A Celebration by the Fire

In the performance, Jilan Jiyu played the Mad Hatter who was captured. In order to make the concept of "clown" more memorable, Jiancao Erren volunteered to do the opening performance after reading the script.

Since the actor playing the role is Jilan Jiyu, what happened to the previous clown Jiancao Erren?

He was one of the key providers of background music. After the performance, he went to the lower right of the stage, where there was a piano, violins, violas, and other string instruments. Music had been continuously playing from there throughout the venue since the beginning of the show.

Jilan Jiyu took off their hats and smiled at the group of people who were now leaning against their instruments, completely disregarding their image. "So, do you regret it now? Actually, I think using your recordings is enough. Constantly changing tracks and playing continuously is very mentally taxing."

Kyoka Makoto didn't say anything. He had activated his Quirk at the very beginning of the performance, which had infected the audience with the atmosphere. His Quirk had been active for two hours, and he had to play his instrument continuously. He was indeed running out of energy now.

"Well, what's the big deal? This kind of intensity is nothing new for us. We're still refreshed the next day after a long day." Diduo Chengjie quickly jumped up and replied with a smile, "But you, you weren't idle for a moment backstage, were you? Always running around instructing the others."

"After all, this is our first time performing on stage, and I was worried someone might mess up." Jilan Jiyu stretched, feeling a bit tired. "But with this stage experience, we don't need to worry anymore. I promise I won't be this busy tomorrow."

While others were performing, he had to prepare props backstage and help the animals with poor memories with their lines. It wasn't too bad, although it took some effort, but everything was under control.

What troubled Jilan the most was that Lion Shishido suddenly decided to quit. You have to understand, he's a heavyweight villain. If it weren't for her and Snake Woman's last-minute cooperation to force Shishido to go on stage, the performance might have been a disaster.

Thankfully, the performance ended without any major incidents.

Under the moonlight, a bonfire burned in the center of the park, outside the tent. At the Oumagadoki Zoo sat down beside the bonfire, eating large mouthfuls of roasted meat.

The rabbit stood beside the fire, hands on hips, holding a carrot aloft and shouting, "Good job, everyone, today was a great day!"

"Oh!!!"

King Kong pounded his chest and roared loudly. Looking at the bright moon hanging high Ogami the sky, the Werewolf also howled. When the lion Shishido saw someone shouting, he wanted to prove that his roar was even louder, so a roar with sonic waves came out of his mouth!

"It's so noisy," Jilan Jiyu sighed, covering their ears as they sat down. "Why am I even sitting here? Wouldn't it have been better to go out for a meal with Kyoka Makoto?"

This kind of fighting had been happening to Jilan since his first day there. He found it novel at first, but in the following days, he would run away whenever he heard their shouts, taking one of them with him to train. Now, hearing their shouts again, Jilan regretted sitting there.

Kyoka Makoto like the day they met before the concert, after tidying up the venue, Hibiki and the others left in a large group. They said they were going to find a restaurant on the street and wanted Jilan to come with them, but Jilan was still there because Yaoyorozu and Kendo were still there, so he just shook his head and didn't go.

After all, they are all students of U.A. High School; wouldn't it be inappropriate for me to leave alone?

A female voice sounded in Jilan's ear, "Jilan, may I sit next to you?"

Jilan was a little sleepy and not in the mood to talk to anyone, so he was intentionally sitting far away from the animals. He looked up, saw it was Yaoyorozu, and said in a flat tone, "Sit if you want."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Yaoyorozu didn't pay attention to Jilan's indifferent tone, replied reservedly, and sat down to Jilan's right.

She was still wearing the same red cheongsam, the fitted style showcasing her figure perfectly—no wonder the Snake Woman, known for her fashion sense, had personally chosen it. In the firelight, Yaoyorozu's face was flushed red, and her exposed white legs had a healthy honey hue.

"Jilan, why did you write such a script?" Yaoyorozu said softly. "Did the Mad Hatter really not end up with Alice?"

Yaoyorozu's Quirk requires her to read a lot of books and store up a lot of knowledge in order to create something useful according to the situation. She is an absolute academic genius. She has an unusual obsession with things she cannot understand and wants to figure them out.

"Because that doesn't belong to the Mad Hatter's Alice," Jilan said softly.

"The Mad Hatter's Alice?" Yaoyorozu was somewhat confused. "Isn't she Alice?"

Jilan smiled and shook her head, without answering her.

Yaoyorozu continued trying to understand, "Jilan- kun, do you mean the Alice in the story is the White Rabbit's Alice, and not the Mad Hatter's?"

"It's just a fairy tale, don't overthink it," Jilan replied with a smile.

He stood up after saying that, stretched, and said, "It's getting late, I'm a little tired, so I'll be going now."

In a corner of the park, there is a staff apartment building. It was built to house some of the park's staff, but after it was renovated, no one moved in for some reason. After signing a contract with Aoi Hana, the park's management gave her the keys, allowing the circus staff to stay in the apartment for the next few days. The rooms have already been cleaned and are ready for immediate occupancy.

Jilan's belongings are kept in room 102.

"Jilan"

"Is there anything else?" Jilan yawned.

Yaoyorozu hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's nothing, go to sleep early."

Momo Yaoyorozu watched Itsuka Kendo excitedly learning the final dance from a Werewolf, buried her face in her legs, her eyes reflecting the bright firelight.

She thought again of Jilan's Mad Hatter look, where a kind of sadness seemed to be hidden beneath that smile.

"Yaoyorozu, what's wrong? You don't seem very enthusiastic." The Snake Woman sat down next to Yaoyorozu, holding a can of beer in her hand.

Yaoyorozu glanced at her. "Senior, have you forgotten? Your manager doesn't allow you to drink any high-calorie beverages, let alone beer, in order to help you manage your figure. You've broken the rules."

The Snake Woman blinked, then placed her left hand to her lips mysteriously, saying, "You know, as long as the person involved doesn't find out, it's not considered a violation. Besides, this isn't realgar wine, so it's okay."

Since the person in question doesn't care, I don't need to worry about it too much either.

Seeing that Yaoyorozu had stopped speaking, the Snake Woman leaned closer and smiled suggestively, "I've noticed you seem to care a lot about Jilan. Could it be that he was the one you were talking to on the phone?"

"No, it wasn't him!" Yaoyorozu's body tensed instantly. She wasn't good at lying and weakly defended herself.

"There's nothing to hide." The Snake Woman quickly saw through Yaoyorozu's lie and smiled nonchalantly. "Who doesn't secretly like someone?"

Yaoyorozu asked with some surprise, "Could it be that you, senior, are also..."

"Want to hear my story?" the Snake Woman said with a smile. "Tonight, we're giving away some very private women's stories!"

Beside the fire, two women huddled together, talking. Their expressions shifted between relaxed, serious, and blushing. Behind them, an animal covered in thick armor silently watched one of the women, whose hair was styled in a bun.