The Opening Performance
This also explained why a child as young as Klee belonged to the Teyvat Syndicate.
And yet it raised a fresh question in turn: why didn't Raiden Ei carry a Vision? By all rights, she ought to have been a member of the Syndicate as well.
In the end, Conan and Okiya Subaru's discussion came to nothing; both of them remained skeptical as to whether Teyvat truly harbored any supernatural power.
Time slipped by quickly. Before long the sky began to dim—it was nearly time for the finals to begin. As their host, Kamisato Ayato led the group to the venue.
"Wow! This is incredible!" Standing at the entrance to the grounds, Mouri Ran gazed up at the building before her—a structure brimming with sleek design and high-tech sophistication—her mouth falling open in astonishment, eyes glittering with excitement. She knew the venue had only broken ground two weeks ago. To have risen this far in a mere fortnight was truly remarkable.
The others let out exclamations of wonder as well, anticipation written across their faces, unable to wait to witness the grand event with their own eyes. They filed in one after another and, following their tickets, settled into their seats. Thanks to inside connections, theirs sat near the front—about the best view of the competition the whole hall had to offer.
They had come early, and while they were chatting idly in the wait before the matches officially began, Sera Masumi abruptly turned toward Kamisato Ayato. "Lord Kamisato, how come Miss Kamisato isn't here to watch?"
"Yeah, and where's big sister Ayaka?" Ayumi, who was quite taken with the gentle young lady, pressed on curiously.
Kamisato Ayato offered a faint smile. "Please, no need to worry. My sister will be taking part in today's opening performance, alongside Kaveh, Mr. Zhongli, and the others. You'll be seeing her on stage soon enough."
With that, he glanced at Klee. "And as it happens, Mr. Albedo will be performing too, you know. Klee, do be sure to watch your big brother's show very closely."
Klee nodded earnestly. "Mm! Klee will!"
"We'll help Klee record everything really well, too!" Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta promised in one voice.
Sonoko lifted her video camera, cupping her cheeks in her hands, and vowed with a beaming grin, "And I'll film every dashing, dazzling moment of their performance—and when it's over, I'll send everyone a copy!"
Just then, a stir of some sort seemed to erupt in the distance. The group turned toward the sound; it looked as though a few reporters had gotten into a conflict with the staff.
"No need to worry—just a little friction while the staff inspect the reporters' cameras and video equipment. It will be settled shortly," Kamisato Ayato explained.
Sure enough, he proved right; before long, the clash died down. The group let out a collective breath of relief. After all, a scene like that would hardly do on an occasion like this.
"But, um, this—" Sonoko fiddled with the video camera in her hands.
"Security has been a touch stricter as of late, you see—there have been people plotting to disrupt the running of the finals these past few weeks," Kamisato Ayato said evenly.
In truth, the inspections existed to place a mark on everyone's cameras and video recorders, so that Noah's Ark and Nahida could work in concert to weave the photographs and footage from the dream into each respective device afterward. After all, the matches were being held inside a dream—without a touch of sleight of hand, the cameras of the real world would capture nothing at all, and the ruse would come apart on the spot.
Okiya Subaru and Conan exchanged a look. The explanation struck them both as rather strained—guarding against saboteurs hardly required combing through cameras. But with no more plausible rationale occurring to either of them, neither said anything further.
Part of Sera Masumi's attention had stayed fixed on Conan all along, so naturally she had caught the silent exchange between him and Okiya. She stole an unobtrusive glance at the pink-haired man. Something about him had always struck her as strange, and she quietly filed the feeling away.
"Everyone, heads up—it's starting!" Xia Yu cried excitedly, her eyes glittering with anticipation. She had been looking forward to today's matches from the very beginning, the opening performance above all, so the moment the host stepped onto the stage she noticed it at once and alerted everyone around her that the show was about to begin.
The other spectators sensed it as well, and the hum of the crowd gradually faded. As the host withdrew, the curtains slowly drew apart. The opening performance was upon them.
Xia Yu turned her gaze toward the stage, brimming with expectation—and at last, she saw that familiar figure appear at its center. Zhongli stood in a tailor-made suit that lent him an air of striking handsomeness and quiet confidence, his back to the audience, a conductor's baton held high in one hand, poised as if to bring it sweeping down at any moment and carry them all into the world of music.
Arrayed before him, from left to right, were Tartaglia with his electric guitar, Kamisato Ayaka with her shakuhachi, Ganyu cradling a pipa, Xiao with a transverse flute, Kaveh at the drums, and Albedo with a piccolo.