ReLive: The Unreasonable Routes To Redeeming The Villainess (ch1)

Keeping up with the recent and successful trend of "villainess" anime/light novels, and whatnot, 0mn has come to bless us all with a Revue Starlight version of it! All I'm gonna say is that their notes on this were as long as the fic itself ended up being, so I hope I could do it justice and make it entertaining. Absolutely fantastic concept, especially for Starlight.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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                                  ReLive: The Unreasonable Routes To Redeeming The Villainess

                                                       Chapter 1. Erased


On a typical Saturday morning, Seishou's dorms are fairly quiet and peaceful as the students sleep in or spend their leisure time doing chores, cooking, reading, or a variety of other things.

However this morning in particular is not the usual Saturday morning in Starlight Hall.

Class A's nine selected students have come to gather in their usual lounge for a certain, very unusual occasion.

Presently, Mahiru is doing her best to console a blubbering Karen, while the rest of their friends look on bemusedly.

"Kuro-chan… Kuro-chan-!" Karen wails. "You can't go! You can't leave us!"

"Karen-chan," Mahiru soothes, petting her hair. "It's not like she's leaving us forever."

"Oui, c'est vrai," Claudine smiles. Everyone else in their group is dressed in their usual casual weekend clothes, but Claudine is dressed for the airport in cuffed grey pants, a pink blouse, and a white cardigan. She shakes her head hopelessly and sighs as Karen continues to whimper. "Karen, I already told you. It's only for a week."

"But- But-!" Karen is clinging onto Mahiru for dear life by this point. "It's gonna be so lonely without you, Kuro-chan!"

"What are you saying?" Junna steps up on Karen's other side to poke her shoulder. "You've got all of us staying here with you, Karen. If anyone's going to be lonely, it's Saijou-san."

"Not too lonely!" Nana says. "She's going to see her family, remember? France for a whole week! That's so exciting!"

"Though it's not really all fun an' games," Futaba shrugs. "Since she's gonna essentially be workin'."

"But what fine work it will be~" Kaoruko sighs dreamily. "To be singing and performing for a wedding. How exquisite!"

"And being a bridesmaid," Hikari mumbles. "We've done that role in plays before, but she's doing it for real."

"Indeed." Maya stands across from Claudine in the circle of nine, smiling amiably at her partner. "This will surely be an invaluable experience. Please tell us all about it when you return. And give your cousin our regards on her wedding."

Claudine dips her head.

"Bien sûr. And don't you worry, Tendo Maya. I'll keep up my practices even when I'm away. By the time I return I'll have trained so much it will be like I never left."

Maya smiles.

"I'm very glad to hear it, Saijou-san."

Claudine checks her phone for the time and takes in a deep breath.

"Well, my taxi should be here in a few moments. I won't be able to text internationally, but just know I'll be fine."

"Uwaah, Kuro-chaaan…"

"Karen, don't cry." Claudine pulls her blubbering classmate into a soft hug, relieving Mahiru for the moment. "It won't be so bad. Plus, I'll be bringing back souvenirs, of course!"

Karen sniffles.

"Souvenirs…?"

"That's right. You didn't think I'd come back to you all empty-handed, did you?"

Karen wipes her eyes, and the tears slow down as a smile finally comes across her lips. Now, she lifts her arms and hugs Claudine back.

"Okay! Sounds good, Kuro-chan!"

When they've finished, Claudine turns to Mahiru next. Mahiru's eyes have begun to water by now too, and she throws her arms around Claudine tightly.

"We'll miss you, Kuro-chan!"

"I'll miss you too, Mahiru." Claudine pats her back gently. "Help keep an eye on things while I'm gone, all right?"

"Right!"

When they part, Claudine turns to Hikari next. And in spite of how awkward the girl has always been, the two of them have grown closer over the months. Now, Hikari opens her arms hesitantly, and as Claudine steps up to hug her shoulders, a smile spreads across Hikari's face. Their hug is light and soft, as are their voices.

