Chapter 37: Mind Control

The first day's performers were lined up on Tengu Square's central stage. They were all holding their breath, looking nervous as they waited for the MC to speak. And this only made sense. The performances were done, the votes had been cast, and they were about to announce the top schools. "Third place in the performance division—Senjo University High School!" The room erupted in cheers and applause, and the Senjo performers cried out joyfully onstage. They were the jazz group that had been on after Shido and the Spirits. Shido clapped his hands together politely. They had to have played pretty well to be voted into third place. Shido's recollection of their performance, however, was pretty hazy. Although he'd been listening to them extremely close-up, he'd been so nervous for his performance that hardly any of their playing made it into his ears. "Second place!" the announcer shouted as if to curb the cheering. The audience was eager to hear this result. All their yelling clapping and whistling quickly gave way to silence. There was no doubt that there were only two names in everyone's heads at the moment: Rindoji, eternal champion, with an overwhelming performance from the actual idol Miku Izayoi. And Raizen High School, with their last-second miracle, though, there was a third party in the candidates The MC paused, seeming slightly nervous, and then took a breath before continuing: "Falling just short of the win! Raizen High School!" "...!" The moment he heard this name over the loudspeaker and saw the results on the large monitor onstage, he felt time stop. A beat later, deafened by cheering and applause, he opened his eyes and caught sight of Miku's face twisted up in a grin. And of course, she was grinning. Because the fact that Shido and his band had come in second meant... "And taking the crown of first place in the performance division!" the MC called, and a spotlight flickered to life, centered directly on Miku. "They are powerful! The queens, Rindoji Girls' Academy!" "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" The earsplitting cheer shook the venue itself. "Sh-Shido...," Tohka said, eyes on the ranking displayed on the monitor. Her face was colored with anxiety, and her fingers shook slightly. "W-we lost...? I-it's because I sang..." "N-no! It's not your fault, Tohka!" Shido protested, but Tohka still looked like she was about to burst into tears. It was almost like she couldn't even hear what he was saying. "Hee-hee! Hee-hee-he-hee..." He heard Miku chuckling behind them. "Miku," he said. "See? It went just like I said. This is what haaaappens when you count too much on those friends—" "Pfff HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" A burst of laughter interrupted Miku's words, causing her to glance towards the source. It was Hikaru, who couldn't contain her amusement. Perplexed, Miku turned to Hikaru, "What's so funny?" "Oh, little girl," Hikaru responded, a mischievous grin on her face. "The king always reigns supreme, above anyone and anything. Did you think a mere pup like you could take my place?" "Huh?" Miku's confusion only deepened. Unfazed by the bewilderment on Miku's face, Hikaru shifted her attention to Shido. "And of course, the king's loyal subject can't be too far behind," she declared, pointing at the MC. "Hey, girl! Stop with the unnecessary drama and announce the real winner," Hikaru called out, cutting through the chaos. "Oh! Yes, of course!" The MC responded, momentarily taken aback by Hikaru's voice. "and so the First place overall on this first day of the Tenou Festival goes toooooo... the second representative of Raizen High School, Hikaru!" Miku's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?" The MC continued, "Following her in second place is the first representative of Raizen, Shiori, and her group! Meanwhile, the Queens from Rindoji Girls' Academy drop to third place." Shido and Tohka mirrored Miku's incredulous expression. They had been barely listening to the MC, their attention consumed by the ongoing chaos. "This is a surprise. In the performance division, Rindoji took take top place with unbeatable and overwhelming performance. But it seems they just weren't up to snuff this year in the exhibit and booth