As an artist, Eden was far more sensitive than the average person. Coupled with the rich experience brought by her long life, the songstress quickly realized something.
Shigure Kira was actually a tsundere.
Although she claimed to hate Elias, her heart might very well feel the complete opposite. The wavering expression before her was the most compelling proof. It could only be said that the girl's level was still far too low.
A true tsundere should be like Mobius. Even if the falling star of Finality descended from the heavens and destroyed everything on the surface, that stubborn little mouth of the snake would still be able to shout, "Is that all?"
Eden: "Kira, it's better for girls to be a little more honest. I have a friend... a companion. She's not a tsundere, but because she was always too embarrassed to say anything, even after twelve cycles and over fifty thousand years, she still hasn't managed to rise to the top."
Fu Hua: "Achoo!"
If it were anyone else, Eden would never have given such a reminder. After all, why create an extra rival for herself for no reason?
But Shigure Kira now counted as half her student... though this student's talent moved Eden to tears for an entirely different reason.
Still, she felt that as a teacher, she ought to offer some guidance. As long as her own disciple didn't end up as miserable as a certain Red Kite Immortal, that would be enough.
"And besides, Elias has been working hard to find a way to fix your tone-deafness. In fact, more than half of the methods you just tried were thought up by him."
"H-He should mind his own business..."
Shigure Kira lowered her head and touched her throat.
Her emotions were in complete turmoil.
Did she hate Elias? Of course she did! That white-haired boy who appeared out of nowhere had stolen away the person she admired most. Recently, every night, he had been tossing Cecilia into utter chaos.
More than once, she and Theresa had secretly peeked from outside the door, and several times she nearly kicked it open, ready to shout, "Let go of Lady Cecilia! Elias, if you've got the guts, come at me instead!"
Not to mention that it wasn't just Cecilia. Even Eden before her was deeply in love with Elias. Just thinking about it made Shigure Kira stomp her feet in frustration.
Yet layered on top of that hatred was admiration.
Elias possessed the heavenly voice she longed for beyond measure. And beyond that, he had strength powerful enough to protect everything. Even the Overseer of Schicksal could only kneel before him.
That overwhelmingly majestic figure of [Reverse God] had made every Valkyrie present at the time—including Shigure Kira—feel a stirring of admiration. Moreover, she knew that his true nature was that of a very good person.
And if not for Elias' introduction, she would never have met Teacher Eden. If not for Elias' protection, she alone could never have safeguarded the beloved Lady Cecilia.
Thus, deep down, she also felt gratitude toward him.
But now that their relationship had become... complicated, even if Shigure Kira wanted to express her thanks, she had no idea how to begin.
"Don't worry. Elias wouldn't mind such small matters. So, Kira, you only need to say what you want to say," Eden said with a gentle smile, having seen straight through the girl's thoughts.
"Mm... I-I understand..."
"Oh my, what timing. Speak of him and he arrives."
"Huh?!"
Following Eden's gaze, Shigure Kira saw a white figure appear within the Golden Theater.
Although Elias had gifted the theater to Eden, it was still an alternate space and territory he held as the Herrscher of Dominance. Naturally, he could come and go as he pleased.
"Found you, Eden. Hmm? Kira's here too? Perfect, then I'll handle everything at once."
"Handle what?"
"What else would I be here for when meeting the future idol star destined to stand at the very pinnacle? Of course I'm here to hear your heavenly voice. Come on, sing a song for me."
As he spoke, Elias handed the microphone to Shigure Kira.
The action instantly drained the color from Eden's face. The wineglass slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor, and she didn't even have time to pick it up. She frantically shook her head at Elias.
(Elias! You mustn't!)
Handing a microphone to Shigure Kira was no different from handing a kitchen knife to MEI. What exactly was Elias thinking? Had he suffered some kind of shock to suddenly want to hear this girl sing?
"You want me to sing? You're serious?"
"Mm-hmm~ absolutely serious."
Elias gave a thumbs-up with a perfectly solemn expression. But when Shigure Kira noticed the cotton already stuffed in his ears, her eyelids twitched violently. She felt as though she had just been mocked again.
