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“Wha!? A fire!?”
“This is an emergency!!”

The students began hurriedly evacuating toward the back of the auditorium.

Just as Ms. Matilda used ice magic to erect a wall of ice between the students and us, Alfe and Melua extinguished the flames with water magic without chanting.

The flames had only lasted for a brief moment. But with the aether supply cables burned through, our performance came to a halt, and our music was abruptly cut off.

“Hey, the performance stopped! What’s going on!?”

The students’ anxious murmuring was shattered by Ignis’s sharp voice. Ignis, who was supposed to have left the auditorium, was now standing defiantly in front of the doors, looking toward us with a cold smile.

“Could it be… Ignis…?”

At Hom’s bitter murmur, Alfe and Melua looked at each other in shock.

“I didn’t sense any magic being used…”
“Not even with my Pure Eyes…”

If it had been magic, Alfe and Melua should have been able to detect it before it was activated. But neither of them had, and Hom hadn’t heard any incantation, either.

Flames created without chanting and without channeling aether—whatever the mechanism behind them was, this was also a characteristic of the flames Ignis could control.

“Did you get so carried away with your little live that you couldn’t even properly check your equipment? Setting fire to the aether supply cables is extremely dangerous. One wrong move and this could have turned into a catastrophe involving the entire student body. Do you really think someone who causes something like this is fit to be Student Council President!?”

But there was no evidence. Without evidence, Ignis had the overwhelming advantage, attacking us with what sounded like nothing more than a perfectly reasonable argument.

“…This is a complete mess. I thought Estea was more responsible than this. Is she really going to be okay?”
“Maybe we really should vote for Ignis…”

As Ms. Matilda dispelled the ice wall, voices of condemnation from the students were directed at us.

On top of the sudden trouble, Ignis was stirring up the audience against us, and harsh criticism came pouring our way. Of course, safety management was important, so we had no words with which to argue back.

And even if we knew Ignis was behind it, arguing about it now would only damage the trust people had in us. It would be easy enough to use the trouble as an excuse and call off the performance.

But that would mean losing to Ignis.

—I won’t lose.

I thought I heard Alfe’s voice, and I suddenly looked up. Alfe, who had been standing in the spotlight as the lead vocalist, stepped forward.

She lowered the microphone, took a deep breath, and began singing “Prayer of Gratitude” using nothing but her own voice.

I wish I had never had a past like this
What am I?
No one would ever wish for such a thing

Alfe’s voice rang out with even greater emotion and feeling, but she wasn’t continuing the song as it had been performed. Instead, she was taking the feelings she had right now and pouring them into “Prayer of Gratitude.”

Ah. Alfe didn’t want to let this stage become part of the past.

She didn’t want to lose.

I understood that clearly.

Then there was only one thing I had to do.

I looked down at my feet, now drenched in water, and put my imagination to work.

I would make Alfe’s voice and Estea’s feelings resound throughout this place.

Even in a situation like this, I could do that.

“—Create Water.”

Layering my voice over Alfe’s, a chant that sounded almost like singing slipped from my lips.

If we couldn’t use the aether supply cables, then we just had to create something to replace them. Using the aether that welled endlessly from within me, I created an aether supply circuit that used water as its medium, spreading it out like a web.

The furnace that would take the place of the aether tank was my own body.

Your words wipe away my fears
So they remind me of everything I hold dear
And so I’ll keep on singing
Savoring the joy of having met you

Alfe changed part of the lyrics and sent me a glance.

Her sparkling Pure Eye reflected my image, while countless butterflies danced around us.

—It’s getting through. We are connected.

Alfe already understood what I was trying to do.

Feeling our aether resonating with each other, I smiled.

“—Imitation: Aether Reactor.”

Following Alfe’s example, I materialized the image of my own aether.

The dazzling butterflies dancing around Alfe received my golden aether, and the magic circle of the simplified formula drawn beneath our feet began to shine brilliantly.

“The sound… The sound has returned…”

I heard Marie murmur in astonishment. Estea and Hom had gently resumed playing their guitars.

I met everyone’s eyes and nodded.

—Let’s go, everyone.

“So I’ll keep on singing, savoring the joy of having met you.”

Alfe answered me through her song. From where we had been cut off, we started again.

Ah, even this sound was becoming exactly what Estea had wished for.

We had reclaimed our music once more.

Music for a free future.

“Ah, the sound is back!”
“This is amazing! What is this!? It’s so sparkly and beautiful!”
“Re:berty! Re:berty!”

A tremendous cheer erupted as our performance moved from Alfe’s solo into the instrumental interlude.

I could feel that it had reached them.

Everyone’s feelings were gathering around me as I supplied aether through our performance.

It tickled, it made my spirits soar, and—made me happy.

Savoring the liberated, free-flowing music, I continued playing, putting more strength into my core than usual as I concentrated on channeling my aether.

Being able to create the sound of this live performance with my own hands like this was a happiness in itself.

Alfe turned around and flashed me a rosy smile, beads of sweat sparkling as they flew from her face.

Ah. Right now, we were connected.

Through music, through aether, we had become one.

Author’s Note:

The insert song from the story, “Prayer of Gratitude,” is now available on YouTube!

Please, please give it a listen.

A like and a subscription to the channel would mean a lot and help keep us motivated.