divisions." "What...? What...?" Miku shook her head in disbelief, unable to comprehend the unexpected turn of events. "And it seems that the representatives of Raizen managed to snatch the top spot by a narrow margin after securing second and fifth place in the performance division. Their maid café received an overwhelming number of votes! While Hikaru garnered the most votes due to her immense popularity as a maid, she also received recognition for her unique display." "See? I told you," Hikaru remarked, apologizing with a smile. "Sorry for stealing the first place, though." "Ha-ha..." Shido chuckled helplessly. Despite achieving second place, as long as they were above Miku, They won. "Shido? Did we win?" Tohka approached him, her expression uncertain. Grinning, Shido reassured her, "Yes, Tohka, we did it!" "Shido!" Tohka flew towards him, a mix of excitement and relief evident on her face. Within seconds, Kaguya and Yuzuru joined in, wrapping their arms around his neck, creating a lively scene. "Kah-kah-kah! Naturally! Once we step in, victory is assured!" "Conformity. That is correct. No one can beat Yuzuru and Kaguya." "Ahem, ahem..." Hikaru coughed, raising an eyebrow. Kaguya narrowed her eyes, trying to ignore Hikaru's presence. "We are on the same team, so that doesn't count." "Well..." Hikaru shrugged, raising both shoulders. "If you say so." She then lifted both arms high in the air. Shido's mind flashed with a painful memory as he realized what Hikaru was about to do. "Hikaru, don't—" "Let me join in~" Hikaru declared, launching herself at him with open arms. "Ugh!" Being mobbed like this, Shido finally felt the reality of it spread out in his heart. "Well, since we won, I can bear with it," he thought. Against Miku. Against Rindoji. "All right. We'll now proceed with the award ceremony. Representatives, please step forward," the MC urged the three groups of performers. But. "...Please be serious. What is this—?" He heard Miku's trembling voice from behind. "This is strange...? There's no way I can lose..." "Uhhh, Izayoi?" Miku ignored the MC and staggered forward. "I'm...Miku Izayoi, you know? I'm... I'm..." "...Miku," Shido called softly. He put a hand to his chest to calm his pounding heart and walked toward her. But Miku jumped away. "Stop... I—I won... I won! They... Those girls didn't do anything right!" "You can't say that," he told her. "The students at Rindoji. They did their best." "I—I don't care! I don't care about that! I... I won..." "Oh..." Shido scratched his cheek a little awkwardly. And then well aware that he would sound like a total cornball, he said, "It's...that whole...counting on your friend's thing, y'know?" "...Fr-friends...," Miku murmured with disgust and scowled. "Yeah." Shido nodded exaggeratedly. "It's true that we couldn't compare to you when it came to singing. But the students who worked on the maid café and our other exhibits made up for the areas we lacked." "Wh-what...is that? Please be serious... Friends...? Ha-ha! Mere humans couldn't possibly be..." "But mere humans built the bonds that were able to beat you." Miku was speechless. "Hey," he said. "Humans are...pretty interesting. So, Miku, you—" "...lesson." "Huh?" he asked, unable to catch what she said. "Friends? Bonds...? I will teach you a lesson. All that is meaningless before me!" Miku's hanging head shot upright, and she spread out her hands. "Gabriel!" No sooner had she shrieked the name so loudly that her voice echoed through the entire venue than waves radiated outward from the space at her feet. He didn't know her purpose in calling this Angel. But he could easily imagine that it would be a destructive situation for the human beings in the venue. "Miku! Stop! Listen to me! I—" "Croon, chant, sing! Gabriel!" But Miku wasn't interested in listening to him. She spread out her hands and hit the keyboard of light surrounding her. Vwwwwwmmmmmm!! The massive Angel in front of Miku began to emit a terrifying sound. "Unh...! Gah...?!" Unconsciously, he covered his ears. But this wasn't enough to stop the tremendously loud sound. It traveled through the air and rattled Shido's eardrums as it sank into him. A minute or so later, after ripping through the venue like a storm, Gabriel's sound gradually softened before disappearing completely. "...! ...!" He