Plop.

"Is someone there?"

Sen suddenly lifted her head, curious, and glanced towards the door on one side of the courtyard. Although the sound wasn't loud, there was clearly a noise mixed in with her ethereal singing.

Seeing no response, Sen couldn't help but feel confused, but still slowly approached.

As the footsteps drew closer, Tiran felt a sense of panic. He desperately kicked the two guards he had just knocked out into the nearby bushes. Unfortunately, the courtyard's landscaping wasn't enough to hide two large guards. If Sen really walked by, she would easily spot their protruding feet.

"Such trouble..."

Tiran could certainly escape on his own, but leaving two unconscious guards here would cause inconvenience for someone else. It would be quite unfortunate if the mayor's mansion was invaded right before the festival. Tiran had only intended to discreetly observe Sen's practice, not cause trouble for anyone. The best solution was to quietly hide and erase the memories of these two guards. He could find any room nearby and wait for them to wake up as if nothing had happened. At most, these two would be a little confused.

So, if Sen really walked by...

"I'll have to apologize."

The princess dared to be cunning. Holding her breath, she clutched her fist, ready for a third physical memory erase. She controlled her strength this time, aiming for about ten minutes of erasure.

"Sen."

Just as Sen was about to reach the door where Tiran was hiding, the door on the other side of the courtyard opened, and a calm male voice sounded.

The newcomer completely captured Sen's attention, and Tiran was perfectly ignored. The princess quickly seized the opportunity, grabbing the collars of both guards like baby chicks and dragging the two men, who were taller than herself, into the nearest storeroom.

"Phew, done. I don't know who that big guy is, but I'm really grateful."

Sighing with relief, the princess silently approached the door again, gently pushing it open a crack to observe.

"Oh? Could it be..."

The person who called out to Sen was a middle-aged man who looked quite capable. Although he appeared somewhat tired and weathered due to his age and work, he still had an attractive appearance for an older man -- at least, in terms of looks alone. However, his perpetually stern expression and unchanging seriousness made it difficult for people to feel close to him.

"Father? Why are you here?"

Sen appeared surprised as she turned around and bowed to the man.

"The Divine Dance Festival is about to begin. I came to see how you're doing." The man took a few steps forward, approaching Sen. His solemn expression appeared slightly softer. "After all, it's an important coming-of-age ceremony for my beloved daughter."

"However, I heard from Shanyan that you recently sneaked out. Is that true?" The gentleness didn't last long, evaporating like morning dew under the sunlight. What remained was the man's familiar seriousness.

"Well... it was because..."

"No need to explain." The man sighed softly. His tone carried no blame, but rather a non-negotiable authority. "Although I don't attach much importance to such things myself, as my daughter, your Divine Dance will naturally attract a lot of attention. It represents the reputation and 'face' of the Hiragi family."

Indeed, the concept of "face" was rather boring, but for the Hiragi family, who ruled and governed Haisoku Town, it was an essential part. The reputation built by previous generations, along with the current head's effort, accumulated the Hiragi family's prestige and authority in Haisoku Town. Thus, even if it was just a little bit, he didn't want it to be negatively impacted.

"Xuanzi, your singing is beautiful, but it's not enough for the Divine Dance Sacrifice. You don't have the time to play around." Leaving a reminder and a strange look, the man turned and left the courtyard.

...

"Sorry for the wait, sorry for the wait. Here are the takoyaki and cotton candy you asked for."

On the lively street, Princess handed a paper bag filled with takoyaki and a cotton candy larger than her head to Shuoya. With a mouth full, she said something unclear about dried sweet potatoes.

The currency of the country of Dawn is quite durable. Besides these items in her hand, Tiran had just bought a bunch of snacks, which added up to only a few coins. It seemed that she could still use the extra reward to buy something for later.

"Thanks. By the way, where were you just now?" Shuoya asked casually while poking the takoyaki ball with a bamboo stick and blowing on the slightly hot skin.

"A day trip to the mayor's mansion?" Tiran thought for a moment before saying.

"Cough? You, you went to the mayor's house? How did you get in?" Whether it was because she was burned or choked, Shuoya stuck out her tongue and coughed, looking a bit comical.

"Of course, I climbed over the wall. I went to see Xuanzi practice the Divine Dance. If I had to follow proper procedures, they might not have let me in, and I definitely wouldn't have been able to see the practice." Tiran answered confidently. What's wrong with wanting to see a beautiful girl's dance?

Well, Miss Shuoya was definitely choked this time: "Why can you say that with such confidence?"

Considering Tiran's abilities, it was understandable that climbing over the wall was an easy task for her. Since nothing too outrageous happened, Shuoya simply didn't pay much attention to it.

But now, she was a little curious.

"So, how did Miss Hiragi perform?" Shuoya asked.

"Well..." Tiran paused for a moment, still chewing on the dried sweet potatoes, revealing an expression of embarrassment. "Let's put it this way: she sings very well, but when it comes to dancing..."

...

"Vive quologn du ego Phoelle

Sed caelullea vix hou equas

Lacrymabri ego... ouch!"

It was supposed to be a fairly simple turn, but Xuanzi stumbled, tripping over her own feet for the umpteenth time, and pain radiated from the previously injured area once again, causing tears to well up.

Objectively speaking, the dance moves were not difficult. The Divine Dance was not a highly challenging dance with elaborate moves. It was more about dancing lightly to the chanting of the song, using body movements to enhance the sacred and ethereal feeling of the music.

And Xuanzi herself was excellent in terms of her grasp of the song, rhythm, and her own vocal tone. She was the perfect candidate for the Divine Dance.

-In theory.

But according to the conclusion drawn from Princess's extensive observation through the crack in the door, Miss Hiragi's motor skills were simply abysmal to the point of disbelief. The kind of action that usually only appeared in unrealistic plots designed to highlight a character's clueless cuteness actually happened to Xuanzi.

And it seemed like she was genuinely trying her best.

Unbelievable.

Seeing Xuanzi tirelessly practicing but still falling down every now and then, Tiran couldn't help but feel sorry for her, but also found her adorable...

This was a bit tragic. Maybe Xuanzi should consider just sticking to singing honestly?

"...That's about it."

After briefly describing what she had seen, Shuya couldn't help but cover her mouth after listening. She had the same expression, not knowing whether to feel sorry or laugh.

"Miss Xuanzi... You really work so hard."

Finally, Shuya managed to squeeze out a sentence, "How about we don't go watch the Divine Dance during the festival?"

With that destructive motor skills and limited practice time left, it was almost predictable that the Divine Dance Festival would be a public execution for Miss Xuanzi. It was truly a bit cruel.

After all, Tiran couldn't bear to see her embarrass herself in front of everyone, since she was the one who brought her to the town. So she could only choose not to watch.