Under Reca's direction, the script's hero and villain roles were completely flipped.
In the end, led by Rappa, everyone united to confront the evil antagonist—the Harmony Banana Instructor.
Not long after.
The Harmony Banana Instructor met the same fate as the previous Banana Instructors—reduced to a pile of inoperable scrap metal.
Dan Heng stepped forward and examined it closely. "This one has stopped functioning too. It really does feel like someone is controlling them from behind."
Stelle pointed at herself. "You can't blame me this time, right? I held back."
Rappa's gaze locked onto Reca. "So, Toad • Ninja—can Your Excellency now explain everything?"
"Even the actors have realized it. Then allow me to turn to the next page of the script—the crimes taking place in this Origami University." Director Reca openly shared his findings without evasion.
"Actors—have you ever heard of a 'memetic virus'?"
Dan Heng pinched his chin. "So that's the true nature of 'Sleeping Banana Monkey'?"
"Correct. Memetic corruption is a contagious phenomenon. It's information particles that affect perception, twisting how the infected sense specific things—turning them into something else entirely, like special effects in a film.
Words, music, videos… these are all vectors of transmission. Humans are naturally curious about the unknown—and that's exactly where memetic viruses slip in.
Even in reality, memetic corruption can alter a person's thoughts. But in this dream world—it gives birth to nightmares that turn people into apes."
[Memes—first time I heard the term was in the SCP Foundation.]
[Same here. The best story has to be the Antimemetics Division!]
Rappa strongly agreed with Reca's view, then restated it in the form of Ninja True Words. "Thus, the evil ninja first had evil spirits spread carefully disguised media—using entertainment as cover to plant the seeds of sorcery in the hearts of all ninja disciples.
Then they usurped the position of teachers, subjecting the disciples' minds to torment until the sorcery took root.
In this endless cycle, the ninja disciples of Origami Village will be assimilated by evil spirits—becoming puppets of the evil ninja… truly a heartless, merciless, ruthless grand conspiracy!"
This explanation left Banana Blossom Sauce completely lost. "Uh… what are you all talking about? Is this part of the script too?"
Reca gave a slight smile. "This actor's lines are a bit obscure, but the overall plot direction is correct."
At this point, Rappa brought the topic back on track. "Since Toad • Ninja already saw through the truth long ago—why delay taking action?"
Reca helplessly waved his hand. "I'm just a passing director—how could I act rashly? To defeat such a terrifying villain, one must rely on protagonists of distinguished status.
These Banana Instructors were all appointed by the acting principal 'Banana Professor.' No need for me to elaborate—go to the principal's office and get answers. I look forward to the next act of your story."
[I don't agree with that statement.]
[He clearly knows who the mastermind is but still won't act—fits the earlier guess: Reca is definitely tied to the Garden of Recollection.]
[Director Reca feels a bit like Sparkle with Black Swan's personality—loves watching drama and stirring the pot.]
— —
With that, Rappa and the three finally understood the full truth. It was time for a decisive battle with Banana Professor.
Bang—
After a quick scene transition, Stelle kicked open the door to the principal's office.
Banana Professor still stood with hands behind his back, calmly turning around. "Dear students—though you neither made an appointment nor knocked, you are still welcome bana."
"No more beating around the bush. Confess at once—Your Excellency is the chief evil spirit of Imperial Monkey • Evil Ninja, isn't he?!" Rappa had already assumed a stance, ready to strike at any moment.
Banana Professor looked at Rappa with clear exasperation. "…"
He turned to Dan Heng. "The classmate beside her—could you translate?"
[Requesting Chinese-to-Chinese translation!]
[Rappa's lines are still so baffling.]
— —
Dan Heng summed it up concisely. "In short: a memetic virus has appeared in Origami University and is spreading rapidly, corrupting students' minds. Banana Professor—that virus is 'Sleeping Banana Monkey,' and the ones spreading it are the Banana Instructors under your command."
Banana Professor fell silent again.
But soon he spoke—admitting everything in one straightforward breath.
So quickly that Dan Heng felt something was off. "Your confession came faster than expected. So this really is Dr. Primitive's scheme?"
