Chapter 1 : Happy News
Inside the Rising Sun Theater.
After crying in the Makeup Artist's arms for quite a while, Ye Xing finally calmed down.
She really couldn't have imagined that the Makeup Artist would appear in this era, thinking she had been left forever in history.
Come to think of it, why was the Makeup Artist able to revive?
"Hmm... I'm very curious."
Ye Xing wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, wanting to know the reason for the Makeup Artist's revival.
The Makeup Artist slowly explained.
"Actually, it's thanks to the Troupe Leader and the Spectator."
"Eh? Is that so?"
Ye Xing hadn't thought she had done anything that could revive the Makeup Artist, not even making a wish.
The Makeup Artist smiled gently, intending to evoke Ye Xing's memories.
"Do you remember the moment when I was killed by the Holy Knight?"
"Mm, I remember. I'll never forget that scene."
"At that time, I fell into the Troupe Leader's arms. I should have completely disappeared from the world, but the Troupe Leader used a strange power to preserve my soul and obsession, turning them into black feathers that have always stayed by his side. In a daze, I remember following him onto stage after stage, like a dream, blurry yet real, until last night when I truly awakened."
Hearing this, Ye Xing recalled slightly, indeed remembering seeing ten feathers floating around the Troupe Leader at that time.
But she blinked her eyes in confusion.
"From what you're saying, it seems to be all the Troupe Leader's doing. What does it have to do with me?"
"Look, that's the miracle you brought."
The Makeup Artist pointed to the portraits on the wall, one of which was her lifelike portrait, evoking fondness in people's hearts.
"If it were just the Troupe Leader, I might never have appeared in this form. But your painting, Spectator, brought a miracle. The Troupe Leader placed me, in feather form, into the portrait, and I reawakened relying on the miraculous power inside."
Ye Xing's eyes lit up.
"So you've been resurrected!?"
The Makeup Artist gently shook her head.
"Not resurrection. From the moment of death, I was no longer Yozakura Kagami, but [Mirror Image]."
Ye Xing pondered again.
She knew what the Makeup Artist meant by [Mirror Image], probably referring to the name of the Star Eclipse.
Star Eclipses are born after the host's death, taking over everything, existing on the obsessions from their past life.
This was the general situation.
But Ye Xing had a feeling that the Makeup Artist didn't belong to this category.
The Makeup Artist seemed to sense Ye Xing's confusion and explained: "I am Yozakura Kagami, and also [Mirror Image]. Simply put, the Troupe Leader fused the soul and power into one, but changed many things. I have those memories, but my personality has changed. Due to not being pure enough, my power is also very weak, only able to maintain existence and apply makeup for you all."
"Hmm... I see. That's good enough. As long as you still exist, it's fine."
At this point, Ye Xing suddenly thought of something else and eagerly asked: "If you could revive, what about the other troupe members?"
Ye Xing remembered that ten feathers were floating around the Troupe Leader at that time. Besides the Makeup Artist, there must have been other members.
However, the Makeup Artist shook her head.
"They can't be like me. As ordinary people, once they died, they truly died."
"I see..."
Ye Xing's expression quickly became downcast.
Emotions rise and fall just like this. Whenever hope exists in the heart, the next moment brings disappointment.
But this was understandable.
Yozakura Kagami was a Star holder, able to transform into a Star Eclipse after death, with many means of intervention.
But the other troupe members were ordinary people. Once they suffered fatal injuries, it was inevitable death, unable to be saved by the same method as Yozakura Kagami.
This was a fact that had to be accepted.
Seeing Ye Xing's dejected look, the Makeup Artist suddenly changed the topic.
"But... they can see you."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
The Makeup Artist pointed at the paintings on the wall and said softly: "They are watching you from inside. Although they can't be like me, those paintings have been given consciousness, containing part of the troupe members' souls. So please don't be discouraged. They are always watching you, still accompanying the troupe as it moves forward."
Ye Xing's cherry lips parted slightly, somewhat unexpected.
"Is that really true?"
The Makeup Artist smiled gently.
"It is. They say the Spectator looks cute when sleeping. They really like the portraits you painted for them and asked me to come out and thank you. So please don't be sad. Everyone is still here, just existing in a different way."
Hearing this, Ye Xing's heart seemed to be touched.
Whether what the Makeup Artist said was true or false, it was a form of comfort.
Ye Xing's nose tingled, and tears once again welled up in the corners of her eyes.
"Waaah------ That's so wonderful... sob sob..."
The Makeup Artist gently hugged Ye Xing, one hand caressing her cheek, softly wiping away her tears, and comforting her: "Don't cry your face into a mess. Such a cute face, if there's a problem, no amount of makeup can restore it. Or would you like me to apply tear makeup for you?"
"Mm... I don't want that kind of strange makeup..."
While the Makeup Artist was comforting Ye Xing, several gazes looked over from outside the backstage—it was Shu Yao and others peeking.
It was Shu Yao, Kong Yubai, and Lian Hua.
Kong Yubai looked at the two figures in the dim backstage with slight surprise, somewhat unexpected.
"I didn't expect such unexpected things to happen when I wasn't around. The original troupe member, the Makeup Artist, has actually revived?"
Lian Hua was also full of curiosity.
"So that's the Makeup Artist. She looks so beautiful. If she helps with makeup, will we no longer need the Deceiver's visual deception for the audience when we go on stage in the future?"
Hearing this, Shu Yao's face was full of complexity, seemingly having experienced the Deceiver's understanding of makeup.
It could only be described as ordinary, barely able to hold up on stage.
"How to put it... The Deceiver's understanding of makeup is really hard to describe."
The three girls let out a light sigh.
But with the Makeup Artist, things should probably be better in the future.
For stage performances, it's indeed better to have a professional makeup artist apply the makeup.
At this moment, Ye Xing finally stopped crying.
This was tears of joy, not a very sad thing, so she could stop quickly.
"Mm... Since the Makeup Artist has awakened, come with me to see the other members of the troupe. They are also excellent performers."
"Yes, I'm looking forward to meeting them."
Hearing this, Shu Yao and the others who were peeking and eavesdropping quickly ran away, returning to their original positions pretending to do their own things.
Ye Xing and the Makeup Artist walked out from backstage.
Upon reaching the stage, Ye Xing happily shouted.
"Everyone come out and see! Look here, look here, I have some very happy news to announce!"
As soon as Ye Xing's voice fell, the other hidden troupe members came out one after another, even the elusive Announcer appeared.
They looked towards the stage, waiting for the Spectator's announcement.