Chapter 50: The Chain of Curiosity
"Come on, come on, everyone! Today's Digimon Idol Showcase is about to begin!"
"First up, give it up for our very own Three Phantomon Brothers! Their performance is… well, it's the Three Phantomon!"
A chorus of cheers erupted from the crowd. "Oh, oh, oh, oh~~~"
"..."
Nearly a week had passed since Devimon's assault on the Village of Beginnings. In that time, under the gentle care of the DigiDestined, every last injured Digimon had made a full recovery. To dispel the lingering fear that clung to the village like a shadow, some enterprising Digimon had suggested holding a talent show. The idea was met with overwhelming approval, and thus, a multi-day festival of song and spectacle began with great fanfare.
Today, for the first time in a while, Kari had decided to attend.
She watched the Three Phantomon take the stage, and the conflicted expression that had been clouding her face softened, if only slightly. To understand her turmoil, one had to look to her brother, Tai.
Ever since the battle with Devimon, Kari had noticed a change. Her brother, who once shared everything with her, now seemed to be nursing a small secret. He would slip away quietly when he thought she wasn't looking. And he was always, always with Mizuki.
The two of them were so secretive that even Koushiro's probing questions were met with nothing but vague deflections.
And Kari? She desperately wanted to know what Tai was up to. But she was an understanding sister. If Tai didn't want to tell her, she wouldn't force it out of him. The last thing she wanted was to make her brother uncomfortable.
Still, the curiosity was a relentless itch she couldn't scratch. Watching the Digimon performances was the only thing that seemed to quiet the conflict warring within her.
A moment later, a melodious guitar accompaniment filled the air, and the Three Phantomon on stage slowly began to sing.
Big White, as Kari had nicknamed him, sang first: "A long, long, long time ago~"
Second White joined in: "There were three~"
Little White finished the line: "Famous Phantomon~"
Then, all three sang in a surprisingly coordinated, if slightly off-key, harmony: "Who shared a long, long journey~"
Big White took the next solo: "One Phantomon~ was very strong!"
Second White followed: "One Phantomon~ was very smart!"
Little White belted out the final line with gusto: "And another one~~ was faster than a jet!~"
How to describe it? The Phantomon's song wasn't exactly a masterpiece of musical composition, but it was undeniably entertaining. Listening to their goofy performance, Kari felt her mood lifting, a small, genuine smile finally gracing her lips.
But the moment of peace was fleeting. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a familiar figure.
Her breath hitched.
There he was. Her brother was leaving again, with Mizuki at his side. As she watched them walk shoulder-to-shoulder towards the edge of the forest, Agumon and Belphemon trailing faithfully behind them, Kari's small hands unconsciously clenched into tight fists.
'Is Mizuki taking my brother away from me?'She knew, logically, that it was an impossible, silly thought. But it kept bubbling up from the depths of her heart, unbidden and unwelcome. The accumulated frustration and loneliness of the past few days finally reached a tipping point. Kari made a decision.'I'm going to follow them. I have to see what they're doing!'
A strange, determined light flashed in her eyes. Pushing herself up from her seat, Kari slipped away from the crowd and began to shadow the two distant figures.
At the same time, the Three Phantomon Brothers, having just finished their performance to a round of enthusiastic applause, noticed Kari's departure. In truth, they were always watching over her. Kari was the first child who had ever treated them with gentleness instead of fear. For the Phantomon, who had been ostracized and feared by other Digimon for as long as they could remember, her kindness was a light that had pierced through their lonely darkness.
They had sworn to protect her. And during Devimon's attack, they had done just that, nearly sacrificing their own data in the process.
Now, seeing her venture alone toward the forest, they exchanged worried glances. A silent agreement passed between them. With a shared nod, the three ghosts drifted after her, their spectral forms melting into the shadows.
It was a curious sight, and one that did not go unnoticed. Koushiro, who happened to be walking by, saw their cloaked forms trailing after the young girl.
'The Phantomon? Why are they following Kari?'
His curiosity sparked, Koushiro blinked, his analytical mind already racing through possibilities. Accompanied by Tentomon, he quietly began to follow the Phantomon.
But Koushiro, so focused on the mystery ahead, failed to realize that his own secretive movements had caught the eye of Mimi, who had been on her way to sign up for the talent show herself. While Mimi adored such events, the sight of a furtive Koushiro was far more intriguing.
She immediately abandoned her plans of stardom, scooped up a still-dazed Palmon, and began to tail him.
"Mimi?!" Palmon squeaked in surprise.
"Shh~ Palmon," Mimi whispered, pressing a finger to her lips and winking playfully. "Aren't you curious what Koushiro and Tentomon are up to?"
Palmon blinked. "?"
It seemed the simple-minded plant Digimon was just as easily swayed by the allure of a good secret as her partner. They were instantly in cahoots.
Just as Mimi began her pursuit, she was spotted by Joe Kido and Gomamon, who had just finished their shift tending to the last of the recovering Digimon. They had planned to watch the show and relax, but seeing Mimi sneaking off, Joe's sense of senpai responsibility flared to life.
With the firm belief that he couldn't let his junior wander off alone in such a dangerous world, he snatched up Gomamon and broke into a hurried chase.
"Joe, you're stalking her! That's so creepy~" Gomamon chirped from under his arm.
"Gomamon! No one will think you're mute if you don't talk!"
"Ooh, he's getting angry~"
"Go—ma—mon!"
Joe's noisy, flustered pursuit easily caught Takeru's attention.
"Hey, Patamon," Takeru said, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Aren't you curious what Big Brother Joe is doing?"
"Let's follow him and see, Takeru!" Patamon chirped back, flapping his wings in excitement.
Sharing a conspiratorial smile, the two youngest members of the group quietly fell in line behind the ever-growing procession.
Of course, Takeru's actions did not escape the watchful gaze of his older brother, Yamato. Though he had been surprised by Takeru's newfound determination lately, Yamato still found himself keeping a protective eye on him. Seeing his little brother sneak off, he didn't hesitate.
"Gabumon, let's go!"
"Yes, Yamato!"
And so, without a single one of them realizing it, the children had formed a long, meandering line, a human centipede of pure, unadulterated curiosity.
Sora Takenouchi witnessed the entire ridiculous spectacle from the sidelines.
At first, she understood. Kari following Tai made sense; she was worried about her brother. But then Koushiro joined, followed by Mimi, then Joe, then Takeru, and finally Yamato. At some point, Sora had to admit that she no longer had any idea what her friends were thinking.
"What on earth are these guys up to?" she muttered to herself.
Deciding she couldn't just let this bizarre parade continue unsupervised, she made up her mind, scooped up Piyomon, and joined the end of the line.
"Huh? Sora! I haven't finished my snacks yet~" Piyomon protested.
"You can eat them when we get back. What's important right now is figuring out what those idiots are planning."
"Okay..."
Piyomon fell silent for a moment, looking up at Sora's serious yet gentle profile. Then, a soft giggle escaped her beak.
"Hehe~ Sora, you look just like a mom~"
"A mom—!?"
Sora froze, her cheeks instantly flushing a bright, visible red.
"Piyomon, what nonsense are you talking about?! I'm just concerned about my companions, that's all!" she stammered, her voice a little too loud. "I just have a feeling they might be misunderstanding something, and I can't just ignore it! That's it!"
'That's right!'she thought, steeling her resolve.'I have to stop this before it turns into some kind of huge, dramatic mess!'
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