Could he have secretly undergone vocal surgery? Ariana thought the idea was unlikely but couldn't come up with a more plausible explanation.

Despite her best efforts, the puzzle remained unsolved. With a deep sigh, she wondered if it was all just a series of coincidences. Then, the eerie apparition she had seen earlier that day returned to haunt her thoughts.

Was it real, or simply a creation of her imagination?

Shawn showed up in the afternoon to fetch Adele. Thanks to Ariana's pep talk, Adele went along without a fuss instead of clinging to her friend.

Adele and Melon exchanged their farewells, the latter a bit downhearted about watching his buddy leave. Off to the side, Ariana and Shawn chatted about setting up therapy sessions.

“Considering how Adele's feeling, I think once a week is plenty,"

Ariana said.

Shawn gave her a nod.

"You just tell me when, and I'll get everything sorted."

Once they'd hammered out the details, Shawn departed with Adele.

As they went on their way, Ariana dove straight back into plans for the upcoming talent show. Sonia chimed in with a playful tone, "Slow down! You're working too hard!"

Ariana just smiled.

"Well, my team's got some catching up to do."

Sonia laughed, said, "I'll be keeping an eye out," and then went off to spend some time with Melon.

Over the next few days, Ariana kept a close eye on her team's rigorous practice sessions. Her straightforward approach had them on their toes, but things were going well, all in all.

In no time, the day of the show was upon them. There was a palpable excitement backstage as everyone prepped. A ton of cameras focused on the green room, broadcasting live to the talent show's website.

Audience numbers varied a lot between teams. Top dogs like Rollingrock Media racked up millions of views the moment they started streaming.

With an impressive lineup and their heartthrob manager, Calvert Glyn, whom everyone hoped would step into the spotlight, they were the ones to watch.

While other groups couldn't match Rollingrock's fame, they had some talked-about or loved contestants that got people talking, and their numbers weren't half bad.

But for Ariana's stream? It was a different story. They barely had a few thousand viewers. The vibe on their end didn't match the excitement seen elsewhere.