Going back a couple of hours before Shui returned to the Myriad Flower Lodge, Alicia stood behind the full-length window of her room, looking outside at the city of Paraj. The city seemed peaceful with dawn less than an hour away, but for some this night had been anything but peaceful.
"Have you found him yet?"
"No, Young Miss. We've also looked into the commotion at the underground auction, but they've lost all traces of the culprits."
"I see. Keep searching."
"Yes, Young Miss!"
Her brother was still at the Array Association, discussing with his master, so Alicia was alone. Her bodyguards were loyal, but there was still a wall between them and her. She was known as the Priestess of the Sphere clan, which meant she had little actual power but was placed on a pedestal at the same height as the young clan head. Though she could be more frank with her brother, there were still many things she couldn't tell him.
"Is that why, I have such high hopes for him?"
The moment she spotted Shui at the gate of Paraj, Alicia saw in him the potential to solve the long-running dilemma of her clan. Though she wanted to confirm if her eyes were right, she decided to evaluate him before requesting his help.
She had planned on meeting him again once he returned tonight, but no matter how long she waited, he never showed up at the lodge. Contacting the communication terminal she gave him also proved fruitless. As she was beginning to grow frustrated, she had an eerie hunch, and for her, such hunches were the same as prophecies. She immediately sent her guards to look for him, and after learning of the commotion at the underground auction, she had them investigate that as well. She told herself that she was only concerned because she wanted his assistance, but the feelings in her chest were a clear contradiction.
"I wonder. If I told him everything, would he be my friend?"
Back to the time after Shui's return, Shui recalled his interactions with Alicia while he was in his room. He could tell that she approached him because she wanted something from him, but she had no ill intent, so he treated her fairly but kept her at a distance. He didn't think he was wrong for doing that, but looking back he realised that there weren't only selfish motives in her eyes.
"Ugh. Alia, do you think I treated her with too much suspicion?"
"Hard to say; she was suspicious after all. But I don't think she would have tried to harm you."
"True. I'll just apologise when I see her and move from there."
Shui's perception made it easy for him to see through people's motives, but it did nothing to help him understand the reasons behind them. He didn't know what Alicia wanted, so he couldn't fully trust her, but she had provided him with much help, so he could at least treat her better.
Until the time of the idol concert he saw advertised, Shui focused on recovering from his injuries. This would be a long-term process, but he couldn't afford to slack on it. Once he was ready to leave, Shui went downstairs, but he was stopped by a staff member before exiting the Myriad Flower Lodge.
"The young miss of the Sphere clan left this for you."
The staff member then handed Shui a small space expansion bag. Inside the space expansion bag was a variety of healing items as well as a short note.
'I might need your help in the future, so don't die on me.'
For a couple moments after they read the note, Shui remained silent until Alia commented.
"Jokes aside, you should talk things out with her."
"I agree."
Shui tried to put his thoughts into action immediately, but the staff told him that Alicia wasn't in her room. He also tried the communication terminal that she gave him, but he received no response after activating it. No one had to tell him that she might be avoiding him on purpose, but he would have liked some advice on how to make her more willing to converse. In the end, he decided to leave a message for her at the front desk. He considered going back to his room, but he had told Alicia that he would be going to the concert, so there was a chance he could meet her there.
The venue of the idol concert was a coliseum in the same region as the entrance that Shui used to enter Paraj with Emily and Adrian. He wasn't sure why, but there was a special atmosphere here. This was his first time encountering such an atmosphere, but if he had to compare it to something, it would be the fervour before an auction.
While the people didn't come just to buy items, there was a similarity in how they couldn't wait for what would appear before them on the stage. In the midst of this hyper mood, Shui remained calm as he searched for Alicia.
"You can stop now. She's not here."
"I see."
Alia's words didn't completely snuff out his hope, but he gave up on looking for the time being. He still planned on attending the concert, but he wasn't sure if he would be able to enjoy it in his current mood.
"You really came here. Shouldn't you be resting?"
Since his soul was still heavily injured, Shui had to rely on Alia to check the crowd, but she was more than willing to stay quiet if there was no danger. The voice that reached his ears wasn't unfamiliar, but Shui couldn't identify it immediately. Once he turned towards the source, Shui noticed a young woman with shoulder-length black hair. The young woman wasn't particularly beautiful, but her eyes had a special charm. As he had seen this appearance of hers already, it was obvious to Shui who she was.
"I was bored with staying in bed. Are you here to make good on your promise to tell me about idols?"
"I suppose I did say something like that. Sure. Do you have a ticket?"
"Not yet. I was planning to buy one."
"Hah, let me teach you something about concerts. If they're big enough to hold at a venue like this, it's best to assume fans will be buying tickets months in advance. I just checked, and even scalpers have run out of extra tickets."
"Eh?"
He didn't know much about concerts or Amaryllis, who should be performing tonight, but after Maha pointed it out, he realised that he had been careless. Maha watched Shui lament his naivety for a few moments before she extended a grace.
"Follow me. Luckily for you, I have a way to get us in."
"Really? Thanks so much, Maha."
"I still owe you a big debt after all. I'd like to pay it back as soon as possible."
While Shui and Maha were talking, a small team of Alicia's secret guard secretly watched him. Alicia didn't feel ready to interact with Shui again, but she didn't want him to face any trouble while he was injured.
'If he gets a single extra scratch, don't bother coming back.'
He had committed the grave sin of hurting Alicia, so the guards wished that they could protest, but the hint of sadness in the glare of their young miss made it impossible for them to go against her. However, seeing him meet with a different young woman while the young miss was still downhearted nearly made them betray the orders they had been given.
Shui noticed them despite his injuries, but he didn't do anything because he knew they were related to Alicia. Maha also noticed them, but while they seemed to be hostile to Shui, she could tell that there was no killing intent behind it. Furthermore, she didn't want to spill any blood this close to the venue, so she ignored them as well.