Kawaii princess's Arc

Chapter 35 of 54

Inside the stone arena, the second note tore at her throat. The wooden cone pushed her voice out, but each word scraped raw flesh. Across the ice, her rival stood at the bone-carved throne podium, the crystal mic glowing above polished armrests. Kawaii Princess could feel it — one more line at this strain and her voice would snap mid-song. She lowered the megaphone for a beat and set it on its wooden stand. Icicles hung from its edges where her breath had frozen. The crowd murmured. The head scout's hand hovered near the bell. Kawaii Princess pressed her lips to the brass mouthpiece again, but this time she sang softer — letting the cone do the carrying instead of her throat. The wood shaped the small sound into a full one. The note crossed the arena clean. Her rival pushed harder at the crystal mic and her own voice cracked first. The head scout rang the bell. The final notch on the marker was carved for Kawaii Princess. She had won the round — but as the crowd roared, she felt her voice give out entirely, leaving only a whisper for whatever came next.