Chapter 6: The Hunter

She was a girl with snow-white hair, dressed in a white gown with an icy gaze.

She looked like someone who had stepped right out of a world of snow.

At first glance, it was easy to see why she was called Chuxue.

Her entire body and attire screamed that very name.

‘The manager’s aesthetic and branding abilities are as sharp as ever,’ I thought to myself.

But what struck me as odd was why she was out in public wearing such iconic clothing.

Wasn’t she afraid of being recognized?

What was she doing here?

Was she the one who left that warning note?

I knew the note was secondary; what mattered was the person right in front of me.

Did she find me out?

I stared at her.

She was also scanning her surroundings with a casual, nonchalant air.

Her gaze paused for a moment when it swept over me, then moved on.

Her acting was superb.

She circled the room once before finally stopping in front of my desk and performing a standard noble’s greeting.

“Greetings. I would like to ask your name.”

One of her persona traits was that of a Noble.

“Lin Zou… nothing special about my name.”

My tone wasn’t polite; it was sharp to the point of being distant.

However, I didn’t actually ask her to leave — even though I desperately wanted to kick her out right now.

“Well then, Mr. Lin — “

Even when met with my tone, she remained unhurried.

It was as if she couldn’t hear the subtext in my voice.

Her movements remained elegant and slow.

“Good morning.”

“…Good morning.”

She was being slow on purpose just to make me uncomfortable.

“Miss Chuxue, I have seen your performances.”

I refused to let her have her way, so I decided to speak more plainly.

“Oh my — that is truly an honor.”

Chuxue continued to talk about irrelevant things, making it impossible to figure out what she was actually after.

Even during her off-hours, her movements maintained the Noble setting…

No, perhaps she was a real aristocrat.

I had the privilege of meeting real nobles in the past.

This kind of posture was cultivated through training; it certainly couldn’t be faked overnight.

However, the bigger the opponent’s background, the more troublesome I found the situation.

“Miss Chuxue, please state your purpose for coming here directly.”

Since she didn’t plan on being upfront, I would be the one to shatter this illusion of harmony.

After all, that was the kind of person I was.

“President Lin…”

She nodded, remaining standing.

“I am here to find Alice.”

My heart nearly skipped a beat.

‘As I thought.’

The name Alice coming out of her mouth felt like a thorn piercing my ear.

My subconscious reaction was to deny it, to argue, to change the subject — but for a split second, another thought flashed through my mind.

During that night’s performance, I couldn’t help myself.

Truly.

The improvised high notes, the extra dance steps, that wink that shouldn’t have been there, and encore after encore.

I already knew someone was watching, maybe even nearby.

But I did it anyway.

“President Lin?”

After a brief, hesitant silence, I began to rapidly organize my words.

I snapped out of my internal thoughts and feigned a stunned expression.

“Alice? The Gemstone Princess? Miss Chuxue, you must be joking. As you know, why would the Gemstone Princess be at a small, newly established agency like mine?”

Since she called me “President,” she must have investigated my situation.

How could a firm that hadn’t even been open for two days be related to a Supernova like that?

It was common sense.

But her answer surprised me.

“That… is hard to say. All the clues I have point right here to President Lin.”

Clues?

That word confused me.

From yesterday to today, I had repeatedly confirmed my identity shifts.

There was no possibility of exposure —

Except for one.

A month ago, right after I had decided on my new target, I had scouted this area for several days while in my Alice persona to pick a residence.

Did that mean she had suspected me even before that note?

“…Clues? Miss Chuxue, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Because the threat was right in front of me, I couldn’t afford to overthink my response.

Taking too long to reply would only make me look more suspicious.

“Well, one month ago, someone saw Alice staying in this vicinity,” Chuxue said, offering a vague reason.

But her tone was anything but uncertain.

‘Tch — ‘

I clicked my tongue inwardly.

It was just as I suspected.

But there was nothing I could do about it.

The Alice persona had only debuted three months ago; time was simply too tight.

Furthermore, I thought I had started my preparations as early as possible.

I thought I was early enough, but I hadn’t expected someone to be watching even earlier than that.

“One month… Miss Chuxue, don’t you think that’s a bit long ago?”

“She was still here.”

Chuxue spoke with total confidence.

I realized she was doing this on purpose.

She was fixing a potential factor into the conversation.

Even if we kept talking, she would only continue to hammer on that point to my disadvantage.

“Setting that aside, Miss Chuxue, you’re quite busy, aren’t you? Does your manager know you’re here?”

Chuxue was the most prized rookie under that manager — Qiu Ya.

