Do the introductory verses by Suta/Sauti and asker’s verses form part of the verse count of the core scripture itself?

Question

The Puranas and Itihāsas generally begin with a few introductory and concluding verses, mostly included in one or more separate chapters. In the introductory verses, a setting is created where the narrator, Suta, is present at Naimisharanya, with the sages performing a yajna. The sages request him to narrate the respective scripture and he starts by introducing it, giving a background of the source from which it was obtained and number of verses. Similarly in the concluding verses, things such as the greatness/ phalashruti, etc. of the scripture maybe described.

Let’s take an example, the Mahabharata. It begins in the same way with the sages asking Sauti in Naimisharanya. Thereafter, first is a casual narration about Bhrigu’s race as found in the Puranas:

exalted race of Bhrigu ... O great Muni, I shall first properly recount the story of this family, as told in the Puranas.

He narrates other episodes but actually the the ‘Mahabharata, composed by Vyasa’, is narrated after some 59 chapters into the Adi Parva:

Sauti said, 'I shall recite to thee from the beginning of that great and excellent history called the Mahabharata composed by Vyasa. O Brahmana, listen to it in full, as I recite it.
-Mahabharata Adi Parva, Chapter 59

Notwithstanding that Adi Parva Chapter 1, includes the minor stories, before the Chapter 59, as part of the epic, the above shows us that, the Mahabharata written by Vyasa does not start until chapter 59. Whatever Sauti dictated before is the story of a Bhrigu as per Puranas and the background of Janamejaya’s Yajna, but definitely not part of the ‘Mahabharata of 1,00,000 shlokas’. The very same first chapter of the Adi Parva gives different vidwans starting from different points in the epic - which shows that stories before chapter 59 maybe read as part of the tradition but that’s not the main epic and only then can a difference between Vishwans arise as to where they want to start the epic from. Had it been part of the core 1,00,000 shloka epic, the vidwans wouldn’t have different traditions.

Examples from the Puranas

1. The core scripture starting after Suta’s introduction:

I studied this ... Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam... That very Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam I shall recite before you... ŚB 2.1.8-10

On hearing the words of Sūta, the great sages said, “Please narrate the wonderful Purāṇa ... May ye all hear the Purāṇa that embibes the essence of the Vedas.-
Shiva purana Vidyeswara Samhita Chapter 3, verse 1-6

2. Every time before starting the Skanda Purāṇa, Suta introduced the Samhita name along with the other Puranas. Before finally starting the main Samhita. It is highly unlikely that constant repetition of those introductory verses are to be included for verse count of the core Purāṇa.

Further, if one looks at the possibility Vyasa himself foreseeing and talking about Suta narrating the Puranas, such a contention is not tenable as, while discussing about the origin of the Puranas, it is said Vyasa condensed the Purāṇa of 100 crore shlokas to four lakh shlokas. The possibility of the big Purāṇa, itself including in itself, the narration by Sauti, is little out of place. To explain better, Each purana represents some particular verses of the main purana being given by Brahmaji to some divinity (eg. Brahma purana by Brahmaji to Matichi). The possibility of those verses containing the mention of Suta/Sauti narrating in 28th Kaliyuga is highly unlikely.

Hence it’s almost certain when Suta/Sauti says that xyz scripture has abc number of verses and I’m now going to narrate you that scripture; it means the verses about the setting of Naimisharanya and the introduction to the scripture, all come before he starts narrating the scripture of abc no. of verses. Those introductory verses can therefore not form part of verse count. Accordingly I ask the following questions, for which I’d like the opinion/ tradition of orthodox sectarian acharyas.

Questions:

1. Before Sauti indicates starting of the scripture, are the introductory verses part of the main scripture and considered in the verse count?
   
   ^{(Meaning when one says SB has 18000 verses does it mean the verses before Shuka starts with actual narration are part of the 18000 or only after he says now I’m starting the scripture, do we count 18,000)}
2. In the main scripture, do the asker’s (Jamamejaya/ Parikshita/ Shaunaka) words form part of the scripture, for the purpose of verse count or only that of the narrator (Vaishampayana/ Shuka/ Suta )?
   
   ^{(When the listener asks his doubts, the narrator churns out the relevant portion of the scripture and answers him. Hence the scripture ideally contains the answers, not the questions themselves, at least by the listener (Shaunaka etc.)).}
3. Who’s the person who’s noting down the conversation between Sauti and the sages? Is it one among the sages? (As explained above, it cannot be Vyasa) And if it doesn’t form part of the main text, then what was it original called (name of Parva, Kanda or merely prastavana)?

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^{Note: Above, I’m not disputing the possibility that Vyasa may have foreseen Vaishampayana dictating the epic. The contention is whether the initial part by Sauti forms part of the 1,00,000 shlokas core epic. Sauti clearly is dictating the story of Bhrigu ‘as per the Puranas’ and only in chapter 59 says - now the Mahabharata starts. I’m also not contending that the conversation between Sauti and the sages is fake. I’m saying it’s an integral introduction to the epic, but not the epic of 1,00,000 shlokas itself. The actual epic only starts from Chapter 59. Same logic for the Puranas - not disputing the conversation but saying it doesn’t form part of the core purana.}