Chapter 31: Before the main event

The silence stretched between them—embarrassingly long for one, agonizingly short for the other.

Miku—not Mado—leaned against the doorway, a mischievous grin plastered across her face. Her silver eyes gleamed with amusement as she took in Sawa’s flustered state.

“W-Where are my clothes?!”

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.

“Clothes? Hmm~ I have no idea what you’re talking about~ But, Sawa-chan~ you’d look much cuter without them~”

Sawa’s face burned, her composure hanging by a thread., “Ma…Mi…M-Miku-san, t-this isn’t f-funny! Please g-give them back!”

Miku giggled, twirling a strand of her bluish-purple hair around her finger. “But Sawa-chan, you’re so much more interesting like this. Besides, don’t you think it’s time you stopped hiding behind that boring uniform?”

"I-I am at work! That’s w-why I wear it!"

"Isn't your job right now to wear those?"

H-How did she kno—!!

Then it struck her.

The events that led her to this moment weren’t just a string of coincidences. No—she was the reason.

Miku crouched down, tilting her head with a playful grin. “Well, Sawa-chan~ are you ready to answer the call of duty?”

So she used her power, huh…

Sawa, in contrast, averted her gaze, lowering her eyes as if deep in thought.

I don’t want to use my power… If I do, I risk being found. But… she’s here to play cover, so I should be fine.

“Hm? Eh?!”

Just as Miku was expecting a flustered surrender, a sudden, blinding light erupted from Sawa’s form, causing Miku to stumble backward, landing on her butt with a soft thap.

“S-Sawa-chan?”

Miku’s breath hitched as she lifted her gaze.

The glow gradually faded, revealing Sawa’s transformed form.

It was anything but what Miku had expected.

As the light finally dissipated, Miku’s 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 bear’s face, its wide, beady eyes permanently frozen in an expression of vacant cheerfulness.

Miku’s lips parted, but no words came out. She simply stared, caught between sheer disbelief and utter surprise.

Meanwhile, Sawa—now an unfortunate, oversized bear—remained motionless, her posture rigid. The only sign of life was the slow, steady rise and fall of her shoulders.

And then—

!!

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 happened—no trace, no evidence.

Silence.

Miku blinked.

“…H-Huh?”

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 captain’s 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 Miku’s mental parameters. The readings were slightly lower than usual, but nothing concerning—at least, not enough to warrant an alarm of this intensity.

"A—A Reiryoku reading…! But… it’s not from Diva, Captain!"

"What did you just say?" Kotori’s 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.

Then—

“There!”

One of the crew members pointed urgently as a figure finally emerged from inside.

“Diva?”

It was Miku.

She stepped out slowly, her posture slightly slumped—but nothing more.

A false alarm?

That was the first thought that crossed Kotori’s mind. Maybe the system had simply overreacted. But the more she considered it, the less sense it made. Something didn’t add up.

It wasn’t until she recalled what they had learned after Shido’s 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.

“Could she have gone to meet that Spirit just now?” Kotori muttered under her breath.

“Commander, what shall we do?”

She gave a quick glance to the crew member before shifting her gaze away, stroking her chin in thought.

“Save those Reiryoku readings until we can properly check them later. For now, don’t inform Shido about this. Let him focus on Diva. In the meantime, we’ll conduct a comprehensive site inspection—we need to locate that Spirit first.”

The crew exchanged nods, initially agreeing with Kotori’s orders, until Kannazuki, standing behind her seat, spoke up.

“…And if we do spot her? What then?”

“Hm…” Kotori tapped her fingers against the armrest, considering. “Our priority for now is to determine her identity and nature. As long as she doesn’t pose a threat to anyone, we’ll remain in observation mode.” Kotori answear, narrowing her eyes on the Reiryoku readings.

---

The time was twelve o’clock — the exact moment when representatives from all schools were expected to gather in the greenroom backstage, preparing for their performance.

But it wasn’t 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 — 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.

“Thanks for the help,” she said, gently tapping the plant’s surface.

It trembled in response, almost as if shivering with joy at Sawa’s words. Not long after, the plant retreated back into the earth, and the ground sealed itself behind it — leaving nothing but faint, hairline cracks as evidence of what had happened.

Sigh...
“I really wasted this day on nothing...”

Sawa placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head in disappointment.

“I guess I should consider myself fired at this point... Hm, what should I do now?”

