Bloodline Evolution: I Can Choose Opposing Paths-Chapter 74: The Concert Tomorrow

Aren couldn’t exactly leave her unconscious body here. Realizing that his apartment was close to the studio, he decided to take her there for proper rest.

He wrapped Miu in [Aqua Veil], the distortion bending light as he carried her out. To anyone watching it looked like he was simply walking down the street with his arms wrapped around nothing.

A few pedestrians gave him strange looks but Aren ignored them. Minutes later, he pushed open the door to his apartment.

Luna was sitting on the couch. She looked up, her expression still distant.

"You’re back," she murmured.

Her eyes drifted to Aren’s arms.

"...Why are you holding the air?"

Aren stepped inside and dispelled [Aqua Veil].

The distortion vanished. Miu’s unconscious body suddenly appeared in his arms as he set her down slowly on the couch.

Luna’s eyes widened.

"...Wait."

She leaned forward, staring.

"Is that... Miu Harmonia?"

Aren stood back up slowly. Before he could say anything, Luna suddenly shot to her feet.

"Aren!" her voice rose in alarm. "Did you just kidnap Miu Harmonia?!"

Before she could continue, he let out a tired sigh. Then he reached into his coat and threw a thin folder across the air toward her.

Luna caught it instinctively.

"...What’s this?"

"My Urban Hunting file," Aren replied.

She frowned slightly before opening it.

The first page contained the commission request.

Client: Miu Harmonia.

Luna’s eyes widened as she flipped through the next few pages, scanning the incident notes and investigation details. Slowly, her expression shifted from confusion to realization.

"...Oh."

She looked back at the couch where the idol was lying. Then back at Aren.

"So you didn’t kidnap her."

"No."

"Then what happened?" Luna continued. "I literally have tickets to go to her concert tomorrow..."

"Is she okay?"

Aren leaned back slightly, folding his arms as Luna waited for an explanation.

"She’s been hearing voices," he said finally.

Luna blinked.

"...Voices?"

He nodded.

"It started after the Lorianne Festival incident and hasn’t stopped since." He gestured faintly toward the couch. "Whatever it is... reacts when she sings."

Luna glanced at Miu again.

"Did she mention anything unusual before this started?"

"Yeah," Aren replied. "She awakened through an underground shop with no official documentation or license."

Luna frowned.

"Then wouldn’t that point to demonic conversion?" She tilted her head slightly. "Well... maybe partial, since she’s still—"

"You know... still alive."

"That was my first thought too," Aren admitted. "But the pieces don’t line up."

Luna looked back at him.

"What do you mean?"

"If it were demonic possession, her ether channels would be contaminated," Aren explained. "But they weren’t. When I sealed them earlier, everything was... clean."

He paused, choosing his words carefully.

"My second thought was that she has some kind of condition that causes her Bloodline to ’misfire’.

Luna blinked.

"...Misfiring?"

Aren exhaled quietly.

"Or worse." He looked toward the unconscious idol again. "It might be a Bloodline mutation."

Luna’s brows lifted. "Isn’t that basically the same thing as—"

"Yeah." Aren nodded slowly. "That Defiler we fought."

After a moment of silence, Luna finally spoke softly.

"...So we’re just waiting for her to wake up now?" she asked.

"Pretty much," Aren replied.

A few hours passed by after that. Miu remained asleep on the couch, her breathing steady. Whatever problem that was caused inside her body seemed to have settled for the moment.

Luna eventually stood and disappeared into the kitchen.

A few minutes later, she returned carrying a plate.

Aren looked at it. Then he looked at her.

"...What is that?"

Luna puffed her cheeks slightly.

"I tried to make something simple."

The plate contained something vaguely triangular, slightly burnt around the edges, and with a texture that suggested it had suffered through both the stove and microwave at the same time. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Aren didn’t even need to taste it.

"Don’t."

Luna frowned.

"You haven’t even tried it."

"I don’t need to."

He stood up, grabbing his coat.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Damage control."

Ten minutes later, Aren returned with a small box. He placed it on the table and opened it. Inside were neatly arranged pastries from the bakery down the street.

Luna stared at them and frowned.

"...You could’ve just said you didn’t trust my cooking."

Aren chose his words carefully.

"It’s not like that," he stuttered. "It’s just...food for an idol should look pretty."

Her expression brightened as she completely took his lie with no questions asked.

A faint rustle came from the couch as they both looked over. Miu stirred slightly before letting out a soft groan and slowly sat up. For a moment, she blinked at the ceiling, clearly trying to gather her bearings.

Then her eyes drifted across the room.

"Oh," she said brightly.

Her gaze landed on the table.

"Pastries?"

She swung her legs off the couch and walked over casually, as if nothing unusual had happened. Without hesitation, she grabbed one and took a bite.

"Mmm," she hummed contentedly. "Still warm too."

Luna and Aren exchanged a quick glance. Neither of them spoke.

Miu finished chewing before noticing their stares. Aren frowned slightly.

She’s reacting strangely...Does she perhaps not remember what happened before?

Miu swallowed the pastry and wiped the corner of her lips with the back of her hand.

"Oh!" she said suddenly, snapping her fingers.

"That reminds me."

She looked straight at Aren. "Did we make it to the recording booth or did I pass out before that?"

His eyes widened as he took in what the idol said.

"Yeah, we made it," Aren replied slowly.

Miu blinked.

"Oh." She tilted her head slightly. "Did it... happen again?"

Aren didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he leaned back slightly in his chair.

So she’s used to this happening...?

"Yes," he said calmly.

Miu paused mid-bite.

"...Ah."

For a brief second, her cheerful expression flickered. But just as quickly, she took another bite of the pastry.

"Well," she said lightly, "that’s unfortunate."

Luna looked between the two of them, clearly confused by how casually Miu was taking it. Aren, however, was watching her carefully. He set the recording file down on the table.

"There’s a bigger problem now."

Miu looked up.

"Hm?"

Aren’s gaze sharpened slightly. "If you already knew something was wrong with your voice..."

"Why did you schedule a concert here?"