Chapter 39 p2
An’an was very tolerant of her fans’ desire for a handshake. She had shaken other fans’ hands before, but only this time, Amuro found it particularly unpleasant.
Not just unpleasant, but completely unacceptable. He wanted to take the girl away immediately, take her to a faucet, squeeze some hand soap into her palm, and wash it clean.
It wasn’t entirely impossible… If he suddenly appeared on the deck and waved at An’an, she would definitely be stunned, and while asking in surprise, “Mr. Amuro, what are you doing here?” she would walk towards him.
That’s right, she would definitely come over, because they were…
What were they? Amuro thought with self-deprecation.
Neighbors? Acquaintances? Friends? Such unconvincing words.
There was only one identity that could be chosen without hesitation.
Don’t think about it anymore. This has nothing to do with him, the undercover Public Security officer warned himself.
No matter how much was going on in Amuro’s mind, the scene on the screen would not change according to his will. The fan signing session ended, and the camera once again focused on the host.
“It’s finally starting! The much-anticipated game time!” the host said dramatically, spreading his arms.
“As announced in the show’s preview, our actors will be re-enacting a wonderful scene from the drama for everyone on the spot.”
“Shikashi! Just having the original cast re-enact it would be too lacking in fun. The production team has decided—we will shuffle all the roles and assign them by drawing lots.”
Spontaneity and chaos are the main themes of a fun-loving person!
The chat instantly became lively.
[Does this mean I can see the male lead be sister’s dog?]
[I want to see the beautiful ladies together! Can you rig it and give the lead roles to the two beautiful sisters?]
[It’s time to stand up and be a person, Male Lead #3! The time has come to prove to the world that you are amazing as both a person and a dog!]
[The mastermind is transformed into a pure red-side character. Please enjoy the annual drama “Metamorphosis: Death Penalty Edition”]
Amidst the audience’s high spirits, the host took out a stack of role cards and spread them out in front of the camera.
The scene chosen for the show was the universally acknowledged most exciting case in the drama, and also the climax of the show’s finale. Director Kawamura and the screenwriter had ruthlessly killed off many people.
Besides the male and female leads, basically everyone else had died. Therefore, the role cards in the host’s hand were: Police, Detective, Killer, Victim, Victim, Victim.
Six cards, and half of them were victims.
“Then, let’s start drawing lots,” the host said, shuffling the role cards and signaling the actors to come up and draw.
The order of drawing was related to the actors’ billing and popularity. The male and female leads surreptitiously glanced at the dark-haired, dark-eyed girl.
She was the rookie with the least experience among the six, but if she wanted to draw first, no one would object.
Fan An was indifferent to the order of drawing. The last person didn’t have to go up and draw; being assigned directly was also fine.
After a few people had looked at her, they covertly arranged themselves in an order.
Host: “Oh, the first role card has been drawn. Our female lead has drawn the victim card.”
Very normal. Half of the cards were victims.
Next was the male lead. He also drew the victim card.
The two actors who were the only survivors in the drama had drawn the two victim cards. Many people in the chat were laughing and spamming, “What goes around comes around. Heaven spares no one.”
This was exactly what the production team wanted to see. The greater the contrast, the higher the traffic.
Next were the second female lead and the second male lead. Their luck was off the charts. They had drawn the police and detective roles, respectively.
The last person to go up and draw was the third male lead.
“Let’s reveal the answer! He has drawn—the victim!” the host said, flipping over the last role card.
Without a doubt, it was the killer.
Fan An, not at all surprised, picked up the killer card.
“Stop, stop, stop!”
The director’s voice came through the host’s earpiece. “What’s going on? Where’s the excitement in this distribution? Look at the chat yourself. How many people are protesting?”
Fan An had played the killer in the drama. Her fans didn’t want to see their sister continue her killing spree. They all demanded: “Give us something new! The editors are running out of new material!”
Everyone loves a good show. The onlookers and drama fans also spammed the chat, demanding something new.
For a live variety show, traffic is number one. The host quietly consulted the actors. After some discussion, they decided to draw lots again.
This time, Fan An had no choice. She drew first.
The dark-haired girl casually flipped over a role card.
Killer!
Host: “Ahhh, I forgot to shuffle the cards! I’m sorry. Please draw again.”
The shuffled cards were laid out in a row. Fan An once again randomly drew a card.
Killer!
Host: “Uh, uh, you must be tired after drawing first twice in a row. Take a rest. I’ll shuffle the cards again.”