"We'll miss you," Hikari murmurs. "If you pass over England, say hello to the Royal Academy for me."

"I'm not sure if we'll pass directly over it," Claudine chuckles. "But will do."

Next she turns to Junna, where the embrace is still rather light, but just as pleasant.

"I know France is amazing," Junna says. "But please don't extend your stay for longer than a week. I can't handle this bunch on my own for any longer than that."

"Don't worry," Claudine laughs. "I think a week is my limit of how long I could stand to be apart from you all, anyway. I'll be punctual and I'll be back on time!"

"Glad to hear it."

Nana can't wait her turn and joins in to hug the both of them now.

"Kuro-chan!"

"H-Hey, Nana!" Junna wriggles herself free, leaving the entire force of Nana's bear hug to fall upon Claudine now.

"Kuro-chan, have a safe trip, okay?"

"I will," Claudine wheezes softly as Nana crushes her close, and does her best to reciprocate just as fervently. "Nana, don't cry, all right? I'll barely be able to stand knowing Karen is crying probably every day, so you can't join in with her, too."

"I'll do my best..." Even now, Nana is already sniffling and fighting back tears as she squeezes Claudine's shoulders. "Just be safe, okay? That's all that matters."

"Bien sûr. Merci, Nana."

When Nana finally lets her go, Kaoruko is next in line. And though she does her best to keep her arms crossed and appear uninterested in any physical contact, Claudine can see it in her eyes that she wants a goodbye hug too.

"Kaoruko," she smirks. "Be honest."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Claudine decides she can tease her a little more.

"All right then. I'll see you in a week. Futaba-"

"H-Hey! Don't skip over me!" Kaoruko rushes in before Claudine can turn to Futaba, and throws both arms around her sides. Claudine chuckles and gives her a good, firm squeeze in return.

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Oh, enough," Kaoruko mumbles into her shoulder. She heaves a sigh. "Well, it's all already been said by this point… but I do wish I could be there to see you sing, Kuro-han."

"Or do you just want to go to France?"

"D-Don't be silly…"

"Right. Of course."

But all their jokes aside, Kaoruko does end up hugging her a little longer, even after Claudine has let her go.

"All right, c'mon," Futaba says, taking her roommate by the shoulders and walking her back. "Don't hog her, Kaoruko! She's gotta get to her taxi in a couple minutes and some of us didn't get a turn yet."

"All right, you don't have to nag me."

"Sheesh…" Futaba rolls her eyes at Kaoruko before turning to Claudine with a grin. "Kuroko, I don't know what I'm gonna do without you here to keep me sane from this one."

"H-Hey! Don't call me 'this one'!"

Claudine chuckles and opens her arms, giving Futaba a good, tight hug.

"I'll be on the first plane back next week, don't you worry."

Futaba squeezes her around the waist as much as she can.

"Wish I could hear you sing, too. And I bet whatever dress they give you will look gorgeous."

"Merci. Though, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous. This will be my first time performing at a wedding, after all."

"You'll do great! Better than anyone else performing at the shin-dig!"

"I'll be sure to take all that confidence with me when I get up onstage."

Futaba gives her one last pat on the back before letting her go.

By now, just about everyone is tearing up a bit, Claudine included. At last, she turns back to the final person in the room. Maya gives her a small smile and offers out her hand. Claudine glares.

"Really? You want to see me off with just a handshake, Tendo Maya? You're unbelievable." Claudine walks right past her outstretched hand and hugs Maya unabashedly as she'd done for all the rest of them. Maya blinks as she registers what's happening, but makes quick work of wrapping her arms around her partner.

"Very well. I will gladly accept this kind of farewell, too."

"Damn right, you will. You didn't think I'd let you off the hook that easily, did you?"

"Of course not." Maya is, admittedly, relieved Claudine wanted to hug her, too, because Maya had been dying for one. She's a little nervous about all of this, as it'll be the first time Claudine will be leaving them for so long, and not just for a scheduled break.