nervously pulled his hands away from his ears. They were still ringing a little, but he couldn't see any other change in his body. But he quickly noticed something weird. Even after the ringing stopped, he couldn't hear any sound. This many people were crammed into the venue, and yet there wasn't a single whisper or footfall. "Oh No..." shido immediately thought about the worst case Scenario. "Hee... Hee-hee... Hee... Friends...was it? How beautiful. How wonderful." Miku laughed loudly, like a broken doll. "To think they were so fragile." She began to play her keyboard of light once more. Like a call and response, the spectators all dropped into an at-ease stance. "Hee-hee! Whee-hee-hee! Now all your friends belong to me, you know? Say, Shiori, those bonds you were talking about turn into nothing with just a tap of my fingers, hmm?" "..." The performers on the stage swept behind Shido to grab both of his arms and hold him firmly in place. However, shido didn't appear to mind, as his face was still fixed on Miku. "Hee-hee! Shiori, you, your Spirits, everyone, you all are mine—" "You're hopeless, aren't you?" Shido sighed, a radiant glow enveloping his body. The once beautiful girl transformed into a typical teenage boy with the same hair color. "I don't think I'll need to cross-dress anymore." Miku stood frozen, unable to utter a word. "Y-You... Sh-Sh-Sh-Shiori... You... You're... a-a-a-a-a-a... man...!" "Say, am I still yours, Miku?" he asked, grinning mischievously. "Eeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" she shrieked, and the floating keyboard of light danced back over to her. As she began to play, everyone on stage—the other performers, the MC, and the audience—rushed toward him as a collective force. "..." As they closed in to capture him, Shido suddenly vanished, leaving behind a small shockwave, only to reappear on the roof trusses of the stage. "She leaves me no choice..." Shido frowned, clenching his hands into fists. It had come to this, and only one path remained open to him. However... "...!?" Just as he was about to carry out his plan, the temperature plummeted around him, causing his entire body to freeze, rendering him immobile. Even though encased in a massive block of ice, he remained conscious, a faint glow emanating from his body. "Mmm. Heh-heh. Pretty dangerous. You can't go doing that, hmm?" "I... I will protect...Miss Miku." His gaze fixated on a giant rabbit puppet with a throaty voice, carrying Yoshino on its back, her Astral Dress partially unlocked. "..." He shifted his eyes to the side. "Keh-heh... Fool. Your attempt to deny Miss Miku reveals your lack of wisdom." "Affirmation. Your thoughtless and reckless actions will not go unpunished. I will protect Miss Miku." Kaguya and Yuzuru gracefully descended, hovering above Miku. Both adorned themselves in bondage gear, the limited manifestation of their Astral Dress. Kaguya wielded her enormous lance, while Yuzuru gripped her pendulum weapon. "Hee... Hee-hee. Ha-ha-ha-ha...! What is this?" Miku laughed. "You're just awful, aren't you, Shiori? To think there were so many Spirits here! And each of them is just my type! Aaah... This is good. This is amazing!" She wriggled with anticipation. "It's a shame you can't hear me in this state—" "Nah, don't worry. I can hear you." "...!" Miku's eyes widened as she glanced back at Shido. Flames enveloped him, reducing the once massive block of ice to a mere drip of water. As the ice finally melted away, he leaped back onto the stage, his narrowed eyes surveying his surroundings. "you don't know to give up aren't you huh? I'm going to get rid of you and spend my time playing with those Spirits!" Miku pounded on her keyboard of light, and Yoshino and the Yamai sisters turned their eyes filled with animosity toward Shido. And then, the situation took a turn for the worse. From the group of performers, Tohka stepped forward, dressed in the same limited Astral Dress as Yoshino and the sisters. 'Tohka too... huh,' Shido thought, his eyes scanning the scene, searching for his greatest fear. And there she was, in the corner of the stage. She hadn't moved an inch from her previous spot, still not assuming her Astral form yet. "If she's under her control too... this will be my grave," he thought, refocusing his attention on Miku. 