The "Singing Battle"... actually, I didn't even want to call that Music Battle a "Singing Battle" anymore. After the "UTA Battle" concluded, I decided to go over and congratulate Megiddo-san on his victory.
The others didn't join me; I went alone just to offer a quick, simple greeting.
"Hello, Megiddo-san. Congratulations on winning."
"Oh, Kaito! Thanks. But man, I didn't expect Shaltier to enter. She certainly made things interesting... though I’m not entirely sure how I feel about her handing me the win."
"Handing you the win?"
Megiddo-san replied with a wide, boisterous grin. He seemed satisfied with the fight against Alice, yet there was a faint trace of dissatisfaction in his tone.
Did he mean Alice had lost on purpose? To be fair, Alice didn't seem like the type to get hung up on winning or losing in these kinds of events.
"Yeah. Her voice was the polar opposite of mine, which gave her a massive presence, but she was singing specifically to highlight my own. It made my voice sound like the lead, didn't it?"
"I noticed your voice was louder and more powerful, Megiddo-san, but I didn't realize she was doing it intentionally."
"That's because Shaltier is damn good at it. I doubt anyone besides me would have caught on. Among the judges, Blossom was the only one who saw through it. That’s why she gave Shaltier a perfect score instead of me."
"That makes sense."
Hearing Megiddo-san's explanation, everything clicked. Their voices had harmonized beautifully, yet Megiddo-san’s performance had indeed left a much stronger impression.
It was because Alice had performed that way on purpose... and Blossom-san had recognized the sheer technical skill required to pull that off, rewarding her with a perfect score.
"Still, that girl is a master of combat. She was calculating her movements based on how her voice would resonate at different distances. It was impressive to watch."
"Well, I’m glad you had fun."
"I did! The Otherworld really has some fascinating stuff. Fighting while singing sounds simple on paper, but in practice, there’s so much tactical depth and back-and-forth. Maybe I should build a dedicated arena for this in my city..."
There was a massive misunderstanding at play here, but I realized that almost everyone, audience included, probably believed the UTA Battle was a real thing in my world, just as Megiddo-san did.
I suppose this was how things like WANAGE spread—carried by a tide of misconceptions.
"By the way, Kaito, what are you doing next? I don't plan on entering anything else, but I think I'll hang around and watch the rest of this tournament for a bit."
This was clearly the kind of event Megiddo-san loved, so his decision to stay made perfect sense. In fact, I suspected he was entirely serious about building a facility for it in his own territory.
"We're going to see the Fairy Princess, Tiltania-san, next."
"Ho, so you're going to hear the Fairy Orchestra."
I’d heard a bit about it from Eingana-san as well. The music group led by Til-san—officially known as the Fairy Orchestra—was world-famous. They were supposedly one of the most popular attractions at the Harmonic Symphony.
"Fairies are renowned for their craftsmanship. Their instruments produce high notes with a crystal-clear quality. Since the performances here mostly use instruments of fairy make, keep an ear out for the high tones. You'll enjoy it more."
"I... I see."
"What? Why the weird face?"
I understood, logically. I knew that Megiddo-san had a refined appreciation for music and the arts, and that he was knowledgeable enough to speak about them with authority.
However, looking at Megiddo-san's appearance... I’m sorry, but there was just a total lack of synergy there.
As I struggled with that thought, Alice materialized beside me and spoke with an exasperated look.
"No, Megiddo-san. I’ve said it before, but look in a mirror. You don't have the face for discussing fine music. You're eighty percent gorilla."
"Why only eighty percent?"
"Because the one hundred percent gorillas are your subordinates. Regardless, the disconnect is just too much when you say things like that with such a massive muscle-brain face. That’s why Kaito-san looks so conflicted, right?"
"You brat... are you picking a fight?"
"I’d love to tell you to bring it on, but maybe we should call it off for today?"
"Yeah... You're right. I've got nothing but a bad feeling about this."
It was a strange conversation. I had expected them to start a brawl like they did at the Six Kings Festival, but surprisingly, they both backed down.
They both stole a quick glance in the same direction—was there something over there?
Serious-senpai: "Why didn't they fight?"
???: "They sensed Kuro-san's magic power nearby. They probably realized that if they started anything, she'd be there in a heartbeat to flatten them."
Serious-senpai: "Ah... fair enough."