"Scheme? Bana bana bana—don't overestimate Penacony. How could this money-reeking pleasure garden of copper stench possibly be worthy of the Doctor's noble human experiment?
There is only me here—a 'second-rate research ape'—who came to Penacony to complete my own graduation thesis: atavism experiments based on 'memes.'
The project has gone smoothly. People here love Sleeping Banana Monkey—especially young people like students. They will create a new Synesthesia dreamscape called 'Moment of Sleeping Banana' and nurture it, expand it… even evolve it…"
[So Dr. Primitive himself hasn't arrived yet? Just one of his subordinates caused all this?]
[Insane!]
[If the real one showed up, you think it would be this easy?]
[No Emanator here—now we can safely deal with him.]
[So this is just one of the Doctor's followers who came to complete his own graduation project.]
Rappa glared at Banana Professor in fury, her shuriken already itching to fly. "Imperial Monkey House slaughters the people of the world—all to build an evil nation of a hundred night-walking evil spirits?"
"Uh…" Banana Professor scratched his head. "Classmate—your words are really hard to understand. You're not cursing me, are you?"
The next moment he sighed. "Never mind. Ordinary people can't comprehend the greatness of atavism experiments. Before preaching and resolving doubts—let's have a pop quiz: do the students know how bananas reproduce?"
"To ensure taste, most commercial bananas are 'asexually reproduced.' No seeds, no pollen—they're cultivated from identical rhizomes into buds." Dan Heng answered.
"Correct. Five Amber Eras ago, the Intelligentsia Guild cultivated what humans believed to be the perfect banana: the 'Golden Sleeping Banana.'
The Golden Sleeping Banana quickly dominated the fruit market. It was nutritious, sweet, and its peel even emitted a charming golden glow, making every interstellar banana plantation's nights shine like the 'Moment of Gold.'"
"But it eventually went extinct, right?"
"Correct. The sleeping banana, capable only of artificial reproduction, had no potential for evolution. Identical genes gave it identical weaknesses. When a deadly space fungus began spreading through the production lines…
This species that once ruled the cosmos vanished within mere months."
Dan Heng lowered his head in thought for a moment. "You're saying humanity is the same?"
"Exactly. The predecessor of the sleeping banana was the highly reproductive green wild banana. Without human intervention, it should have bloomed in far more diverse splendor—just like this Penacony.
But the people here chose crude imitation: building skyscrapers, establishing cities, printing currency, and willingly becoming puzzle pieces in the cosmic market.
Just like the Golden Sleeping Banana—unchanging, fragile, ultimately worthless.
Because it accepted the wrong banana education, the Doctor wants to return misguided worlds to their embryonic potential—giving them a chance to grow again. That is the atavism experiment."
[This segment has a real-world prototype.]
[Reminds me of One Hundred Years of Solitude.]
[This corresponds to the real-life 'Big Mike' banana—look it up if you're curious.]
[Actually, Dr. Primitive's thinking is too arrogant—or maybe using bananas as an example isn't the best fit.]
[When crisis hits, humanity still seeks ways to save itself. We don't just sit and wait.]
[He's really just swapping concepts. Because humanity has always possessed one special thing—courage.]
[The song of humanity is the song of courage. The greatness of humanity is the greatness of courage.]
— —
"However—this one has visited those star systems."
Rappa clenched her fists tightly and advanced step by step until she stood right in front of Banana Professor.
"This one walked star by star—yet found no ninja who could speak. Only evil spirits…
And you know perfectly well—they were not born this way.
The monkey that just scampered past your feet was a sailor a few years ago, always brewing his own liquor.
The one in the distance fighting other monkeys over a fruit was the smartest person on that planet—he once knew how humans could fly to the sky.
But from now on—they are only monkeys."
[Wait—you can speak normally?]
[Probably reached peak rage and couldn't maintain Ninja True Words anymore.]
[I thought her Synesthesia Beacon was tampered with like Boothill's.]
[So—why does Rappa know all this?]
[Galaxy Ranger—she's been there. Normal.]
