"Ah? That's too reckless—wait a minute!"
Sylvia wanted to persuade Roy to think things through, but before she could finish, he leaped effortlessly onto the abandoned building beside them and vanished into the night.
His departure was clearly aimed straight for the grounds of Rewolf Black Institute.
"Is this really okay?"
Caught off guard, Sylvia was stunned by his impulsive action. Who would charge in without a second thought like that? Roy seemed so composed, yet his actions were so rash!
Rewolf Black Institute wasn't a place one could just barge into. Not only did it house formidable fighters like Ereshkigal, but if he were discovered, it might even draw the attention of the security team. If Captain Helga got involved, it would be game over!
"Xinglou, since you're so close to him, aren't you going with him?"
Sylvia turned to Fan Xinglou, noticing how familiar the two seemed.
Even if she wanted to stop Roy or lend him a hand, her limited speed made it impossible to catch up.
"Not necessary."
Fan Xinglou looked utterly unconcerned, as if Roy's safety meant nothing to her.
"He'll probably be fine."
"You'd actually say that?"
Sylvia seemed startled, giving Fan Xinglou an incredulous look.
"Well, I hope you're right..."
When she became the student council president of Queenvail, the conglomerate had warned her: "When the student council president of Jie Long is the Banyuu Tenra, anything can happen—and no matter what happens, don't interfere."
In fact, every student council president of each academy received the same warning upon taking office, which spoke volumes about Fan Xinglou's status—comparable to that of the conglomerate itself.
If she believed Roy would be fine, then he probably would be... That was the only comfort Sylvia could cling to for now.
"Still, I'm surprised. Xinglou, you and Roy seem really close. When did you two meet?"
Setting aside her worries, Sylvia turned to Fan Xinglou with curiosity.
"During the Festa."
Fan Xinglou smirked oddly, her eyes gleaming with amusement as she glanced at Sylvia.
"More importantly, little girl, you're the one who's been sneaking into the redevelopment zone almost every day these past few months, always looking for someone. What exactly are you up to?"
"How do you know that?"
Sylvia stumbled back, her face flushing with embarrassment.
"I've been coming here every day for months. How do you think I know?"
"Every day..."
Sylvia blinked, a flicker of realization crossing her face.
"Come to think of it, Roy's been coming here a lot too these past few months... Was he meeting you?"
Sylvia had visited the redevelopment zone almost daily during her hiatus from concerts, with little else to do at school. Of course, she wasn't just searching for Roy—she was also looking for someone else very important to her. But over those months, she had often spotted Roy, though she couldn't always keep up with him.
"Pretty much."
Fan Xinglou smiled with an ambiguous expression.
"So he really was here for you? I thought he came for... ahem."
She nearly blurted out her suspicions but quickly coughed to cut herself off.
But now it seemed she had misunderstood!
Roy hadn't come to the redevelopment zone for frivolous reasons—he was here to see Fan Xinglou. As for why he sought her out, Sylvia wasn't entirely sure, but judging from Roy's improved skills, she could guess the reason.
The student council president of Jie Long actually helping train a student from another academy—if word got out, it would sound terrible. The conglomerate might even intervene. Roy sneaking around like this was probably the result of careful consideration. Still, daring to risk the conglomerate's wrath just to train with Fan Xinglou? He really had guts! If the conglomerate found out, Fan Xinglou would be fine, but Roy wouldn't be so lucky.
She had never really believed Roy was the type to chase after fleeting pleasures, and now the mystery was finally solved, lifting a weight off her mind.
"Xinglou, could I ask you for a favor?"
Suddenly, Sylvia clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture, as if praying to a deity.
"You think I'm running a charity here?"
Fan Xinglou shot her a sidelong glance and snorted.
"This is really important to me. I'd be so grateful if you could help. How about a hundred autographed albums from me afterwards?"
"What the hell would I do with your albums?"
Fan Xinglou spat out the words rudely.
"Fine, let's hear it. Whether I help depends on my mood!"
"Great!"
Sylvia's face instantly brightened.
"Could you help me track down that guy named Akatsuki? I want to dig him out and deal with him myself!"
Though Roy had already vented some of her anger for her, Sylvia's fury toward Akatsuki still burned like wildfire in her heart. Not just because he had involved innocent reporters last time, but because he had hurt her fans during that concert!
Sylvia adored her fans—no, she adored anyone who listened to her sing. To her, the most unforgivable sin was threatening the people she cared about.
"You can't find him yourself? Isn't your ability supposed to be all-powerful?"
"That's exactly why I'm asking you!"
A shadow flickered across Sylvia's expression.
Her power as a witch was indeed formidable—by singing songs infused with imagery, she could manipulate mana to produce any phenomenon except healing. Whether it was physical enhancement, fire manipulation, target detection, or concealment, she could achieve it effortlessly through song, earning her the title of truly omnipotent.
But against Akatsuki, her omnipotence had failed.
After the terrorist attack at the concert, she had quickly used a detection-type song to locate Akatsuki and drag him out of the shadows.
Yet nothing happened.
It was as if the man named Akatsuki didn't even exist in this world—her song hadn't triggered the slightest reaction.
This was highly unusual. In theory, her detection ability should have been able to at least narrow down a general range even if it couldn't pinpoint the exact location, as long as she had some impression. But when it came to Akatsuki, her ability couldn't even outline half a range, which had infuriated her at the time.
That was precisely why she had been idling around until now, waiting for the investigation results from the financial group.
"So something like this happened before."
Fan Xinglou narrowed her eyes. For the songstress's ability to fail against Akatsuki—this Akatsuki person must be no ordinary individual. Could they also be someone from another world... What's going on with this world?
"Xinglou, can you help me?"
Sylvia clasped her hands together, trying her best to put on the cutest expression.
"This old lady refuses."
Fan Xinglou remained completely unmoved. She gave Sylvia a cold glance.
"This old lady's principle is to never interfere with any events that might affect the world's course, whether they're good or bad. Even if that Akatsuki person ends up killing millions or tens of millions because of it, this old lady wouldn't bat an eye."