Elsewhere in Araumi.
Venti lowered his phone and broke into a goofy grin.
Azhdaha beside him stared. "What's with you?"
"My dear friend said he can cure my cat allergy."
"Oh? Then next time we go to Mondstadt, we can finally drink at Cat's Tail together?"
"Yep."
"Not bad."
"Hehehe…"
"Can you not laugh like that? It's weird."
"Sorry. Just thinking about finally being able to pet cats freely… I can't hold it in…"
"I can't believe this is the real Barbatos."
"Cats are so cute. Loving them isn't a crime."
"Alright, alright…"
"Now I can walk right up to Diona and ask for drinks without worrying."
---
Hanamizaka, Naganohara Fireworks.
Yoimiya burst out of the shop in her usual bright, energetic way, arms full of neatly packed boxes. She called loudly toward the back room, her voice ringing through the storefront.
"Dad, I'm heading to the Grand Narukami Shrine to deliver these! I won't be home for lunch!"
"Be careful on the road!"
"Got it!"
She raised her voice even more. She had to. Her father's hearing wasn't great.
They'd gone to see a doctor before. The doctor said he'd damaged his ears from years of testing fireworks too close to the blasts. But her father always waved it off with that same carefree smile, saying her grandfather's hearing had been bad too.
Yoimiya sighed softly. She couldn't help wondering if she'd grow into a hard-of-hearing granny one day…
A hired carriage was waiting outside. She loaded the boxes onto it, then hopped up herself.
Once the carriage was moving, she took out a light novel she'd bought from the Yae Publishing House the night before, leaned against the window, and opened it with interest.
---
Sumeru, Gandharva Ville.
Collei brought Lumine another bowl of bitter medicine.
Lumine drank it and cringed, sticking her tongue out at the awful taste.
Paimon quickly handed her a cup of water. "Here, rinse your mouth!"
Lumine took a sip. The bitterness faded. "Thanks, Paimon."
Collei smiled at them. "What do you want for breakfast today?"
"Instant noodles!" Paimon answered immediately. "And the braised beef canned food!"
"What about you, Lumine?"
"I'm fine with anything."
"Then instant noodles it is."
Collei took a few tubs of instant noodles and several cans out of her ring. Paimon stared. "Collei, how much instant noodles do you even have left?"
"Not too many. Enough for three or four more days."
"Only three or four days…"
Paimon suddenly looked heartbroken, already mourning the coming days with no instant noodles.
"What'll I do… I don't want to eat anything else anymore."
Collei started boiling water. "It's fine. I still have plenty of Sauce. You'll love it."
Paimon sighed. "If only we could eat instant noodles every day…"
Lumine actually felt the same way, but still said, "Can you not be so obsessed with food, Paimon?"
Paimon immediately retorted, "I like instant noodles. What's wrong with that?"
"Alright, alright…"
While they were chatting, Tighnari walked out of the kitchen. "You're all here."
Paimon turned around and shouted, "It's Tighnari!"
Collei greeted him. "Master."
Lumine nodded politely. "Good morning, Tighnari."
He nodded back with his usual calm expression. "Morning, everyone."
"Master, have you eaten?"
"Not yet."
"Then eat with us."
"Alright. I actually wanted to ask you something."
"You mean what happened yesterday afternoon?" Collei asked.
"Yes. I heard the three of you went to the river valley and successfully cleared a Withering Zone."
Paimon puffed up proudly. "Yup! The three of us are amazing, aren't we?"
Tighnari gave her a look and said, "You were far too reckless."
Collei lowered her head. "Sorry, Master."
"No need to apologize, Collei. I understand why you were worried. Since all of you came back safely, that's what matters. Tell me exactly how you cleared the Withering."
"Alright."
Collei and Lumine recounted everything that had happened yesterday afternoon.
When they finished, Tighnari fell silent, thinking.
He lifted his gaze toward Lumine. "You said the Fungi charged at Collei in the final moment, but it suddenly died on its own?"
Lumine nodded. "Yeah."
"That's… unusual."
"Was it because the Tumor of the Withering disappeared?" Lumine asked.
"I'm not sure. Whenever I clear a Withering Zone, I always defeat the Fungi first and remove the tumor last."
"I see…"
"The water's boiled," Collei said. "Time to make the noodles."
"Yay!" Paimon cheered.
After the noodles were ready, Collei warmed a few cans. "Master, want some? Braised beef?"
Tighnari sniffed the aroma and nodded lightly. "Alright."
Paimon took a bite and melted with happiness. "Still so good!"
Tighnari tasted it, and even his eyes reflected a hint of surprise. It was his first time eating food made by Xia Zhi. "Quality ingredients, perfect balance of flavor. In simple terms… delicious."
After breakfast, Tighnari finally explained why he'd come.
"Several Withering Zones suddenly appeared around Gandharva Ville. I can't handle them alone. I want to ask the two of you to help."
Collei nodded. "Of course, Master."
Lumine agreed too. "You took us in. Helping is the least we can do."
Paimon protested, "Hey, why only ask them? I'm good at lookout duty! That's useful!"
"Then I'll be counting on all three of you," Tighnari said seriously. "This is the route map. If you need anything, you can get it from the warehouse. The Withering is unpredictable. Be careful."
"Got it!"
---
The carriage reached the foot of Mt. Yougou.
From here, the Grand Narukami Shrine was already visible.
But the only way up was a long staircase.
The carriage couldn't go higher. Yoimiya paid the driver, thanked him, grabbed the boxes, and stared up the endless steps.
"Alright… time to work hard! The last time I came here was last year when Ayaka invited me to deliver fireworks to the Guuji… I wonder if I'll need to bring some for this year's summer festival…"
The boxes looked big, but they were light. Nothing inside but fireworks and some cloth scraps. For a Vision holder like her, carrying them uphill wasn't hard at all.
While she climbed, she noticed something odd.
There were way more people heading toward the shrine than usual.
Even though the Decree had ended this year and there were definitely more foreign visitors, most people she saw now were locals.
And many of them were coming in groups.
Curious, Yoimiya walked over and asked someone.
She learned they had all come for… the shrine's cafeteria.
Yoimiya blinked.
They climbed Mt. Yougou… just to eat?
Her expression turned strange.
----
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