'However, I have to seize the opportunity now.' "Ohr Malchut, 50%," he murmured under his breath, and the radiant aura surrounding his body grew more intense. Yoshino released a chilling gust of air, while the Yamai sisters unleashed a powerful onslaught of wind pressure aimed at Shido. The attack struck their target—or so it seemed. Shido appeared motionless, neither evading nor guarding himself. "Keh Keh, what a fool. He's frozen in fear." However... "...!" As the dust settled, there was no trace of the boy. "Kyaa!" Before they could even wonder where he had gone, a girlish scream echoed from behind them. They quickly spun around to discover the source, and their expressions turned to pure shock. "When did he—" And there he stood, right behind them, his fist poised just inches from Miku's delicate face. The only barrier between his fist and her face was Hikaru's hand, which had intercepted the blow at the last possible moment. "Oh shit, I am fuck up," he said Miku stood frozen, her eyes wide with disbelief. She hadn't even seen him approach so closely. "How dare you attempt to harm Miss Miku," Hikaru declared, her voice laced with both anger and concern, tightening her grip around Shido's hand, warding off any further aggression. "Dame it!", biting his lips, shido exploded into the air, propelling himself off the ground with a powerful push-off from his supporting leg. As he soared through the air, his body contorted into a tight spin, akin to a human cyclone. As he reached the pinnacle of his spin, he extended his leg outward with precision timing. His foot, like a guided missile, hurtled toward Hikaru's head. The blow landed with devastating accuracy. However, Hikaru hand, steadfast and resolute, acted as an impenetrable shield, effectively blocking Shido's attack with ease. "...!" Harnessing the momentum behind Shido's strike, she tightened her grip around his feet and propelled his entire body toward the stage floor. The impact reverberated through the surroundings, cracking the solid ground beneath them. "UGH!" Shido cried out in agony as his body collided with the unforgiving surface, the force of the impact sending him bouncing off the ground like a ragdoll. Meanwhile, Hikaru extended her foot, unleashing a forceful kick, launching Shido back in the direction from which he had come. "Shido!" a familiar voice called for him, and in a flash moment, his view had shifted from the stage to the catwalk that ran along the ceiling. "Shido, what is happening...?" He looked over and saw Tohka in her limited Astral Dress. She had leaped up to the rafters with him in her arms. "Shido, your face!" "yeah... i know" Shido's body trembled with pain as he rose to his feet upon the narrow catwalk, his hand instinctively clutching at his throbbing nose. In a grotesque twist, it had contorted at an oblique angle. "that will hurt" Ignoring the pain, he forced the bones back into place with a resounding crack. "Tohka... Why are you fine? Yoshino and they are all being controlled by Miku, but you're..." "...Mm?" Tohka cocked her head curiously to one side before clapping her hands together as if she'd just remembered something. "Oh!" She put her hands up to her ears and popped out her ear monitors. She'd had them in ever since their performance. "You...Those are..." "Mm-hmm." She nodded. "I felt off-balance with just one like I wouldn't get a feel for the rhythm." "..." "So what's happening, Shido?" "Miku's probably controlling everyone." Tohka looked down at Miku on the stage. Miku glared up at Shido after his escape he walked "what the plan?" "Hikaru is also under her control, we have to withdraw for now" Shido scowled and tapped his earpiece. He might have had Tohka on his side, but against five hostile Spirits, there was no way he could win here. Before long, he heard a familiar voice in his earpiece. "Hey, what's going on?" With her autonomous cameras, Kotori would have known how much danger he was in, and yet she sounded cheerfully carefree. "Kotori...?" He frowned. "Things are really bad here. We're going to get outside, so pick us up with Fraxinus!" "Huh? What are you talking about?" His concern turned to despair. "The idiot who disobeyed Miss Miku better go get made into mincemeat right