Chapter 325. The Tsundere Priscilla
「"—Eeeeh!?"」
Liliana, who not long ago had stood dazed after having her lips kissed by Kiritaka, was now even more shocked than she had been by the post-kiss realization. She pointed at herself, utterly overwhelmed, waving her hands in a frantic refusal.
「"Me? My singing can actually dispel Sirius's influence? No, no, no, impossible, right? I can't do it, right? No matter how I think about it, I don't have that kind of talent!"」
「"Do not belittle yourself, my Liliana." Kiritaka praised her poetically. "Your voice hides a charm that makes people empathize. That kind of singing will absolutely not lose to some nonsensical Sin Archbishop!"」
「"Even if you say that..."」
Liliana remained overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. Before this, she never imagined she could be of any use.
However, unlike the confused and skeptical girl herself, no one else questioned whether Liliana possessed this ability. The reason was simple: Liliana had received the double certification of Priscilla and Hikigaya Hachiman. The people didn't necessarily trust Liliana; they were simply certain of those two's discernment.
"Priscilla, huh... sigh." Crusch shook her head wearily. So far, in this crisis of the Water Gate City, she and Felt had contributed the least. It was truly a frustrating realization of one's own inadequacy.
"To think it was Priscilla... whatever, it was expected." In the convenience store, Yukinoshita pursed her lips. With Priscilla's strong luck, if she hated the Sin Archbishops, she would surely find a way to crack the case. It was just that no one expected the key to the deadlock to be the inconspicuous Liliana—that was the truly surprising part.
Having a new piece to break the stalemate was good, but Yukinoshita felt a bit uneasy... regardless of the circumstances, Priscilla was the one who had once beaten and insulted her Hachiman-kun. Seeing Priscilla treated well by her Hachiman-kun because of her merits made Yukinoshita frown no matter how she looked at it.
"While I also hate that vixen... if it's Priscilla we're talking about, I'd rather it have been Anastasia who found Liliana."
Hikigaya Hachiman did not echo the reluctant Yukinoshita, choosing instead to act as if he hadn't heard... his grudges were basically only reserved for the Sin Archbishops and Roswaal. For people like Garfiel and Priscilla, who had harmed him but weren't inherently evil, Hachiman could find it in himself to be forgiving.
"With this, Priscilla's contribution has suddenly skyrocketed. She's second only to Hachiman, Reinhard, and Anastasia, surpassing everyone else." Kousaka Kyousuke counted them off, his head drooping gloomily. Many in the Emilia and Crusch factions shared this sentiment.
"Even if Priscilla has no intention of liking Hachiman, the greater her contribution, the more Hachiman's favor for her increases. This is, after all, not great."
Being suppressed by Anastasia was one thing, but now even falling behind Priscilla felt quite humbling... though, because she provided a turning point for the battle to save the city, their goodwill toward Priscilla had indeed increased significantly.
At the same time, in the Hoshin Company, Anastasia let out a sigh of relief as if she had survived a disaster. "A close call... so dangerous, so dangerous. The Prime Minister almost shattered that balance. This time, I truly have to thank Miss Priscilla properly~"
If Priscilla hadn't barged in, her Prime Minister would have immediately dismantled her self-rationalization process, potentially ensuring she could never have Hikigaya Hachiman again.
"Hmph—When We become serious, We are so magnificent and peerless that no one can compare. Even a vixen who exhausts her schemes will be overtaken by a casual thought from Us." In her mansion, Priscilla indulged in praising herself. Her only dissatisfaction was that she appeared too early; otherwise, she could have witnessed the scene of the vixen's tower collapsing.
"Daring to provoke Us—hmph, a mere vixen in heat. We are not as lenient toward you as the fool is. Though you escaped once by relying on Our appearance, you won't have such luck again."
In a certain Witch Cult stronghold, Sirius had no spare energy to focus on the fact that her Authority was about to be broken.
She was bashing her head against a wall, the pain in her mind growing more intense. Her former personality and memories were increasingly returning, struggling against Pandora's distortion. In the midst of the head-banging, the bandages tore, revealing Sirius's face.
Her appearance was none other than Emilia's foster mother, Fortuna!
.
.
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「"...And that's the situation. Liliana's singing can dispel the influence of Sirius's Authority, so I plan to use the broadcast to spread her voice throughout the entire Water Gate City, allowing the agitated citizens to return to normal."」
「In the City Hall, the group had gathered. Hikigaya Hachiman opened the meeting and laid out his plan.」
「"But if we do that, those three Sin Archbishops will come to attack again, won't they?"」
「Ricardo raised a hand. "I heard that on the young miss's side, there's been progress regarding Regulus, right? How about we wait a bit? Once Regulus is dealt with and we have Reinhard's help, we can use Miss Liliana's singing to lure the three Archbishops over. That would be a guaranteed victory."」
「"I've considered the order of operations you're suggesting, but unfortunately, we can no longer afford to wait."」
「Hikigaya Hachiman rejected it with regret. "According to the news brought back by Crusch, the tens of thousands of citizens in all the shelters have already become powder kegs ready to ignite."」
「"Due to the anger and fear triggered by Sirius's Authority, conflicts and brawls among the citizens are happening constantly. It's even begun to involve the soldiers, resulting in loss of life, and their rage is continuing to intensify."」
「"If we continue to wait for Anastasia to find the key point to help Reinhard defeat Regulus, it wouldn't be surprising at all if brawls involving thousands or even tens of thousands of people broke out."」
「"Furthermore, if we don't lure the Sin Archbishops here quickly, they might attack the floodgates. The number of deaths that could cause... we cannot bear that burden, Ricardo."」
「Ricardo retracted his hand and let out a helpless sigh. The group looked at one another. Everyone knew waiting for Reinhard to be free was the best option, but since the situation had deteriorated to this point, they truly had no time to waste.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman tapped the table to draw everyone's attention, encouraging them: "It's alright. This time we have Priscilla's help; the probability of victory is high."」
「"Ignorant. There is no necessity for Us to assist you bedraggled roosters. To lump Us in with you losers is simply laughable."」
「Priscilla snapped her fan shut with a clack, sneering arrogantly as she scanned the room, finally looking at Hikigaya Hachiman with disdain.」
「"We will act only because disgusting insects have offended Our eyes and spoiled Our good mood—remember this with gratitude, you arrogant fool!"」
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