Chapter 13

Act 4 1 We disembarked and climbed the hill leading to the Goddess House. The shadow of the large, beastly building stretched across our path, its strange contours illuminated by each flash of lightning, burning themselves into my retinas. As soon as we passed through the double doors, someone screamed in the darkness. “I told you I didn’t want to come! What were you going to do if we all fell into the ocean?!” Hirutani’s voice echoed through the entryway. “You have my apologies—but with my experience, I knew we’d make it,” Amou replied calmly. The chandelier suddenly blazed on. Chitose had flicked the switch on the wall. In the center of the entryway, Hirutani and Amou stood facing each other, their jackets soaked and hoods down. “Hey, what happened to your sunglasses?” Sugai asked Samura, who sighed, looking disheartened. “They were getting on my nerves, so I tossed them into the sea.” “A wise decision.” Umeko chuckled. I glanced around and realized something. “Wait, where’s Isemi?” Everyone looked around the entryway. “He was getting on my nerves, so I tossed him into the sea,” Samura joked, flashing a wry, toothy grin. Umeko smacked him hard in response. Just then the door creaked open, and Isemi appeared, looking dejected. “Sorry… I had to throw up…” We all breathed a collective sigh of relief. The entryway was grand, with a crimson carpet covering the floor. A ticket booth stood to the right, and the central wall featured a large Chinese-style brush painting of hills and goddesses. We fanned out to the east and west to head to our individual rooms. Mine was on the east side, and as we walked, the trails of our wet footprints dotted the hallways. “We’ll have to clean those up later,” Sugai noted. The passageways in the Goddess House were complicated, with doors separating off several rooms. There were no windows, and it was easy to become disoriented while navigating the labyrinthine structure. I turned to Amou. “Why did they design this place like a maze?” “For the same reason they do it at Tokyo Disneyland,” he said. “Tokyo Disneyland?” “They use embankments and plants to block the view of the outside world. It keeps the fantasy alive. This maze separates the inside and outside worlds, maintaining the theatrical illusion.” I nodded, understanding. Amou, excited by the topic, continued. “And this maze has a supernatural purpose, too.” Suddenly, Hirutani let out a yelp. “Ason Amou believed that theater was a supernatural process as well,” Amou explained. “When an audience enters a theater and experiences a play, falsehood turns to truth, truth becomes falsehood, and they wander into a realm of both. They become engrossed in the story and fall under its spell. As they near the end of the play, that spell begins to lift. To enter into a maze means to die, and to leave it means to be reborn. Ason wanted the audience’s souls to experience reincarnation while they were still alive.” He then turned to Sugai and added, “Labyrinths have been used for ages to ward off evil spirits. The bad things get trapped inside.” “I’m getting the creeps,” Sugai said, rubbing his arms. BAM! The sound of a door slamming echoed down the hallway. We looked around and realized that Hirutani was no longer with us. We had just reached her room. Sugai shrugged. “Looks like we just lost a ‘bad thing.’” “Did she really put a curse on Amagasaki?” I asked. “I’m very sorry to ruin the fantasy, but”—Amou paused before continuing—“she did.” We exchanged uneasy glances and headed to our rooms. 2 Once I arrived at my room, I set down my bag and let out a sigh of relief. The room was a mix of different cultures. The coffered ceiling reminded me of shrines and temples, while the walls were decorated with mosque-like designs. Despite the blend of styles, there was a strange balance, a unified aesthetic that tied everything together. It reminded me of Ason Amou’s plays, which incorporated elements from Greek tragedies, Noh theater, and Chinese opera. I thought about what Amou had said while I showered: To enter into a maze means to die, and to leave it means to be reborn. I already stood in the realm of death, and I fervently prayed for my rebirth. After putting on fresh clothes, I headed to the central hall. No one else had arrived yet. I took in the stunning architecture, which resembled a giant sphere. A circular stage lay at the lowest point, with seats arranged around it like a bowl. Exits opened to the east, west, and south, with a stage and bridge to the north. Above, a painting of enormous flying goddesses adorned the ceiling. I stood in the center of the circular stage and gazed up. Iron scaffolding and lighting had been installed in a circle, designed not to obstruct the audience’s view. Beautiful, arabesque geometric patterns decorated the center of the ceiling, creating an effect like the eye of God. A wave of dizziness hit me, as though I were floating. It felt almost