Chapter 205

Chapter 102: Looking for Clues

“Was Future not as great at singing before?” Akuri suddenly spoke up, grabbing the attention of others. She sensed something and pulled Makoto to one side, starting to ask those in the know about the truth.

“Future? She’s always worked hard. In fact, she joined the industry very early on. I should call her ‘Senior Tachibana’.”

“Senior Tachibana started as an obscure singer and, with the help of the producer, slowly gained popularity. It would be impressive even for her to come second in popularity among fans. All this was achieved through her dedication to vocal techniques, rhythm control, and singing skills. But…” As someone who previously surpassed Future, Makoto naturally knew about the competitor’s level but didn’t elaborate further.

After all, like many things, it wasn’t just effort that mattered; natural talent was equally important. Known as the former singing princess of Poker Kingdom, Makoto not only worked hard but also had natural talent. But saying that in front of Future was a little too much.

“This must be the result of her consistent hard work.”

Akuri then sought verification from the producer and received a similar response.

“Future has always been diligent. She put more effort into reaching today’s achievements than you did.”

“Ah, it doesn’t mean that you rose to the top solely because of your talent. We have seen your journey, but…”

“This child, Future, relied solely on effort to get here. That’s why she’s so excited now.”

After hearing the producer’s words, Makoto began to reflect. An idea took root in her mind as she felt that perhaps she was mistaken.

Doesn’t he try to take my voice away to teach me a lesson when I was contemplating giving up?

But I love singing too!

“Well then, we have other work here. Have fun at the TV station today!”

After a minor upheaval, the girls remain clueless about finding the Selfish Beast. The Fairies could sense its dark influence, but the entire building had been filled with darkness, making it hard to pinpoint its location.

After all, the Selfish Beast never hid its presence in the past; it usually caused mayhem upon appearing, wanting to announce itself to everyone.

I didn’t expect to encounter some sort of Voldemort, hiding without showing itself. Although it didn’t cause panic by appearing in places with heavy foot traffic, the girls still want to find it quickly for their own goals.

“Everyone, let’s split up!”

Though splitting up was dangerous and could make them susceptible to being picked off one by one, given the time constraints, it’s the best way to maximize efficiency.

The group nodded and agreed to contact each other via transformation phones if anything came up.

However, their plan was destined not to work out.

From morning till afternoon, asking from the director to the janitor, they found no clues.

“Monster? What are you talking about? How could there be monsters at a TV station?”

“If there were actually monsters, the TV station would already be in chaos.”

“Would monsters use the restroom? They wouldn’t. Then, I wouldn’t know.”

“What monster are you talking about? Stop playing house here!”

“If you want to see monsters, go to the filming set. But I heard it was recently bombed by two men and a woman. I don’t think it’s open anymore.”

“How about listening to my song instead?”

—

“Not going to give up!”

“Mussel…”

“The sun is still up for another hour, what do we do?”

“As Pretty Cures, we are too lazy to train—breath… breath…”

The four sat back to back with bottles of water from the vending machine, having hastily dealt with lunch before continuing the search around the TV station. As middle school students, their energy was nearing exhaustion.

Yet they haven’t found a single hair of the Selfish Beast. Why?

“Could Akiu be deliberately misleading us with false hints?”

“It’s unlikely. This is his game,” Love shook her head disapprovingly. “If he wanted to harm us, he would have attacked directly. There’s no need to toy with us. He’ll follow his rules.”

“Love seems to understand him well… Are you willing to bring happiness to him too?”

Rikka pouted adorably, her tone hinting at jealousy.

“He has to accept it too.”

Love had no choice either. As the prince of happiness, she felt powerless.

“That Future girl, I always feel strange about her…”

Akuri thought deeply, catching the attention of others.

“Strange place? You mean, she might be influenced by the Selfish Beast, treating Makoto P in such a manner?”

Following Akuri’s line of thought, Love made a conjecture.

As the youngest girl there, Akuri had sharp instincts.

Before, while listening to songs, she noticed that Future’s singing was indeed beautiful and heartfelt. However, there was a strange misalignment between her emotional delivery and her voice.

In simple terms, it felt off.

“No, I mean, could she actually be the Selfish Beast transformed?”

After all, even though it appeared within the station, there were no reports of the Selfish Beast, making the monster-human transformation theory quite plausible.

“Impossible…”

Rikka wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead again.

They haven’t heard of the Selfish Beast changing into human form before.

“And don’t you think Future’s sudden improvement in singing coincides with the time you lost your voice? Isn’t that too convenient?”

“Certainly… the chances of the Selfish Beast causing trouble are high!”

The girls realized this. When conventional methods failed, they needed alternative approaches.

“If we can’t get answers normally, then let’s use unconventional methods!”

On the other hand, Akiu was in an office in the TV station, negotiating with someone related to a girl previously encountered.

“No, no. This isn’t a threat. Regardless of whether you tell them the truth or otherwise, no harm will come to you. As part of the game, I assure you.”

In front of someone intimidated by his power, Akiu didn’t conceal his disdain, crossing his legs nonchalantly.

After all, this person was making a deal with something akin to a devil.

“Your choice. And now, I should return to my assigned position.”

“Oh, you’re asking about the singing? That should be obvious.”

“Didn’t you benefit from this?”

With a terrifying gaze, Akiu disappeared through a rippling mirror, taking a moment to regain composure, lowering his head and clenching his fist tightly.

“I will…

Definitely defeat that Kanzaki Makoto!”