Robin froze on the spot.
She had never imagined Miss Kallen would react like this.
And on top of that, she was saying Robin's brother had threatened her?
"W-What did you say?"
"My brother… threatened you?"
Kallen nodded hard, her hair brushing against Robin's neck and tickling slightly.
"He forced me to pretend to be a singer from the Iris Family. He gave me an identity that doesn't even exist, and then made me perform at the Charmony Festival."
"But… but I can't sing at all, Senior Robin!"
Robin's expression shifted from confusion to shock, then from shock to a kind of complicated disbelief.
Subconsciously, she glanced toward the distant high-rise building.
A moment ago, she had vaguely sensed some movement up there, but now when she looked, the rooftop was empty.
"Why would my brother do something like that?"
"Because I'm pretty, obviously!" Kallen declared with righteous confidence, though her voice was still thick with grievance.
"He just thinks I'm too pretty, so he wants to force me onto the stage at the Charmony Festival!"
"Hmph. He's obviously planning to use my face to attract traffic!"
Robin opened her mouth, only to find that for a moment, she did not know what to say.
She looked down at the pitiful Miss Kallen in her arms.
All right. That innocent, aggrieved expression really did make her heart ache.
Could it be… that what she was saying was actually true?
If it had been about anything else, Robin would never have believed someone's side of the story so easily. After all, in this world, no one knew her brother better than she did.
But considering her own recent situation, she was startled to realize that what Kallen said really might be the truth.
That was right. Ever since Robin had returned to Penacony, for some reason, she had suddenly lost her Harmony voice.
Sunday had already tried countless methods, but none of them had worked.
And now, with the Charmony Festival fast approaching, the problem had to be solved immediately.
Perhaps… for her sake, her brother really had approached this girl?
Just as Robin herself had said before, in this world, no one understood her brother better than she did.
Which meant she was also perfectly certain that he really was capable of doing something like this.
And yes—he really would "coerce" the young woman before her.
Of course, the same still held true:
based on Robin's understanding of her brother, she also believed he could not possibly have been as outrageous as Kallen described.
But broadly speaking, the girl might not be lying at all.
After all, with Robin's status in Penacony, if this really were a lie, settling accounts with her later would be very easy.
Robin fell silent for a few seconds.
She could feel the trembling in Kallen's body gradually easing, but the sense of grievance had not lessened in the slightest. The girl was like a drenched cat, burying her face in Robin's shoulder and refusing to come out.
"Miss Kallen… how exactly did my brother put it?" Robin asked softly.
"He said I should obediently behave, or he'd dump me into an immersion pool and leave me soaking there until the Charmony Festival ended."
"And he also said that since I'm pretty anyway, I'd only need to stand on stage and lip-sync. Nobody would notice."
A crack appeared in Robin's expression for a brief instant.
That really did sound like something Sunday might say—especially the second half.
She could practically picture the expression on his face when he said it: perfectly serious, perfectly matter-of-fact.
"And then?" she pressed.
"And then he stuffed me into an Iris Family dress and hung this around my neck." Kallen pulled out the Harmony pendant from inside her collar.
"He told me to wear it on stage. Said it could imitate the resonance of a Harmony Pathstrider so I wouldn't be exposed."
Robin's gaze dropped to the pendant, and her pupils narrowed slightly.
Of course she recognized it. This was one of the Family's resonance aids, normally used to help train novice singers. But a version modified into an independent source of harmonic resonance like this—she had only seen it once.
Last year, Sunday had mentioned it to her as a contingency plan, something to be used only in the most extreme case if she were unable to perform.
At the time, she had assumed he was joking.
"So you weren't originally a singer?" Robin asked, her voice carrying an emotion too complicated to name.
"I can't even read sheet music properly," Kallen answered honestly.
"I was just a wandering ranger passing through Penacony to see the excitement, and then your brother caught me right away."
She paused, then added, "He even said he'd arrange the best makeup artists and lighting for me, and that as long as I looked good on stage, I didn't need to worry about the singing at all."
At last, Robin drew in a deep breath.
She released Kallen's hands and stepped back half a pace, her expression turning subtly complicated.
"Miss Kallen, come with me," she said.
"To where?"
"To find my brother," Robin replied, her tone no longer quite normal.
"This matter requires an explanation from him. In person."
Kallen blinked.
She knew her performance had worked.
Robin's reaction had been even better than she expected. The famous songstress clearly believed her, and was now preparing to drag Sunday out for a confrontation.
But that would be awkward, if it actually happened.
After all, she was the one threatening Sunday, not the other way around.