Fan An stepped aside and watched as the others drew the detective, victim, police, and victim cards one by one. In the end, there was one victim card and one killer card left.
This time, it’s definitely fine. The host hurriedly invited Fan An over. “Come, please draw a card.”
A fifty-fifty chance! This time, it must be—
The girl moved her hand, revealing the flipped role card.
Killer!
Host: “…”
The Actors: “…”
The Director: “…”
The Audience: “…”
In a difficult silence, only Director Kawamura was excited. “Subarashii! As expected of you!”
The host silently walked over. In front of the countless viewers in the live stream, he manually swapped the two cards.
The production team wasn’t even pretending anymore, but not a single person in the chat jumped out to say it was rigged. It was all understanding.
Fan An, holding the forced melon, aka the victim card, said, “Is this what they call ‘man conquering heaven’?”
(T/N: “Forced melon” is an idiom for something that is forced and not sweet. “Man conquering heaven” is an idiom for overcoming fate.)
Everyone: No, you are the bloody history of man conquering heaven!
…
The identity of a victim was indeed quite new to Fan An. The experience of lying on the ground and having someone draw a circle around her with chalk was not a common one.
“Should I design a unique pose?” Fan An said to the camera as she walked through the ship’s cabins. “Using a corpse to create art. It sounds very artistic.”
[Listening to sister talk, it sounds very terrifying.]
[What is a heaven-sent suspect? (tactical lean back.jpg)]
[Sister, have you really not considered changing your name?]
[To the person in front, changing her name is useless. She has to change her surname.]
[We will not allow a change of surname!!! Go away, you dog man!]
[Is sister still single? You’re in the entertainment industry, you must be single, right?]
Actors are not idols. There is no rule against dating. Besides, Fan An had not signed with any company. There was no one who could control her.
As usual, the dark-haired girl couldn’t see the chat. On the screen, she was focused on finding her place of death.
Another one of the production team’s crazy ideas. The actor who drew the victim card could decide where they would die.
“I need to pick a place with good feng shui to die,” the girl muttered. She looked at the layout of the cruise ship’s facilities, her gaze stopping on the movie theater.
The movie theater on the luxurious cruise ship, for passengers to watch movies. There were no screenings at the moment. It was empty.
“It’s dark. It has a great atmosphere,” Fan An said decisively. “I’ve decided. I’m going to die in the movie theater.”
She led the cameraman into the movie theater to show the audience the death scene she had carefully chosen.
“A naturally atmospheric darkness,” Fan An introduced, one by one, like a professional real estate agent. “A surround sound system that can play water-harp BGM. The floor is carpeted, so my head won’t get a concussion if it hits the ground, which would affect the aesthetic of the corpse.”
She saw the fire hydrant in the corner and praised it even more. “The cruise ship’s fire safety is very good. They don’t neglect fire hazards just because they’re at sea. This cruise ship is so big and grand, it could easily explode.”
“The fire extinguisher in the fire hydrant is a great tool for home, travel, murder, and silencing. It’s easy to get, it hurts a lot when you hit someone with it, and it’s a one-hit kill,” Fan An said with great interest. “If I were the killer, I would use what’s available.”
She had been a suspect for too long and couldn’t switch to the victim’s mindset for a moment. As she spoke, she enthusiastically wanted to share her crime-solving ideas with the audience.
“Let’s first get a wild fire extinguisher,” Fan An said to the camera. She pulled open the fire hydrant door with both hands.
The cabinet door opened, revealing a ticking bomb inside.
“Hm?” Fan An turned her head to look at the cameraman with confusion. “A show effect?”
The cameraman knew nothing but was confident in the production team’s penchant for causing trouble. He nodded. “Probably a show effect.”
The chat was full of praise. “The production team is so dedicated.”
Amidst the praise, the production team’s backstage came to a brief halt.
Variety Show Director: “Is this part in the script?”
Screenwriter: (shakes head.jpg)
Variety Show Director: “Prop master, did you do this?”
Prop Master: (shakes head.jpg)
Variety Show Director: “Did anyone secretly prepare a surprise?”
All Backstage Staff: (shakes head.jpg)
“I see,” the variety show director said thoughtfully. “This bomb was not placed by our production team.”
“HOLY SHIT AAAAAAAAH!”
The variety show director jumped up as if his butt was on fire, screaming at the top of his lungs, “Someone, help! There’s a problem!”