Chapter 16: "Platinum" the Play

"Let’s go! To the theater! Lee—"

BAM! The door swung open, and Anna froze mid-step as she took in the sight of us inside (barely dressed).

—Awkward. Bad. Awkward.

Once again, alcohol had led us astray. We’d managed to pull ourselves together—clothes on, just about ready to sneak out—when this happened.

What, me shouting? No memory of that… Hell, if she’d heard it, she wouldn’t have come near the room! This idiot must’ve been dead asleep…!

Anyway, yeah. No way around it—we did it.

Still no memories, but that aside, since Yous had already gone into his second dogeza apology, well… what’s done is done.

No excuses left in this situation.

"S-sorry for intruding…"

Anna hastily closed the door behind her. Not a single word was spoken to stop her.

---

"So. The theater, you said?"

"Y-yeah, but—ugh! You two acting all casual just makes me feel awkward now!"

After fully dressing and disposing of the evidence, we finally let Anna back in. She’d been shooting us a look this whole time, leaving Yous and me exchanging glances of our own.

"What’re we seeing this time?"

"U-um, well…"

—Anna was a huge theater nut.

In this world, theater—stage plays, concerts, live performances—was one of the most popular forms of entertainment. With magic so advanced, the special effects made the shows way more extravagant than anything from my past life. Movies and TV, meanwhile, hadn’t really taken off here.

That’s how insane live theater was in person.

Me? I preferred street performances, but…

"It’s Platinum! The newest version—this theater’s doing an early run!"

"Platinum, huh?"

Yous and I shared a look. A wry smile passed between us. Back in the day, maybe, but now? No reason to avoid that story.

"I’ve seen it once, but Yous actually hasn’t."

"What!? Seriously!? But it’s the hottest play right now!"

Well, duh—it was the latest heroic epic.

And that was exactly why some people still hesitated to watch it.

"Well, might as well take the chance. Who else is coming?"

"The leader said he’s busy. I asked around, and most of the others without prior plans are in!"

"Damn, that’s a crowd."

Like, twenty people?

As I thought that, Anna puffed out her chest with a hmph!

"Fret not! For today… it’s my treat!"

"Ohhh, fancy~?"

My gaze drifted to Anna’s chest—easily top five in the party for a reason.

As Yous nodded, impressed, Anna struck her proudest pose and declared—

"—I snagged us a private box."

……

……A WHAT!?

Just how much money did this girl blow!?

I couldn’t help but stare at Anna’s chest with utter disbelief.

---

"Platinum" refers to the most recent S-rank adventurer party to rise to fame—active just a few decades ago.

S-rank adventurers are rare, appearing maybe once every thirty to fifty years. Most of the time, the rank is awarded to massive parties of dozens or even hundreds, recognized for their collective achievements.

But Platinum was different.

They were the smallest party possible—just six members—yet they climbed all the way to S-rank. Unprecedented in history, their strength and accomplishments were legendary.

Naturally, that made them perfect for theatrical adaptation.

Six people was just the right number, too. Trying to adapt a party of dozens would mean flooding the stage with extras.

"Man, this version of Platinum really focuses on how cool the hero, Alfrith, is!"

—After the show, Anna sighed dreamily as she turned to me.

And she wasn’t wrong. The performance was incredible.

Alfrith Platinum—the man whose surname became the party’s name—was a once-in-an-era hero. One of the few adventurers who ever slew an S-rank monster and saved the world.

Just reaching S-rank was rare enough. Most monsters were killed before they ever got that strong.

And actually defeating one? Even rarer.

Usually, an S-rank monster would just be sealed away and weakened over time. Even now, there were plenty of them locked up across the world, guarded by adventurers.

But Platinum killed theirs.

Yeah. They were that insane.

"That final battle? The magic they used was brand-new—debuted in this show!"

"Oh, the one that gave the projected monster actual mass? No idea how they pulled that off."

"Right?! Human ingenuity is amazing! I got chills!"

Anna’s excitement wasn’t about Alfrith’s dashing heroics—it was all about the magic.

…Shouldn’t you be squealing over the hot guy right now?

But no. This was Anna, A-rank Wizard. Occupational hazard, I guess. No wonder she couldn’t get a man—learn to appreciate eye candy once in a while!

