Kawaii princess's Arc

Chapter 38 of 54

Kawaii Princess stepped into the stone arena and met a wall of noise. The front rows belonged to her rival. A tall flag pole stood at the center of them, its snow-crusted banner hanging heavy above packed shoulders. Every supporter under it stamped and shouted on the same beat. There was no quiet pocket in the seats. There was no gap for a voiceless girl to slip a note through. She walked the rim of the stage and found one small spot the noise had missed. A frost-kissed wooden shelter stood at the back of the platform, used by stage hands between rounds. Its single doorway faced away from the banner. She ducked inside. The roar dulled. She pulled an ivory music box from her pocket, wound the key, and let the tiny tinkling melody play against her palm. She mouthed the four notes. Then the fifth. Her throat stayed silent, but her timing held. When she stepped back out, the banner crowd surged louder, sensing her. She did not try to sing over them. She lifted the music box high above her head and let its small notes ring into the megaphone braced at her hip. The cone caught the sound and threw it across the arena, thin and clear, threading right through the stamping. Heads turned. The drumming faltered. The banner shook as supporters lowered their hands to listen. The head scout rang the bell. The rival's wall of noise had been pierced, not by her voice but by a melody she carried in her pocket. Kawaii Princess stood voiceless on the stage, the music box still playing, and for the first time the front rows were quiet enough to hear what came next.