like déjà vu, and a cold rush blazed through my heart. Just then the door opened, and Chitose appeared. She caught my eye and smiled, her high heels echoing through the hall as she walked over to me. Looking up at the ceiling, she said, “It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” Soon after, others arrived, and the space livened up. Sugai stood in the center of the stage and screeched like a monkey, testing the acoustics. “This is amazing! It was built just for theater!” he exclaimed. “I can hear you all the way over here!” Samura yelled from the back row. Umeko, standing next to Sugai, looked on in wonder. “Wait, Samura, how are you wearing sunglasses again?” she asked, incredulous. He flashed his white teeth and gave a thumbs-up. “Backup pair!” Umeko let out an exasperated sigh. Amou soon arrived, and we began rehearsals. After warming up, we dived into The Vicissitudes of the Three Realms. Three hours of rehearsal passed, and we ate a quick dinner before jumping back in. A peculiar heat began to build inside us as we worked. Amou grew stricter, as though something had possessed him. “No, no, no!” he shouted at me. “You have to act during the pauses, too! Do you know what the greatest invention in music is?” I shook my head. “—Silence. The greatest invention in literature is the blank page, for film it’s darkness, and for the stage it’s the pause. Everything exists within nothingness and darkness. Don’t forget that we act while staining time and space, ruining the greatest invention of theater!” A few days ago, I wouldn’t have understood a word of what he was saying. But now his words soaked into me naturally, like water and light absorbing into a linen cloth dipped in a clear stream. Perhaps it was because I was already living in the realm of death. We finally finished rehearsals at eleven that night. “Well done, very well done…” Amou patted me on the shoulder, complimenting me. For a fleeting moment, I felt as though I had reached the level he demanded. I could still improve—or so I thought. Of course, that all depended on me staying alive. 3 I returned to my room, immediately took another shower, put on my pajamas, and collapsed into bed. I was dead tired. My head felt like it had been impaled by a lead pipe, and my body felt as if it were filled with wet sand. Though my body desperately wanted to sleep, my mind was wide awake. The storm outside had intensified. After thirty minutes of keeping my eyes closed with no success, I turned on the bedside light and took out an anxiety med from my suitcase. I hadn’t needed one since I met Miri… Just then someone knocked on my door. My spine froze. I looked around the room, searching for something to use as a weapon. I unscrewed the pole from the coat rack and gripped it tightly. It wasn’t much longer than a rolling pin, but it was better than nothing. There was another knock. Nervously, I opened the door. —To find Chitose standing there. She hadn’t showered yet; she was still wearing the same clothes as earlier and her mask. I relaxed and quickly hid the “rolling pin” behind my back, then invited her inside. “Are you okay?” I asked. “…I was just scared,” she admitted softly. She stood there silently for a moment before reaching out and gently squeezing my hand. A loud clap of thunder echoed outside. Her dark pupils wavered. “It’s okay,” I said, smiling despite my confusion. “Thank you…” She nodded, gazing straight into my eyes. Then, without warning, she smiled and suddenly hugged me. I felt the softness of her body, and her scent was captivating. After a moment, I hugged her back, hoping to calm her nerves. “Youichi, I really like you,” she whispered. “Thank you.” “But there’s someone else, isn’t there?” I stepped back, startled. Her smile faded. “How did you know?” “If I couldn’t tell by now, I wouldn’t be much of a woman.” She paused, then asked, “What’s she like? What do you like about her?” “She’s—” I thought of Miri. “Petite, pretty, a little clumsy, really smart, loves to read, an incredible actor, mysterious, and always a bit distant. One day, I just realized I had feelings for her. There’s no specific reason. But I love her a lot. That’s it.” “I see,” A tear welled up in her eye. “I have to admit, I’m jealous.” She smiled, then pointed the “rolling pin” at me. At some point, she had taken it from where I’d hidden it behind my back. “It was for defense. I got it from the coat rack.” “You don’t need anything like this,” she teased, smiling as I moved to take the pole back. But just as I reached for it, she pulled her hand back, causing me to tip forward. And in that instant, she darted in close— And kissed me. I was dumbstruck. She smiled wickedly and said, “Gotcha.” “That was my first kiss…” “Don’t worry. It was through a mask, so it doesn’t count. But I’m not giving up.” As she reached the door, she turned around, smiled, and waved, saying, “Don’t forget, you owe me one more date!”