Chapter 380 - 380: Do You Think Butler Will Win?

Astra followed Wise's advice and once again checked the Hemiola, this time also examining the spare disc beneath the main disc.

She carefully examined the other two discs before suddenly letting out a small gasp.

Lycaon heard it and walked over.

"What is it, Miss Astra? Did you find anything?"

"Indeed. One of the discs... was swapped," Astra said, pointing to one of them.

This sudden turn of events temporarily pushed aside what she had wanted to ask about.

"Hemiola can store up to three records. I usually swap one out for whatever I'm in the mood for. As for the other two, they are Joran's record and 'Stars of Lyra,' which I made..."

She spoke with a hint of nostalgia before continuing.

"I made 'Stars of Lyra' before my debut. It's the very first album of mine... Only a few hundred copies were made, but they weren't completely sold out. I had no access to good recording facilities and no money to secure a decent master copy, so it's a pretty shabby album..."

Later, after Astra signed with a company and officially debuted, the company re-recorded the album and even made a limited edition of ten commemorative collector's discs.

Although the same exterior design was maintained at Astra's request, its quality in every aspect was far superior to that of the self-produced version.

It was even rumored that the commemorative collector's edition was so sought after that it had a price but no market.

"...This record in Hemiola is the collector's edition, with a serial number marking it as the tenth copy."

"Wait... If I heard that correctly, is it what I think it is?"

Wise, who had been looking solemn, couldn't help but hesitate, and his suspicions were soon confirmed by Astra.

"Hmm... Someone swapped out my self-produced 'Stars of Lyra' in Hemiola for a limited-edition copy of 'Stars of Lyra.'"

Simply put, the other party had used the higher-priced commemorative collector's edition to take away the more valuable self-produced version.

"...I see. I understand."

Lycaon fell silent after saying this. Astra couldn't help but feel curious, so Wise called out to him.

"Lycaon?"

"My apologies. I lost my composure. It seems the other party has succeeded... In that case, our work is completed ahead of schedule," he said seriously.

"Work? What's going on?"

Both Wise and Astra looked puzzled, and Lycaon spoke again.

"Since my work here is done, I can tell you the truth. I'm here for the 'Ridu's Got Boo' competition, but I've also been tasked with keeping the Yearlight safe. On the first day of the competition, a criminal threat was received. The threat stated that the Yearlight would be stolen before the ceremony..."

Although this sounded somewhat ridiculous, some people within Public Security even considered it nothing more than a prank.

However, to be safe, Victoria Housekeeping received orders to ensure that the Yearlight would not be stolen.

Lycaon judged that if the other party truly intended to act, they would most likely choose to steal it during the lighting ceremony, right in plain sight.

At that time, the people closest to the Yearlight would be the lighting star and the lighting Bangboo, so they entered the competition.

"But now it seems... the 'declaration to steal the Yearlight' was indeed just a smokescreen. The real target is Miss Yao's self-produced 'Stars of Lyra' album."

Lycaon reasoned that the other party might have originally planned to steal the album during the lighting ceremony, but had unexpectedly encountered Astra in the semifinals.

They had even found an opportunity to come into contact with the Hemiola.

"But why go to such lengths to steal a self-produced record? They even used something as priceless as a collector's edition..." Astra was very confused.

Lycaon remained silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Perhaps the culprit views value rather differently from others. In his eyes, this self-produced album that accompanied Miss Yao in reviving Starloop Tower is far more valuable than that exorbitantly priced collector's edition."

"...Mr. Lycaon, you seem to know quite a lot about this culprit," Astra said suspiciously.

"...I'm just doing my job."

Although Lycaon tried to hide it when answering Astra's question, a slight unnaturalness could still be seen in his expression. He immediately changed the subject.

"Anyway, since our work is done, Butler will no longer need to participate in the competition. The competition seems to have been quite a journey for you. Once Butler withdraws, Master Eous can become the champion. Miss Yao's wish will also come true..."

Lycaon hadn't finished speaking when an "En-nah!" interrupted him.

"En-nah!!! Nah-en! Ehn-na! (No!!! I don't want to win because my opponent withdrew from the competition! Please let me have a fair match against Butler!)"

"Ah... Sorry, I was being inconsiderate. But... Master Eous, Master Wise, you know how the scores are given. The audience votes are impossible to predict... Miss Yao is very eager to have Master Eous as her partner. If we want to ensure that result, we should..."

"Do you think Butler will win?"

Wise interrupted Lycaon's words.

The latter shook his head before speaking earnestly.

"That's not what I meant. But things can always change... After all, if Butler and I were to continue with the competition, neither of us would go easy on Master Eous."

Butler also expressed his agreement, but even so, Eous was still full of fighting spirit.

Seeing this, Butler also chose to accept the challenge. Afterward, Victoria Housekeeping and the others took Butler to their resting area.

Only the battle-ready Eous, along with Wise and Astra, remained behind.

Evelyn had gone to deal with work matters because she trusted Wise completely to protect Astra.

In the contestants' waiting area, Eous was preparing for his upcoming performance while Astra kept glancing at Wise, her mind constantly occupied by what Ellen had told her.

'I'm so curious about what Ellen said... Should I ask Wise now? But would that be inappropriate?' Just as she was hesitating, Wise, who was beside her, seemed to notice something.

Knowing that this day would eventually come, he mentally prepared himself before taking the initiative to speak.

"Is there something you want to ask me, Astra?"

"Eh! Eh?!"

Astra didn't expect Wise to ask first.

Was it because he had seen her talking to Ellen just now?

But since it had come to this, she decided to speak.

"Mmm, because Ellen told me some things about you..." Astra seemed a little unnatural.

Seeing this, Wise understood.

'As expected, Ellen has already told her about me and her. But Astra doesn't seem to dislike me. Since it has come to this, though, it's better to be honest.'

He thought this, ready to tell her the truth.

"Everything she said is true."

"Eh?!!"

Hearing Wise admit it himself, Astra's mouth fell open in shock.

+- - -+

-[ AD ]-

+- - -+

+- - -+

Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street

+- - -+

✨ 120+ Advance Chapters • Early Access ✨

📚 Read Ahead Here:

[- p - a - t - r - e - o - n . com / DysFiction -]

💖 Enjoying the Story? Support My Work:

[ ko - fi . com / dysfiction ]

+- - -+

📖 Available Novels

🔹 Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street

↳ (Translation)

🔹 Azur Lane: Don't Fight! You're All My Wives!

↳ (Translation)

+- - -+