Chapter 246: Lyre of the Sky
Just then, the police officers who had been dispatched to locate the suspects returned, having completed their task. They escorted three individuals into the room, one after another.
Every eye in the venue naturally swiveled toward the trio.
Two of them appeared to be close in age, looking no older than fourteen or fifteen. Their youthful appearances suggested they were contestants in the idol competition. The third, a tall woman, was comparatively older—at least in her twenties—and was likely the staff member, Murata Yoko.
The subsequent police introductions confirmed everyone's assumptions. The taller woman was indeed Murata Yoko. The other two were the aspiring idols: Mizuno Ai, who wore her black hair in a short, neat cut, and Barbara, whose golden-brown hair was tied into cheerful twin-tails.
Heiji Hattori, Conan Edogawa, and Okiya Subaru instinctively began their observations, their sharp gazes scrutinizing each suspect.
Among them, both Conan and Okiya let their eyes linger for a fraction of a second longer on the area around Barbara's waist before discreetly looking away.
Conan then shifted his attention to Natsume. He had a strong feeling that she would have a unique reaction to seeing this particular girl.
And sure enough, a pleasantly surprised smile blossomed on Natsume's face. She couldn't help but give Barbara a happy little wave.
"It really is you!" Natsume said, her voice filled with genuine excitement. "I thought it was just a coincidence, someone with the same name! I had no idea you were participating in this Idol Competition!"
Conan watched the scene unfold, his eyes narrowing into his typical half-moon slits as he muttered under his breath, 'Heh, just as I thought. Natsume knows Barbara, too.'
He wasn't truly surprised. This simply reinforced his working theory: Natsume had some kind of special connection to the Teyvat Organization.
She didn't possess a Vision herself, yet for some reason, Conan's intuition screamed that while Natsume wasn't an official member of the organization, the bond between her and its people ran incredibly deep.
Barbara's face lit up with a reciprocal smile. "Yes, Natsume! Long time no see!" She offered a slightly bashful grin and began to explain. "To be honest, I was only a little interested in this event at first. I didn't have much confidence or any real expectations. But my older sister has been supporting me from behind the scenes, encouraging me to be brave and just give it a try. So, in the end, I decided to sign up. I never imagined I'd actually pass the selection so smoothly."
A determined light entered her eyes as she spoke of those who had always supported her. "I won't let down the hopes of everyone who likes me. I'll definitely give it my all and bring them a wonderful performance."
Barbara clasped her hands together, her eyes shining with an almost devout fervor. "If I can successfully make it to the finals," she said with great anticipation, "I'm going to use the 'Lyre of the Sky' as my accompaniment. That way, even more people can appreciate the wonderful sound it makes." She then turned back to Natsume and extended a sincere invitation. "You have to come then, Natsume. You probably haven't heard the beautiful music the 'Lyre of the Sky' can play yet, have you?"
"I will, I will," Natsume replied, her mouth twitching almost imperceptibly. She rattled off the assurances before Barbara could notice anything was amiss.
'Traveler,' Paimon's voice echoed in her mind with a hint of concern, 'The 'Lyre of the Sky' we pulled from the System for Barbara… it's a perfectly intact one, right? It's not the one Venti fixed up with an illusion, is it?'
Hearing the question, Natsume's mental reply was laced with conflict. 'It should… be, right?'
Her tone, however, was laced with a distinct lack of certainty, as if she wasn't entirely sure of the answer herself.
"Natsume, so you and Miss Barbara know each other?" Kamisato Ayaka asked, her voice tinged with mild surprise as she watched the two greet each other.
Okiya Subaru and Conan Edogawa looked on, their expressions a mixture of doubt and surprise. They hadn't expected Ayaka to be unaware of the connection between Natsume and Barbara. From the looks of it, the two Teyvat members didn't seem to be familiar with each other at all.
The detectives had originally theorized that since Ayaka, a member of a clandestine organization, was hosting such a large-scale competition, it must have some special purpose—especially with another member of the same organization participating. But the scene playing out before them was starkly different from their initial guesses.
Even if Ayaka and Barbara came from different "departments," they were still members of the same organization. The detectives had assumed there would be some level of internal communication. But now… it seemed they might have been wrong?
"Yes," Natsume replied, nodding in affirmation to Ayaka's question.
"Speaking of which, Natsume and I met because of the 'Lyre of the Sky'," Barbara added with great interest, chiming in on the conversation.
"Yes," Natsume nodded again, confirming it once more.
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