Pruned Trees Re-Sprout!! ~ Ragazza Volpe Magica ~

The remaining Rondos came and went, and while impressive, Shouri and his guildmembers had lost the contestant they were backing and thus the remaining rounds lost their luster.

In fact, the only reason they had bothered to stick around was because-

"And to present our winner with their hard-earned medal – Chairman René Noel!!" the MC boomed.

The applause was deafening as a well-dressed man entered the stage, waving to the crowd with one hand while adjusting the microphone affixed to his lapel with the other.

Pacifica intently studied the man as he walked, her discerning gaze never leaving his form. Rebecca and Emily followed suit.

René stopped in the middle of the stage, looking out to the crowd. Pacifica smirked. "Damn he's sharp," she muttered.
"He can tell we're watching him," Rebecca added, with a titter in her voice.
"To be fair, there are at least three of us on him," Emily commented, staying as focused as the two Resonators.
"Probably doesn't help that you three are radiating rhythm like a wildfire," Colette observed as she penned some notes in her tuner.

"My beautiful divas – thank you so much for your marvelous performances today. Once again, the Festa has evolved and I am so very grateful that you all continue to dazzle the public with your skill and talent," René addressed the top sixteen Maestros who shared the stage with him. Only the winner of the Festa was allowed to stand next to their Resonators – the remaining fifteen stood alone.

"My leading diva, please." René motioned for the winning trio to stand by his side.

As they did, the chairman produced a small trinket from his coat and pinned it to the diva's shirt. "I confer upon you this medal – your sixth of the season. I hope to see you celebrate Resonators with me in the next Festa," said René, the words flowing as easily as he breathed – this must be the same speech he gave at the end of every Festa.

The crowd erupted into thunderous applause. René basked in the ovation and waited for it to die down.

Before anyone moved to leave, René spoke again. "I would also like to award a special medal to a certain diva."

Muttering swept over the crowd as confusion took over. Shouri and the rest of PTRS were just as perplexed, but only because they could not be sure this was a regular occurrence. The musings of the nearby audience members clued them into the nature of this oddity.

"Special medal?"
"Is that a thing?"
"I've heard Mr. Noel gives them out if someone really catches his attention."

Chairman Noel turned to the gathered divas on stage who all stared back at him with open bewilderment.

He stepped towards the tense group and pulled out a second medal. He stopped in front of Casey.
"M-me… sir?" her faint squeak was picked up on René's mic.

"When I spoke of the Festa evolving, it was you to whom I referred to, Miss Rigewei," Mr. Noel spoke, a certain excitement graced the man's words. He pinned the medal to her lapel. "As the inventor of this technique I expect great things from you."

The tremendous applause shook the stadium more so than the one the actual winner received.

"What do we think?" Shouri asked the trio who had kept their attention solely on chairman Noel the entire award ceremony.

The three women hummed as they looked between one another. They had moved out of the stadium seating and into the side hallways that wrapped around the structure. Many Maestros and Resonators were on the way out, and eagerly discussed the performances they had the luxury of witnessing.

"Kaira, did you sense anything?" Pacifica asked the jackal.

She jumped, looking around quickly. "I did not. I didn't think I was necessary for this," the last two words of her sentence felt tacked on.

Pacifica nodded slowly. She wanted to address the concerning behavior of the canine, but left it be before she forgot about what they had observed.

"Right, so the first thing is he was definitely very aware of our presence," Pacifica began.
"Felt like the dude couldn't stop looking at us," Rebecca chimed in.
"Doesn't help that we were sitting like square in the middle of the audience; he's got that plausible deniability," Emily added with a shrug.

Shouri nodded as he pondered that first piece of information.

"Was he like…" Taika trailed off, considering where they were, "that guy?" she decided.

Thankfully, Rebecca picked up what she was putting down. "No, his performance on stage wasn't crafted, at least not like that guy's. He's definitely into the whole Festa thing. Maybe he even really does like Resonators," said the fire fox.

