"...He fled out of guilt."
When Robin said those words, her voice was anything but calm.
She did not sound as though she were speaking of her own brother, but rather stating a deeply disappointing fact.
After all, she truly was disappointed by the thought of her brother threatening a young girl like that.
Kallen stood obediently by the door, nodding along.
Sunday had run.
That, in itself, was not particularly surprising.
After all, neither she nor Robin was someone he could afford to offend.
Granted, Sunday was afraid of offending her because of her strength.
But his reason for avoiding Robin was probably the burden weighing on his conscience.
If they really confronted each other face-to-face, there was no way he could expose her lies.
But if he admitted it outright, then his image in his sister's eyes would suffer.
As for staying behind and trying to explain himself by force?
What, was he supposed to tell Robin that Miss Kallen was actually a Preservation Emanator, someone both he and the Dreammaster dared not provoke, and that all those claims of coercion were complete nonsense?
If Sunday truly had the nerve, then maybe he could have explained it away.
After all, from beginning to end, Kallen had been falsely accusing him. There was not a shred of evidence.
But Sunday did not dare.
Because that would only make things worse.
So, left with no better option, he had chosen to temporarily avoid the situation.
Once Kallen left, he planned to find another opportunity to explain things properly to Robin.
Still, Sunday had underestimated one thing.
Because Robin knew him so well, his choice to avoid her only served to confirm the truth of the accusations in her eyes.
Though he would be misunderstood for now, it was indeed the least disastrous option.
"Miss Kallen."
Robin's voice pulled Kallen from her thoughts.
"Yes?"
"Miss Kallen, I'm very sorry."
"My brother's behavior… no matter his reasons, he should never have done something like this."
With that, Robin bowed slightly before Kallen.
It was clear that, at the very least, Robin now believed most of it.
Then she added, "In the name of the Family, I promise you that I will handle this matter properly."
"Handle it?" Kallen asked curiously. "And how do you plan to do that, Senior Robin?"
Robin fell silent for a moment.
"I'll find him and ask him exactly what he was thinking."
"Then I'll make him apologize to you in person."
Kallen neither agreed nor disagreed.
Still, she would be very interested to see what Sunday's face would look like if his own sister forced him to apologize to her.
That picture was bound to be hilarious.
"It doesn't really need to be that troublesome," Kallen said tentatively.
"No." Robin shook her head, her attitude unexpectedly firm.
"This is my brother's mistake. He should bear the consequences himself."
Then she stepped up to Kallen again and took her hands in hers.
This time, Robin's hands were even colder than before.
"Please don't worry. During the Charmony Festival, I'll stay with you. If my brother comes to trouble you again, you can come straight to me."
Kallen blinked. "...Huh?"
Wait.
Wasn't this going in a very strange direction?
"You said you can't sing, didn't you?" Robin asked, blinking back at her, a faint smile curving her lips.
"I'm not entirely sure what my brother arranged, but since he's so determined to push you onstage, then as your senior, I should naturally take responsibility."
She paused, then added, "And I mean truly teach you how to sing. Not just let you stand on stage and lip-sync."
Kallen's expression cracked for an instant.
Hold on, she had only wanted to mess with Sunday a little. She had never intended to actually learn singing!
"Senior, actually I—"
"Just call me Robin." Robin cut her off gently.
"Since we're both singers of the Iris Family, there's no need to be so formal."
She led Kallen over to the sofa and motioned for her to sit, while she herself walked to the tea station and began brewing a fresh pot of tea with practiced ease.
"What would you like? I have Ceylon, Darjeeling, and also Penacony's local Sweetdream Flower Tea."
"Anything's fine," Kallen replied, sitting down and suddenly feeling a bad premonition.
Robin nodded, her hands moving without pause.
Hot water poured into the teapot, and steam rose in soft spirals beneath the warm yellow light.
"Miss Kallen," Robin suddenly said.
"Yes?"
"Can you tell me what you did before this?"
"Me?" Kallen thought for a moment.
"Didn't I already say? I was just a wanderer, drifting from place to place."
"A wanderer…"
"So you must have been to many places, Miss Kallen?"
"More or less." Kallen took a sip from her teacup.
The fragrance of the Sweetdream Flower Tea spread through her mouth. It really was quite good.
"I've been here and there. Nothing particularly serious."
"Then why did you come to Penacony?"
"To watch the excitement." Kallen answered without hesitation.
"The Charmony Festival is such a big event. Isn't it normal to come and have a look?"