“My, having a tough day, Sawa-san?”

“Ek!!”

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. 

“W-Would you stop doing that?!” Sawa groaned, sagging forward as if her soul had just left her body. She let out a long, exhausted sigh, calming her rising heart

 “You’re always popping up behind me and talking out of nowhere. One of these days, I swear you’re going to give me a heart attack.”

Kurumi giggled, covering her mouth with her fingers in an overly dainty fashion. “Oh? But it’s so delightful to see your reaction. You’re simply too fun to tease.”

Sawa straightened up, rubbing her temples. “I seriously need to start carrying around a bell or something to tie to your foot…”

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. “So? Now that you no longer have work for the day, what will you do next?”

Sawa tilted her head, pursing her lips in thought. “Mmm... I guess I might as well just go home and study. Might as well make use of the free time, right?”

“Hmm…” Sawa gave it another thought, tapping her chin as she reconsidered Kurumi’s suggestion. After a short pause, her eyes lit up, and she raised a finger with a triumphant “Oh!”

“Working in delivery—”

“NO, no, Sawa.” Kurumi clapped her hands together like a teacher stopping a misguided student. “I didn’t mean ‘having fun’ as in finding another job.”

Sawa blinked, tilting her head. “Huh? But delivery jobs let you ride around on a bike, and you get to see the city. That sounds fun, doesn’t it?”

Kurumi sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “That’s just working in a different setting…” She shook her head, placing her hands on her hips, leaning in with an exasperated smile. “I was thinking more along the lines of, oh, I don’t know, actually relaxing? Like, we are literally at a once-a-year festival, and the main event is about to start… so…”

“Working in—”

“NO WORK!”

“EH?!” Sawa flinched, arms flailing as she recoiled like she’d been physically struck by Kurumi’s words.

Kurumi stepped forward and lightly chopped Sawa on the head. “Bad Sawa. No more jobs.”

“Ay!” Sawa yelped, clutching the head of her bear costume like she’d just taken serious damage.

She looked up with teary eyes. “Then what am I supposed to do? I’m too old to have fun like the younger kids…”

“…Under normal circumstances, I’d hit you again for that bold statement,” Kurumi muttered, her voice dripping with dramatic disbelief. She straightened up, flipping her long black hair over her shoulder with a huff. “But since I’m the literal definition of ‘don’t look your age,’ I’ll let this slide.”

“Really?” Sawa blinked. “Thanks—”

Chop.

“AY!”

Kurumi wagged her finger. “That was a penalty hit. Reflect on your words.”

As Sawa stroked the head of her costume, as if that would make any difference, a thought suddenly slid through her mind.

“Is that the reason you’re here? Then why are you in your Astral Dress?”

“Hm… I would say I’m here looking over someone.”

Sawa narrowed her eyes. “Looking over someone?”

She tapped her chin, feeling like she had heard something about this before. Then, realization struck.

“Wait… could that person be—that boy you’re always complaining about ignoring you?”

“Huh?”

Sawa suddenly flinched at Kurumi’s sharp reaction.

“You know, that boy… what’s his name… Shou? Anyway, every time you drink, you start ranting about how he ignores you, flirts with other girls, and—”

Kurumi’s face turned dangerously red. She flailed her arms wildly. “Wait! Wait! Wait!!!”

“Hm? What is it?”

Kurumi quickly turned away, trying to compose herself before clearing up the situation.

“M-Me… What the hell are you doing?!” she mumbled under her breath.

After taking a deep breath to steady herself, she shot Sawa a sharp glare and cleared her throat.

“Ahem…”

Kurumi straightened up, placing a hand over her chest as her expression turned more dignified. “Listen, Sawa-san, don’t misunderstand the situation. This is simply part of my plan—nothing more, nothing less. It’s not like I like him or anything, got it?!”

Sawa stared blankly.

The words entered her ears but never quite reached her brain.

She blinked, taking a moment to process. “…Ah? Okay, good. Just don’t 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?”

“Yeah… Anyway, I do have work to do.”

Kurumi suddenly turned around, waving a hand at Sawa. “And my dear Sawa-chan, you are not to take on any more jobs. Just enjoy the festival, alright?”

Before Sawa could protest, Kurumi’s form flickered, and in the next instant—

She was gone.

The shadows swallowed her presence, leaving only the faint echo of her voice behind.

“…She does that way too often.”