Chapter 31: Before the main event
The silence stretched between themâembarrassingly long for one, agonizingly short for the other.
Mikuânot Madoâleaned against the doorway, a mischievous grin plastered across her face. Her silver eyes gleamed with amusement as she took in Sawaâs flustered state.
âW-Where are my clothes?!â
Sawa was the first to break the silence, crouching down as if trying to hide as much skin as possible. Her wide eyes darted to Miku, who tilted her head, feigning innocence.
âClothes? Hmm~ I have no idea what youâre talking about~ But, Sawa-chan~ youâd look much cuter without them~â
Sawaâs face burned, her composure hanging by a thread., âMaâŚMiâŚM-Miku-san, t-this isnât f-funny! Please g-give them back!â
Miku giggled, twirling a strand of her bluish-purple hair around her finger. âBut Sawa-chan, youâre so much more interesting like this. Besides, donât you think itâs time you stopped hiding behind that boring uniform?â
"I-I am at work! Thatâs w-why I wear it!"
"Isn't your job right now to wear those?"
H-How did she knoâ!!
Then it struck her.
The events that led her to this moment werenât just a string of coincidences. Noâshe was the reason.
Miku crouched down, tilting her head with a playful grin. âWell, Sawa-chan~ are you ready to answer the call of duty?â
So she used her power, huhâŚ
Sawa, in contrast, averted her gaze, lowering her eyes as if deep in thought.
I donât want to use my power⌠If I do, I risk being found. But⌠sheâs here to play cover, so I should be fine.
âHm? Eh?!â
Just as Miku was expecting a flustered surrender, a sudden, blinding light erupted from Sawaâs form, causing Miku to stumble backward, landing on her butt with a soft thap.
âS-Sawa-chan?â
Mikuâs breath hitched as she lifted her gaze.
The glow gradually faded, revealing Sawaâs transformed form.
It was anything but what Miku had expected.
As the light finally dissipated, Mikuâs wide eyes took in the sight before her.
Clad head to toe in a massive, plush bear costume, Sawa stood stiffly, her round ears twitching slightly. The suit was an absurd shade of warm brown, its oversized paws dangling uselessly at her sides.
A ridiculous, stitched-on grin stretched across the bearâs face, its wide, beady eyes permanently frozen in an expression of vacant cheerfulness.
Mikuâs lips parted, but no words came out. She simply stared, caught between sheer disbelief and utter surprise.
Meanwhile, Sawaânow an unfortunate, oversized bearâremained motionless, her posture rigid. The only sign of life was the slow, steady rise and fall of her shoulders.
And thenâ
!!
Without warning, the floor beneath Sawa shuddered.
A perfect circle formed beneath her feet. Before Miku could react, it collapsed inward.
Gravity took hold.
Sawa plummeted straight down without resistance, her bulky bear form vanishing in an instant. The floor sealed itself seamlessly behind her, as if nothing had ever happenedâno trace, no evidence.
Silence.
Miku blinked.
ââŚH-Huh?â
She stared at the empty space where Sawa had stood just seconds ago, her brain desperately struggling to process what her eyes had just witnessed.
At the same time, fifteen thousand meters above Tengu Square, a shrill alarm blared across the bridge of the Fraxinus, the Ratatoskr airship.
"What is it?!" Seated in the captainâs chair, Kotori frowned at the unexpected alert, her sharp eyes snapping to the monitor in front of her. Yet, despite the blaring siren, there was no visible disturbance inside the venue. The festival grounds appeared normal.
Her gaze shifted to the side monitor displaying Mikuâs mental parameters. The readings were slightly lower than usual, but nothing concerningâat least, not enough to warrant an alarm of this intensity.
"AâA Reiryoku readingâŚ! But⌠itâs not from Diva, Captain!"
"What did you just say?" Kotoriâs frown deepened at the report from her crew.
At that moment, the main monitor abruptly switched, shifting away from Shido and the others to display a new scene.