Robin sat opposite her, holding her teacup in both hands, thoughtful.
"So originally, you had no intention of performing. You only came to watch."
"Exactly."
"And then my brother found you, gave you an Iris Family identity, and demanded that you appear at the Charmony Festival."
"...Something like that."
Robin was silent for a while.
Then, very suddenly, she asked, "Miss Kallen, is there something special about you?"
Kallen's hand paused around her teacup.
"Why would you ask that?"
"Because my brother wouldn't do something like this without reason."
Robin's gaze was calm and serious. "He does sometimes use… unusual methods. But every choice he makes is based on a reason."
She paused, then added, "I want to know what it was that made him choose you."
Kallen fell silent for two seconds.
It seemed this superstar genuinely wanted an answer.
But Kallen obviously could not tell her the real one.
What was she supposed to say? That her brother had been beaten into submission and forced to arrange a legal identity for her so she could move freely around Penacony?
"Maybe because I'm pretty?" Kallen ventured.
She had now entered full self-adoration mode.
Anyone who dared say she wasn't pretty would get Judah straight to the face.
Robin: "..."
"Please be serious." Robin sounded faintly helpless, as though she had not expected this junior to be quite so flighty.
"I am serious." Kallen put on her most innocent expression.
"Just look at this face of mine. Put it on stage and it's guaranteed ratings. Your brother isn't stupid—of course he knows how to make the best use of resources."
Robin opened her mouth as though to argue, but the words caught when her eyes settled on Kallen's face.
She really was beautiful.
Even by Robin's standards, Kallen's features and bearing were flawless. In fact, she surpassed most of the professional singers Robin had ever met.
But clearly that was not the whole reason.
Robin sighed and decided not to press further.
She knew that if Kallen did not want to say more, no amount of questioning would matter.
"All right," Robin said, putting down her teacup and standing up. "If you don't want to say, then I won't force you."
She walked over to Kallen and extended a hand.
"There is, however, one thing we can begin right now."
Kallen looked up at her. "What?"
"Teaching you to sing." Robin smiled. "The Charmony Festival is only half a month away. It's not much time, but if all we need is to teach you the most basic vocal technique, there should still be enough."
Kallen's expression finally showed a crack.
"No, I'm serious. I really can't sing."
"I know," Robin said, nodding.
"That's exactly why I have to teach you."
"Miss Kallen, if you're being forced onstage because of my brother's coercion, then as someone who knows what happened, I have a responsibility to help you."
In Robin's eyes, Sunday had probably only gone after Kallen because of her.
Ever since Robin lost her Harmony voice, she herself would eventually need to rely on special tools if she wanted to keep singing at the Charmony Festival.
Though she disliked the idea of borrowing external means, if it were for the sake of the Family, she would willingly endure it.
But apparently, her brother did not think the same way.
Perhaps this Miss Kallen was the substitute he had found, someone to replace Robin so she wouldn't have to compromise herself.
And so, even if Kallen ended up under Family pressure and had no choice but to take the stage, Robin still wanted to help her—perhaps even stand on that stage beside her.
That kindness was too pure, so pure that even Kallen found it hard to withstand.
She opened her mouth, intending to say that she did not actually need to learn singing at all.
But Robin's eyes were fixed on her so intensely that the words died in her throat.
"...Then I'll trouble you, Robin," she said at last.
Robin's eyes curved in delight, and she gave her a genuinely happy smile.
She returned to the sofa and sat down again, hands folded on her lap, assuming the posture of an attentive teacher.
"Then let's start with something simple."
"Miss Kallen, just sing a little of anything. It can be any song at all—even a tune from your hometown, or just a few hummed notes."
Kallen fell silent for three seconds.
Her mind spun furiously, searching her memory for any complete song.
But it was obvious—she truly had never properly learned how to sing.
Still, if it was just a little humming, that should not be too difficult, right?
After all, she considered her voice tone to be pretty good. As long as what came out wasn't outright demonic, then even with a terrible foundation, it ought to be listenable.
"...Then here I go?"
"Go ahead!" Robin said in the gentle tone one might use to encourage a child.
Kallen took a deep breath and cleared her throat.
Then she opened her mouth.
"The sight of you coming toward me makes my heart stir with reckless excitement..."
And from her lips came the whisper of an ancient god.
"..."
Robin's smile froze on her face.
This was atrocious.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
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Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 147)
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TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
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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
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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
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Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
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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
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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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