Claudine gives a little huff over her partner's shoulder.

"Don't slack off while I'm gone, Tendo Maya."

"I wouldn't dream of it. You needn't worry about me, Saijou-san."

"Good. Then you don't need to worry about me, either."

"I'm sorry to say your telling me as much won't stop me."

"I'll be fine," Claudine murmurs. "I'll try not to have too much fun without you."

"I appreciate it."

They're quiet for a brief moment, and Claudine hears Maya draw in a soft breath, as if there's something more she's preparing herself to say. But when they both feel Claudine's phone vibrate in her pocket, Maya seems to rethink it.

Claudine slowly begins easing herself away, and has to give a gentle push to have Maya release her. Now, she speaks in a slightly softer tone.

"Don't miss me too much, Tendo Maya."

"Likewise, Saijou Claudine."

Claudine glances around to all of them now as she takes out her phone. "I'll be back in a week," she says. "And not a moment later. My taxi has arrived, so I'll be heading out now."

From all around, her friends smile and wave.

"All right!"

"Sounds good!"

"Take care, Kuro-chan!"

"Have fun!"

"Be safe!"

"We'll miss you!"

Claudine does her best not to let her tears slip free, though at this point just about everyone else is crying now, so she doesn't mind one or two tears of her own. She picks up the suitcase she'd packed the night before and smiles with one final wave to them all.

"Well then, adieu!"

"Bye-bye!"

"See ya!"

"Goodbye!"

"Bye, Kuro-chan!"

Claudine wipes her eyes as she takes one last look at them all, waving and smiling and crying as they see her off. She draws in a deep breath, then forces herself to turn away and head down the hallway to the exit.

It's going to be a long but still very exciting week.


. . .



After so many hours on the plane, Claudine is surprised she isn't falling over asleep when her parents come to pick her up at the airport in France. Somehow, she's energetic enough to jump up and hug them both while remembering her fluent French as if she hadn't spent the past several months speaking only Japanese.

The first day she arrives is spent mostly at home with her parents, telling them of her school life and resting up from her flight.

The next couple of days are spent with the rest of her family and friends as they begin setting up for her cousin's wedding at the venue and making all sorts of preparations. As Claudine practices the song she'll be signing, she keeps imagining all of her friends back at Seishou, probably already halfway through their classes as she's just waking up, or they're getting ready for bed while she's having lunch.

Claudine's fourth day in France is her cousin's wedding. Claudine, as well as a few of her other distant cousins and the bride's best friends, are given lovely pink dresses to adorn as the bridesmaids. Claudine takes plenty of pictures of the beautiful venue with all its flowers and lace and streamers to show her friends when she returns.

Dozens and dozens of guests and attendees gather, and Claudine greets her distant relatives pleasantly while telling them of her experiences in Japan.

When it comes time for her to sing, the entire room is captivated by her voice, to the point where everyone - her cousin included - are begging to hear another song. So Claudine resorts to singing something in Japanese for them, a number she'd sung many times with her friends at Seishou. She's given a raucous applause and much praise all around.

But Claudine gladly steps aside when the actual wedding ceremony begins.

She takes pictures of her cousin and her new wife in their beautiful white gowns, and cries and applauds along with everyone else in the venue.

It's a long, beautiful evening of dancing and eating and chatting, and though Claudine truly feels to be in her element in such an atmosphere, she can't stop herself from opening her phone every now and then to look through her gallery photos of her friends back at Seishou.

When the big night finally comes to an end, Claudine hugs her cousin and her new wife in congratulations before heading back home with her parents.

She spends her two final full days in France having fun catching up with her parents and traveling around a bit. On her last full day, she's sure to pick up plenty of treats to bring back for everyone to enjoy.

It all flies by so quickly, and before Claudine knows it she's at the airport once more, hugging her parents goodbye until her next break from school, or until they can come to Japan to see her.

By the time her plane lands in Japan again, it almost feels like she never left. The taxi drive back to Seishou feels surreal, and her body is out-of-sorts thanks to the jet-lag, as it's still daylight here.

