.

I'm back.

Kitagawa Ryo walked onto the stage Shiina Hiyori had given him.

He knelt on one knee beside Shiina Hiyori and lifted the girl's right hand.

However, Shiina Hiyori did not wake up and recite her lines as the script suggested. Kitagawa Ryo glanced at the girl's face strangely; her long, black butterfly-like eyelashes were trembling, and a blush like the sunset spread from her cheeks to her ears.

Kitagawa Ryo had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue the performance.

He pressed his lips to the girl's right hand, which was clad in a white lace glove. Kitagawa Ryo's kiss was very light, as if there was a fuzzy barrier between his lips and the girl's skin.

"FOREVER WE ARE ONE"

Kitagawa Ryo said in a low voice.

The sound of camera flashes could be heard from the audience.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: I Want to Know Your Past

"Does the eldest want to go swimming with us?"

Ishizaki Daichi, who shared a room with Kitagawa Ryo, extended another invitation. Two days had passed since the Uninhabited Island Special Exam. The First Year students, who had regained their energy, were initially still nervously waiting for the second exam that the school might assign. Although the homeroom teacher of Class A had said something like "Please enjoy your summer vacation" when the special exam on the Uninhabited Island ended, the entire First Year, who had foolishly believed such words last time, were thrown onto the Uninhabited Island on the first day of summer vacation.

This "vacation" lasted for two weeks. One week was spent on the special exam on the Uninhabited Island, and the next week was spent entirely on the cruise ship. Therefore, many people speculated that the second exam would be held on the cruise ship. However, after two days of tension, the school did not release any information about the exam. The ship gradually returned to the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere of summer vacation, and the students, relieved of their worries, finally began to enjoy the various facilities on the Luxury Cruise Ship.

"The exam should be over by now."

"The Uninhabited Island Exam take up a week, so it's reasonable to give students the remaining week to relax."

With this in mind, the First Year students were also enjoying their youth on the cruise ship, and it's even said that several couples started appearing together.

"Is the eldest still staying in the dorm playing games?"

Ishizaki Daichi had already changed into his swimming trunks. Because the cruise ship has a swimming pool, he often saw men and women in swimsuits coming and going in the corridor these days.

"Okay, don't worry about me, just have fun."

Kitagawa Ryo waved the controller in his hand and turned his gaze back to the electronic screen. He had brought it from school, but because he had been staying on the Uninhabited Island, he only had time to take it out and play with it these past two days.

Yamada Albert and Ishizaki Daichi, who shared a room with him, had both gone swimming. Ryuen Kakeru had gone off somewhere to gather intelligence. Compared to most of the students who had already Matsushita, he still believed that the school would definitely hold another exam in the remaining week.

"You're back?"

While controlling the character on the screen, Kitagawa Ryo heard the door open and, thinking it was Ryuen Kakeru, casually asked a question.

"Hmm? It's me."

However, the person who pushed open the door and entered the room was not Ryuen Kakeru, whom Kitagawa Ryo had expected, but someone he had never thought of.

"Oh, it's Megumi..."

"----?"

Kitagawa Ryo suddenly looked up, not even noticing that his character had been instantly killed by the BOSS's combo attack. He pulled off his headphones and looked at Karuizawa Kei standing at the door of the room in disbelief.

"Why did Hui come here?"

Stepping out of bed and into her slippers, Kitagawa Ryo walked over to Karuizawa Kei, her neck a little sore.

"Because I haven't seen Liang on the ship for two days."

Wearing a sleeveless white dress and sandals, Karuizawa Kei walked into the room and closed the door behind her.

"Has Liang been playing games alone in her room these past few days?"

Upon seeing the large display screen and controller placed on the small table on the bed, Karuizawa Kei's mouth gaped slightly in disbelief.

After all, this is Luxury Cruise Ship vacation that you might not experience even once in your life. It's a shame that someone would sit in their room playing games without even flinching. It feels like such a waste.

"No, I go to the theater every night to perform... cough cough, to watch plays."

Kitagawa Ryo quickly refuted Karuizawa Kei's words, trying to prove that he had no problems with his social life.

"It's a theater, huh?"

Karuizawa Kei sat on Kitagawa Ryo's bed, sighing and complaining:

"No wonder I haven't been able to find you at swimming pools or upscale spas these past few days. Besides, I doubt many people go to the theater."

The girl's eyes sharpened:

"I remember only Shiina from your class really liked going there."

"Of course not, Ayanokoji from your class goes there often too. Last time, she even watched a performance of Icarus with your Class D homeroom Chabashira-sensei- sensei!"

"Huh? Icarus? Is she the female protagonist of Heaven's Lost Property?"

Seemingly touching on a blind spot in Karuizawa Kei's knowledge, she asked in confusion.

"It's a story from Greek mythology. It's about a character who, along with his father, made wings out of bird feathers and wax to try and escape their prison in search of freedom. However, because he ignored his father's advice and got too close to the sun, the wax between his wings melted, and he fell from the sky into the sea and died."

"Oh... I never expected Ayanokoji to watch a drama with this kind of plot."

Karuizawa Kei nodded as if she understood, but not quite. She had taken off one sandal at some point, and her two straight and slender legs, which were usually covered by stockings, were now exposed, swinging from side to side. The other sandal was also hanging on her foot, bouncing and tapping the ground with the movement.

"Is the play very good?"

"It depends on personal interest, but Hui doesn't seem like the type of person who would be interested in that."

Kitagawa Ryo expressed his opinion tactfully.

"Is Liang implying that I'm not well-educated, lack artistic sensibilities, and don't share your interests, so she doesn't plan to be with me?"

"Why do you talk so fast, like a machine gun?"

Kitagawa Ryo covered his forehead and looked at the sulking girl in front of him. He looked at the white dress she was wearing and had a strange sense of déjà vu.

"How is it? Isn't it beautiful?"

Seeing Kitagawa Ryo staring intently at her, Karuizawa Kei smiled and lifted her skirt. If she hadn't taken off her shoes while sitting on the bed, she would have stood up and twirled around to be satisfied.

"It's quite beautiful."

This outfit is very cool and has a summery feel. Compared to swimsuits, Kitagawa Ryo actually prefers this kind of casual wear, which has a more approachable and everyday feel.

"But speaking of which, besides going to the theater and playing games in his room, Ryo has never been to the swimming pool even once?"

"Super big, super lively."

Karuizawa Kei spread her arms as if trying to make a gesture, but forgot that sleeveless dresses are best avoided with such large arm raises, otherwise it's easy for the fabric to show through...

But what he saw was something else entirely, and Kitagawa Ryo subconsciously asked:

Does Hui go to the swimming pool often?

"Pretty much. Actually, I wasn't really interested at first, but Matsushita and Sato kept urging me to go, so I went twice afterward."

Karuizawa Kei nodded excitedly, as if she wanted to share her good mood with Kitagawa Ryo:

"Actually, Onodera in our class swims very fast; his 50-meter time isn't much slower than Sudo's."

"However, it seems that Koenji is still the fastest swimmer in the class, but his movements are too exaggerated, and he always laughs while swimming, so no one wanted to swim with him in the same pool after that."