"Miss Chiori, you don't like banquets much, do you?"
Mu Yang brought over a plate of Inazuma sweets and offered it to her.
"Thank you." Chiori accepted it with a nod. "It's not that I dislike them, it's just…"
Her gaze drifted toward Mr. Morris, who was currently being cornered in awkward small talk by Yoimiya.
"I'm sure you've noticed too. All the bad luck today happened because one extra person joined the crew."
"You really don't hold back, Miss Chiori."
"Pleasantries, formalities, and flattery are all troublesome and a waste of time, aren't they?" She popped a tricolor dango into her mouth. "Not bad. This is the best dango I've ever had."
"Sincere praise is always welcome."
Chiori finished the last bite. "By the way, the dress you commissioned has been finished. When do you plan to give it to her?"
"On the day of the awards ceremony," Mu Yang replied, glancing toward Lumine in the distance, who was playing with fireworks alongside Ayaka.
"Your own film isn't bad either. What's wrong? No confidence in winning an award?"
When Chiori first met Mu Yang, she had assumed he came to her for clothing design. She wasn't entirely wrong—except the clothes weren't for him. They were for the blonde Traveler.
When he paid the deposit, he had also ordered a full set of matching accessories. It was probably the simplest commission she had ever received. No design work, no need to consider coordination… nothing at all. She only had to cut and sew according to the provided draft, then deliver it at the specified time.
If anyone else had asked her to do something this straightforward, Chiori might have felt insulted. Any skilled tailor could handle it. But Mu Yang's design sketches had left her speechless, so she could only accept.
There was always someone better. Mu Yang choosing her to make the garment was already a sign of respect.
In contrast, Mu Yang himself showed little reaction. He maintained his usual calm, detached expression, as if none of it concerned him. Yet he still came every day to accompany Lumine. This enigmatic man was difficult to read.
No wonder her friends Navia and Kirara had both fallen for him.
But the two of them were probably going to be disappointed…
Mu Yang didn't answer Chiori's question. He simply smiled faintly and took the empty plate away.
[Whether the Furina Award is won or not doesn't matter. The most important thing is that the players see it and start discussing. That's the result Mu Yang wants. Besides, this time they created a ton of new award categories. There's bound to be at least one track we can win. Everyone gets to enjoy it—that's because I…]
— — — — — —
Over on the investor's side, Mr. Morris had been thoroughly cornered by the energetic Pyro girl.
"How about it, Mr. Morris? Are you enjoying the party?"
"Ah… it's not bad," Mr. Morris replied, clearly not enjoying himself but forced to keep smiling. He was anxious—very anxious.
"When does the party end?"
"Haha, looking at how happy everyone is, it'll probably go until late at night."
Yoimiya smiled as she asked. Mr. Morris kept glancing around—did he have other matters to attend to at home?
Mr. Morris quickly seized the excuse, saying he wasn't used to staying up late and would probably leave soon.
"Oh dear, how could I forget something so important?"
['Oh dear' — delivered with zero emotion]
[Yoimiya's over-the-top acting]
[Why did she suddenly stop panicking? Oh, now we know Yoimiya was acting the whole time.]
[She was never panicking in the first place, okay? Yoimiya's a limited character. What could possibly happen to her?]
[Exactly. They wouldn't kill her off in a limited event story.]
[Yoimiya fans: A-minos!]
"What is it?"
"I left the fireworks I prepared for the party in the warehouse."
Mr. Morris wasn't particularly concerned. The fireworks were meant to celebrate the film's completion. He didn't want this movie to release smoothly anyway…
"Could you help me carry them, Mr. Morris? I can't lift that many by myself."
"Me? This… can't you ask someone else?"
Yoimiya explained that this was a surprise she had secretly prepared. The rest of the crew didn't know about it yet.
"Please, Mr. Morris! I also want you to see these fireworks before you leave. They're my proudest work. They're beautiful—I guarantee you'll never forget them."
[I volunteer! She's this cute and asking for help in a small warehouse—who could resist?]
[You're getting a little too into it.]
In the end, Mr. Morris couldn't refuse. He obediently followed Yoimiya toward the warehouse.
"It's so dark. Mr. Morris, please wait here for a moment."
Yoimiya went into the warehouse alone. "I remember the light switch is around here somewhere…"
Mr. Morris sighed at the doorway. "Why did I agree to do this…"
Click—Bang—
The sound of a musket being cocked and fired rang out in the darkness.
Mr. Morris panicked instantly. In his flustered state, he found the light switch.
Under the spotlight lay Yoimiya, collapsed in a pool of blood.
And right beside her was that conspicuous mark—a Rainbow Rose.
The signature of the musket murder case.
[PV recycled]
[General, I don't want to die…]
Mr. Morris completely lost his composure.
The only reason he had come today was because The Steambird had reported that the musket murderer had been arrested. With the culprit already caught, if he could just sabotage the film one more time, no one would ever suspect him again.
But what was happening now?
Had Baptiste escaped? Impossible. How could a frail writer break free from the Special Patrol Team?
No matter who this person was or what their goal was, they were clearly targeting him. The killer had gone mad—now even innocent girls were being murdered. What chance did he have?
"Help! Somebody help me!"
"…Do you really think you can escape, Morris?"
The musket barrel glowed red in the darkness. To Mr. Morris, it looked like a beast coming to claim his life. He desperately tried to force the door open, but it wouldn't budge.
"You've got the wrong person! It wasn't me! I didn't kill anyone!"
Faced with imminent death, Mr. Morris began shifting the blame in panic.
"Do you know? Elisa didn't look nearly as pathetic as you before she died."
Chevreuse stepped closer, her voice cold. "To keep the child lying under the floor from being discovered, he fought the assassin you hired until the very last moment."
She tossed a pocket watch onto the floor in front of the collapsed Mr. Morris.
"This belonged to Elisa. It contains a portrait of you and her."
"You haven't forgotten, have you? This is what you gave her."
Mr. Morris sat on the ground, scrambling backward. Faced with the gun barrel and death itself, he was truly terrified.
"This… this is impossible! It should have…"
"Should have been destroyed by the assassin you hired, right?"
Mr. Morris had been driven into a corner.
"Did you really never love her, Morris? Why were you able to bring yourself to kill her?"
The terrified man had nowhere left to retreat. The fact that she had uncovered this much meant she already knew everything…