But even in spite of that, she doesn't let the fatigue weigh on her as much as it should. She's just too excited to finally be back and see her friends again. She can't wait to tell them all about the wedding and show them pictures, and then see the looks on their faces when they try eating the sweets she'd brought back for them.

And of course she'll have to ask Maya to help her catch up with whatever she'd missed in classes too, but she's in such a good mood right now that Claudine believes she'll be able to live with even that.

As her cab nears the school building, Claudine reaches for her suitcase to fish out her Student ID card and have it ready. When the car finally pulls up to the curb right outside the gates of the dorm, Claudine thanks and tips her driver before taking her luggage with her and getting to her feet.

As the car drives away, Claudine stands there for a moment, letting the familiar scenery of Starlight Hall sink in and flood her vision. Somehow, it feels like the sunlight is reaching a little less strongly here than it did in France, but she chalks that up to just being a shift in the daylight hours she'd gotten used to over the past week.

And even though she's excited to share her souvenirs and her story with her friends, she'd also like very much to take a nap as soon as possible.

It's Saturday, exactly a week since she'd left, so there are no classes; though she's already planning out how she'll spend tomorrow training with Maya in particular to make up for her lost week, and be prepared for classes on Monday.

Drawing in a deep, steadying breath, Claudine steps forward toward the dorm building. There are a few girls outside having picnics or walking, and upon seeing her they all smile.

"Ah, that's right! Saijou-san's back today!"

"Welcome back!"

Claudine smiles back and waves casually as she heads for the main entrance of the building. Once inside, she goes to the front desk to show her Student ID card and put on record that she'd returned to campus. The woman there takes a moment to write some things down before handing back her card.

"You're all set. Welcome back, Saijou-san."

"Thank you very much." Claudine dips forward into a small bow before taking her suitcase and heading down the hall in the direction of her dorm.

She's honestly a little surprised her friends hadn't been right there at the front doors waiting to welcome her back.

They've probably set something up in the lounge, she decides.

A few more girls she's acquainted with wave to her and welcome her back as she walks down the hall, and Claudine thanks them all before the lounge entryway is in-sight. She smiles, bracing herself a little bit, but trying not to appear as though she's expecting anything.

I wonder who's on lookout. Junna, perhaps?

Claudine prepares to act genuinely surprised by whatever the eight of them have in store for her.

As she nears the lounge, she has to commend them for being so quiet. Not even Karen lets out a peep or a giggle. Closing her eyes now, Claudine takes the final step around the lounge entrance and waits-

"Oh!"

"Saijou-san!"

"Welcome back!"

They aren't the voices she'd been expecting to hear, nor are they particularly excited or overjoyed as she might've hoped they'd be. Puzzled, she blinks open her eyes to find a very different scene than what she'd imagined.

Rather than her usual eight friends cheering and grinning and offering freshly-baked treats, the lounge is occupied by several other girls whom she doesn't know very well. They're all sitting around playing card games on the couches and chairs where Claudine's own friends typically sit. An odd, almost defensive feeling claws at her spine, and she takes a step back out of the room.

This is odd. Everyone knows there's sort of an unspoken rule that this is 'our' lounge room. All the friend groups have more or less designated their own by this point in the year. We never encroach.

She can only assume this is also part of some elaborate ruse to throw her off and surprise her upon her return.

To think they'd go this far… they really went all-out.

So Claudine takes her leave from the lounge and heads to her bedroom instead.

She expects them all to be in her suite to surprise her now. But as she pushes through, the lights are off and the room is quiet, just as she'd left it.

Her heart sinks a little, both in disappointment and in a tiny bit of fear. The only possibility now is that they're in the school's main building.

Claudine puts her suitcase down and only unpacks the baggies of French sweets she'd brought with her for now, placing them on top of her dresser to come back and collect whenever she finds the others.

"Those dorks… What are they planning?"

