The next day, Lucian and the others were proceeding according to plan. The resistance members, disguised as civilians, surrounded the Statue of the Omnipresent God, while the Shogunate forces were under Kujou Sara's command.
Lumine was keeping her distance for now, as it wasn't her turn to take the stage yet. She'd make her "superhero" entrance once the Raiden Shogun arrived.
Then, they'd wait for Ei to pull the Traveler into the Plane of Euthymia, where the wishes at the Statue of the Omnipresent God and those of the surrounding crowd would aid the Traveler.
As for the true protagonist of this operation—Thoma—he was already kneeling, bound in a "turtle-shell binding."
In this "trap" set for the Raiden Shogun, Thoma was playing the role of the "tricolor dango" bait. Everything was ready, just waiting for Ei to arrive and pull the "rope."
Then, the "rope" would catch Ei by the ankle, hoist her upside down, and the capture would be a success.
Theoretically, it was similar to trapping a wild boar in the mountains: use bait to lure the "boar" out, and pull the rope when it goes for the food.
However, at this moment, the "boar" Ei hadn't arrived yet, and the "bait" Thoma had something to say.
"Buddy, no matter how you look at it, this isn't right, is it?" Thoma said with a wry smile.
I'm willing to sacrifice myself as bait, but isn't this binding method a bit too much?
This kind of binding—forget where you learned it from, but is it really okay to use it on me?
With this binding, I can't even adjust my trajectory!
"What's wrong?" Lucian examined the "turtle-shell binding" on Thoma and said, "I tied it perfectly."
"Even though it's my first time trying, the result is surprisingly good. Nothing's wrong with it." Lucian nodded, satisfied.
He'd only seen it done before, and this was his first attempt. After studying it for a while, he finally got it right. It was easier said than done.
Good thing I'm skilled with my hands!
"It's not about whether you tied it right!" Thoma passionately retorted. "Why did you use this binding method!?"
Let's be reasonable. If you tried this in private, I might've let it slide given your status as the Prophet. But in public, with so many eyes watching!?
"This is just Inazuma culture, isn't it? When in Rome, do as the Romans do," Lucian said with a cheeky grin.
"What kind of Inazuma culture is this!?" Thoma was speechless.
As the Prophet, you know so much—even the Fatui's secrets—yet you have such a deep misunderstanding of Inazuma's culture?
"Besides, I'm from Mondstadt. How about using Mondstadt culture instead?" Thoma ventured.
Since Lucian had a misconception about Inazuma culture, Thoma didn't bother correcting him.
Why not just let him use Mondstadt culture? That should be more normal, right? Mondstadt doesn't have any weird traditions.
"Mondstadt?" Lucian thought for a moment. What to do? I don't know much about Western stuff.
Other than spanking, I don't know much about Western culture. But spanking a guy's butt? That's way too much. Better forget it.
"Even though it's your request… it's a bit tricky for me…" Lucian gave Thoma a look that said, "I didn't expect you to be that kind of person."
"Are you misunderstanding something again?" Thoma's face turned ashen.
What's with that look? I didn't even give you that look!
We're all speaking Teyvat's language, so why does it feel like communication is so hard?
Lucian, are you really from Teyvat? Are you sure you're not posing as a human?
Seeing Thoma's expression, Lucian nodded in satisfaction. Alright, brothers, the lead actor's in character. All that effort acting opposite him wasn't in vain.
That's right—Lucian was messing with Thoma to get him into character, not out of some perverse.
Ignoring Thoma, Lucian turned and left, as if he'd made up his mind about something.
Thoma watched longingly as Lucian blended into the crowd. He understood—he couldn't change Lucian's mind. Resigned, he turned toward the crowd.
Thoma accepted his fate. Lucian really wasn't going to change the binding method.
"Sigh." Thoma let out a sigh. Maybe this was just a fixer's fate?
As Thoma was lamenting, Kujou Sara returned. Her gaze lingered on him for a moment, hesitating as if she wanted to say something.
In the end, she chose to stay silent and walked toward Lucian.
Thoma was even more speechless. Come on, say something! A quip right now would actually make me feel better!
You're not even commenting—how am I supposed to respond or explain? If I start explaining, it'll just sound like I'm covering something up!
Help! How did I end up with such a bunch of terrible friends? Do they even see me as human!?
Kujou Sara approached Lucian and said, "I've informed the Shogun. She'll be here soon. Are you ready?"
"Of course. Didn't you see my meticulously prepared Thoma?" Lucian flashed an "OK" gesture.
"…" I saw him, which is why I'm asking if you're ready.
I thought you guys were just messing around, but you're actually serious? You're really going to face the Shogun like this? That's disrespectful to the Shogun!!!
If the Shogun picks up bad habits… bad habits… cough…
But with the Shogun arriving soon, there didn't seem to be much time to redo anything. They'd have to go with this for now.
"Sigh, as long as you're ready," Kujou Sara sighed, a rare occurrence for her.
Lucian flashed another "OK" gesture, signaling her to go ahead, no problem.
As Kujou Sara left, her gaze lingered on Thoma again, but she still said nothing.
Thoma's heart screamed, "Come on, say something!"
Unfortunately, Kujou Sara left without the slightest hint of a quip.
Thoma started to miss Lumine. If she were here, she'd definitely say something—even if it was just to stir the pot, it'd be better than nothing.
At that moment, Lumine seemed to sense Thoma's call, glancing toward the Statue of the Omnipresent God.
"What's up, Traveler?" Paimon asked, puzzled.
"Lucian just told me the Raiden Shogun's coming," Lumine said.
"Really? Should we get closer then?" Paimon nodded, quickly finishing her grilled skewer.
They were waiting anyway, so they'd set up a little picnic right there.
Lumine hurriedly wolfed down the remaining skewers. Grilled food didn't taste as good once it cooled.
Sadly, Thoma's "wish" didn't reach Lumine.
As Lumine devoured her food, back at the Statue of the Omnipresent God, Kujou Sara had brought the Raiden Shogun.
The Raiden Shogun approached with elegant steps, her gaze pausing on Thoma as she arrived.
"?"
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice: Raiden Shogun, Raiden Ei – About Thoma
Raiden Shogun: "…I have no intention of commenting on my subjects' hobbies."
Raiden Ei: "Hm? What hobbies? I didn't notice. Can you demonstrate?"