If Arataki Itto hadn't mentioned it earlier, Kuki Shinobu would've thought they'd arrived in Fontaine.
The buildings here were even taller than those in Fontaine. The cars speeding down the streets, the students riding bicycles—everything was completely unfamiliar to her.
Just then—
Sayu's sleepy eyes suddenly lit up. "Over there, I see a shark monster."
Kuki Shinobu quickly asked, "Where?"
Sayu lazily raised a hand. "That way…"
Hearing this, Arataki Itto, Kuki Shinobu, and Kazuha immediately looked in the direction Sayu was pointing—and sure enough, they spotted a figure with a shark-like tail.
No wait… on closer look, that wasn't a monster.
Arataki Itto burst out laughing. "That's not a monster! That's a Thiren. There are all kinds of Thirens living in this city."
Then—
Itto launched into one of his long-winded stories.
Like how on Sixth Street, he once saw a bear-headed Thiren that looked just like Guoba..
Or how at Hare's House, there was a cat Thiren...
Speaking of Hare's House—
Itto couldn't wait any longer. "No time to waste—let's head to Hare's House now! Brother Billy's probably already waiting for us."
Sayu yawned. "Shouldn't we be looking for the Traveler first?"
Kuki Shinobu replied seriously, "Of course we should. But we don't know our way around here. If we can get help from someone local, we'll find the Traveler and Keqing a lot faster."
So Kuki Shinobu agreed with Itto's plan.
First, go to Hare's House—then figure out how to track down the Traveler and Keqing.
With that, Arataki Itto eagerly took the lead, followed closely by Kazuha, Kuki Shinobu, and a yawning Sayu.
Along the way—
Itto excitedly pointed things out as they walked, introducing the wonders of New Eridu.
"That's a car…"
"That's a burger joint…"
"That's a Bangboo robot…"
"That's… another burger joint…"
"Hold on, Itto," Kazuha interrupted. "Didn't we already pass by here?"
He glanced around and confirmed it—same burger shop, same street. They'd definitely been here before.
Hearing that, Itto looked up at the storefront. "Huh… yeah. Looks like we have."
Uh-oh.
They were lost.
Sayu yawned again. "Didn't you say you knew the way to Hare's House?"
Itto scratched his head, embarrassed. "Last time I came here with that bard who sings for a living. We took a car, and I thought I remembered the route… but now it's all jumbled up."
Kuki Shinobu: "…"
Kazuha: "…"
In short—
Even Arataki Itto had no idea how to get to Hare's House.
After a pause, Kuki Shinobu said firmly, "Wait here. I'll go gather some intel."
With that, she quickly ran across the street.
It didn't take long before she returned with the information. Turns out Hare's House was much farther away than expected—this city really was enormous.
"Nice going, Shinobu!" Itto cheered. "Kazuha, Sayu, let's move!"
Kazuha silently followed. "…"
Sayu yawned again. "How long is this gonna take..."
She eyed the passing cars longingly, half-tempted to hop into one and let it carry her to their destination.
With Kuki Shinobu leading the way, the group set off again toward Hare's House.
But the distance was far greater than they'd imagined. Even after walking for over half an hour, they still hadn't arrived.
Instead, they found themselves on Sixth Street.
Itto's eyes lit up. "This is the video shop! I know the Proxy siblings who run it."
He walked up and knocked on the door. No answer. He gave it a gentle push—locked. No one home.
Just as he was about to head to the nearby café to see if he could find Sam Li...
A Public Security Bureau patrol car suddenly pulled up behind them.
Two officers stepped out, their expressions stern as they approached.
"What are you doing here?"
The officers were none other than Qingyi and Zhu Yuan.
While making their rounds on Sixth Street, they'd noticed Arataki Itto's group acting suspiciously—especially since they were gathered around a closed storefront.
To prevent any possible trouble, they'd immediately driven over to investigate.
When Arataki Itto spotted them, his eyes lit up. "Hey—it's you two!"
Zhu Yuan frowned slightly. "And you are?"
She thought Itto looked familiar, but couldn't place him.
Itto grinned. "Last time, my buddy Billy and I were driving a truck out of the Hollow—you two were chasing us!"
The moment he said that, both officers remembered.
They relaxed a little, recognizing him now.
Then—
Zhu Yuan and Qingyi took a closer look at the group. Each one of them was armed—some with swords, others with different weapons. They clearly weren't ordinary people.
Most likely, they were all ability users.
Zhu Yuan spoke up. "So... Arataki..."
Itto beamed. "The name's Arataki Itto!"
Zhu Yuan said seriously, "Mr. Arataki Itto, what brings you here?"
Itto explained, "We're heading to Hare's House to look for Sam Li. We just happened to pass by this street and thought we'd check if the shop owners were in."
Hearing that, Zhu Yuan and Qingyi exchanged glances—both a little surprised.
Sam Li again?
First the Hare's House crew, then Keqing and her group, and now Arataki Itto's crew…
There were over a dozen of them now—and all of them had elemental powers.
When so many ability users gathered around Sam Li, even in a city as large as New Eridu, it was a force to be reckoned with.
And that was with someone as powerful as Sam Li at the center of it all.
After thinking for a moment, Qingyi smiled. "That's perfect. Zhu Yuan and I were just about to head to Hare's House ourselves. Hop in—we'll give you a ride."
Kuki Shinobu and Kazuha hesitated.
But Itto and Sayu had already climbed into the patrol car.
"Come on, Shinobu, Kazuha! Get in already," Itto called out.
Sayu leaned back in the seat and yawned. "So comfy..."
Kuki Shinobu: "…"
Kazuha: "…"
The two exchanged a look—then climbed in.
It was their first time in a vehicle like this, so they sat cautiously, eyeing their surroundings.
As the car began to move—
Kuki Shinobu frowned slightly, and Kazuha looked deep in thought.
Zhu Yuan glanced back and asked, testing the waters, "You're all friends of Mr. Sam Li, then?"
Kazuha blinked. "Mr. Sam Li?"
Itto explained, "That's Lord Zhongli's alias. He started going by Sam Li after coming here."
Kuki Shinobu took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. We're all his friends."