For now, she decides to change out of her travel clothes that still smell and feel like the airport and just changes into her clean spare school uniform for convenience. She leaves her room and closes the door behind herself, then starts down the hallway, bound for the exit.

As she goes, she glances to each of her friends' rooms, wondering if they might pop out to greet her.

But that's when something makes her stop dead in her tracks.

Outside of Futaba and Kaoruko's room, the name plaque doesn't read "Isurugi & Hanayagi". Instead, it reads "Yamada & Furukawa".

Claudine wipes her arm over her eyes and steps closer, but she isn't seeing things. The confusion that's been beating in her heart all this time now turns to fear, as if something sharp and heavy is prodding at her chest from the inside out.

What's this…? Did they move rooms for some reason…?

She whirls around and rushes to Junna and Nana's room instead. But it's the same thing there as well. The name plaque reads "Ichihara & Ooida".

Claudine's throat constricts as she rushes to Karen's room now, where she and Mahiru had hung up a third plaque for Hikari's name underneath theirs. But that's all gone now. There are only two plaques there, and they read "Tachibana & Honda".

Now the panic is starting to make it difficult to breathe, as if she's underwater and can't find the surface. Claudine staggers as she whirls around and heads back down the hallway, bound for the final room.

But even hers is the same. Instead of "Tendo," the plaque reads "Kushieda".

It's then Claudine truly begins to understand this might not be some highly-elaborate prank anymore. The fear slamming through her chest is real. It makes her jaw ache, and the back of her neck feels as though it's being gripped by the talons of a hawk.

Without wasting another second, she dashes down the hallway and out the doors, running all the way to Seishou's main building. But even when she finally gets there and stops running, she still can't catch her breath.

She checks the studio first, but no one is there. She goes to every single classroom, but they're all empty.

Her legs are trembling as she rushes around every inch of the building, fearful that if she stops moving now she'll collapse and never find the strength to get back up again. The only time she stops is when she quite literally almost runs into a teacher.

"Oh!"

Claudine staggers back a pace and bows her head.

"I… I'm sorry-"

"That's fine, just be careful."

Claudine lifts her head hopefully at the sound of a familiar voice. To her relief, it's Ms. Sakuragi, their dance instructor. She's the first truly-familiar face Claudine has seen upon her return, and it makes her feel just a tiny bit better. But not much.

"Saijou?" Her teacher tilts her head curiously. "Are you all right? I know you just got back from your trip today. You shouldn't be running around and practicing right now. Go back to your room and rest. I still expect to see you in class on Monday."

"Of course…" Claudine still feels like she can barely breathe as she turns worried eyes up to her instructor. "Sensei… have you seen my friends…?"

"Your friends?" she repeats. "I imagine they're all back at the dorms. It's Saturday, after all. Who are you looking for?"

Claudine tries to swallow, but it doesn't go down. Her throat has mostly closed up by now. She just gives one name to start.

"Futaba."

"Futaba? What's her surname?"

Claudine's heart slams harder against her ribs as the dismay makes her vision blur.

"Isurugi…"

"Isurugi… I don't recall anyone by that name. Is she new, perhaps?"

Claudine's stomach heaves, and she really has to fight hard with herself to keep the bile from rising up her throat.

"Th-Then Nana! Daiba Nana-"

"Hm… could you mean Tachibana? Did the one week away cause your memory to suffer that badly?" Her teacher laughs like she'd made a casual joke, but Claudine feels as though the building is shaking all around her, set to give out any second now.

"Maya…" Her voice slips out in a whisper, shaking her head as she feels a painful stinging behind her eyes. She gives one last name. "Tendo Maya-"

"All right, that's enough." Ms. Sakuragi places a hand on her shoulder. The contact is meant to be comforting, but to Claudine it's just the opposite. It's proof that this isn't just some twisted dream. It's proof that this is reality. She takes a wobbling step back, but Ms. Sakuragi just gives her a look of concern. "Saijou, I think you need to lie down. Let me take you to the nurse."

