Chapter 128: One Performance, One Bouquet

Kiran, having just snapped out of her spellbound trance from Eric’s performance, dazedly approached her partner and held out the gift bag.

Watching this unfold, Shani reflexively facepalmed. "Take out the flowers, Kiran!" she whispered, hoping Kiran would hear her.

Before Eric could react, several other students stepped forward to offer him bouquets, one male student and two female students.

The male student wore a club jersey, but upon seeing the two girls already extending bouquets, he beat a quiet retreat.

He was likely a club member assigned to step in only if a performer didn’t receive flowers from anyone in the audience.

Clearly, no one realized that what Kiran held inside her gift bag was a bouquet as well. Flustered by the realization, Kiran’s cheeks flushed bright red as embarrassment washed over her.

Pulling her hand back to spare herself further embarrassment, she prepared to retreat just like the male club member had.

Before she could take a single step, however, Eric suddenly caught her wrist. "That bouquet is for me, isn’t it?"

"Huh?" Kiran blinked stupidly.

She reflexively glanced at the two female students holding bouquets out to Eric, as if silently asking, Can’t you see those two bouquets right there for you?

Eric played completely dumb. Reaching into the gift bag in Kiran’s hand himself, he pulled out the ribbon bouquet and held it up. "One performance, one bouquet."

Eric didn’t explicitly glance at the two girls beside Kiran, but everyone present clearly understood he had just turned them down.

Throwing an arm around a thoroughly bewildered Kiran, Eric guided her over to Shani’s side.

"I’m going to change first," he said to Shani, shooting Kiran a glance as if entrusting a child into her care.

Shani paused for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle, amused by the unusual dynamics between her friend and the partner.

Once Eric returned after changing, Flora announced that all five trial participants had passed, not simply because the applicant pool was small, but because all five performances were genuinely outstanding.

Though the trial had concluded and Ribbon Club members were packing up their makeshift stage, the audience in the Training Hall was still buzzing about the performances.

While waiting for Eric and Jeryon to finish putting away the club props, Shani and her friends could overhear the chatter around them.

"Were the Ribbon Club trial performances this good last year? How come I don’t remember it being like this?" an upperclassman remarked.

"This year is different. On top of Prince Jeryon being here, there’s also a Cassians."

"The last performer was the Cassians, right?" another guessed.

"Yeah. You could tell his performance was phenomenal despite him awakening his essence only last month."

"When I watch Ribbon athletes, I usually just wait to see what complex shapes they can weave. But while watching that Cassians guy, I wasn’t thinking about ribbon shapes at all."

Overhearing their conversation, Shani felt a similar realization wash over her.

"Does focusing solely on technique mean someone isn’t a good athlete?" Shani blurted out.

Overhearing her, the upperclassmen only then realized that the Prince’s circle of friends was standing right behind them. They quickly scuttled away, pretending they hadn’t said a word.

Shani stared, stunned. It wasn’t as if she had been trying to intimidate anyone.

"For competitive athletes, technique is what matters most," Noella chimed in, ignoring the fleeing seniors. "Though actual athletes retire far sooner than you might think."

"Once they retire, former athletes usually transition to showcase exhibitions or performance tours. At that point, technique takes a back seat."

What Noella was really trying to say was that pure technique was meant for competitions. Beyond that arena, artistry and artistic performance were what truly mattered.

The proof lay in how completely captivated they had all been by Eric’s display without once dwelling on technical execution.

...

Shani stepped out of the elevator to find Jeryon sitting on a couch in the Panther Building lobby.

Seeing Shani, he stood up and walked over to her. "Instructor Theron asked me to meet him."

"This early in the morning?" Shani looked surprised, considering it was barely six in the morning. Jeryon didn’t have early morning training like she did.

Jeryon nodded without offering further explanation.

By the time they both reached the Tiger Building, Elias was already waiting in the lobby with a suitcase standing beside him.

"I’m heading back to Nova City and will return at the end of the month," Elias stated bluntly.

Shani and Jeryon exchanged startled glances.

"While I’m away, make sure you don’t slack off. I expect to see tangible progress when I return," he added.

The two students standing before him could only nod dutifully.

"What are you two waiting for? Go train!" Elias barked. "Especially you, Shani!"

Any fleeting pang of melancholy Shani had felt vanished in an instant upon being singled out once again.

Shani and Jeryon headed toward the elevator. Jeryon briefly glanced back at Elias, who hadn’t budged from his spot.

"Why does it feel like he’s the one seeing us off?" Jeryon muttered under his breath, feeling a subtle oddity in the situation.

As they stepped inside the elevator, Shani also caught sight of Elias standing in the exact same spot, watching them with an unreadable expression.

She felt something was amiss as well, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.

Once inside the Training Hall, she pushed the lingering thought aside and focused entirely on her training.

After an hour of practice, she returned to her room to shower before heading down to the cafeteria with her friends.

"Ella, you started resonance for your second baby beast yesterday, right?" Kiran turned to look at Noella, then glanced over at Shani. "Shani’s egg is probably close to hatching by now."

"I started yesterday, too!" Sonny chimed in, raising his hand.

Kiran let out a heavy sigh. "Everyone who has a partner has already started resonance, while my partner keeps putting it off."

Everyone turned in unison to look at the seat beside Kiran, where Eric was eating in peaceful silence...

Or rather, he was busy watching ribbon athlete performances on a small holographic screen!

...