「儺戯」を手伝う

[player] I'll be a Nuo opera performer.
[A-Yuan] Great! Please follow me.
[-] A-Yuan takes me to wash my hands and burn incense before guiding me to a room.
[A-Yuan] The Nuo opera is the most important performance of the parade as it is how we welcome and thank the ancestors for accepting our invitation to join us. It's also the oldest Nanxiang dance used to worship deities, drive away plagues and diseases, and pray for peace.
[A-Yuan] I'll be the lead dancer in this Nuo opera dance. PLAYER, as one of the dancers, you'll need to know some basic dance steps.
[-] A-Yuan takes me inside a room in front of us. There are various masks in the room, all of the same style as the one she wore during the ritual. Some are fully painted, while others are only half painted.
[A-Yuan] These are the Nuo masks I've made, and they represent the spirits of various ancestors. In the Nuo culture, one can drive away evil spirits by dancing while wearing these masks, so all performers are required to wear them during Nuo opera performances.
[A-Yuan] Pick a mask you like.
[-] After nodding, I inspect the masks carefully to choose one I like.
[A-Yuan] Hmm... You take this one.
[-] A-Yuan looks at me in surprise after seeing the mask I picked.
[player] Is there something wrong with this one?
[A-Yuan] No, it's just that I just made this mask.
[A-Yuan] I get my inspiration for Nuo masks from my dreams, and I've seen many deities and ancestors while communicating with that other world... This particular figure has only appeared once, so I don't know much about it.
[A-Yuan] But... maybe we'll get to know each other well after today.
[-] Obtained Memento: Nuo Mask
[-] After wearing the mask A-Yuan hands to me and burning incense devoutly in front of a statue, I start to learn the exciting dance steps.
[A-Yuan] Focus on the steps and the rhythm. Nuo is an ancient power...
[player] One, two, three, four... Two, two, three, four...
[player] Huff... Puff...
[???] The sky was black, the earth was yellow, and the universe was vast and boundless...
[player] ...Who's that?
[-] Upon hearing the sound of a bell tolling, I open my eyes to see an old man waving at me from a distance. The man looks very dignified and even a little familiar... Instinctively, I start walking toward him even though my legs feel incredibly heavy...
[-] Someone catches me just as I start toppling over in my dazed state.
[A-Yuan] PLAYER!
[-] When I open my eyes, I find myself lying on the ground. A-Yuan helps me up, then she takes off my mask and fans me.
[A-Yuan] Are you okay?
[player] A-Yuan, I think I just saw an... ancestor.
[A-Yuan] Haha... You just had a heatstroke.
[player] ...Heatstroke?
[-] A-Yuan's words immediately bring me back to my senses.
[A-Yuan] Well, these masks are airtight and it's midsummer, which means it's really easy for performers to get heatstroke during a Nuo opera performance. Here, have some water.
[A-Yuan] If I knew you would have a heatstroke so easily, I would have reminded you to wear even less clothing when you were coming.
[player] Oh, so the reason you told me to dress lightly, not wear new clothes, and not wear flip-flops in the morning was because you were worried I would get heatstroke?
[A-Yuan] That's not the only reason.
[-] I knew it! There really are metaphysical elements involved!
[A-Yuan] I told you to not wear new clothes because you'll sweat a lot and soil them while practicing. I told you to not wear flip-flops because you might sprain your ankle if you wear them.
[player] ...Everything is backed by science?!
[A-Yuan] Why are you so surprised? Did you think these are all taboos? No wonder you were so nervous earlier.
[A-Yuan] The ancestors are here to protect us, not to make things difficult for us. There aren't many things you need to be worried about as long as you respect them.
[player] ...Okay, one last question!
[player] Why did you ask me to wait for the incense to finish burning before I start rehearsing?
[A-Yuan] It's naturally to prevent fires and eliminate fire hazards.
[player] ...I understand now.
[Crowd] This way, this way! Put that over there! Be careful!
[-] Suddenly, some lively shouts from the front yard of the Ancestral Hall catch our attention. A-Yuan takes my hand and leads me to the front yard.
[-] Many workers who are usually busy working in restaurants are entering the Ancestral Hall. The lively discussions carried out in the local dialect and the sounds of gongs and drums fill the mysterious and empty Ancestral Hall with life.
[Person A] Miss A-Yuan, are you here? Everyone has come for the rehearsals after getting off work!
[Person B] Hey, I call dibs on setting off fireworks along the route! I promised my daughter that I would set them off for her!
[Xiaoyun] Um... Miss A-Yuan, now that the deity puppets have been repaired, do you think I can do the Nuo dance with you at the parade?
[A-Yuan] Of course.
[Xiaoyun] Yay! I'll start preparing for it then! Thanks...
[-] Looking at the scene in front of her, A-Yuan shows me the most relaxed smile I've seen in the last few days.
[A-Yuan] Thank you so much. I won't let Ms. Fuuka down now.
[-] I receive a text message from Fuuka Minami.
[Fuuka Minami] (Text Message) Well done.
[player] Speak of the devil.
[-] I show A-Yuan the text message, which brings a smile to her face.
[A-Yuan] Yes... although Ms. Fuuka didn't show up this time, I know that it's because it's inconvenient for her to get involved since she's the leader of Bamboo Cloud. She's always been the staunchest supporter of the parade and has never stopped believing in me.
[A-Yuan] She's the one who insisted on bringing me and the folk culture of Nanxiang to One Han City even though many people initially thought the parade was just a stupid superstitious activity.
[player] Why did she insist on doing that at the cost of being criticized?
[A-Yuan] Ms. Fuuka said she wanted those who follow her to feel at home even when they are working in another land.
[A-Yuan] Fortunately, everything turned out the way she wanted, and the parade became more and more popular over time as Bamboo Cloud grew.
[A-Yuan] Now that everyone in One Han City knows a lot more about Nanxiang, the culture of Nanxiang has taken root in a larger world.
[player] That's wonderful.
[-] Looking at the bustling crowd, I see the deity puppet carriers rehearsing with their puppets and notice the puppet I helped to repair among the other puppets who are watching over everyone gently.
[-] At this moment, I finally understand why everyone here at Champion Street takes the parade so seriously and wants it to be a great success.
[-] The parade conveys people's happiness and wishes, allowing those far from home to feel the connection and encouragement from their homeland and transforming an ordinary land into a distant paradise.