Dormitory, room.
Ganyu lay alone on her bed.
Without her junior sister's company, the early spring night felt especially lonely and cold.
Ganyu turned over.
She couldn't sleep.
Ganyu turned over again.
Finally, she took out a few photos.
They were taken by Charlotte earlier that day.
The photos were of Xia Zhi in his new outfit.
Ganyu's eyes grew hazy as she gazed at the person in the photos.
And then, there was no "then."
If there was anything else to say, it was that it happened three times.
---
Fontaine.
Deep within the Palais Mermonia, in a room.
Furina lay weakly on the bed, her slightly reddened eyes still holding traces of tears.
In the mirror, Focalors looked exasperated. "I told you, don't be so ridiculous!"
Furina lazily replied, "What's the matter?"
"You've got water all over my mirror!"
"Really?"
"Look for yourself!"
"Oh, my apologies..."
"If you're going to apologize, at least do it with some sincerity!"
"Should I show you my—"
"Shut up!"
"Okay."
"I'll really tell him if you keep this up!"
"Go ahead."
"You!... Can't you at least act like the Hydro Archon?"
"Please, I'm full of water—"
"Shut up!"
"You're so irritable."
"And whose fault is that?"
"What did I do? I just did what you wanted to do a few times."
"A few times?"
"Oh, so you're not denying that you wanted it, just the number? How honest of you."
"Shut up!"
"All you do is yell 'shut up.' Can't you act more like the Hydro Archon?"
"You're the Hydro Archon now!"
"Even so, we're different."
Furina picked up a teardrop-shaped blue gem, her gaze distant.
"Let's do it again..."
"You're really pushing it!"
---
Vice Principal's room.
Xia Ci sat on the bed, holding the bottle of bright golden liquid.
She seemed to be in high spirits.
But Xia Ci didn't drink it. She simply shook the bottle lightly.
At that moment, there was a soft knock at the door.
Xia Ci heard it, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"She is here."
She tossed the bottle onto the bedside table, got out of bed, and went to open the door.
Standing outside was her good friend—Xia Zhen, dressed in pajamas.
"Why are you here?"
"Couldn't sleep, came to chat with you."
"Oh, come in."
"Mmm."
After entering, Xia Zhen's eyes wandered before settling on the bedside table, lighting up.
It was the bottle, still containing the bright golden liquid.
The two sat on the bed and chatted for a while. Xia Zhen eyed the bottle and finally asked.
"You haven't drunk it yet?"
"No, no rush. I'll save it for later."
"No rush? Don't you need to recover your divine energy?"
"At first, I did want to recover quickly, maybe because I felt insecure. But then I realized, being with cousin, there's no need for that kind of security. The divine energy I have now is more than enough."
Xia Zhen suddenly said, "Liar."
"Oh, you caught me."
"So?"
"Actually, recovering my divine energy would return me to my original form."
"What's wrong with that?"
"My original form isn't good."
"Why not?"
"I'd be as old as you are now."
"!!!"
Xia Zhen bristled.
"Who are you calling old!"
"That's not what I meant."
"Yes, you did!"
"Aw, don't be mad."
"You're being mean!"
"Then, I'll share some with you?"
"Some?"
"Half, okay?"
"Fine, then I'll forgive you."
"Tch..."
Xia Ci handed the bottle over without worrying that Xia Zhen would drink it all.
Xia Zhen felt satisfied. Her best friend was as reliable as ever.
"So, what's so bad about your original form?"
"Are you stupid?"
"!"
"Right now, I look the part of a little cousin. If I turned back into my original, older sister form, how could I keep calling him 'big brother'?"
"..."
"Got it?"
"You just have to call him that, don't you?"
"Well, it is my special nickname."
Xia Zhen pouted.
"Who knows, maybe somewhere out there, someone else is secretly calling him that too."
-----
Inazuma – Grand Narukami Shrine.
Yae Miko sat alone in her room, reading the short letter in her hands under the bright lamplight.
Ei had already returned to Tenshukaku that afternoon. With the Sakoku Decree freshly lifted and the spring plowing season underway, Inazuma was brimming with revitalized activity. There was no shortage of state affairs and administrative tasks waiting for the Raiden Shogun—she truly was busy.
Because of what Makoto had specifically mentioned in the letter, Yae Miko hadn't told Ei the full truth about her sister's situation. She understood Ei's personality all too well.
A hopeless sis-con through and through.
If she found out her sister wasn't actually dead, she might abandon Inazuma entirely to sail across the sea to Liyue on her own.
Yae Miko reread the letter a few more times. Though the contents were brief, she could still pick up on some hidden details.
For instance, Makoto had deliberately brought up her cousin twice—presumably the "Mr. Xia" Kirara had mentioned earlier.
Once was to say his fried tofu was delicious, and that "Little Fox" would surely love it too.
The other was to mention that he'd be taking everyone on a trip this year and that they'd be coming to Inazuma, so she didn't need to overthink things.
Just from those two comments, it was clear that Raiden Makoto had a close relationship with this cousin—and she seemed to listen to him very well.
Or rather, due to some reason, she might have no choice but to follow his arrangements.
Yae Miko lightly ran her fingers over the paper and murmured to herself.
"This Mr. Xia... just who is he?"
A knock came from the door.
"Lady Yae."
"Come in."
A shrine maiden stepped inside and handed her a few pages.
"These are the intel reports you asked me to gather on Zhu Zi."
"Good."
The maiden then pulled out a small sealed bottle filled with a dazzling, multicolored liquid.
"This is some Rainbow Juice I bought from a merchant."
"How much did it cost?"
"One thousand Mora."
"Be sure to go to the storeroom and get reimbursed."
"Mm."
"You can head back and rest now."
"Yes, Lady Yae."
The shrine maiden bowed and closed the door behind her.
Yae Miko carefully put the letter away before turning her attention to the intel documents.
"Zhu Zi, female, 18 years old, native of Inazuma. Father's name: Yoh. Mother's name: Michiru. From a young age, she longed to see the outside world. In the middle of last year, she built a bamboo raft and set off alone across the sea, leaving Inazuma…"
The more she read, the stranger Yae Miko's expression became.
Middle of last year...
At that time, the Sakoku Decree was still in effect, and the seas were filled with thunderclouds and storms. How had an ordinary girl made it through unharmed?
And with nothing but a simple bamboo raft—how did she actually reach Liyue in one piece?
"Zhu Zi sent a letter home via Komaniya Express, saying she'd found work as a waitress at the Summer Shop, earning a base salary of ten thousand Mora a month, with another ten thousand in bonuses. Her parents were relieved to tears…"
"Later, she sent a package through Kirara of Komaniya Express, filled with Liyue specialty products… She also said she'd signed with a publisher and released a novel, even included a sample copy…"
A novel, huh? Kirara had mentioned that Mr. Xia had also written a cultivation novel and even sparked a new literary trend in Liyue.
At this point, Yae Miko's expression turned intrigued.
Now this was her territory.
After finishing Zhu Zi's dossier, Yae Miko picked up the sealed bottle.
Under the lamplight, the liquid inside shimmered brilliantly.
She gently shook the bottle and uncorked it.
A fragrant, exotic fruit aroma wafted from the opening.
"Rainbow Juice, huh…"
She took a sip and savored it slowly.
"Quite a unique flavor…"