[176] Sylvia Lyyneheym

Atop the octagonal building, Okita Souji stood in the chilly morning breeze.

By the time she arrived, it was already dawn of the following day. The sun rose from the horizon, casting golden morning light across the land and bathing Miss Okita in a radiant, almost divine glow.

Beneath her feet lay the Tokyo Budokan—a massive venue capable of holding nearly twenty thousand people. It had always been a coveted stage in Japan's music industry, with ninety-nine percent of Japanese musicians considering a performance there the pinnacle of their careers.

But today, the Tokyo Budokan was more bustling than ever.

From early morning—no, from the dead of night, or even since the previous evening—a massive crowd had gathered around the venue. Most of them were waving glow sticks, wearing clothes adorned with images of beautiful girls, and carrying merchandise, brimming with excitement as if ready to cheer at any moment.

As morning arrived, the crowd only grew larger. Far more than twenty thousand people packed the area, completely clogging the Budokan's surroundings.

"Hmm..."

Roy, who was controlling the familiar Souji from Seidoukan Academy, couldn't help but murmur at the sight.

"Which side is the person secretly setting up those threads targeting?"

Familiar Souji narrowed her eyes.

From her perspective, countless thin threads—glistening under the sunlight—stretched from unknown origins and plunged into the crowd. They were so transparent and bright that their numbers were impossible to count.

Moreover.

The ends of those threads seemed to burrow directly into people's ears.

Yet no one noticed. Whether they were chatting, excitedly discussing something, or dozing off, not a single person was aware of the threads in their ears—as if they didn't exist at all.

Not one person in the crowd sensed this hidden threat.

The sight alone sent chills down one's spine.

Roy fell into thought.

Were the threads so densely concentrated here simply because of the massive crowd?

Or...

Had the enemy deliberately set them up here?

If it was the former, then fine.

But if it was the latter... what did it have to do with him?

"No matter how many unrelated people die, it's none of my concern."

With that cold-hearted thought, Roy prepared to have the familiar turn and leave.

Rather than wasting time here, it would be better to keep an eye on Ginga Headquarters.

Whatever happened there would surely be far more serious—at least in terms of its impact on the world's balance.

"What are you doing standing here?"

Just then, a curious voice came from behind.

Souji was about to move but suddenly halted.

She turned around, her icy gaze piercing the girl who had appeared behind her.

"I did make some effort to conceal my presence. And yet, you still noticed me?"

"Ahaha, just a coincidence!"

The girl behind her had long, lustrous indigo-purple hair, delicate features exuding breathtaking charm, and wore a frilly short skirt. Her overwhelming presence made her seem like the perfect, ultimate idol.

"The concert's about to start, so I've been clearing out potential threats in my own way. That's how I noticed you. You're really skilled, aren't you?"

The girl smiled over, her simple smile radiating an astonishing warmth.

It was a completely different kind of warmth from Roy's. His was laced with a magician's charm, meant to soothe others and lull them into lowering their guard.

But this girl's warmth came straight from the heart, as if she could be friends with anyone in the world.

Okita Souji's gaze passed through the girl, landing on the spatial windows floating across the city—almost all of them displaying the same figure.

A figure crowned with titles like "The Rare Songstress" and "The Top Idol."

That figure was the girl standing before her.

"So, you're that singer, Sylvia Lyyneheym?"

"Me… that singer?"

The girl raised her slender willow-leaf brows slightly, a hint of bewilderment crossing her face.

She looked up and down at the cold, oddly dressed Miss Okita, as if trying to discern whether her words were genuine.

"You don't know me?"

"I do now."

Miss Okita spoke these words under Roy's control.

Her expression remained utterly flat. Even with a world-famous songstress standing before her, she showed no surprise, no excitement—not even the slightest effort to feign a reaction.

"Well, I'm not narcissistic enough to think everyone in the world knows me, but hearing that still stings a little. My popularity is pretty high, you know?"

A faint trace of disappointment flickered across Sylvia's violet-haired face as she shot a mildly displeased glance.

"What does that have to do with me?"

Miss Okita remained unmoved.

"...I see."

Sylvia fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly, sweeping away all traces of displeasure and disappointment.

"You're not here for my concert. I'm sure of that now."

Ah.

So that's it.

Watching the shift in her expression, Roy quickly pieced it together.

Her earlier words had been a test—the expressions just an extra touch. She had been probing Miss Okita's reason for being here, trying to protect today's concert in her own way. She had mentioned she was clearing out potential threats.

Quite the sharp mind.

"So, why are you here?"

Sylvia retracted her friendly demeanor, her expression growing slightly more serious.

"..."

Okita remained silent.

Sylvia's gaze didn't waver, staying fixed on her.

After a while, Miss Okita finally looked up, her eyes drifting into the distance.

"Because the wind is rather noisy today."

"...?"

Even through Miss Okita's peripheral vision, Roy could see the songstress's utterly baffled expression.

Hmph. The wind is rather noisy today.

The scent of danger is everywhere.

If nothing goes wrong, something's about to go very wrong at this concert.

"The wind is perfectly calm today. Where's the noise?"

Sylvia took in the morning breeze, then gave Miss Okita a strange look.

This girl—with her silent, expressionless demeanor, she'd seemed like the quintessential "mysterious" type. But now she was spouting nonsense. Was she actually some kind of eccentric?

"..."

Roy fell silent.

After a pause, Miss Okita turned to leave.

He never cared about this concert in the first place. Rather than wasting time here, it'd be better to hurry to Ginga Headquarters.

"Wait a moment!"

At that moment, the girl behind him spoke up again.

Roy had no intention of paying attention.

But suddenly, the sound of rushing wind reached his ears.

She's making a move!

Miss Okita immediately turned around to counterattack.

Slap!

The next instant, a piece of paper smacked right into Miss Okita's face.

Then fluttered slowly to the ground.

Witnessing this scene, both Miss Okita and Silvia froze in place.

It was as if a crow had flown over their heads, leaving six dots in its wake.

***

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