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"Sorry… I didn't even know when or where that meteor shower would appear, and I still brought you all the way here like this…"
"It's really fine. I chose to come along myself. And even if we don't get to see the meteor shower, this long journey alone feels fresh enough. I'm already satisfied."
Yoimiya gave a wry smile and pulled out a thick stack of paper slips, laying them out on the table. "And there's all of these too… sob sob sob. When everyone heard I was going out to watch a meteor shower, they all said they wanted to make wishes on the shooting stars, so I had them write them down. But before I knew it, I'd collected dozens of them. Now it feels like it'll be really hard to explain myself…"
"In truth, wishing upon shooting stars is nothing more than a beautiful hope to begin with," Hanachirusato analyzed calmly. "It's just like drawing fortunes at the Grand Narukami Shrine. Whether it's a good fortune or a bad one, it only affects the mind. A good fortune gives people resolve, confidence, and enthusiasm. A bad fortune serves as a warning, prompting reflection and caution."
She suggested, "Whether we truly see a meteor shower or not, the people who wrote these slips won't know either. Why not use a kind lie to give them some positive feelings?"
Yoimiya lightly bit her lip and nodded. "That's what I was thinking too, but I still want to try to find a place or a ritual where wishes are more likely to come true… It would make me feel a bit better about it."
"Then why don't we go ask at the Akademiya?"
"But asking researchers about something so vague and uncertain would definitely put them in a difficult position, wouldn't it?"
"That's true… What a shame Victor isn't here, and Lumine isn't either. They stayed in Sumeru for quite a while…"
"I remember when they came last time for the bubble-blowing contest, they stayed at that inn. Their rooms should still be booked. Maybe they're just out temporarily…"
Thousand Winds, Thousand Winds, Thousand Winds—!
A faint breeze brushed past, almost imperceptible, and a voice suddenly rang out. "Lumine went to the desert. At this time, she's probably strolling through the market, and after that she plans to head deeper into the desert to explore. If you're hoping to see her in Sumeru City, your timing's a bit unfortunate."
"Victor?!"
Yoimiya and Hanachirusato turned to the side in surprise. The person they couldn't even find with Katherine's help was actually 'encountered' here, in an ordinary street-side café.
"I heard you're looking for the grandest meteor shower in all of Teyvat. I didn't come too late, did I?"
Yoimiya laughed awkwardly. "How do you know about that too… Actually…"
Victor Wang cut in immediately. "Actually, you're not sure when that meteor shower will appear."
"Ehehe…"
"How long have you been here?"
"If we're talking about Sumeru City, not even a full morning yet."
"Perfect. The Rtawahist Darshan at the Akademiya specializes in studying the stars. I just happened to meet a friend from the Rtawahist Darshan a few days ago. Wait here for a bit—I'll go ask around for you."
"Actually—! Uh… He left so fast…"
…
Although he said he was going to ask a friend from the Rtawahist Darshan, knowing full well that this meteor shower would never actually appear, Victor Wang chose to head straight for Nahida.
"The grandest meteor shower in all of Teyvat? I'm sorry—this may be a bit of a letdown, but I must answer you truthfully."
Nahida explained seriously. "It is commonly believed that the stars in Teyvat's sky are connected to human fate. According to Rtawahist Darshan research, meteor showers are celestial phenomena triggered by the intertwined interference of many complex destinies. But fate itself is inherently unpredictable… In other words, the arrival of a meteor shower cannot be predicted, nor does it bestow blessings upon those who witness it."
"So… there's really no way?" Victor Wang asked quietly. "Those two friends of mine—Yoimiya is always so careful about protecting children's sense of wonder. Whether it's the bake-danuki or Dodoco, she'll go along with children's fantasies, weaving stories so real they feel true, and even accompany them to verify those stories. And Hanachirusato too… She's given up so much, and now all she wants is to reclaim her own memories, yet this is the outcome she gets…"
"You're more shaken by this than I expected," Nahida observed gently.
"Because the thought of disappointing people like them… It's just too hard to accept…"
"I understand. In that case, perhaps we can learn from Yoimiya's own approach, and give them a kind lie."
"How would we do that?"
Nahida replied,
"Making up a story shouldn't be difficult for you. You can craft a story about a meteor shower, walk part of the journey with them, and put in some effort along the way.
"I don't have the power to summon a meteor shower, but helping you watch one in a dream is still within my abilities… However, I can't stay on standby at all times. I'll tell the Aranara about this. Once they hear the full story, they'll surely be willing to help.
"When all the groundwork for your story is laid, blow this leaf, and you'll naturally be rewarded with a meteor shower within a dream.
"And when it's all over, when the meteor shower ends and they wake from the dream, they should understand what happened. At that point, telling them the truth likely won't leave them feeling disappointed."
…
"I'm back!"
"Victor, it's fine. Even if we don't get to see that meteor shower—"
"We will see it. I asked around at the Akademiya. We're very lucky—the meteor shower can be seen right here in Sumeru!"
"Huh?"
Yoimiya and Hanachirusato exchanged glances. This didn't match what they'd previously heard from Akademiya scholars at all.
Seeing their doubts, Victor Wang hurriedly filled in the details. "Meteor showers are actually summoned by wishes, so it's normal that the timing is uncertain. We can find a way to make it happen."
Yoimiya pondered this. "So instead of wishing on shooting stars, we use wishes to summon them?"
"Exactly. But the wish has to be strong enough. And wishes alone aren't enough—you also need to find something else to summon the stars."
Hanachirusato asked, "What would that be?"
"It's called a 'Dream Flower.' It's a flower formed from many pure dreams. Dreams are unconscious reflections of wishes. When it comes into contact with a sufficiently strong wish, the power of those pure dreams is guided, amplifying the wish into something overwhelmingly strong. As long as the Dream Flower blooms, it can summon a meteor shower."
Yoimiya's eyes lit up. "Then shall we give it a try?"
Hanachirusato nodded as well. "If Victor says so, then let's try."
"Alright! Operation: Search for the Dream Flower begins! But where do we find a Dream Flower? Do we have any clues?"
Victor Wang prompted, "The information I got from the Akademiya also stopped at the Dream Flower. According to them, following the principle of 'falsification over verification,' since they've never found a Dream Flower, they can't prove it exists, so they classified it as a legend… But the Akademiya avoids recording it for the sake of rigor. Ordinary people in Sumeru might actually know more."
"So, we need to ask around for information, right? That's my specialty!"
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