After testing the Universal Syringe, Xia Zhi had nothing to do that morning.
Most of the girls in his household had gone out to explore, so he wandered over to the Omikuji stand and watched guests drawing fortunes.
Miyuki approached, cheeks pink, and whispered her thanks.
Kano Nana had gone to the city to buy her medicine. She'd already taken a few doses. The taste was terrible, but the results were immediate. The stomach pain that had plagued her for so long was gone.
Xia Zhi smiled. "As long as you're better, there's no need to thank me."
Miyuki hesitated, then blushed even harder. "Mr. Xia, I… have something to ask."
"What is it?"
"Um… Nana actually has the same problem as me. So I wanted to ask… can she use the same medicine you gave me?"
Xia Zhi shook his head. "No. That prescription works only for you. If someone else drinks it, not only will it fail, it'll poison them."
Miyuki froze. "Huh?"
"She hasn't drunk any, right?"
"Not yet…"
"Good. Tell her to come see me when she's free. I'll check her pulse and write a prescription just for her."
"Thank you, Mr. Xia!"
She hurried off, probably terrified Nana might try to drink her medicine by accident.
Xia Zhi returned to watching the shrine visitors through the special sight of his glasses.
Then he spotted a familiar red silhouette.
The owner of Naganohara Fireworks.
He remembered her well. Mostly because she still had an uncompleted Silver Tier Progress Bar floating over her head. A few days ago, everyone had gone shopping in Inazuma City. Klee had insisted on buying fireworks, so he placed a big order at Yoimiya's shop.
He had even learned a new skill from her: Fireworks Mastery.
Judging from the boxes she was carrying now, she was here to make the delivery.
The moment he recognized her, she spotted him too.
She remembered him as well, since he had paid the deposit.
Yoimiya ran toward him happily.
"Customer! Your fireworks are done!"
"Oh?"
"The special clover-pattern fireworks! I promise you'll love them!"
"And if I don't?"
"You will! No one has ever been disappointed! Even the Shogun and the Guuji like our fireworks!"
"Oh? You've made fireworks for Ei and Yae Miko before?"
That caught his interest.
"We're pretty amazing," she said proudly.
He took the boxes and paid the remainder.
Yoimiya looked around. "Where's the little girl?"
"Which one?"
"The one in the red outfit who wanted to buy fireworks!"
"You mean Klee… she went out to play."
"Oh…"
Yoimiya looked a bit disappointed.
Probably because they were both Pyro Vision holders. She'd taken a liking to Klee immediately.
And she thought highly of Xiangling too. They'd only exchanged a few words, but their personalities just felt compatible.
Unfortunately, they weren't at the shrine now.
Yoimiya waved goodbye, then ran excitedly over to the Omikuji stand.
You couldn't visit the Grand Narukami Shrine without drawing a fortune!
Xia Zhi watched her for a moment, chuckled, then opened the box of fireworks to examine them.
Thanks to Fireworks Mastery, he understood the craftsmanship easily. His fingers moved swiftly, and within moments, he'd disassembled one firework entirely.
"So that's how the pattern is formed… clever."
He picked up a small pinch of powder between his fingers.
"And this mix changes the color to green… makes the clover look vivid when it bursts."
No wonder the Shogun and Guuji were satisfied with this shop's fireworks. They were pricey, but the quality was excellent.
A rushed voice came from behind him, accompanied by quick footsteps.
"What are you doing?! You can't just take fireworks apart!"
Yoimiya crouched beside him and quickly reassembled the firework. Her hands moved so fast they blurred. In minutes, it looked brand new again.
She exhaled in relief, then turned to him firmly. "Customer, please don't take fireworks apart. There's an open fire right next to us! It's dangerous!"
She pointed at the small brazier used to burn unwanted fortunes.
Messing with fireworks beside open flame really was dangerous for ordinary people.
Xia Zhi nodded. "I know. I was just curious…"
"Curious isn't an excuse! What if you got hurt! And this is the shrine! Look how many people are around!"
"Sorry."
Yoimiya sighed. "I should just bring the fireworks to the warehouse for you. I know where it is. And they can't be used during the day anyway."
She put the firework back, picked up the boxes, and headed off.
Xia Zhi watched her go, a small smile on his lips.
Very kind girl.
He lowered his gaze and saw something on the ground.
A fallen Omikuji.
The one she dropped earlier.
He picked it up and checked it.
Excellent Blessing.
Of course. Girls who smiled that brightly always had good luck.
After a while, Yoimiya returned, the boxes gone.
"I put the fireworks in the warehouse."
"Thanks." Xia Zhi handed her the Omikuji. "You dropped this."
"Oh… thank you! By the way… you seem to know a lot about fireworks?"
"Why do you think so?"
"Because no normal person can take apart a firework without damaging it!"
He laughed. "I know a little bit."
"A little? Really?"
Delighted at finding someone who understood fireworks as well as she did, Yoimiya immediately launched into conversation.
Xia Zhi had nothing else to do, so he answered everything she asked.
Even though his Fireworks Mastery came from her—meaning their foundational knowledge was the same—he was also an alchemy master and a mechanism master. His ideas branched out quickly. He could think of new materials to make colors brighter or sounds more pleasant.
Yoimiya was amazed. Her eyes shone every time he spoke.
By the end, she bowed her head sincerely. "I'm sorry, Mr. Xia. I misunderstood you earlier."
"No worries."
Xia Zhi smiled when he saw what appeared in his inventory.
A Silver Treasure Chest.
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