The Secret Caravan.
This unusual music festival was held intermittently, its time, date, location, and the performers announced with little advance notice. Yet owing to the status of the artists that it attracted, it was so popular that tickets always sold out immediately.
This time, the festival was being held over three days in the Australian wilderness. It was currently on its second day.
“Heya! How’s it going?”
“Whoa! Sylvia…?!”
As Sylvia stepped inside the tent serving as a waiting room, the members of Rusalka relaxing inside jumped to their feet in a flustered panic.
“S-Sylvia…?! What are you doing here?!”
“What am I doing here…? I’m the secret guest on the last day.”
“Whoaaaaa! I—I had no idea…! I’ll definitely have to watch…!”
Judging from Miluše’s astonishment, the Secret Caravan’s clandestine status extended even to its performing artists.
“Wow, that’s big news! We’ve got to post this online…!” Tuulia exclaimed, pulling out her mobile.
“N-n-no, you can’t! You’ll upset the organizers, not to mention the chairwoman will be furious!” Mahulena, sitting nearby, hurried to stop her.
“Right! I’d better do it anonymously, so I don’t get caught!”
“That’s no good, either!”
This time, Mahulena snatched Tuulia’s mobile from her hand in a brisk, flowing motion. Hers was a lonely battle, as usual.
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“But…if you’re on tomorrow, what are you doing here today? Heh-heh…” Suddenly, Päivi adopted a serious tone and quietly changed topics. “Is this about our reconnaissance activities?”
“No, no. I mean, you guys, Rusalka, are now the uncontested number ones at Queenvale. I just thought I’d drop in to say hello,” Sylvia explained with a respectful bow.
At this, the faces of the five band members instantly relaxed.
“O-oh? Well, it’s true. Th-thank you?”
“I-it feels good to hear that from you, Sylvia…”
Miluše and Tuulia both rubbed the bridges of their noses, looking away with embarrassment.
“…Hah, we only moved up because Sylvia graduated.”
Mahulena was the only one who managed to maintain a cool demeanor, but even she looked pleased. It was adorable.
In fact, even after Sylvia and Neithnefer left Queenvale without going on to the academy’s university, Rusalka’s popularity had remained unshakable. Try as Mahulena might to explain away their success, the band had become increasingly popular—so much so that Sylvia couldn’t afford to rest on her laurels.
“…All you need now is for your leader to take the top ranking at school.”
“She got beaten to a pulp in her last official match…! Such a pity…,” Monica said with a mean laugh.
“Ugh…! W-we promised not to talk about that!” Päivi butted in.
Miluše’s shoulders visibly dropped.
Queenvale’s current top-ranked student was Violet Weinberg, Overliezel. She’d received training at the Liangshan, and despite Queenvale’s reputation as the weakest of Asterisk’s schools, she was practically unbeatable.
“Keep it down, Rusalka. This tent isn’t soundproofed, so try to be a little quieter… Huh? Sylvia?”
“Oh, Chloe.”
Entering the tent with a sullen face was Chloe Flockhart, who had succeeded Sylvia as student council president at Queenvale Academy for Young Ladies.
“The organizers have been looking out for me for a while, and they asked me to come this time, too.”
“I see. How are Minato and the others doing?”
“Oh, everyone’s fine. The space development plan has been restarted, so Minato’s hard at work studying for the next round of astronaut recruitment. Yuzuhi’s looking out for her, so I think she’ll be fine.”
It was no coincidence that space development programs, which until only recently had been relegated to the past, were being restarted in countries all across the world. Perhaps the integrated enterprise foundations had decided, following the Golden Noontide, that it was necessary to venture into space to acquire information on the massive reserves of mana and urm-manadite said to exist on the other side.
“Nina is very supportive as vice-president. It’s only thanks to her that I’m able to set foot out of the academy like this. Sophia is the only one of us who’s graduated, so we don’t get to see each other as much as we’d like…”
“I heard she’s modeling exclusively for Diana Pound’s clothing brand. She seems to be doing exceptionally well for someone so new to the industry.”
Most students at Queenvale involved in the performing arts continued to work professionally through one of the many firms affiliated with the integrated enterprise foundation Warren & Warren. Even Sylvia, despite having graduated, was still leaving all production and branding matters to Petra, just as before.
“But you’re still active, too, right, Sylvia?” Chloe asked, arms crossed.
“Me?”
“Apologies for saying this, but I honestly didn’t think you would stay popular after leaving Queenvale. Of course, your songs are wonderful, and as an idol and a diva, you’re the best of the best. But I always thought the basis of your popularity was your charm as Sigrdrífa and as a student at Asterisk.”
That analysis was probably spot on. In fact, Sylvia had often thought of herself that way.
Sylvia Lyyneheym, an idol of both song and combat.
“But now that you’ve graduated…you keep rising to even greater heights simply as the diva Sylvia Lyyneheym. I admire that.”
“It’s not like I’ve stopped fighting, though. I mean, I was invited to the Rondo, and I’m keeping up with my training. But, well…if you ask me, it’s all thanks to her that I’ve been able to advance to the next stage.”
Chloe nodded in agreement. “I think so, too. Ursula Svend’s songs really are wonderful. And most of all…they fit your voice and personality perfectly.”
Ursula had been released after the Golden Noontide, albeit under the watchful eye of the integrated enterprise foundations. Though clearly a victim of the Varda-Vaos, she’d still found herself in a difficult position, though compared to Ladislav Bartošik, who had been placed under a prolonged period of house arrest, her treatment was fairly lenient.
As soon as she was discharged from the hospital, she said to Sylvia, “This isn’t meant as thanks for you saving my life, but I’d like to offer my songs to you. Will you take them?”
Since then, Ursula had been actively working as a songwriter.
Sylvia had to perform her own songs when making use of her Strega abilities, but as an artist, she was happy to sing others written by professional composers and lyricists.
But no sooner had she started singing them than Ursula’s songs had become unprecedented worldwide hits. Singing her friend’s songs, Sylvia was more fulfilled than ever before.
That was how much they had captivated her heart.
…Just like the song she had overheard that rainy day years ago, whose name she still didn’t know.
I wish I could hear her sing it again…
She had asked Ursula several times, but she had refused.
Even though she wasn’t responsible for any of it, it seemed she was still upset about everything the Varda-Vaos had done. It was an undeniable fact that her body had been used to ruin countless people’s lives.
That was why Sylvia hadn’t said anything about it all this time.
Ursula was strong. Sylvia was sure she would be able to face her trauma, to overcome it.
After all, she was the mentor of the world’s most popular diva, Sylvia Lyyneheym.
“Oh… By the way, Sylvia. I heard from the chairwoman that you got an invitation from Lieseltania, right?” Chloe, perhaps uncomfortable with the silence, moved to change the topic. “It’s unusual for you to take on a request like this.”
Sylvia wasn’t particularly choosy about her work, but she did often turn down requests to perform at ceremonies and the like. She’d feel guilty if she upstaged the main event.
But this was a special occasion.
“I have to, right? I mean…my rival in love is going to be crowned queen. I have to be there to celebrate.”
And of course, she had little doubt that he would be there.
So she would hold no punches. She would take the stage and sing to the best of her ability, hoping to attract as much attention to herself as she could.
After all, her opponent was the grand slam winner Julis-Alexia von Riessfeld.
There was no need to hold back this time.