Lumine and Paimon, hearing Neuvillette's words, looked over at the same time and saw Furina with her chin propped on her hand, legs crossed.
Seeing that they were both looking at her, Furina immediately gave a disdainful smile, putting on an "I'm in control" attitude.
"Uh... the Hydro Archon looks all proud and smug, like she has no idea you've seen through her," Paimon whispered.
Now, both Lumine and Paimon were feeling embarrassed for Furina.
Neuvillette, however, was relieved to see Furina smile.
If she could make that silly grin, then Furina hadn't been replaced by anyone. She'd probably just gotten some strange power from somewhere.
Knowing Furina's personality, she'd probably just use those powers to show off, not do anything that went against common sense.
Maybe it wasn't as serious as Clorinde had said.
"That's good. Let's not worry about her. We'll just watch the show," he said, looking towards the stage.
Although the performance hadn't started yet, the important people had already arrived.
The magician for the show, Lyney, walked over quickly, looking surprised and delighted.
"Mr. Neuvillette, I'm honored that you've graced my performance with your presence!"
"Mr. Lyney, it's my honor to see your performance," Neuvillette replied politely.
...
[Sigh...]
"What's wrong? Momoshiki."
A look of confusion flashed across Furina's eyes. He'd been enjoying his novel, so why the sudden sigh?
Did a character he liked die in the book? Or was he unhappy with the plot?
[Neuvillette... never mind, it's nothing.]
Momoshiki opened his mouth, but ultimately chose not to speak, continuing to read his novel.
If he didn't say it, it wouldn't matter. If he did, the atmosphere would be even more awkward. It was better not to ask for trouble.
"What about Neuvillette?" Furina asked, feeling even more confused by his vague words.
[Nothing. Do you want to go see how the Divine Tree is growing later?]
"The Divine Tree... sure, we'll go see it later."
Since Momoshiki didn't want to talk about it, Furina decided not to ask any more questions.
It was better to just play it safe.
Lyney chatted with the group in the audience seats for a long time, having a great time.
While they were chatting, more and more audience members entered the theater, and soon it was packed.
The performance time arrived. With a snap, the lights in the theater went out, plunging everything into darkness.
Then, the stage lights came on, and Lyney, who had been chatting with the group, was already on stage, with his sister Lynette standing beside him.
Momoshiki had already seen Lyney's magic show when he played the game, so he wasn't very interested. He kept flipping through his novel, waiting for the water tank to fall and kill someone.
"Welcome everyone to the Opera Epiclese! I'm Lyney, the performer for today!"
Excited applause rang out from the audience.
"This is my sister, Lynette, who is also my most important magic assistant. Come on, say hello to everyone."
"Hello, everyone."
Lynette's greeting was very brief, and her tone had a sleepy quality. Although her expression was a little nervous and socially awkward, it made her look extremely cute, and she quickly won another round of applause from the audience.
The rest of the show followed the original plot. Lyney, to prove that the upcoming magic trick had nothing to do with Visions, voluntarily handed over his Pyro Vision. Lynette left early, saying she had something important to do.
Then, Lyney performed a bunch of interesting magic tricks, such as floating hats, conjuring objects out of thin air, and creating white doves with his bare hands.
Furina's right palm, covered by her glove, had the Karma slowly spreading.
Tsundere Momoshiki stared intently at Lyney's performance, afraid of missing any details.
Although he couldn't turn off his Byakugan and could see every magic trick Lyney performed, tsundere Momoshiki was still enjoying it.
"I'm sure you've all seen these magic tricks before. How can I prove that I'm unique and extraordinary?"
As he spoke, Lyney conjured several magic cards from his hand, using levitation magic to make them fly to one side in an orderly fashion, drawing gasps from the audience.
"I've prepared a challenge."
After saying this mysteriously, Lyney put his hands together and conjured more white doves, letting them fly around the stage and up into the air. The lights followed the doves closely.
As the doves flew to the top of the stage, the lights above turned on again, revealing a huge, elaborate water tank.
Lynette was sitting gracefully in the water tank, waving slightly to the audience.
"In full view of everyone, in this water prison, I'm going to make my sister disappear into thin air."
Lynette jumped into the water, drawing gasps from the audience. Furina also subconsciously put her legs down and watched intently.
"Actually, it's not that difficult. All I have to do is turn her into bubbles and let her float out of the tank."
As he was speaking, the lid on the water tank suddenly fell down, sealing Lynette tightly inside.
Trapped in the water, Lynette swam to the top and pushed the lid, but it didn't budge.
"Oops!"
Lyney exclaimed in mock surprise and ran to the bottom of the tank, arousing the curiosity and tension of the audience.
"Didn't I tell them to check the props carefully? With the lid sealed, not even air can get out."
As he was speaking, Lyney's expression changed to a confident one. He tipped his hat slightly, looking mysterious and reassuring.
"If it were a beginner, they'd be panicking by now. But luckily, it's me on stage. Haha, I might as well show you my signature trick."
Lyney snapped his fingers, and a large number of bubbles began to surround Lynette. The bubbles grew in number, eventually filling the entire tank, blocking all view.
The audience gasped again, holding their breath, not even daring to blink.
When the bubbles disappeared, only Lynette's clothes were left in the tank. Lynette herself was nowhere to be seen.
Everyone was shocked, including Furina, who stood up from her seat, leaning on the railing, trying to see a trace of a flaw, but found nothing.
This was a water tank suspended high in the air! The lid hadn't even been opened, and she'd disappeared in the bubbles!
Lyney was clearly performing magic under the guise of a magic trick!!!
The audience's reaction was great. Lyney smiled confidently and knocked on the water tank, asking:
"Lynette, are you still there?"
"Don't go too far. Your magic will run out soon~"
As he was speaking, footsteps came from behind the stage. Lynette walked out slowly, to the disbelief of the audience.
"I'm back."
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience. Furina also clapped along in shock. Everyone was completely convinced.
"Amazing!! Momoshiki! Did you see that?!"
Furina waved her hands excitedly, eager to share Lyney's magic trick.
[Yeah, I saw it.]
Momoshiki nodded, with no major emotional changes other than admiration.
His Byakugan had seen everything. There was just a small hidden door behind the tank, which Lynette, with her slender figure, could easily pass through.
Using the dim light on the back, she left the stage with ghostly movements, so it was imperceptible to ordinary people.
What Momoshiki was looking forward to was what was going to happen next.
That teleportation magic trick that almost traumatized Lyney.
===
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