"N-No," she chokes. "I'll rest in my room. Thank you…" And before anything else can be said or done, Claudine whirls around so quickly she knocks against the wall, but her legs propel her as if she's on fire.

She runs out of the building, down the steps, and all the way back to Starlight Hall, shedding stinging tears behind her all the way. Her blood is searing through her veins. She feels as though she's sinking lower and lower into a heavy dark ocean that's still suffocating her.

She rushes into the dorm building so quickly she nearly falls at the top of the steps to the entrance, hurrying to the front desk. Clearly, the receptionist is startled to see such a frantic and disheveled student.

"S-Saijou-san? What's the matter?"

"Where are they-?" she begs. "Please… they've got to be here-"

"What do you mean, dear?"

Claudine lists her friends' names and beseeches the woman to look them up, but each and every time, she simply shakes her head.

"I'm sorry. There's no record of any girl by any of those names ever being enrolled at the school or the dorms…"

Claudine takes a staggering step back, as though she's caught sight of something petrifying. Her knees cave to the point where she almost drops to the floor, but sheer willpower prevents it this time.

"No… that can't be…"

"Saijou-san?" The receptionist calls out to her worriedly, but Claudine just turns and runs.

It can't be… This can't be happening-

A sickening sense of deja vu clutches her with a sharp, constrictive grasp.

She's experienced something like this before, when Maya had been erased in one of the ReLives. But back then, the others had all stayed.

So how-? Why are all of them missing now-?

It has to be the giraffe's doing. There's no other explanation.

Even so, Claudine rushes back to her room, past all the other rooms with unfamiliar names on their doors. And yet, her own still reads "Saijou" as if everything is as it should be.

No-! This isn't right!

She throws her door open and stumbles inside, finally collapsing to her knees beside her suitcase. She tears through it to pull out her phone, searching through her contacts. But other than her family members, they're all names she barely recognizes, people she hardly knows.

All their numbers are gone.

She swipes to her messages, searching desperately for the conversation she'd texted with Nana last week about baking muffins, or the question she'd sent Junna about their physics assignment, or the discussion she'd had with Futaba about a show they'd been watching together, or the picture of a snail she'd sent to Karen.

But they're all gone. Every conversation with each of them.

Gone - as if they'd never existed in the first place.

Erased.

The tears are already spilling down now, dripping onto her screen and making it nearly impossible to see. Her hands are shaking so badly she nearly drops her phone as she swipes to her photo albums.

All the ones she'd taken of the wedding venue in France are there. But everything before that… It's all just pictures of her random classmates, of girls she doesn't even know the names of. Her group pictures of her true friends are nowhere to be found.

Not the photos she'd taken at the birthday party they'd thrown for Kaoruko, or the pictures of Hikari in her bride's outfit for their recent play, or the video of Mahiru's baton twirling routine she'd done for them all, or the video of Maya dancing she'd taken to help improve her own technique with.

She swipes all the way back to the end of the album, where the group photo they'd taken after their first Starlight Festival last year should've been.

But it's gone. The last picture staring back at her now is just a photo of the view from her own dorm room window.

Claudine breaks down sobbing, crumbling in on herself as she curls to the floor. She cries long enough that she loses track of time. And all the while, it feels as though the building is slowly collapsing on top of her back.

She's so scared she honestly wishes she could throw up, just in hopes of making this horrible burning in her stomach go away. But she knows that the only thing that will make this gut-wrenching feeling stop is finding her friends - wherever they may be.

And she already believes she knows exactly where she has to go to find them.

She refuses to waste anymore time.

She leaves her phone behind on the floor as she pushes herself up, gripping the handle of her dresser drawer with all her might to force herself to her feet. Her knees give out more than once, but she doesn't let herself go down again. Bringing her sleeve across her face, she wipes the tears over and over again as she staggers to her door. And this time, as she stumbles out into the hallway, it's as if no one else can see her.

She pushes her legs to move once again, and she races all the way out of the dorms and back to the school. Evening has fallen by now and the darkness is creeping in.

