Yae Miko's grand, meandering tour of Inazuma City eventually led them down the winding, vibrant streets towards Hanamizaka, the district known for its artisans and its lively, festive atmosphere. As they rounded a corner, a series of sharp, joyful whizzes and loud, crackling pops filled the air, followed by a shower of brilliant, golden sparks that bloomed and faded against the afternoon sky.
"Ah," Miko said with a knowing smile. "It seems the Queen of the Summer Festival, Yoimiya is hard at work."
In a small, open-air workshop filled with colorful paper, strange-looking tubes, and the faint, sharp smell of black powder, a young woman with a bright, sunny smile and a cascade of short, honey-blonde hair was expertly tying a fuse to a large, fish-shaped object. She was dressed in a vibrant, festive yukata, and her entire being seemed to radiate a boundless, infectious energy. It was Yoimiya, the owner of Naganohara Fireworks.
"Almost done… just a little more…" she muttered to herself in concentration. She then looked up, her golden eyes landing on the approaching trio, and her face broke into a grin as wide and as bright as a summer sunrise.
"Lady Yae! Welcome!" she chirped, wiping a smudge of soot from her cheek with the back of her hand. Her gaze then fell upon Ren, and her grin somehow managed to get even wider. "And who is this little firefly? Wow! Your hair is so pretty! And your eyes! They're like little blue sparks!"
Before Miko or Ganyu could even make a formal introduction, Yoimiya had bounded over, her energy a cheerful, unstoppable force of nature. "You're just in time!" she declared, her eyes sparkling with a passionate, creative fire. "I've just finished a new batch of my masterpiece: the Golden Goldfish! I need to test one. You have to watch! You'll love it!"
She didn't wait for an answer. She carefully picked up the large, goldfish-shaped firework, handled it with the loving care of a mother holding her child, and set it up in the designated testing area in the middle of the street.
"Okay, everyone, stand back!" she called out, a look of pure, unadulterated joy on her face. With a practiced, steady hand, she lit the long fuse.
A jet of sparks shot from the firework as it rocketed into the sky with a loud, triumphant WHOOSH. It climbed higher and higher, a streak of gold against the blue canvas of the sky, before exploding in a spectacular, breathtaking display. It was not a simple burst of color. The explosion took the form of a giant, glittering, golden goldfish, which seemed to swim through the air for a long, magical moment, shedding a cascade of smaller, crackling golden sparks before fading away.
It was a work of pure, ephemeral art.
Ren stared, his head tilted back, his glowing azure eyes wide with a wonder so profound it was almost tangible. He had seen fireworks in his old world, but they were just loud noises and random bursts of color. This… this was magic.
Yoimiya, seeing the look of pure, unadulterated awe on his face, felt her heart swell with a craftsman's pride. "Did you like it?!" she asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Ren breathed, his voice full of a sincere, heartfelt wonder.
Yoimiya's heart melted. "Oh, you are just the sweetest!" she squealed. She then had a brilliant idea. She rushed back into her workshop and came back with a handful of smaller, much less powerful, hand-held fireworks.
"Here," she said, pressing one into his hand. "You try! These are just little sparklers. They're perfectly safe."
Ganyu, her protective instincts flaring, started to protest. "Yoimiya, I don't know if that's…"
But Ren was already looking at the small firework in his hand with a fascinated, excited expression. He looked at Ganyu, his eyes pleading. "Please, big sister? I'll be careful."
Seeing the pure, childish joy on his face, a joy he so rarely got to express, Ganyu's resolve crumbled. Yae Miko just watched, a deeply amused smile on her face.
Yoimiya carefully showed Ren how to light the sparkler from a small, slow-burning punk. He held it out, his small hand surprisingly steady.
Fssshhhh!
A stream of bright, crackling, golden sparks erupted from the end of the stick, and Ren's face was illuminated by their warm, magical glow. A look of pure, unadulterated delight spread across his face. He waved the sparkler in the air, creating trails of light, his laughter a happy, tinkling sound that mingled with the crackle of the sparks.
Ganyu and Yae Miko stood back, watching the scene. They saw the girl of summer, her face aglow with the joy of sharing her passion, and the quiet, magical boy from another land, his face lit up with a simple, pure, and beautiful happiness. In that moment, he was not the Azure Savior, not a genius inventor, not a political asset. He was just a child, playing with fireworks on a warm, sunny afternoon, and it was the most wonderful sight in the world.