Alice, on the other hand, was a Free Idol and had a purely contractual relationship with her manager.

Chuxue was different — she belonged to the Traditional School and couldn’t just travel as she pleased.

I shifted the topic, throwing the pressure back onto her.

“That is none of your business. I am here to find my colleague, ‘Alice,'” Chuxue tried to pull the conversation back.

“Then it’s none of my business either,” I replied, refusing to let her.

She stared at me.

I stared back.

Neither of us backed down an inch.

The atmosphere began to grow tense —

Click!

The sound of the door opening rang out again.

We both turned our heads at the same time.

Dazzling bright red eye makeup, dark red eyes, and that same messy outfit.

Su Nian.

This time, it really was her.

But what I really wanted to say was —

‘Does it have to be right now?!’

I screamed internally.

I knew Chuxue was watching, so I tried my best to hold it in.

But my eyelid still twitched…

I hoped she didn’t see it.

***

Su Nian stood at the entrance, freezing for a moment when she saw an extra person in the office.

Chuxue turned her head to look her over.

Two gazes clashed in mid-air — one was an icy white, the other a stubborn, dark red.

“And this is…?”

Chuxue asked.

Her tone was airy, but her eyes never left Su Nian.

“…Am I interrupting?”

Su Nian didn’t shrink back.

But as she looked at Chuxue and then at me, there was a slight flicker of doubt deep in her eyes.

She might have even misunderstood.

She probably thought I was recruiting a new person.

I took a deep breath.

“This is — Miss Chuxue, she’s here to visit.”

I enunciated every word, both to clear up the misunderstanding with that overused excuse and to address the uninvited guest.

Then, I introduced the other.

“And this is Miss Su Nian, an idol candidate who just passed the first trial yesterday.”

The corners of Su Nian’s mouth curled up slightly before she quickly pressed them down.

She thought she was hiding it well.

But I saw it, and the twitch of Chuxue’s lips told me she saw it too.

Su Nian tried to hide it, but she failed completely.

Chuxue asked, “A candidate?”

“Yes.”

I looked at Su Nian.

“Come in.”

Su Nian hesitated for a second before walking in and closing the door.

Chuxue’s gaze followed her the whole time.

I had seen that look before — it was the look someone gives when they are observing “something worth remembering.”

“Mr. Lin’s agency is truly… interesting.”

Chuxue smiled.

“To have such an excellent candidate right at the grand opening.”

When Su Nian heard the word “excellent,” her eyes flickered again.

But she quickly reacted, looking at me with an expression that seemed to say: ‘I don’t even know your name yet.’

‘Is now the time to worry about that?!’

I wanted to shout that at Su Nian, but I couldn’t.

“Miss Chuxue,” I said.

“If you’re looking for Alice, I’ve already told you, she isn’t here.”

“Mhm, I heard you.”

Chuxue nodded.

“But didn’t you say it? I’m here to visit — “

“Well, your visit is over. There’s nothing else to see here.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

She stood up, walked to the window, sat down, and watched Su Nian and me.

Her intention was obvious — wasn’t there still a show to see?

She just sat there.

Su Nian stood to the side, looking at Chuxue and then back at me.

Her expression said: ‘What on earth are you two talking about?’

“Sigh…. Fine.”

I took a deep breath and called Su Nian over, who was acting a bit timid.

I pulled out a pen and paper.

Since she wasn’t leaving, I didn’t have time to waste on her.

I was certain she had no real evidence, and Su Nian was more important right now.

Left with no choice, I began the — test — under that snow-white gaze.

“Now then, Miss Su Nian. If you were a rookie making your debut and you just stepped onto the stage, only to hear the audience whispering doubts like ‘A rookie?’ or ‘Can she even sing?’ or ‘Who is this person?’ what would you do?”

“Uh… I would start the performance immediately and use my skill to prove myself.”

Hearing that answer, I closed my eyes and instinctively rubbed my temples.

“…..Wrong. You must remember that you are a rookie making your first appearance. You were so nervous that you forgot to even introduce yourself.”

I could even guess why she made that mistake.

She was — far too focused on the teaching and sparring simulations from the night before last.

It was an overreaction to the stress.

“Ah, haha…”

Su Nian laughed awkwardly, her face flushing red.

She didn’t even know how many times this had happened now.

But after her laugh, she looked up and caught my eye.

I had seen that look the night before last:

‘I’ll remember it.’

She didn’t argue, but she didn’t admit defeat either.

I then took the opportunity to glance at the snow-white figure.

She was watching Su Nian with a smile, as if saying —

‘That doesn’t seem like the kind of answer or reaction a rookie should have.’

‘Tch…’