Inazuma.
It was just past noon.
Unlike the pouring rain in Liyue, Inazuma was overcast.
A cool chill hung in the air.
The streets of Inazuma were peaceful—lively, yet not noisy.
On either side of the streets, quite a few people sat beneath the sakura trees, books cradled in their hands, reading quietly.
The various teahouses were even more packed, yet though the teahouses were crowded with people, they were remarkably quiet.
Nearly all of them were reading The Forest of Fireflies' Light.
Many had memories stirred up within them, and silent tears slid down their cheeks.
Naganohara Yoimiya was seated near the entrance.
"A summer festival! I never imagined Miss Fang Qiu would actually write about an Inazuma festival."
Watching Gin in the book invite Hotaru Takegawa to attend the monsters' festival together, Naganohara Yoimiya felt a flicker of anticipation.
What would a festival of monsters be like?
Would there be fireworks?
And if there were, what would fireworks made by monsters look like?
But at the same time, her chest felt tight with unease.
Compared to the festival depicted by Fang Qiu's pen, what she cared about more right now was the fate of Hotaru Takegawa and Gin in the book.
What would become of them next?
Just as she nervously turned to the next page, a familiar voice rang out.
"Miss Yoimiya, good afternoon."
Naganohara Yoimiya lifted her head to look, and saw a young man standing just outside the teahouse, smiling as he greeted her.
"Thoma."
Naganohara Yoimiya was slightly startled, then returned Thoma's greeting.
"You're already reading it? I never expected the letter I wrote would actually work—Miss Fang Qiu... ahem, she actually wrote The Forest of Fireflies' Light just as I requested in my letter. Yoimiya, if there's anything you'd like to read, you can write and tell her too."
His face full of anticipation, Thoma asked, "How is this book? Is it good?"
These past days, the Yashiro Commission had been busy with the matter of the Rifthounds gnawing at the Sacred Sakura. Since it was a grave affair, not only the Tenryou Commission but the entire Yashiro Commission had been mobilized.
He, naturally, was no exception.
Had the Raiden Shogun and the Traveler not stepped in personally, he would still be toiling on the front lines clearing out the Rifthounds.
Now that the crisis of the Rifthounds had drawn nearly to a close, and the Tenryou Commission had fully taken over, he had finally found time to go to the Yae Publishing House to buy books.
"It's wonderfully written."
Naganohara Yoimiya pondered for a moment, then said.
At the same time, she was somewhat surprised.
She hadn't expected that Miss Fang Qiu had written this book, The Forest of Fireflies' Light, because of Thoma's request.
What surprised her even more was that Thoma, so delicate and tender-hearted, had actually written a letter asking Miss Fang Qiu to write a novel like this.
So he, too, carried a memory in his heart that he could never forget?
Everyone has memories that cannot be erased.
"That's good to hear."
Thoma let out a sigh of relief.
He'd been a little worried that Miss Fang Qiu might not be able to handle such a frightening subject, but hearing Yoimiya's praise, he felt reassured.
Only, Thoma was a little puzzled.
For some reason, everything had been perfectly fine a moment ago—so why was it that after exchanging just a few words with Naganohara Yoimiya, everyone in the teahouse was suddenly staring at him?
And their gazes were so sharp, too?
Several of them didn't bother to hide it in the slightest, glaring at him with red-rimmed eyes, full of menace.
This made Thoma feel very strange.
Had he said something wrong?
"Uh, it's getting rather late, and I've bought my books, so I'll head back to the Yashiro Commission now—the young lady is still waiting for Fang Qiu's new book."
Without lingering any longer, Thoma hurriedly made his escape.
Not long after Thoma left, the entire teahouse erupted into an uproar.
Thoma, meanwhile, walked toward the Komore Teahouse with a baffled look on his face.
The whole way, he kept wondering just what it was he had said wrong.
Arriving at the Komore Teahouse, he greeted Taroumaru, then made his way to the tea room where Miss Kamisato was.
Kamisato Ayaka was seated at the table, playing a game of chess with a young man in white robes.
"Checkmate."
Kamisato Ayaka said with a smile.
The young man in white robes smiled too, not minding in the least that he was one move from defeat; instead he picked up the cup of Dango Milk on the table and took a sip.
"Master, my lady."
Thoma waited outside the room and said.
Hearing Thoma's voice, Kamisato Ayaka smiled and said, "Thoma, you've worked hard."
Kamisato Ayato also turned his head to look at Thoma waiting outside the room, and said, "Thoma, I hear you went to the Yae Publishing House to buy books?"
"Mm."
Thoma nodded.
"I was just chatting with Ayaka, and after we finished I grew a little curious—just how remarkable are this Miss Fang Qiu's books, that they could make both of you like them so much?"
Kamisato Ayato took another sip of Dango Milk and said with a faint smile, "Did you buy any extra copies? Spare me one while you're at it—that way I won't have to bother that little sleepyhead to go buy it for me."
"I have extras—I bought five all at once."
Thoma smiled, and as he spoke he drew out the cloth bag from behind him, walked up before Kamisato Ayaka and Kamisato Ayato, opened the bag, took out Fang Qiu's new book from inside, and handed one to each of them.
"This new book of Fang Qiu's is the ghost novel I wrote a letter earlier requesting Miss Fang Qiu to write."
Thoma said.
"Oh? Rather interesting. Could it be one of those stories where, once you go in, you get bewitched by a monster and then lose your way in the forest forever?"
Kamisato Ayato arched an eyebrow. He glanced at the book's cover—on it was a torii gate plastered all over with talismans.
Behind the torii, a young boy was leading a little girl along by a wooden stick.
"Master, I thought the very same thing."
His face full of anticipation, Thoma said, "Although the title The Forest of Fireflies' Light doesn't sound like a ghost novel, a few days ago I also read a ghost novel whose title sounded nothing at all like a ghost novel—it was called You Beneath the Sakura Tree. At the time, many people assumed You Beneath the Sakura Tree was a romance novel. They'd just finished reading Your Lie in April and were yearning for that kind of love story, but when they got it home they discovered the book was actually about the protagonist being hanged beneath a sakura tree. I have to say, that author is brilliant—it left even me with my scalp tingling. Back then, plenty of readers were scared to tears outright, and ran to the Yae Publishing House demanding refunds."
"No wonder this book looked so familiar to me—I've just remembered. Before coming to the Komore Teahouse, I ran into an acquaintance on the road, and he seemed to be reading this very book at the roadside."
Kamisato Ayato said with a smile, "This makes me even more curious—what could the contents be, to so thoroughly captivate that interesting fellow? A ghost reading ghost stories—how amusing. I'll take this book, then. Some other day I'll treat you to Dango Milk."
Kamisato Ayaka also accepted the book Thoma handed over. Although she wasn't particularly fond of ghost novels, since it was written by Miss Fang Qiu, she still wanted to give it a read.
Seeing Kamisato Ayaka and Kamisato Ayato each settle down and begin to read, Thoma withdrew from the room, walked all the way to the front counter, found a comfortable spot to sit down, and—while keeping Taroumaru company—opened up The Forest of Fireflies' Light.
Only, what he didn't know was that, at the very moment he opened the book, the rumor of how he had written to Fang Qiu and gotten her to write The Forest of Fireflies' Light was spreading through the teahouse—from one to ten, from ten to a hundred—until it had spread far and wide.
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