Sunday. 8:38 PM, according to a longcase clock standing by the wall. Vidal's Restaurant and Suites has been jam-packed with people, even more so than it had been the first time Kirin had met up with the party there. Other than the usual fancy guests, there were also men looking through cameras pointed at a single stool. One that had replaced instruments that were once on a ministage at a corner of the chamber. Over there, what appeared, or rather, what hasn't appeared, was seemingly an invisible person apparently performing.

"For people in our position, we happen to be quite nonchalant, do we not?" Wearing a white shirt and a black vest with a blue bow, Onyx was leaning back as he sipped from a glass of starry liquid.

"Oh, come on!" Kirin lifted a fork and a knife and began slicing meat on a plate. "Won't you relax sometimes? Why don't you? It's only been seven days, and we've nearly already passed Blaring Sentence on the board! Surely in three weeks, we should be able to pass Coral Crown too. I'm confident."

"You? You're telling me to relax?" Onyx's grip tightened around his glass's stem. "Which of us has been dragging the party from one quest to another, four times a day, day after day, ever since last Sunday?! When exactly have you elected yourself as the party's new leader?"

Kirin croaked. "Well... Umm... It's not that! I just... I just need the money...."

Onyx scoffed.

Alia gave them both a smile. "If I may ask, Kirin, what do you always need so much money for? I have noticed you keep running out. I thought that might mean you're sharing your income with other people. Perhaps family? An institution? Oh, Kirin. You're probably giving too much. Barely any for yourself. How selfless!"

Onyx smirked, shook his head, and took another sip from the glass.

Oh, that smug little...!

Kirin suppressed a bark and merely sighed. "Well... That's..." ... totally not where the money has been going!

Kirin has been spending a lot on furniture and other stuff for his apartment. Also, more clothes, including the white rose dress he had decided to wear for the night--plus the one-malagmium worth rose-gold pendant to complete the look with.

He had also had his hair treated, remembering he had promised that to himself. It definitely couldn't have waited. It was a priority! Totally worth it, too, for his locks were now silkier, fluffier, and wavier, and yet a million times healthier with less frizz. Days ago, they were just dead.

Then there was also the apartment's rent.

All those expenses totaled, Kirin had been left with only twenty algium to survive with. Of course, until after he had received the rewards for the quests he'd forced their party to take.

"Whatever." Onyx put down his glass on their table. "Even when your intentions aren't exactly for the team, at least you're still able to contribute. That's better than being completely useless."

"Kirin has been making our quests quite easy, hasn't he?" Alia patted Onyx's shoulder. "We've been able to take multiple a day because of his taunt spell."

"Hey, guys." Faolan walked over, pulled up a seat, and sat on his brown coat's tails. "Sorry I took too long. Mister Crushgear called me over to discuss something."

"Hey!" Kirin called and used his fork to point at the stage. "Do you have any idea why there are three times more people today?"

"Oh. Yes." Faolan placed and straightened out an envelope onto the table. "Robin Esther will be performing today."

"Who's that?"

Alia squeaked. "How do you not know? She's the most popular musician on this side of the continent. They say her violin plays sounds so beautiful that they actually make you forget to breathe! Literally, they take your breath away!"

Kirin stared judgingly and continued to cut the meat. "I don't know why you said that so excitedly. Never thought you're also the type to enjoy something so deadly-sounding."

"Aren't you excited yourself?" Onyx raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing feels good about not being able to breathe, you know. You just lose consciousness."

Onyx faked a chuckle. "Of course you know. You've tried."

"But I am excited!" Kirin led meat into his mouth and spoke while chewing. "I've never really seen famous performers before, and the only popular person I've met is King Animus, who's my god, so he probably doesn't even count."

"Yeah, yeah. Famous people. They're cool. Whatever. Since we're all already here, let's start discussing our next steps to overtaking Blaring Sentence. We've been lucky. Scoring that quest that paid so much. But from what I can tell, it's still more secure to--"

"Wait, wait! Shush. I think it's about to start." Kirin tugged on Onyx's sleeve.

"Did you just shush me?"

"Greetings, ladies and gentlemen." A gray-haired man in a red coat bowed on the stage. "I extend to you my most earnest of thanks for patronizing our most esteemed Vidal's Restaurant and Suites. As you might already know, in celebration of our 65th anniversary, we have invited a special guest. So talented, she's envied by Euterpe's sirens. Here to present one of her legendary performances! As your humble and thankful host, I'm glad to be able to gift you this experience." He grinned and leaped off the stage to join the audience. "Please welcome...! Robin Esther!"

"Yoohoo!" cheered the spectators.

Alia squeaked again.

Even Faolan seemed excited as he showed an apologetic expression and clapped along.

Defeated, Onyx clicked his tongue and crossed his arms.

Murmurs stirred up throughout the chamber:

"There she is."

"She's as beautiful as she is in photos."

"My heart. I can feel it exploding."

Then... there was silence.

A blue-haired lady in a silver gown gracefully made her way up the stage. Like paper falling slowly, her arms moved through and brought a violin to rest on one of her shoulders. Her eyes glistened as if there were tears. Then she closed them so no one could see. When she lifted a lovely hand to bring a bow to the strings, a long tune started, and the music began beautifully.

Kirin's fingers made their way to his chest as a reasonless turmoil began beating within.

Faolan smiled curtly, then picked back up the flattened envelope. He used a thumb to break the seal, slid out a sheet of paper, unfolded it, and read.

Whether it was because of the message written there or the violin's music, Kirin couldn't tell, but, after the performance, a tear dropped from Faolan Dier's eye.