"Right now?" Kallen put on a hesitant look.
"He is your brother, after all."
"And precisely because he is my brother, I cannot allow him to treat anyone like this," Robin cut in, her voice firm.
"…All right, then." Kallen nodded obediently and turned Judah back from its motorcycle form into a cross slung over her back.
"I'll go with you."
In any case, with her current status, even if she was lying through her teeth, once they got in front of Sunday, he would still have no choice but to grit his teeth and accept it.
Robin glanced at the huge cross, but asked no questions. Taking Kallen's hand, she led her away at once.
Her pace was quick, her skirts fluttering around her ankles like a silent declaration of war.
As Kallen followed her, she noticed the Family members they passed all stepped aside the instant they saw Robin in this mood. Their expressions shifted from surprise to alarm.
Apparently, this superstar was usually very gentle. And people with gentle tempers, once angered, were often more frightening than those who lost their temper every day.
They crossed two streets and entered a building of gleaming white.
This was the Oak Family's residence, and also where Sunday normally handled official matters.
The receptionist at the front desk had just begun to rise and greet Robin when a single glance from her sent him right back into his chair.
"Where is my brother?"
"Mr. Sunday is… in the third-floor reception room…" the receptionist stammered.
Robin nodded and pulled Kallen straight toward the elevator.
When the doors closed, Robin pressed the button for the third floor. After two seconds of silence, she suddenly spoke.
"Miss Kallen."
"Yes?" Kallen answered.
"Did my brother… do anything excessive to you?"
Kallen paused, then rapidly reviewed everything that had happened since arriving in Penacony.
Beating up the Dreammaster. Threatening Sunday. Mixing Nihility into the immersion pool. Roaring through the streets on Judah in motorcycle form.
She had certainly done a lot of excessive things.
As for having excessive things done to her…
"Well… yes. He was far too much!" Kallen nodded vigorously, sounding indignant.
"You don't even know—when he cornered me in the hotel lobby, he even had several big burly Bloodhound men standing beside him. With that kind of lineup, I seriously thought he was planning to kidnap me."
Robin's brows drew tighter and tighter.
"And then?"
"And then he started going on about how 'Penacony needs a face like yours,' and how 'sacrificing for art is the glory of every singer.'"
"But I'm not even a singer!"
The elevator doors opened, but Robin did not step out immediately. Instead, she turned to look at Kallen.
"What else?"
"He said if I refused, he'd declare me an illegal entrant who had snuck into Penacony, and throw me into a dream prison."
That, of course, was complete fabrication.
Sunday might be a scheming bastard, but he had not stooped that low.
Still, Kallen felt that since the act had already gone this far, adding a little seasoning could not hurt.
Anyway, once the confrontation came, Sunday would not dare expose her.
Robin drew in a slow breath, and a chill Kallen had never seen before appeared on that exquisite face.
"He wouldn't dare."
Just those three words carried a pressure that seemed to seep straight into the bones.
Not bad. As expected of someone who had reached the very top in a place like Penacony—when she got angry, the aura really was different.
The elevator doors closed, then opened again.
Robin stepped out, and Kallen followed after her like a well-behaved accomplice.
At the end of the corridor stood a pair of double oak doors, warm golden light leaking through the crack between them.
Robin did not knock.
She pushed the doors open and walked right in.
The room was empty.
But the sofa cushions still bore the marks of someone having just sat there, and the teacup on the table was still faintly steaming.
Even the feather pen set to one side rested beside half-dried ink, with the final stroke dragged out into a long, hurried tail.
Someone had been here just moments ago—and had left in haste.
"He ran," Robin said.
It was not a question. It was a statement.
Kallen blinked and leaned her head in slightly, peering around the reception room.
"Your brother… runs?"
"No," Robin answered crisply. "He never runs."
Then she stepped farther into the room, her fingers lightly brushing over the feather pen still trembling on the desk.
The warmth lingering on the shaft told her that Sunday had left no more than thirty seconds ago.
"So he must have known I was coming," she said.
"And he must have known exactly why."
Then Robin turned around, her expression darkening.
"He fled out of guilt."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 147)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter185)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter105)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter215)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 185
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 170
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/1
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 206
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 190
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/23
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 106
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 125
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 90
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 80
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 86
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 81
Still playing traditional Honk 65
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 65
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 57
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 45
Transmigrated as Sukuna 59
Checking In in Demon Slayer 59
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 73
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 45
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 36
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 40
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 60
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 30
Why did they assign me to Uma 35
MYGO Beauties 43
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 30
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 31
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