"You were the one who ran away first! And you still have the nerve to make fun of me?!" Paimon huffed, her hands on her hips, her expression serious.
"Ahem, well, when you said 'ghosts,' my first instinct was to get you all to safety. Real ghosts are terrifying—my mighty fists are completely useless against them!" Itto cleared his throat, striking a thoughtful pose.
"Then why aren't you running away now?" Lumine asked.
Itto struck a pensive pose, revealing his hidden reasoning: "Because... I remember they ran away too! That means they're scared of us too! Thinking about that helped me calm down."
"And once I calmed down, this mighty one started wondering... were they really ghosts? Maybe they were just putting on an act!"
Lumine pondered this for a moment. "Could they be people sent by the Yashiro Commission?"
"Definitely not. I took a lap around Chinju Forest during the competition earlier and already checked out all the traps the Yashiro Commission set up. Those three guys weren't Yashiro Commission agents, but they did look kind of familiar... Come on, let's go back and take another look."
Hearing the word "go back," Paimon frantically waved her hands in refusal.
"What do you mean, go back? Even if there's a chance... but, but even if there's only the slightest possibility they're ghosts, rushing back like this would be too reckless!"
"Paimon, if you're scared, you can stay here. Yuna, the Traveler, and I will go ahead."
Paimon's big eyes darted around, as if she'd suddenly had an idea. She zipped over to Lumine's side:
"I just remembered! That novel I bought from Yae Publishing House last time said that whenever investigators say 'I'm not going,' they're usually the next victims! No way! I have to go too! I can't leave the Traveler's side!"
"Alright then," Itto said. "They seemed to run off in that direction just now. But since we don't know exactly where they went, let's split up to search. Traveler, you and Paimon go together, and Yuna and I will go together."
Yuna had no objections. She'd already teamed up with Lumine once before, so she figured she'd let someone else have the next chance to pair up with her.
-
After parting ways with Yuna, Lumine and Paimon searched tirelessly in one direction, hoping to find the three rogues. Instead, they stumbled upon a strange woman crouching in a corner, muttering to herself.
Paimon was still chattering to Lumine when they turned around and bumped into the woman.
"Whoa! How did someone get here so quietly? You scared me half to death!"
Lumine and Paimon approached the woman, straining to hear her words:
"You can't do this, Qianhe. Letting desire overcome reason will only bring misfortune to others. You mustn't repeat your mistakes... Just endure a little longer. You've held on for so long already; what's a little more time? Right?"
Paimon took the initiative to speak up. "Hello there! Have you seen three bad guys pass through here? Uh... they're about this big..."
Paimon gestured with her hands, making a shape that no one could possibly understand.
Lumine noticed the woman seemed to be burying something.
The woman stood up, her black-and-red clothing shifting as she moved. "Are you... talking to me?"
"To... to talk to someone like me?"
The woman turned, her face pale as death. Her left eye was obscured by what looked like a cluster of flowers, while her right eye burned crimson, creating an unsettling contrast against her strange attire.
"Uwaaaah!"
Paimon and Lumine recoiled in terror.
"You shouldn't have come here. You shouldn't have approached me... If you value your lives, leave this place immediately. Otherwise, your souls will be trapped here forever."
Lumine realized instantly that this woman was no mere NPC. An ominous aura radiated from her, making the air itself seem heavy with dread.
"Don't repeat the same mistake. Go back... go back...!"
Paimon had already squeezed her eyes shut in terror.
A strange floral scent filled the air. A wave of drowsiness washed over them...
Lumine and Paimon collapsed almost instantly.
When they opened their eyes again, they saw someone familiar—Shikanoin Heizou.
Xiao Lu explained her discovery of the strange game on the beach, and the Yashiro Commission's oddly indifferent attitude toward it...
-
Meanwhile, on the other side...
Yuna followed Itto for a while, but they couldn't find any trace of the three figures.
"Huh? What's this?" Itto suddenly noticed something dark hanging from a nearby tree—it looked like a piece of cloth. He climbed up and pulled it down.
"Did some clumsy fool tear their clothes climbing this tree?" Itto realized it was just a tattered piece of cloth and casually tossed it aside.
Yuna bent down, picked it up, and rubbed it between her fingers.
The material felt decent, but... why did the lingering aura make her feel so uneasy?
"Boss, can you sense anything strange about the aura on this?"
"Aura?" Itto took the cloth from Yuna, examined it closely, and sniffed it. He detected a faint burnt smell, but nothing else.
"Nope, nothing special. Did you notice something, Yuna?"
Yuna shook her head. Must be my imagination, she thought.
Itto casually tossed the black cloth aside again, and this time Yuna didn't bother retrieving it. The pair continued searching for the three missing figures.
-
Inazuma, Watatsumi Island.
A black-robed figure stood above the entrance to Enkanomiya, slashed open a gap with a blade, and slipped inside.
The entire process went unnoticed.
It had just arrived from Narukami Island, where it had infiltrated the Test of Courage. Instead of finding the Person of Pure Soul, it encountered the Electro Archon frantically searching for her missing cakes...
The black-robed figure's concealment was surprisingly effective. Combined with the Electro Archon's distraction, it managed to evade detection.
The escape left the figure's robes torn and tattered.
In my current state, facing the Electro Archon again would be suicide, it thought. I can't force the issue, at least not now.
Enkanomiya and the Abyss share a connection. I can exploit that temporarily.
Having stirred up trouble in Sumeru and then immediately rushing to Inazuma to cause more chaos is a bit too fast-paced for the players.
Regardless, I should at least let Yuna enjoy the rest of the Test of Courage properly.
By the way, this will give players another good look at Yuna, so when the emotional gut-punch comes later, it will hit even harder.
Besides, Chu Xi is still in Liyue. She hasn't found a ship to Inazuma yet.
Not everyone can travel between nations as easily as Lumine and Paimon. For ordinary people, such journeys are incredibly difficult. Moreover, Chu Xi has to deal with the Doctor, requiring her to be extra cautious.
She can't afford to be manipulated by him.
As for why Chu Xi is coming to Inazuma...
People don't change overnight. Silaya's departure was a start, but it's not enough. She needs another catalyst.
Players need to witness Chu Xi's transformation so that her eventual descent into darkness will be all the more shocking and impactful.
Therefore, in Inazuma, Chu Xi will continue to stand by Lumine's side.