"Maybe a bit too much," Shouri huffed, recalling the tidbit about the man buying up Resonators that caught his fancy.

"What do you think?" Albarich asked Ritika.
"Dunno," replied the cat with a shrug. "I know what that girl felt was real though. So I don't doubt her," she added.
Soot simply nodded in agreement with the earth cat.

Before the conversation could continue further, their group was approached by a suited woman. "Mr. Tomoshibi?" she asked.

For a moment the group of PTRS stared at the sudden mystery woman who appeared before them.

"Yes?" Shouri finally spoke.
"Mr. Noel would like to see you." The woman's gaze swept across Shouri's trio of Resonators. "They may come with as well," she clarified.

Walking right into René's grasp wasn't part of his expectations for today, but he couldn't let this opportunity elude his grasp. Getting up close and personal with him would help confirm their suspicions.

"Fine," Shouri agreed. None of his trio argued either.

Emily grabbed his shoulder. "Wait." The Princess looked to the attendant who had been tasked to fetch the guildmaster. "Can you give us a moment?" Emily requested.

"Of course, I will be waiting over there."

The woman walked a small distance away before stopping to wait for Shouri.

"What?" Shouri asked indignantly.
"Are you crazy? What if this is a trap?" hissed the vice guildmaster.
"Well no shit it's a trap," replied Shouri.
"Are you crazy?!" Emily repeated, louder.

"I thought that was a given," Albarich commented.
"Yeah, what's the big deal, Emmy? Let him go," Ritika added.

Emily turned back to her Resonators. "He could-!"

"We'll be with him," assured Taika.
"It's fine," added Pacifica.
"If he tries anything we'll kick his ass," Rebecca replied.

"There you have it," Shouri chuckled. His smile faded. "I doubt he's gonna try anything. Not in this stadium with all these people. He has an image to maintain as far as I can tell," he reasoned out; his eyes glowed with his logical yellow rhythm.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Emily grunted, gripping his shoulder tighter. She removed her hand, but only so she could punch his arm. "If you get yourself killed I'm hunting down Sahji so I can kill you myself," she finally gave in.

"It'll be fiiiiine," said Shouri, waving off her concern. "If I'm not back in like twenty minutes you can burn the stadium down or something."

"I'm not gonna go that far. That's your job," Emily snarked back. "Now go, we'll go see if we can find Vince and the others," she decided on the spot.

"Cool, be back in a bit."

The administrative offices of Dalliva stadium were something many in the public would never see. It was mundane, boring even; not something one would expect to see after the grand spectacle that was the Resonator Festa. But even so, behind every major operation, no matter the scale, the ordinary existed.

At least the carpets looked like they were cleaned regularly.

Shouri and the girls were led to a room labeled "Event Management #5". The woman who led them opened the door and motioned for the four to enter.

The room they entered was a plainly furnished office. A simple desk set up with plenty of chairs on either side of the walls that led up to the table. The walls were decorated with framed newspaper articles highlighting the Dalliva area as well as the stadium's construction. On the outer wall there were several windows which allowed the guests to see the city that surrounded the venue. This room was graced with a view of the botanical garden that was across the street from the massive building. Though due to the oncoming winter it was brown and stripped of the greenery it was known for.

"Ah, Mr. Tomoshibi."

Sitting behind the desk was the man of the hour, the organizer of the Resonator Festas, Zephyr's captor and tormentor – René Noel.

He was every bit as self-assured as his presence on stage implied. The man was well aware of what he was worth and would make sure everyone knew. From the clothes he wore, to the people in his employ, everything he did oozed wealth. The Resonator by his side looked young, but oddly wise beyond his apparent years.

The distinct feeling of humidity radiated from the young boy, in combination with his bright blue hair informed of what element this boy possessed. His large blueish green tail was strange to Rebecca, perhaps he was some kind of rare sea dragon? That was the only thing she could pin down. With how she studied him, the mystery Resonator returned the favor. He chuckled pushing up his small circular glasses – the voice did not match the body, it was deeper than Rebecca had expected.

