Kawaii princess's Arc

Chapter 26 of 54

Her crystallized footprints glittered behind her in a crooked line, marking every hurried step from the ice tunnel to the radio station's frosted glass doors. The crowd packed the lot in front of the metal-framed booth. They saw her arrive late, breath clouding, cape dragging snow. The booing started before she reached the steps. Above the crowd, the dented iron bell rocked on its frozen chains. Someone had struck it hard enough to leave a fresh mark. Each crooked swing rang flat and angry across the lot. The sound matched the jeers. She felt every face turn against her at once. She did not climb to the booth. She stopped on the bottom step, set down her empty hourglass, and faced them. She let her ragged breathing be heard. Then she sang one clean low note straight into the crowd, no microphone, no cape flourish. The note cut under the booing. Heads tilted. The bell kept ringing, but fewer voices shouted now. She held the note until her lungs emptied, then bowed her head and walked up into the frosted glass booth. The boos had thinned to murmurs. She had not won them back — only quieted them enough to begin. Inside, the broadcast light blinked red. She stepped to the microphone with a crowd that was no longer booing, but no longer hers either.