"She hates men."Ayaka Saionji said this while sipping a glass of wine that cost more than my education.We were gathered in the villa’s living room, staring at the massive holographic display. On screen, a girl was singing.She was petite, with neon-pink twin tails and an outfit that looked like it was made of optical fibers and sugar. She danced with energy that defied physics, her voice soaring through a stadium packed with fifty thousand screaming fans.Hoshino Lumi. The Virtual Princess.And my next target.[Target: Hoshino Lumi.] [Value: S-Rank Fragment Vessel.] [Status: Singing (and judging you).]My new Architect's Gaze overlaid data on the screen. I could see it clearly now—a shard of silver code lodged in her throat. It pulsed every time she hit a high note."She doesn't just hate men," Sae corrected, reading from a dossier. "She actively bans them from the VIP sections. Her lyrics are all about 'breaking the chains of the patriarchy' and 'boys are just wallets'.""She sound

"Let's go meet the Princess," I had said.But princesses have gatekeepers.The corridor leading to the main dressing room was lined with bouquets, gifts, and security guards who looked like they chewed rocks for breakfast.At the end of the hall, blocking the double doors adorned with a neon "LUMI" sign, stood a man.He was short, round, and sweating profusely in a suit that cost more than my organs. He wiped his forehead with a silk handkerchief as we approached."Stop right there!" he squeaked, holding up a hand. "I don't care if you have a VIP pass. Miss Lumi is in the Zone! No visitors!"He looked at me with disdain."Especially not you, Amagiri. We know your game. You're here to leech off her fame."(I am here to steal a piece of her soul to save my life. But sure, let's go with 'leech'.)"Move," Ayaka ordered, stepping forward. "I am Ayaka Saionji. I own the station broadcasting this concert.""And I am Manager Tanaka!" the man puffed up his chest. "And tonight, Miss Lumi is the

"Game on, Princess."I sat at the piano. The bench was cold. The keys stared at me like fifty-two black and white teeth.(I don't know how to play. I really don't know how to play. I'm going to hit a key and it's going to sound like a cat walking on a keyboard.)"Ladies and gentlemen!" Lumi shouted, her voice booming through the stadium speakers. "You came for a show! Let's show this... amateur... what real music sounds like!"She signaled the band.BOOM-CLAP. BOOM-CLAP.The stadium exploded with sound. Lasers cut through the smoke. Lumi launched into her hit single, "Electric Heartbeat.""~Can you feel the rush? Can you feel the heat?~"She danced. She sang. She poured S-Rank mana into every note, weaving a spell of pure, adrenaline-fueled excitement.The crowd roared. Fifty thousand pink glow sticks waved in unison."LUMI! LUMI! LUMI!"She was winning. She was burying me under a mountain of hype and production value.I sat there, hands hovering over the keys.(If I try to out-hype h

"Checkmate."I whispered the word against the skin of her throat.Hoshino Lumi trembled in my arms. Her eyes were wide, filled with a mix of terror and anticipation. She was waiting for a bite. She was waiting for a kiss.She didn't know I was waiting for a download.I closed the distance.I didn't kiss her lips. That would be messy. And personal.I pressed my lips against the side of her neck, right over her pulse point. Right over the jagged shard of silver light that my Architect's Gaze identified as the [Siren's Echo].To the fifty thousand fans watching, it was the most romantic, scandalous moment in Idol history. The Saint claiming the Princess.To me, it was surgery.(Open wide, Void. Dinner is served.)I unclenched the mental fist holding back my condition.SLURP.The connection was violent.Lumi gasped, her back arching violently. A soundless scream tore from her throat, muffled by my shoulder.She didn't feel a kiss. She felt a vacuum. She felt a cold, alien maw clamp onto h

BEEP.The sound was small. The result was not.KA-BOOM.The foundation pillars of the Electric Heaven Arena detonated. It wasn't a single explosion; it was a domino effect. Sixteen shaped charges tore through the reinforced concrete that held the massive dome roof suspended over fifty thousand people.The floor pitched violently."Gah!"I fell to one knee, clutching the unconscious Lumi.Ghost didn't wait. He activated a grappling hook on his belt and shot up toward a ventilation shaft that was still intact."Goodbye, Saint!" he cackled. "Try to talk your way out of gravity!"He vanished into the duct.Above us, the sky cracked.The dome—thousands of tons of steel, glass, and lighting rigs—groaned. Then, it began to fall.It wasn't a slow descent. It was a freefall.The crowd screamed. A sound of pure, primal terror. Fifty thousand people looked up and saw their death coming down."Master!" Runa grabbed my arm. "We must flee! The exits are blocked, but I can cut a path through the wal