Zone 5 Center, fourth floor of 'Shaking Ears' Bar.
Afternoon, the air was sowhat quiet, occasionally punctuated by the clinking of glasses and music drifting up from downstairs. As a songstress adored by countless Beastn, Ailu Kelu was sprawled inelegantly on the sofa at the mont, surrounded by discarded ga controllers, unfinished snacks, and other clutter.
Fortunately, there was no one else in the room for now; the nearest security personnel were stationed outside the door, so there was no need to worry about being seen.
After sleeping for a long ti, the pair of cat ears atop the sofa twitched, and then Ailu Kelu propped herself up, yawning as her half-open eyes scanned the room.
"What ti is it now? Ha~~" She yawned again while speaking.
"It's not even 3 in the afternoon."
After checking the ti, she managed to summon a sliver of energy, then stood and made her way to take a shower.
Half an hour later, freshly showered and rejuvenated, Ailu Kelu donned a dry, comfortable outer robe, vigorously flung the door open, and strode out.
"Boss~" Two towering Beastn guarding the door bowed their heads.
"Mm-mm, I want so food. Have a word with the chef in the bar downstairs."
"Also, the room's a bit of a ss—could you ask them to help tidy up a bit?"
"Understood."
With that, Ailu Kelu lightly slid down the stair railing to the third floor. The space was bustling with personnel—so were engaged in communication work, while others were lying inside soundproof imrsion cabin rooms on the other side.
"How's the situation?" Ailu Kelu swept her gaze back and forth, hoping to stumble upon sothing unusual.
"Progress isn't great. So of the leads we originally had ended up hitting dead ends." A young sheep-horned Beastman technician wearing glasses stood to answer.
"Looks like the other side really has so tricks up their sleeve. No worries; just keep on it. They're bound to wear themselves out against ." Ailu Kelu spoke with confidence.
Just as the others were about to chi in with their thoughts, the room lights flickered once, then abruptly went dark. The music from the bar downstairs suddenly ceased as well.
"What's going on?"
"Power outage?"
"No way, that's impossible—it must be a short circuit."
The room descended into chaos as many people's work was interrupted, prompting them to glance up and ask questions. Thankfully, it was still afternoon, so the room wasn't pitch black. Soon enough, soone stepped forward to calm everyone and maintain order, and stability returned quickly.
Ten minutes later, Ailu Kelu sat in her cleaned-up room on the fourth floor, questioning the team.
"What was with that blackout? Totally ssed up my timing; I had just spoken!"
"Investigating the hotel's power system revealed it wasn't an accident; soone remotely operated and shut down the circuit breaker."
"Ah? Could it be them, already capable of pulling off sothing like this? Was this their way of warning ?" Ailu Kelu grasped the implications quickly.
"Can you fight back? This is infuriating."
"Sorry, we can't—mostly because we don't even know where they are."
"So useless." Ailu Kelu complained, slumping back on the sofa to think.
"Is there no other thod to strike back at them?"
"For now, it seems there isn't." The technician in front of her answered truthfully.
"Ugh, this is so annoying." Ailu Kelu smacked the sofa in frustration.
Initially, she had planned to use her reputation to intimidate this Mystic Organization, maybe even take them under her wing. But she never imagined it would be this difficult—it was far more complex than she had anticipated.
"Am I really left with no option but to report this to the Court of Judgnt and let them handle it?"
"No, no, no—that would be humiliating." Her thoughts diverged from other songstresses. Perhaps as a Beastman, seeking the Court's help over such a matter went against her values. Even as a songstress, doing so would expose her to accusations of weakness.
"Reporting to the Court would only further disgrace , as if I'm publicly saying, 'I, Ailu Kelu, can't handle a mysterious organization,' and then the news would spin it with a full account of events—how I haven't even t them, ended up making enemies, and couldn't win..." Ailu Kelu mused aloud.
"That would just make look stupid, nothing but losing fans over my decisions."
"But letting them off the hook isn't an option either—I need to vent sohow." Ailu Kelu reasoned.
"Guess I'll have to have a proper conversation with the Court's staff. Who's my contact there again?" Ailu Kelu instructed her subordinates to make contact.
By evening, Ailu Kelu t with the visiting Judicial Court Patrol Officer on the bar's third floor—a striking blonde woman with a cold deanor. She was dressed in a deep blue uniform, adorned with a cobalt-blue star-shaped emblem near the chest.
As mbers of the Court, they generally avoided appearing before civilians in uniform—unless for specific essential situations.
"Lady Ailu Kelu, greetings." Her choice of words was succinct, following which she remained standing straight.
"So, you're the one responsible for my security detail?" Ailu Kelu's curiosity was piqued.
"Do you usually know everything about what I do?"
"Mostly, yes." The officer gave a slight nod.
"Even my showers? Do you watch those too?" Ailu Kelu asked the first thing that ca to her mind.
"Generally not." The officer replied tersely.
"Wait—you actually could?" Ailu Kelu was taken aback.
"Yes. If the songstress faced an accident or attack while showering, we would still bear responsibility. However, out of respect for the songstress's privacy, we typically refrain from monitoring—only activating surveillance upon detecting anomalies."
"Let think—if I were showering in a sealed underground bath, how could you see ?" Ailu Kelu pondered.
"Through thermal imaging devices capable of penetrating rock and walls, as well as other life-scanning equipnt." The officer calmly answered.
"Oh, so that's how—I'd thought you ant using caras to spy on !" Ailu Kelu felt significantly reassured.
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