A festival staff changing room.
For a few long seconds, nothing happened. The screen remained still, its empty silence only heightening the unease.
Thenâ
âThere!â
One of the crew members pointed urgently as a figure finally emerged from inside.
âDiva?â
It was Miku.
She stepped out slowly, her posture slightly slumpedâbut nothing more.
A false alarm?
That was the first thought that crossed Kotoriâs mind. Maybe the system had simply overreacted. But the more she considered it, the less sense it made. Something didnât add up.
It wasnât until she recalled what they had learned after Shidoâs encounter with Miku that a realization struck her.
Miku knows another Spirit⌠and she promised we would see her at the festival.
Her fingers drummed against the armrest.
âCould she have gone to meet that Spirit just now?â Kotori muttered under her breath.
âCommander, what shall we do?â
She gave a quick glance to the crew member before shifting her gaze away, stroking her chin in thought.
âSave those Reiryoku readings until we can properly check them later. For now, donât inform Shido about this. Let him focus on Diva. In the meantime, weâll conduct a comprehensive site inspectionâwe need to locate that Spirit first.â
The crew exchanged nods, initially agreeing with Kotoriâs orders, until Kannazuki, standing behind her seat, spoke up.
ââŚAnd if we do spot her? What then?â
âHmâŚâ Kotori tapped her fingers against the armrest, considering. âOur priority for now is to determine her identity and nature. As long as she doesnât pose a threat to anyone, weâll remain in observation mode.â Kotori answear, narrowing her eyes on the Reiryoku readings.
The time was twelve oâclock â the exact moment when representatives from all schools were expected to gather in the greenroom backstage, preparing for their performance.
But it wasnât just the performers assembling. Festival attendees were also on the move, eager to claim the best seats for the event. After all, this was the main event of the entire festival.
Not far from the main entrance to the theater, in a small, dusty storage room meant for cleaning supplies, the floor trembled ever so slightly â a faint vibration that barely disturbed the settled dust.
With a quiet clack, a perfect circle suddenly appeared on the floor, the ground sinking inward as if being gently swallowed.
Moments later, a figure rose into the dimly lit space, gliding upward atop what appeared to be an oversized plant. A thick, sturdy leaf served as a platform, lifting the figure smoothly into view.
Clad head to toe in a massive, plush bear costume, the figure stepped into the room before crouching down.
âThanks for the help,â she said, gently tapping the plantâs surface.
It trembled in response, almost as if shivering with joy at Sawaâs words. Not long after, the plant retreated back into the earth, and the ground sealed itself behind it â leaving nothing but faint, hairline cracks as evidence of what had happened.
Sigh...
âI really wasted this day on nothing...â
Sawa placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head in disappointment.
âI guess I should consider myself fired at this point... Hm, what should I do now?â
âMy, having a tough day, Sawa-san?â
âEk!!â
Sawa nearly jumped out of her skin, arms flailing as she spun around to find the source of the voice. She clutched her chest, wide-eyed, her breath caught in her throat.