"Hmph! If you want to hear singing, Teacher Eden is right here. Just have her sing for you!"
"That's right, Elias. Let me sing instead. Kira has already practiced for a long time. She must be tired by now," Eden hurriedly added.
"It's fine. A little fatigue is nothing~"
As he spoke, Elias placed a hand on Shigure Kira's shoulder and activated the authority of the Herrscher of Rebirth. In an instant, all of her fatigue vanished. This authority was practically a divine skill for overtime work.
"I'm really not tired anymore... but why do you suddenly want to hear me sing? It's not like you don't know I'm tone-deaf. And with Teacher Eden's heavenly voice right here, you insist on having me sing instead... what exactly are you planning?"
Shigure Kira crossed her arms, her expression full of suspicion.
"Don't make it sound like I'm trying to molest you. I just have about two hours left before this round of time travel ends. I came to say goodbye before I leave," Elias said with a shrug.
"And although Eden's voice is heavenly, before I go, I'd rather hear something truly unforgettable."
"Unforgettable... in the worst possible way, right?"
Shigure Kira shot him a half-lidded glare. She was well aware of her own limits. Under normal circumstances, she would never indulge him.
But she was still shaken by their earlier conversation. And on top of that... Elias had said he would be leaving this time and space in two hours. If she didn't do something now, the next time they met would be more than twenty years later.
After several seconds of inner struggle, her gaze gradually hardened with resolve.
"Fine! Since you want to hear it, then this time I'll give it everything I've got and show you how much I've improved!"
"That's the spirit! Come on—give it your best shot!"
"I-I just remembered I have something to do. There's a banquet with Ely and Aponia later. I'll be going now."
Eden forced an awkward laugh and took a few steps back. Her survival instincts screamed at her to flee immediately.
Yet her slender wrist was suddenly caught in a firm grip.
"How many times have I told you, my dear Eden? Drink less wine. And I'm about to leave soon. Stay and keep me company a little longer."
"Yes, Teacher Eden! After I finish singing, please give me some more advice. This time I'll give it everything I've got. I'll definitely sing the most moving song I've ever performed!"
"Everything... perhaps that won't be necessary. You can hold back a little."
Realizing she had no way to escape, Eden sat back down in despair and shot Elias a resentful glare. Sometimes, even someone as dignified as she would harbor dangerously rebellious thoughts toward him.
Of course, Elias was no different. Looking at Eden's usual elegance and composure, he would occasionally wonder what it would be like to see this goddess of art flustered and disheveled. For some reason, the thought excited him.
Soon, the final song of the [Shigure Kira Personal Concert] began.
Throughout the performance, deathly soundwaves filled the air. The two of them could even feel the Golden Theater trembling, as if the ceiling itself were about to collapse from the vibrations.
Shigure Kira: "La la la la la—!"
Eden: "%￥%#*@!"
Elias: "Cough—cough! As expected of the true Herrscher of Deadly Voice! From a certain angle, this is even more terrifying than a Herrscher authority. It's on the same level as MEI's cooking."
Pulling the earplugs from his ears, Elias still felt severely wounded despite having prepared defenses in advance. His head buzzed from the sheer impact of the song.
Meanwhile, Eden's eyes had rolled back entirely. Her whole body twitched uncontrollably. Even the Honkai Beast with the strongest defense would have struggled to withstand a sonic attack like this.
Elias took a voice recorder from his pocket and played back a few seconds to confirm it had captured the sound. Satisfied, he shut it off decisively.
"Not bad. Recording successful. Sonic weapon acquired. Next time I deal with Otto, I'll have one more method of torture."
"Elias, you—you... I hate you!!"
The moment she heard that, Shigure Kira's emotional defenses shattered. Having just poured her heart into the performance, she immediately hurled the microphone at Elias.
Fans throwing objects at idols was common. An idol throwing objects at the audience was not. And she didn't stop at the microphone. Shigure Kira leapt off the stage, ran straight up to him, and began hammering him with her tiny fists.
"I hate you, I hate you! I hate you the most!"
"Uh... why is your reaction so intense this time?"
Elias blinked in confusion, allowing the ticklish blows to land on him. He glanced at the half-dead Eden beside him.