"You're… René Noel, right?" asked Shouri.
"Indeed I am, a pleasure to make your acquaintance." The man leaned forward and extended a gloved hand.

Pristine white, he must have put these on just now. Shouri accepted the handshake, which René made sure to minimize.

The chairman leaned back in his seat, propping up one leg on another and folding his hands on his lap. "Quite the technique you developed," he began.

"So you knew," Shouri said through a strained smile.

"It wasn't difficult to figure out," spoke the man's Resonator. "That Rigewei girl is as common as they come, nothing noteworthy. It only took about twenty seconds of simple research to find your video," the water element continued, a perpetual scowl graced his face.

Shouri was also taken aback by the Resonator's tone and cadence. He looked like a child in stature, but the baritones his voice carried spoke of a more elderly man.

"Ah, where are my manners?" René spoke up suddenly. "This is my personal Resonator, Girard."

"Water-Null," added Girard, adjusting the teal poncho that was draped over his shoulder; the golden tassels that decorated the edges of the garment swayed with the movement, shimmering as they did so.

"So why did you invite us here?" asked Shouri, cutting to the chase.
"My my, don't you want to chat for a bit Mr. Tomoshibi? Get to know one another?" retorted René with a patient smile.

Girard rolled his eyes. "The only thing you waste more than money is time," scoffed the sea dragon.

"Money is no object as they say, and time less so," he chuckled in response at the Resonator's scathing commentary.

René sat up straight, his jovial expression fading. "Call it curiosity. I wanted to see what kind of man could develop such a technique. It is beautiful but powerful, graceful but deadly. It is everything I embody," he paused. "Are you sure you wish Ms. Rigewei to take credit for your achievement?"

Pacifica sensed there was more behind his words than he said, and slipped a hand on her Maestro's back. Taika's was already there – she suppressed the smile that wanted to rise on her lips.

"I'm more of a behind the scenes kinda guy – what can I say?" Shouri shrugged.
"And yet you made a very public video?" questioned Girard.
"I hate misinformation," Shouri replied. "Or the lack thereof."

What happened next surprised the quartet - the sea dragon smiled. "You're a man worthy of respect, Shouri Tomoshibi. I'll remember that name," said the water element.

"Hoh?" René smirked. "To earn the respect of Girard is no small feat. Perhaps it is less of your words and more of your disposition as a Maestro."

Shouri hummed with irritation. "Sorry René, not a fan of the verbal run around."

Girard laughed loudly. "Perhaps in Seres' tome exists a timeline where you and I were destined to meet. Certainly, you're more to my speed than this spoiled dullard."

"Why Girard, you wound me!" René gasped, holding a hand to his chest and leaning back dramatically.

"Any criticism you earn is warranted," Girard asserted, turning his scowl on his Maestro.

The harsh words didn't actually phase the wealthy man as he turned his attention back to Shouri. "If you so wish it, I'll ensure Ms. Rigewei is prominently promoted, so your peace is assured."

"Do what you want, I'm not about to owe you for shit though," Shouri said pointedly.

Another dramatic grasp of the chest followed as René feigned shock. "My, I'm surrounded by skeptics!"

"There are not enough words in the Maelish language for this," Girard groaned, shaking his head. The bespectacled Resonator turned his attention to Shouri. "I'll handle having her promoted. Your peace is safe," said the sea dragon.

"Appreciated." Shouri gave a short nod to Girard, earning the water element's smile.

René rose to his feet, once more offering a handshake. "I believe we'll get along famously, Mister Tomoshibi," said the man with a small chortle.

Shouri shook the other man's hand. "I'm sure," he replied, his sarcasm on full display.

"Have a good evening," were the last words they heard from The René Group's founder as they left the office.