The Mysterious Flying Snow Velvet

Zhou Yu crushed the empty cola can and tossed it into the recycling bin.

Dania was still sipping hers, the bubbles tickling the tip of her nose and making her eyes narrow.

Sigelica leaned against the other end of the bench, her lips moving as she carefully wrote an obituary for this month's account balance in her head.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Linnai pulled her terminal from her pocket, its screen lighting up her entire face.

The next second, she sprang off the bench.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Linnai: (☆ω☆)

She grabbed Dania by the shoulders and shook her wildly.

"Yaya, look, look! Flying Snow Velvet! It's a secret Flying Snow Velvet concert!"

Dania was shaken so hard she nearly spilled her cola. She finally steadied herself and tilted her head to look at the masked figure on the terminal screen, dressed in a lavish pink performance outfit.

Dania: (´• ω •`)?

"Flying Snow Velvet... is it tasty?"

Linnai stopped shaking her.

Sigelica stopped writing her obituary, too.

Three seconds.

Linnai started shaking her even harder.

"What do you mean, tasty? She's food for the soul! Got it? Food for the soul!"

She shoved the terminal right in front of Dania's nose.

"The most mysterious idol singer at Flamebearers' Academy. She debuted a year ago and never shows her face. Every concert is a surprise appearance, and her singing can heal anything."

"Peak endorphin levels up three hundred percent."

Chisaki had come over at some point, light glinting off her glasses.

Chisaki: (¬_¬)

"In other words, it gets you high."

"Right, that's what I mean."

Linnai snapped her fingers and turned to look around at everyone.

"So we have to go tonight."

Sigelica slowly looked up.

"Where's Aimis?"

Only then did everyone notice that the motorcycle girl, who had been leaning against the vending machine just moments ago, had disappeared at some point.

Sigelica held up her terminal. A message had just arrived on the screen.

[Sudden mechanical failure. Emergency return to factory for repairs required.]

Sigelica: (ㅍ_ㅍ)

"Return to the factory for repairs? She ran off as soon as the concert was announced. Does anyone believe her?"

"Maybe she really did break down," Dania said earnestly.

"Yaya, you're too kind." Sigelica put her terminal away.

Dania said nothing more. Her gaze was drawn to the figure on the poster.

The layers of pink skirts covered in sequins, the long hair somewhere between silvery white and pale pink, and the outline of the figure holding the microphone.

She rubbed her eyes and looked again.

"She..."

Her voice was very quiet.

"She looks so familiar."

Zhou Yu leaned against the bench. He had already folded the demolition notice in his hand into a paper airplane.

Hearing that, he finally lifted his eyes and glanced at the poster.

His gaze passed over the proportions of the figure before he looked away.

He pulled out the "Temporary KPI Assessment Form for Dania's Time at School" and wrote a line on a new page.

[Evening activity: attend an idol concert and assess the positive effects of music on appetite.]

"Wait, wait."

Linnai slumped and plopped back down on the bench, clutching her head in both hands.

"It's over. I forgot. The tickets sold out three seconds ago."

She brought up the ticket page. The gray words "Sold out" were stamped right in the middle of the screen.

"They're going for seven figures on the black market."

Sigelica's face went pale.

"Good grief! Seven figures?" she squeezed out through her teeth.

"That's several zeros more than your current balance." Linnai regretted saying it as soon as she saw Sigelica's eyes beginning to redden.

"Linnai, you part-time department poet."

"Sorry, sorry."

Dania looked at Linnai's dejected face, then at the sparkling figure on the poster, and tugged on Zhou Yu's sleeve.

"Zhou Yu, aren't we going to see it?"

"We are. Why wouldn't we?"

Zhou Yu put the KPI assessment form away, stood up, and brushed the dust off his pants.

"What's the panic?"

He pulled the gold faculty card from his pocket and waved it in front of Linnai and Sigelica.

"The Logistics Department has a KPI tonight: routine inspection and maintenance of the sound system wiring and fire safety equipment in Grand Auditorium No. 1."

Linnai's eyes lit up.

"You mean..."

Zhou Yu put the card away and jerked his chin toward the auditorium.

Zhou Yu: (¬‿¬)

"We're going in through the staff entrance."