She doesn't even stop at the front desk after the receptionist yells to her that the building is closing for the night. She just races down the staircases to the lowest level, only coming to a stop as she all but crashes into the cold metal elevator.

"Giraffe!"

Her voice echoes down the hallway, an equal mixture of fury and fear. Claudine beats her fists against the metal doors, creating a reverberating banging sound until her knuckles turn red. From there she just uncurls her fingers, digging her nails in to scratch. She rams her shoulder against the metal so hard it forces the red light on top to flicker. Her voice rises in desperate fury.

"Hey! Let me in!"

She slams her fists again, and this time the light stays on, blazing its eerie red into her eyes. There's a shuddering movement, and then the elevator doors creak apart.

Claudine forces her way in, slumping against the inner wall as the doors rattle closed. It slowly begins taking her down.

She wipes her sweating forehead and her dribbling eyes, catching her breath as much as she can, but it still never feels like enough.

When the elevator lurches to a stop, she rushes out the moment the doors part. She runs down the empty staircase before her, then through the darkened theater along the aisles of seats. Dismay churns through her like acid.

She glimpses the stage as she runs, illuminated by a lone spotlight. But the curtains are closed, and there are no sounds coming from within. She runs down the aisles of the upper level where the audience seats overlook the stage, scouring every row until she finally spots the figure she is seeking.

"You-!"

She sprints all the way to the giraffe where he's standing at the edge of the upper level's balcony, gazing down calmly over the unmoving stage. As Claudine reaches him, she glares up with fury and tears in her eyes, her fingers balled into fists on her skirt. She half-gasps, half-growls as more and more tears drip down her face and onto the red carpet below.

The giraffe doesn't bat an eyelash. He doesn't even turn his head to her as he speaks, impassive as ever.

"Ah, so you have decided to join us at last, Saijou Claudine-san. I understand."

"Don't give me that-" she snaps. "Where are they?! Tell me where they are-!" Her voice echoes around the entire empty theater and bounces back at her from afar. The giraffe replies in his usual tone.

"If you mean your fellow Stage Girls, they are performing their duties, even as we speak." He maintains an unmoving gaze on the stage below. Claudine looks down as well, but still sees and hears nothing.

"You're not making any sense. There's no one else here-"

"Perhaps none that you can fathom," he replies. "Being you were not summoned to perform with them."

"Perform what?!" she demands. "What do you mean-?"

"However…" He goes on, as though he hadn't been listening to a word she'd said. "You were still able to enter and make your way here, so I suppose you may still be able to perform…"

"Fine!" she shouts. "Tell me how! Tell me what's going on so I can help them! Why have they disappeared? Why are their names gone from their rooms? Why aren't there any records of them? Why are all my photos of them gone…?"

No matter how many times she wipes her eyes now, it's useless. The tears just keep coming.

The giraffe flicks an ear.

"It is rather unfortunate," he says. "You see, in your absence, Saijou Claudine-san, the selected Stage Girls were called upon to perform a certain ReLive that was being swiftly invaded and decimated by the Korosu. Naturally, they jumped onto the stage in an effort to save the play. At the time, you were not within the domain of this stage, therefore you were not notified."

Claudine stands firmly, biting back her sobs and curses as she listens intently. The giraffe continues indifferently.

"Your friends did their best to save the play titled 'Ashes of the Phoenix.' Unfortunately, that particular play required nine protagonists, yet your friends only had eight to offer. Without having the appropriate number of actors required to fully act out the play and satisfy the stage, they were overwhelmed by the Korosu."

Claudine chokes, staggering back to grip onto the nearest seat, her nails digging in deeply enough to tear the leather.

"No… that can't be-"

"However-" he continues. "Their battle is not over. Not yet." Now, he finally turns his head to Claudine and gazes down until his shadow swallows her. "Allow me to explain…"

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A/N: As stated, the next chapter will explain what went wrong with the rest of them while Claudine was away.