"Ah... Elias... I worked so hard... to build up her favorability toward you... and now... it's all gone to waste..."
"Eden, maybe don't talk right now. Let me heal you first."
He activated the authority of the Herrscher of Rebirth once more, pulling the golden songstress back from the brink of collapse. Though Shigure Kira's singing and MEI's cooking were horrors of the same magnitude, she ultimately lacked the latter's profound cultivation.
Otherwise, even the authority over [Creation] and [Decay] might not have been enough to save Eden.
After hearing the full explanation from Eden, Elias felt somewhat embarrassed. He hadn't expected to sabotage himself like this. Her favorability toward him was probably reset to zero.
"Uh... sorry, Kira. I did it on purpose."
He scratched his head and frankly admitted fault. If it had been an accident, perhaps he could have argued for leniency. But since it was intentional, his sentence could only be heavier. After all, though her singing was indeed lethal—
The feelings within it had been sincere.
"Elias, you..."
Shigure Kira froze again in surprise. She had assumed he was the type who would insist he was right even if the whole world said otherwise. She hadn't expected him to be so... straightforward.
"Hmph! I—I don't even care..."
"Wow. That really gives off a certain snake's vibe."
"What did you say?"
"Cough, nothing. I won't treat your song as a sonic weapon anymore, and I won't let Otto or anyone else hear it. This song filled with your feelings—I'll keep it for myself."
As he spoke, Elias reconstructed the voice recorder using the authority of the Herrscher of Reason, turning it into a record. He carefully stored it inside his Imaginary Space used for storage.
In the past, only Eden had received such treatment. Every one of her songs had been preserved by him in this manner.
"No need. My singing really is terrible anyway."
"It's fine. I just want to do this. Though perhaps that alone isn't enough as punishment."
Elias stroked his chin thoughtfully. Those who made mistakes should accept punishment properly—that was a rule he had set. Even he himself could not break it.
"How about this? On the day you debut, I'll prepare the best stage for you. And every concert you hold in the future, I'll attend. How about that?"
"Y-You're serious?!" Shigure Kira's eyes widened in shock.
"Mm. Let me be Shigure Kira's—no, let me be Kira Star's very first fan."
Elias smiled.
He placed the microphone back into the girl's hands.
To be honest, although he often teased Shigure Kira for being tone-deaf, he believed more firmly than anyone—not even Eden, not even Shigure Kira herself—that she could become an outstanding idol.
Tone-deafness was nothing. She knew her own flaw, yet had never once given up on her dream of becoming an idol. Elias believed that one day, her persistence would be rewarded.
And if fate refused to grant her that reward—
Then he would grant it himself.
After all, as the great Flame-Chaser of [Deliverance] and [Eternity], there was nothing Elias could not accomplish.
"My... my first fan..."
Shigure Kira stared blankly at the white-haired boy. She felt her heart pound heavily in her chest. She had always thought fans were something distant and far beyond her reach.
For a girl determined to become an idol, fans were an existence she yearned for beyond measure.
Perhaps one day she truly would become the idol of her dreams and gain countless supporters. Or perhaps her tone-deafness would prevent her from ever achieving that goal.
But no matter which future awaited her, at this very moment, she had gained the first fan of her life.
And with Elias' personality—once he said something, he would see it through—whether her future was glorious or bleak, he would undoubtedly support her until the very last moment.
In that instant, the faint remnants of dislike she still harbored toward him vanished without a trace.
"Y-You can't take it back."
"I won't."
Elias took her hand without hesitation.
Beside them, Eden wore a subtle expression, thinking that Elias probably had no idea how powerful the impact of that declaration had been on Shigure Kira.
For any girl aspiring to become an idol, the first fan was always someone special.
In fact, there were quite a few cases in this world where idols, after retiring, ended up marrying their very first fan.
Eden: "Hmm... is it just my imagination? I feel like Kira might become quite a formidable rival in the future."
Shigure Kira: (A fan... haha! I have a fan now! This is... this is wonderful!)
The tone-deaf girl covered her mouth with both hands, preventing the corners of her lips from rising too obviously. Boundless joy flooded her entire being, and the way she looked at Elias had become completely gentle.