Immersion was akin to twisting wet laundry to dry it. At first, water would easily be squeezed out, but as time goes on, it would be harder and harder to see water. It was like twisting the already suitably dry laundry expecting more water. It was definitely not something to do with a smile.

Maru drank some water. His tension, which was like a taut rubber band, had now loosened. As it had been a long time since he got into character, he found himself exhausted rather quickly. Although his mental prowess had been honed endlessly, his body had not been trained enough to endure that extreme concentration.

He wasn’t worried though. This was just the process of going down a path that he had already walked before. He was thankful that he wasn’t walking down a path filled with fear and fatigue stemming from uncertainty.

After the shoot, they switched places and went outside. The new place was in front of a lake that clearly looked like it only had dead fish. From what he could hear, it seemed that the students even called it lye, saying that if they drained it, there might be some skeletons down below.

“I heard that this place is going to be emptied next year and made into a tennis court. It’s...