— —
"Is it my imagination? Classmate—you seem to have learned how to speak normally."
Banana Professor's lips curved slightly upward. "Or perhaps—this moment—this scene—reminds you of something from before? The Doctor is a genius. His ideals are lofty enough—and they will surely be realized. But mediocrity only wallows in unrealistic fantasy, becoming dead weight on civilization's progress.
Everyone to their proper use, everything to its proper purpose. After all this time—you still haven't learned this knowledge point… 'failed product' of the Doctor?"
Rappa bit her lip hard. "…"
[Ah????]
[Nani?]
[I knew Rappa was special—but don't tell me Rappa is a creation from Dr. Primitive's lab?!]
[Very much like the audience's favorite line:]
Dan Heng saw the situation turning bad and immediately spoke. "Your scheme ends here."
"Oh? Do you know why I allowed you to run wild across campus—why I guided you step by step to come here?" Banana Professor remained leisurely composed.
"Origami University is just a petri dish—disposable. But if it can wipe out all the pests in the lab in one go… then that is 'everything to its proper purpose.'
Bana bana bana—time's up. Class dismissed."
Rappa gritted her teeth. The next moment she hurled her shuriken straight at Banana Professor.
Bang—
A monkey burst from Banana Professor's upper body, trampling Stelle twice in the process.
Fortunately Rappa was quick—but just as she was about to grab it, time froze. She was sealed inside a world of film reels.
"CUT! Brilliant—truly brilliant… such a splendid film… it would be too much of a pity to end it now."
Reca watched Banana Professor flee the scene, trembling with excitement.
"Alright, actors—prepare for scene change!"
[Holy crap—Reca really is from the Garden of Recollection?!]
[That's basically spelled out—film-like ability. Definitely a Memokeeper.]
[Personality's very Fool-like, but the ability is pure Remembrance—most likely a Memokeeper.]
[Mainly because being a director has been defined as the Fool's signature by Sparkle—but thinking about it, director also suits Memokeepers pretty well.]
— —
Scene transition.
Reca stood outside the principal's office.
"What are you doing, Memokeeper?" Banana Professor's true body roared at Reca.
"Dear producer—your requirements have all been fulfilled. As agreed, please lift this curse that robs me of all artistic sense."
"Requirements? No no no, Mr. Reca—hand over that group of stubbornly un-bana-fied monkeys. Only then can you say you've 'fulfilled the requirements.'"
"That's not right. I went through great effort to help you all infiltrate the school, obstruct Family surveillance, and even dealt with the Rangers who were your biggest headache. Now you want me to hand over ownership of the actors too?"
Pride for his students flashed in Reca's eyes. "They are all exceptionally rare talents—full of stories yet to be told. I can't let them wrap up like this."
[Holy—Reca really is a Memokeeper?!]
[So Director Reca was poisoned? Is it that serious?]
[A Memokeeper's very being is already memetic matter. Memetic viruses are most fatal to memetic beings.]
[As expected—Reca is probably like Dr. Ratio when it comes to students.]
[How so?]
[Neither of them ever gives up on students.]
[Reasonable!]
— —
Banana Professor gave a slight smile and continued threatening. "Mr. Reca—I'm not discussing with you. I have no need to negotiate with a prisoner.
Within three system hours, you too will become a Sleeping Banana Monkey just like those students. If you don't want your directing career to end here—hand them over obediently."
"NG—I refuse! Banana Professor—do you know why I fell into your hands?"
"You managed to track the Doctor's whereabouts—impressive. But sneaking in and thinking you wouldn't be noticed? A bit too arrogant, no?
Even by lab animal standards—you're far from qualified, big director."
"Unfortunately—I took the risk with one goal: to shoot a brilliant film. From the beginning I was prepared to sacrifice myself for art—so your threats mean nothing.
For a film crew, the moment shooting starts, risk begins. A true director would rather have 'deceased' written in the credits than let the camera stop rolling."
"In the end—you're just another pitiful monkey struggling for a useless dream. Then prepare yourself for sacrifice."
Yet in the nearby bushes, the robotic frog Assistant Director rubbed its chin and let out a "ribbit."