The Formation of MAVE:

Episode 16. Siu

Years ago, there was a strange rumor circulating among the students of Noah Tech School dormitories. Late at night, a humming sound echoed through the school corridors, disappearing and reappearing like an elusive echo. Students influenced by this sound repeatedly vanished into the night, following the sound, only to reappear later. This phenomenon was so bizarre that neither the system nor the AG Security Agents could uncover the cause.

The incident finally came to an end after the third-year students graduated. The school authorities, in collaboration with AG Security Agents, thoroughly investigated all the third-year students at the time, but the culprit was never caught.

"Actually, it was me humming at night."

"What?"

"Really??"

Sitting cross-legged in the common room in their pajamas, the three of them were taken aback by Siu's confession.

"This is the first time I've heard about this?"

"It's the first time I've mentioned it."

"How did that happen?"

"Well, you see..."

In response to Marty's question, Siu chuckled awkwardly.

"I just really wanted to sing, so I created my own virtual space and sang in there. But somehow, rumors started circulating without me even realizing it. So, I'm not really sure what happened or how it spread."

"Ah, the virtual space you've been to before?"

"Yeah. It was much smaller when I first created it."

"Did you ever go in, Zena?"

Marty shot Zena a look that seemed to express envy.

"I mean, I did go a few times, but honestly, I didn't know it was Siu's."

"Anyway, it's still amazing!"

Both Siu and Zena nodded along with Marty's admiration.

"Amazing?"

"Yeah, Siu created a virtual space even AG couldn't detect."

"Hmm, is that so?"

Siu and Zena both wore skeptical expressions at Marty's explanation.

"So, what song did you sing then?"

"I don't know. I was just humming whatever melody came to mind."

"Can you sing it for us?"

With a sparkling gaze, Marty looked at Siu, who glanced at Zena. Zena smiled and nodded, prompting Siu to close her eyes and hum the tune.

"That's beautiful."

Enchanted by the warm and emotional melody, Zena couldn't help but exclaim, while Marty nodded in agreement. Amidst it all, however, one question lingered in their minds.

"But can rumors really spread in school?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, rumors typically spread from mouth to mouth when there's interest, but that's impossible here."

"Hmm... Maybe the school deliberately leaked it to confirm the truth and see who would react to the rumor."

At that moment, they felt a chill run down their spines, more unsettling than watching a horror movie. They were frozen, unable to utter a word.

"Thank goodness we weren't caught back then, Siu."

"Yeah, since we didn't get caught then, we can sing freely now, right? Hehe."