Kawaii princess's Arc

Chapter 4 of 54

The small line by the billboard kept asking when, and Kawaii Princess had no answer. Cards in pockets were not enough. Her name had to travel where she could not stand. She needed a marker fans could point to, and a token that could walk out of the hall without her. She found a low stone monument near the practice hall yard, a carved heart above worn steps. She claimed it. She tied pink ribbons to its base and set a small sign on the top step: meet here. By afternoon, six girls sat on the steps in matching gloves, waiting. Then she raised a taller stone beside it, a tribute slab where any supporter could carve their name. The list grew through the day. Passersby slowed to read it, counted the names, and looked around for the girl in the cape. Two scout runners stopped to copy the names into a notebook. She handed each new name-carver a small carved token shaped like her crown, stamped with her signature. The tokens left the hall in pockets and bags, heading to every district by nightfall. The waiting line was now a meeting place. Her name was moving without her — and a runner whispered that the head scout had asked who she was.