"So, you rented a private box just for this?"

Private boxes weren’t for regular theatergoers. They were for nobles, the ultra-rich—and cost a disgusting amount of money. Even by noble standards, this was excessive.

So why?

Anna wasn’t just a theater fanatic.

"Actually… there’s one more play I wanted you all to see."

She turned to the group with a grin.

"Next up—‘Bronze Star’! I really want to watch it! So… how about it!?"

—Immediately, everyone started packing up to leave.

Yeah. Expected.

"Bronze Star."

In other words—a play about us.

Of course it’d be mortifying to watch.

As a theater lover, Anna had to see it—but she was too embarrassed to go alone. So she’d rented the box, treating everyone, banking on guilt to keep them around.

Too bad for her.

If the leader had been here, he’d have gleefully agreed. But without him? No dice.

"Ugh… If anyone changes their mind, just say the word! My treat!"

In the end, only a few stayed—me, Yous, and some of Anna’s closer friends.

Not that anyone was wrong here.

…Just kinda felt bad for her.

But anyway—

—The play turned out to be a romance between a Yous-like guy and one of the female party members.

…Can I leave now too!?

---

"B-b-bathroom—!!!"

Anna—who’d apparently drunk too much—bolted out the second intermission started. The others scattered too, leaving just Yuth and me alone in the box.

He casually sipped his drink while I—

"...I wanna die."

—burned crimson with humiliation.

God dammit, why are we alone now!? Should I fake a bathroom break too!?

"Well, the script is well-written. For a romance between a tsundere girl and a noble pretty boy, it’s not bad."

"How are you so calm!? While everyone else was side-eyeing me, you just sat there, cool as hell!!"

Ugh, seriously—a love story between a "noble pretty boy" and a "hard-to-honest girl"?

Childhood friends, born and raised together. He’s the privileged young master; she’s his loyal support. They become adventurers, but she tries to distance herself because of their status gap—only for him to whisper "I’ve loved you since the day we met" and refuse to let her go, and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—

The only saving grace? The actor playing "pretty boy" wasn’t as hot as Yous.

Get a real heartthrob for the role, damn it! The guy playing Alfrith’s dad in Platinum was better-looking (though still not Yuth-tier).

"Still, plays like this are definitely for women. Platinum at least pretends to be an adventure, but let’s be real—it only works because Alfrith’s dad’s actor was hot."

"Ahaha… Well, Bronze Star’s still new. Probably just capitalizing on having a famous, good-looking adventurer as its gimmick."

Theater usually splits into "for men" (epic adventures, harems) and "for women" (romances, pretty boys). Platinum could go either way, but Bronze Star? Aggressively for women.

Anna’s the type to enjoy anything, from trashy harem wish-fulfillment to schmaltzy romances—but for normal people? Both are dangerous.

"Also, Rina, you’re being way too careless. Saying his name so casually isn’t smart."

"Relax, I checked. No one’s watching us. No spies, no eyes on us—nothing."

—Then, a mischievous idea struck.

I climbed onto Yous’s lap.

"—Rina?"

"Who cares? No one’s looking."

His flustered face was priceless.

Something inside me had broken these past few days.

The word "restraint" didn’t exist anymore.

What’s happening to me? Where’s this going?

Scary. Exciting. Scary. Exciting. Scary. Exciting.

Maybe I should’ve pushed things with him sooner.

"This play’s theme is romance, right?"

"...Your point?"

"So? Did it make your heart race, pretty boy? Watching us flirt like that?"

My eyes were only on him.

The play was just background noise—I couldn’t even remember the actors’ performances.

But maybe that’s why.

"I did. Listening to it while watching you—it felt like we were the ones up there."

"...Glad to—hear that."

Got him.

My face wasn’t just hot—my whole body was sweating, feverish.

God, if past-me could see me now, staring at him like this—she’d kill me.

Before I knew it, our faces were inches apart.

One more move, and the distance would be zero.

No way I could hold back now.

So I—

"I’m baaaaaack! Intermission’s not over yet, right—!?"

—The door slammed open. Anna’s eyes locked onto mine—right as I was about to kiss him.