Kawaii princess's Arc

Chapter 70 of 74

The placard still hung unanswered when Kawaii Princess saw the new banner snap rigid above the field. A fresh outpost marker had risen overnight, its frozen cloth pointing toward a wooden signal tower at the edge of the grounds. New scout runners climbed its ladders. She did not know a single face among them. If even one carried coin for her rival, she'd be flagged before the next bell rang. She crossed the snow toward the post and waited. A runner came down the ladder with a sealed letter tucked inside his coat, the red wax catching the light. She stopped him in plain view of the head scout and asked him to open it on the platform. He froze. The seal cracked. Silver coins spilled across the boards beside her rival's mark. The head scout climbed up, gathered the coins, and pulled the runner's badge. He called the rest of the new runners down one by one and made each empty their pockets onto the deck. Two more letters fell. Two more badges came off. The platform was cleared by the time the bell struck. Kawaii Princess walked back to her stage with a clean field of watchers behind her. The unanswered placard above still glared, heavier now — but no bribed eyes waited to flag her. She had bought herself the round. The demand on the sign had not changed.