A dress of bloody crimson and shadowy black. Dark hair tied up asymmetrically to either side, Leaning casually against the wall, Kurumi folded her arms with an amused smile dancing on her lips.Â
âW-Would you stop doing that?!â Sawa groaned, sagging forward as if her soul had just left her body. She let out a long, exhausted sigh, calming her rising heart
 âYouâre always popping up behind me and talking out of nowhere. One of these days, I swear youâre going to give me a heart attack.â
Kurumi giggled, covering her mouth with her fingers in an overly dainty fashion. âOh? But itâs so delightful to see your reaction. Youâre simply too fun to tease.â
Sawa straightened up, rubbing her temples. âI seriously need to start carrying around a bell or something to tie to your footâŚâ
Kurumi pushed herself off the wall with an elegant sway, her hands clasped behind her back as she stepped closer, her voice dripping with playful curiosity. âSo? Now that you no longer have work for the day, what will you do next?â
Sawa tilted her head, pursing her lips in thought. âMmm... I guess I might as well just go home and study. Might as well make use of the free time, right?â
âHmmâŚâ Sawa gave it another thought, tapping her chin as she reconsidered Kurumiâs suggestion. After a short pause, her eyes lit up, and she raised a finger with a triumphant âOh!â
âWorking in deliveryââ
âNO, no, Sawa.â Kurumi clapped her hands together like a teacher stopping a misguided student. âI didnât mean âhaving funâ as in finding another job.â
Sawa blinked, tilting her head. âHuh? But delivery jobs let you ride around on a bike, and you get to see the city. That sounds fun, doesnât it?â
Kurumi sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. âThatâs just working in a different settingâŚâ She shook her head, placing her hands on her hips, leaning in with an exasperated smile. âI was thinking more along the lines of, oh, I donât know, actually relaxing? Like, we are literally at a once-a-year festival, and the main event is about to start⌠soâŚâ
âWorking inââ
âNO WORK!â
âEH?!â Sawa flinched, arms flailing as she recoiled like sheâd been physically struck by Kurumiâs words.
Kurumi stepped forward and lightly chopped Sawa on the head. âBad Sawa. No more jobs.â
âAy!â Sawa yelped, clutching the head of her bear costume like sheâd just taken serious damage.
She looked up with teary eyes. âThen what am I supposed to do? Iâm too old to have fun like the younger kidsâŚâ
ââŚUnder normal circumstances, Iâd hit you again for that bold statement,â Kurumi muttered, her voice dripping with dramatic disbelief. She straightened up, flipping her long black hair over her shoulder with a huff. âBut since Iâm the literal definition of ,â Iâll let this slide.â
âReally?â Sawa blinked. âThanksââ
Chop.
âAY!â
Kurumi wagged her finger. âThat was a penalty hit. Reflect on your words.â
As Sawa stroked the head of her costume, as if that would make any difference, a thought suddenly slid through her mind.
âIs that the reason youâre here? Then why are you in your Astral Dress?â
âHm⌠I would say Iâm here looking over someone.â
Sawa narrowed her eyes. âLooking over someone?â
She tapped her chin, feeling like she had heard something about this before. Then, realization struck.
âWait⌠could that person beâthat boy youâre always complaining about ignoring you?â
âHuh?â
Sawa suddenly flinched at Kurumiâs sharp reaction.
âYou know, that boy⌠whatâs his name⌠Shou? Anyway, every time you drink, you start ranting about how he ignores you, flirts with other girls, andââ
Kurumiâs face turned dangerously red. She flailed her arms wildly. âWait! Wait! Wait!!!â
âHm? What is it?â
Kurumi quickly turned away, trying to compose herself before clearing up the situation.
âM-Me⌠What the hell are you doing?!â she mumbled under her breath.
After taking a deep breath to steady herself, she shot Sawa a sharp glare and cleared her throat.
âAhemâŚâ
Kurumi straightened up, placing a hand over her chest as her expression turned more dignified. âListen, Sawa-san, donât misunderstand the situation. This is simply part of my planânothing more, nothing less. Itâs not like I like him or anything, got it?!â
Sawa stared blankly.
The words entered her ears but never quite reached her brain.
She blinked, taking a moment to process. ââŚAh? Okay, good. Just donât get too involved. And seriously, find yourself a better man. Nothing good ever comes from someone who plays with the hearts of multiple women, got it?â
âYeah⌠Anyway, I do have work to do.â
Kurumi suddenly turned around, waving a hand at Sawa. âAnd my dear Sawa-chan, you are not to take on any more jobs. Just enjoy the festival, alright?â
Before Sawa could protest, Kurumiâs form flickered, and in the next instantâ
She was gone.
The shadows swallowed her presence, leaving only the faint echo of her voice behind.
ââŚShe does that way too often.â
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