Hearing Naganohara Yoimiya ask, Paimon suddenly realized she had let something slip.
But since she'd already said it, and seeing the look of anticipation all over Naganohara Yoimiya's face, she had no choice but to tell Naganohara Yoimiya that Miko was planning to arrange a festival, and to invite the authors from Liyue and Mondstadt to it.
"This has to be kept secret, or Miko will come after us,"
Paimon urged.
"Don't worry, my lips are sealed tight."
Naganohara Yoimiya patted her chest and said, "But since there's going to be a festival, I'd better get the fireworks ready ahead of time. On the night of the festival, I'll make an even more spectacular one than the one I made for Fang Qiu before."
After bidding farewell to Naganohara Yoimiya, they made their way toward the Komore Teahouse.
They had just passed by the Yae Publishing House's main store when they saw, right at the entrance, that a promotional teaser for Fang Qiu's new book had been put up.
On sale this afternoon.
In an instant, quite a few novel enthusiasts were abuzz with discussion.
"Fang Qiu's new book? Weathering With You? Another story set in our Inazuma? After finishing The Forest of Fireflies' Light last time, I was a complete wreck. Maybe I won't buy this one."
"Then I won't either... wait, what are you going to the counter for?"
"And why are you following me? I just want to buy Thoma, Take My Blade, not line up for Weathering With You. Don't get the wrong idea!"
"I never said you were going to buy Weathering With You, did I? Why are you confessing without being accused?"
"You're no different—your mouth says you won't buy it, but your body is being honest."
"I'm not like you. I really did come to buy Thoma, You Heinous Villain. I'm just afraid the line will get too long later, so I'm buying it quickly and heading home."
"Do I look like I believe you?"
Seeing them scramble to line up at the counter, everyone realized the gravity of the situation and pressed forward as well.
In an instant, the entire entrance of the Yae Publishing House's main store descended into chaos.
"Let's just go ask for the books at the Yae Publishing House editorial department later."
Watching the chaos at the Yae Publishing House entrance, Paimon felt somewhat daunted.
There were just way too many people...
By the time they finished delivering the letters and came back to buy books, the entrance would probably have a line snaking out the door.
"Mm."
Lumine nodded.
They made their way to the Komore Teahouse. Taroumaru was sprawled across the counter, and upon seeing them arrive, he immediately stood up and barked.
Hearing Taroumaru's bark, Thoma poked his head out from one of the rooms.
"Huh, it's the Traveler and Paimon. You've come to Inazuma—does that mean Miss Fang Qiu's new book has arrived?"
Thoma asked.
"Mm, it goes on sale this afternoon."
Paimon nodded and said.
"Then it seems I'd better hurry and get in line—preferably have it ready before the young lady and the master of the house return."
Thoma pondered.
After saying this, he fell silent for a moment, then muttered to himself, "Never mind, I'll just send someone to line up."
"Send someone to line up? Thoma, do you have something keeping you busy?"
Paimon asked, puzzled.
"It's not that I'm busy—I just don't really want to go to the Yae Publishing House..."
Thoma said, caught between laughter and tears, "You've probably heard about it too. I don't know who started the rumor, but they say it was all my doing that Fang Qiu writes tragic endings. Heaven knows, I had absolutely no idea what happened. Apparently someone even wrote a book using my name and cast me as the villain in it. They say it's already sold close to ten thousand copies, to the point where I don't dare set foot in the Yae Publishing House anymore."
"Are you talking about Thoma, Take My Blade? We just passed by the Yae Publishing House and heard people buying that very book."
Paimon said, puzzled.
Lumine and Paimon looked at Thoma with a hint of sympathy.
Come to think of it, it made sense—Fang Qiu's creative work was free...
It would never be shackled by anyone else's suggestions.
Otherwise, starting from Your Lie in April that Fang Qiu wrote, all those letters sent to her would probably have changed her mind long ago.
When they went to the Liyue Publishing House editorial department to pick up the books today, they had seen a large box piled high with readers' letters addressed to Fang Qiu on the desk of her editor, Miss Bai Qing.
And it wasn't just letters—there was also a claymore as wide as Paimon herself.
If even sending a blade to Fang Qiu couldn't change her mind about cutting down her characters, then Thoma's letter certainly couldn't.
"No, it's Thoma, You Heinous Villain."
Thoma shook his head and said, caught between laughter and tears, "The one you mentioned is a copycat work. Its sales aren't low either—these days, any book that features my name as the villain sells no fewer than five thousand copies... A lot of authors are jumping on the bandwagon now."
"Poor Thoma."
Paimon glanced at Thoma sympathetically, then took out a letter and handed it to him, saying, "This is a letter from Fang Qiu for you."
"A letter for me? Miss Fang Qiu wrote back?"
Thoma froze, then smiled as he took the letter, tore it open, and began to read. As he read on, the smile faded from his face.
"What does it say?"
Seeing that Thoma's expression had turned rather odd after finishing, Paimon couldn't help but ask.
"Miss Fang Qiu asked whether I liked The Forest of Fireflies' Light, which she wrote according to my suggestion..."
Thoma said with a strange look on his face.
"So Fang Qiu's plan to cut down her characters really was your doing after all!"
Paimon froze, then said angrily, "I was actually going to help clear your name, but it turns out it wasn't a rumor at all!"
"This..."
Thoma, caught between laughter and tears, said, "I clearly just told her to write ghost novels. How was I supposed to know it would turn out like this..."
"Did you really only mention ghost novels?"
Paimon wore a suspicious look, sniffed at the empty air, then curled the corner of her mouth into a smile, pointed at Thoma, and said, "It's the smell of lies."
"What smell of lies? I'm not lying."
Thoma said, taken aback.
"Let me tell you a secret."
Paimon said with a cold smirk.
"What secret?"
Thoma asked, completely bewildered.
"I can tell whether a person is lying by their smell, and just now you had the scent of lies all over you!"
Paimon put her hands on her hips and said smugly.
"Uh... I really wasn't lying. I even sent her a whole pile of horror novels."
Thoma said, caught between laughter and tears, "Those books were all carefully selected from the ghost and horror novels I've read, and I even bought brand-new copies from the Yae Publishing House to send to her."
"Uh... my bluff didn't catch you out... that's not right... I imitated it so well—could it be that what you said is actually true?"
Paimon scratched her head, somewhat embarrassed.
"Imitated what?"
Thoma said, taken aback, "Of course it's true. How could it be fake?"
Listening to the conversation between Paimon and Thoma, Lumine couldn't help but put a hand to her forehead.
Paimon's imitation just now had been truly clumsy...
So cringeworthy that it gave her goosebumps.
But soon, both she and Paimon realized the crucial point in what Thoma had just said.
Their eyes went wide. They exchanged a glance, then looked at Thoma at the same time and asked in unison:
"Are you saying... you sent Fang Qiu horror novels?"
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