now." "Shit, her too? " he cursed through gritted teeth, withdrawing his hand back, His gaze flickered between Tohka and the stage, finally locking onto Hikaru's piercing stare. "As long as she's watching us, there's no way to escape," he thought, before turning his attention to Tohka, "Don't hold back, especially against Hikaru. If you see an opening, strike without hesitation. I'll create a path for you to escape. When you hear my signal, don't look back." Tohka's eyes widened, "What about you, Shido?" He met her gaze with unwavering resolve. "My priority is your safety above all else. Once I know you're out of harm's way, I'll find my escape route. Trust me, Tohka." She studied him for a brief moment, and with a noded, "Umu, I'll trust you, Shido." she said "Good" he shifted his glance back to the stage, and as he was about to attack, "Hmm...?" he heard a sort of banging from above the venue. And in the next instant. "...!" The ceiling of the stage was ripped away above where Miku was standing, He frowned and looked up at the sky. A cross had been cut out of the stage roof, and a girl in mechanical armor was coming through it into the venue. "Th-that's—" For a second, he thought help from Ratatoskr had arrived. But it wasn't Ratatoskr. He'd seen this girl before. A platinum CR unit was wrapped around her slender body. Silken pale-blond hair swung as if toyed with by the wind inside her Territory. "So Bailey and her squad failed," the girl—Ellen Mathers—said in a quiet voice, narrowing her deep aquamarine eyes. "Well, that's fine. This was expected." Shido held his breath. He knew this girl. She was the leader of the Bandersnatches that had come after Tohka on their school trip. Although they'd managed to get away then with one lucky break after another, her power far surpassed that of Tohka in her limited state. "Hey... What's she doing here...?" Tohka had also noticed Ellen. She scowled fiercely and readied Sandalphon. "Targets, Tohka Yatogami and Shido Itsuka... A girl with Itsuka's signal acquired. Proceeding to capture." Without so much as a glance at Miku and the others, she headed straight for Shido and Tohka. Reacting swiftly. Shido snatched Sandalphon from Tohka's grasp and intercepted Ellen's sword with a resounding clash. The force of their clash sent sparks flying and reverberating through the air. "Hmmm?" Shido's brows furrowed as he sensed the weight behind Ellen's attack. With a burst of strength, he pushed her back, creating a momentary opening. Without wasting a moment, He wrapped his arm around Tohka's waist and propelled into the air, gaining distance from their pursuer. "Can this be any worse?" he muttered under his breath. "Shido?" Tohka's voice reached his ears, faint yet filled with concern. Without turning to face her, Shido spoke, his eyes scanning their surroundings for any sign of danger. "Sorry, Tohka. Change of plans. We have to run." He didn't catch any response from her, but a glance revealed a hint of red tinting her cheeks. Curiosity tugged at his thoughts, but he had no time to dwell on it. A smirk curled on Ellen's lips as she closed the gap, her voice dripping with confidence. "Impressive reflexes, boy." Shido's eyes narrowed, his resolve solidifying. "Your plan is doomed to fail, Ellen. Withdraw before you get yourself hurt." Ellen's teeth gritted, anger flickering in her gaze. "You're getting ahead of yourself, little boy." Releasing his hold on Tohka, Shido returned Sandalphon to her. "I'm merely stating the facts—UGH!" Before he could finish his sentence, an intense pain shot through his side, causing him to gasp in agony. A powerful kick had landed squarely, launching him towards the edge of the building. A massive hole marred the side of the building where Shido had been struck, the impact creating a chaotic whirlwind of debris. Dust and rubble filled the air, shrouding the area in a haze of confusion. Shido's figure was nowhere to be seen, leaving Tohka in a state of shock. "Shido! You—" Her words died on her lips as her gaze fell upon Hikaru. The realization hit her hard. Hikaru stood mid-air there, her expression unreadable. Her eyes darted between Tohka and Ellen, before returning to Miku's side. "Good job, my little girl," Miku praised, patting Hikaru on the head. Hikaru simply nodded