The next day, at noon, the sun was bright and clear.
Although Eden's concert was scheduled for 7 PM, as the most famous star in the world today, a temporary commercial street had been erected around the venue almost as soon as the concert was announced.
And Kiana, being the life of the party, was naturally not one to miss out. After learning this news, she arranged to meet Mei and Fu Li there.
"Sigh... I really don't know why we had to come so early."
Fu Li arrived at the commercial street right on time at the agreed-upon 3 PM and opened the group chat on his phone.
Kiana, Li & Mei's Hangout
Fu Li: @White-Haired Dumpling @Red Sparky Dragon Kiana, Mei, are you here yet?
Kiana: We've been here for ages! We're at the ice cream shop at the entrance to the second street. I ordered a super-sized ice cream, hurry up!
Mei: [IceCreamPicture.jpg]
Fu Li: Okay, I'm on my way.
Putting his phone away, Fu Li started walking towards the ice cream shop, unconsciously glancing at the young girls in short skirts and JK uniforms around him.
There was something Fu Li had always wanted to complain about. It was currently February in Nagazora City, which meant it was still winter.
And in this season, these Japanese young ladies were still wearing white or black stockings. Weren't they afraid of freezing to death?
Shaking his head, Fu Li cast aside these random thoughts. After crossing two streets, he finally saw the two girls chatting.
"Hey, I'm here."
"Mhm, you finally made it. This one's for you, chocolate flavor," Kiana said, looking up and pointing to another ice cream on the table.
"Ah, thanks," Fu Li said, but his expression suddenly froze.
He realized that there were four cups of ice cream on the table. Besides theirs, there was another one with an orange slice sticking out of it.
And it was obvious that even if girls had a separate stomach for dessert, neither Mei nor Kiana could possibly eat two servings by themselves.
Therefore, Fu Li easily deduced what this extra ice cream meant: someone else was coming.
"By the way, who is this ice cream for?" Fu Li already had an answer in his heart, but he still wanted to struggle a little.
"Mhm, it's for Teacher Pardo. I asked her about the ticket last time, and when I found out it was real, I invited her to come along."
It really is her...
This idiot... she's not trying to help set me up, is she...?
Looking at Kiana's "as-it-should-be" expression, Fu Li covered his face, feeling utterly speechless.
And that Pardo... really. As a teacher, even if she was a fan of a positive-energy singer like [Elysian Realm], she shouldn't be hanging out with her students.
Although a faint sense of unease crept into his heart, what was done was done. Fu Li had no other choice but to accept it.
Sure enough, not long after, the brass bell on the door chimed, and Pardofelis's elegant figure appeared at the entrance.
Upon seeing them, Pardo waved naturally and, with a waft of perfume, sat down next to Fu Li.
As the one who had invited Pardo, Kiana naturally took on the role of conversation starter, working to liven up the atmosphere between the four of them.
Fortunately, both Fu Li and Mei were good conversationalists. Coupled with the shared experience of devouring ice cream in the middle of winter, the communication barriers between the four of them quickly disappeared.
Since the group consisted of all girls except for Fu Li, their conversation initially revolved around topics like clothes and bags—realms Fu Li knew nothing about. However, this didn't last long, and the subject soon shifted to the star of today's concert, [Eden].
"Hey, hey, aren't you guys curious why Miss [Elysian Realm] always wears a veil? Even though all the haters online say it's because she's ugly, I feel like that can't be right."
"I agree. Miss Elysian Realm has such an incredible aura. There's no way she'd wear a veil because she's ugly."
"Right? But I heard a rumor online that the reason Miss [Elysian Realm] wears a veil is because she once said that she hopes, one day, the person she loves will be the one to personally take it off for her."
"Eh, is that so? It seems Miss Elysian Realm is a very romantic person," Mei chimed in gently, then turned to Pardo. "By the way, Teacher Pardo, what do you think?"
Hah? What do I think?
Isn't that woman just playing hard to get so Li will be the one to take off her veil?
Pardo secretly rolled her eyes and said, trying to be subtle, "Speaking of which, Fu Li, have you heard Miss Elysian Realm's songs? What do you think of them?"
Fu Li had, of course, heard Elysian Realm's music. His internal assessment was that while her style was completely different from the Eden he knew, the two were absolutely on the same level, perhaps with this version even slightly surpassing the original.
But even if he thought that, Fu Li certainly wasn't going to say it. He could only choose to be vague.
"Mhm, I've heard most of Miss Elysian Realm's songs. My feeling is that her style is very versatile, but both her musicality and her singing ability are top-notch."
No kidding, that's Eden.
Pardo sighed inwardly. Although she didn't understand Eden and had just argued with her, she had to admit that the woman was indeed very talented.
But still...
She wondered what kind of expression that woman Eden would make when she looked towards the VIP seats with delight, only to see Pardo sitting right next to Fu Li.
Ah~ That expression is sure to be interesting.
What in the world could be more exciting than seeing your love rival's face contort with anger and bitterness?
If there was something, it would have to be an expression of even greater anger and bitterness!
With that thought, Pardo popped the last spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, a joyful smile tugging at her lips.
I really wish time would move a little faster. I can't wait.
---o---
Elysian Realm Concert Venue.
After finishing their ice cream, the group wandered around for a bit. Having killed the afternoon hours, they finally arrived at the concert.
Thanks to the VIP tickets in their hands, they didn't have to squeeze in with the frenzied fans who had been waiting at the entrance for hours. They easily entered the venue through a special VIP channel.
"Alright, the concert is about to start. Here are some snacks I just bought."
"Mhm, thank you, Teacher Pardo."
"Hehe, you're welcome."
Hugging a tub of popcorn, Pardo leaned back in the soft chair, happily tossing a kernel into her mouth. In her joyful mood, she couldn't help but start humming Eden's new song.
But just then, she caught sight of a short, green-haired woman in her peripheral vision. The woman was holding a ticket and walking over at a leisurely pace. She passed in front of Pardo, flashing her an "unintentional" smile.
The expression on her face seemed to say, "Caught you, you little fish-stealing cat."
Pardo's eyes shot wide open, her face a mask of utter shock.
Then she saw Klein wave familiarly at Fu Li and say in an extremely intimate tone, "Hi, Fu Li. I didn't expect to see you here. What a coincidence."