The Circus About to Open (Part Two)

"Did you read the Oumagadoki Daily? It says there's a circus performance in the park tonight!"

"I saw it, but only on the scrolling credits at the bottom of the TV screen."

"So, interested in going to see it? It's a lion!"

"Of course, this is the first time a circus performance has been held in our city, so of course we should support it!"

Uncle Fujiwara, noticing the two strangers in his shop suddenly starting to chat, interjected, "Sirs, what kind of circus are you talking about? I've never heard of it."

A younger customer took a sip of sake and said with a smile, "Boss, haven't you been out these past few days? There are posters everywhere! The Oumagadoki Circus, featuring seals, lions, wolves, and many other animals, is performing at Oumagadoki Park tonight at 8 PM. If you're free tonight, you absolutely must go see it!"

Few customers have come to the shop these past few days. Aside from a trip to the seafood market early each morning to buy fresh ingredients, Fujiwara has barely left. After the two customers left, he murmured, "The Oumagadoki? That name sounds familiar. I think that customer from Tokyo asked about it before..."

Just then, the Pro Hero Steel Gate Rikishi walked in, shouting, "Fujiwara, make me a bento box. I'm not coming tonight!"

"A bento box? Didn't you say you'd eat your last meal here no matter how late it was?" Fujiwara teased.

"That was an exaggeration; of course, there are exceptions," said the Steel Gate Rikishi. "Today I received a request from the police station for a patrol assignment. You know, there's a circus performance tonight, and there will probably be a lot of people. Most of the police officers are older, retired officers, and they don't trust those young punks to maintain order, so they asked me to help keep an eye on things."

In crowded situations, police can request help from Pro Hero to maintain order; of course, the Pro Hero can refuse.

"You agreed?"

"How could I refuse? We're old acquaintances, and besides, I'm quite interested in circus performances." Steel Gate Rikishi suddenly leaned closer to the table and said, "Look, besides the locals, nobody comes to your shop. Why don't you close tonight and come see the show with me?"

"How come no one's coming? There were two strangers just now." Fujiwara retorted irritably, then walked to the kitchen, paused, and said, "But, I'll go with you."

Around noon, the two vehicles from the Oumagadoki arrived at the park in a grand procession. The park director, who was sitting in the car, attracted a lot of attention along the way, but he didn't care. When he saw that a large tent had been set up at the target location he had observed two days ago, he excitedly jumped out of the car and ran towards the tent!

Jilan and Aoi Hana were sitting in the passenger seats of the two trucks, and then they got out of the trucks.

During the negotiations, Jilan realized that if the zoo animals didn't transform, he and the zoo director would be the only two available workers. Building the venue would not be something that could be done in a short time, so he simply commissioned the government to have a construction team build it on the scale of a typical circus performance.

Although there was no one supervising, the construction workers probably wanted to see the performance as soon as possible, and they completed the task in less than two days, setting up two tents, one the size of a small opera house and the other the size of a taller house, for the performance and backstage preparation, respectively.

The high level of completion also meant a hefty price tag. Aoi Hana, who managed the zoo's assets, looked at the magnificent venue and lamented, "If we can't recoup the costs this time, how am I going to explain this to Sister Snake...?"

The circus is scheduled to perform three shows on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. Because it's a relatively unknown circus, ticket prices are low. According to the contract signed by Aoi Hana, they can only barely break even if two shows are sold out...

"Didn't you call the Sister Snake' you mentioned and tell her? Didn't she agree?" Jilan asked curiously. "If that's the case, what are you worried about?"

"Oh dear, you don't understand. No matter how absurd the principal's idea is, Sister Snake will support him!" Aoi Hana clutched her wallet tightly, then slumped down in dejection. "But then again, I've already agreed with the principal's approach. Even if we lose money, we have to accept it. We can't let Ogami and the others' performance go to waste!"

While Aoi Hana also thought the animals' performances over the past few days were excellent, that didn't guarantee they would be well-received by the public. It seems we'll have to wait for tonight's performance to draw any conclusions...

On the Shinkansen, several people carrying large and small bags caught people's attention. They were dressed in somewhat strange clothes, which looked like the combat suits of Pro Hero, but their behavior was not like that. They were full of the restlessness that represents youth.

"Brother Zhen, is it really okay for us to run out like this without telling our manager?" As soon as he sat down, Diduo Chengjie leaned over to Kyoka Makoto, who was sitting next to him, and asked somewhat uneasily.

"Utsushimi is currently an intern at the workplace. If we tell her about Jilan's request, given her personality, she might secretly come along without telling the Pro Hero, which would affect her grades. Besides... this isn't a business activity, there's no need to tell her." Kyoka Makoto crossed his arms, looking composed. "Also, wasn't the decision to help Jilan the one you most supported?"

Circus performances are not just about animals acting cute; the most important element is the music. The performances need to follow a certain rhythm, and sound effects serve as reminders of the performance time, making them an indispensable part of the stage.

Soul Band was the only professional Jilan knew, Jilan wanted them to do the voice acting for the performance. Both Kyoka Makoto and Diduo Chengjie were highly skilled in music and proficient in many instruments.

After Jilan verbally described the general process of the performance, they choreographed the rhythm in just half a day, recorded it, and sent it to Jilan via mobile phone. The animals have been rehearsing to this music for the past two days.

Jilan originally just wanted a recording, but Kyoka Makoto told Jilan, "A Soul production is guaranteed to be a masterpiece." He didn't want to use casually recorded music, so he decided to have all the members come live to provide accompaniment for the show.

Regarding Soul's manager, Camie Utsushimi, Jilan didn't specifically ask to keep it a secret from her, because Jilan knew that Camie Utsushimi, like Inasa Yoarashi, was currently undergoing Work-Study Program. Shiketsu High School, perhaps for comparison, also had its Hero Course students do workplace internships after the U.A. High School Sports Festival. However, their selection was limited; they could only choose from a few agencies designated by the school, all located in the Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nagoya areas, unlike U.A. High School, which had agencies all over the country.

Although it may sound like Shiketsu High School is slightly inferior, there isn't much difference in reality. For example, Inasa Yoarashi is currently interning with Hawks, the third-ranked Pro Hero. Apart from Todoroki, who went to Endeavor Agency, no one at U.A. High School has a higher nomination than him.

Of course, not just anyone can go to Hawks Agency. Shiketsu High School uses an independent admissions model. The school provides the methods and paths to get into the agency, but students can only intern at the agency after meeting the agency's requirements.

The motto of Shiketsu High School is to let ambitious students work hard on their own. They will provide resources, but whether or not students can obtain them depends on their own efforts.