The next day, in the morning.
A cold sun hung high overhead.
Though a slight chill still lingered in the air, Ritou was bustling with life.
Five Kasen Square and the commercial plaza beside it were a sea of people, red banners fluttering everywhere.
They'd all come from Liyue, Mondstadt, and every corner of Inazuma to attend the Irodori Festival.
"Wow, so lively! I haven't seen this many foreigners in ages."
"Oh right, did you all hear the news Yae Publishing House put out yesterday?"
"Heard it, heard it! Can you believe Old Thief Fang Qiu is already in Inazuma? And he's supposedly got a new book ready for the Irodori Festival! The Sword and Fairy series, no less — my favorite!"
"Sure, it's set in Liyue, but the chivalry and the emotion in Sword and Fairy really hit deep."
"I can't wait for the signing event."
"What's there to look forward to at a signing? Old Thief Fang Qiu's just some old man — not much to see. Better to look forward to Teacher Zhenyu."
"True, true. I wonder if we'll get a photo with Teacher Zhenyu."
"Pity Chang the Ninth couldn't make it. Otherwise all three of my favorite Liyue authors would be here."
"Spring has come — a spring without Kaori."
"We're just out here enjoying the festival and you're stabbing us in the heart... but you're right, though. The season of heavy snow has passed, melting away just like Jing Tian did."
"Summer's on its way, but I can't say I'm looking forward to it anymore."
"The crimson sakura trees must be about to bloom, huh? How fast do the petals fall, I wonder?"
"Youth fades to gray hair in the blink of an eye — let alone the turning of the seasons."
"Hahahaha, what a lively crowd! Starting today, this is Arataki Itto's square!"
Right as they were busy wounding each other with words, an ill-timed voice rang out.
Everyone turned to look.
Arataki Itto strode into the square with three underlings in tow.
"Hahahaha! Today, I'm going to get Fang Qiu to join my Arataki Gang!" Itto declared.
"Boss, I've got a question," Genta said.
"Speak." Itto waved a hand.
"Boss, we don't even know what Miss Fang Qiu looks like, and Sister Shinobu isn't here. How are we supposed to find him?" Genta asked.
"Through sheer willpower!" Itto declared.
"Amazing, boss, as expected. But, uh, how exactly?" Genta asked.
"So what if Shinobu's not around? My brain is the sharpest in all of Inazuma. I already thought this through before we left. We split up and look for the Traveler, since she said before that she'd personally escort Fang Qiu to Inazuma." Itto said.
"So finding the Traveler means finding Miss Fang Qiu? Amazing, boss, incredible!" Genta was stunned.
"Alright, everyone split up and go f—"
Before he finished saying "find," Genta cut him off.
Itto's brow furrowed and he was about to speak when Genta blurted out,
"Boss, look! It's the Traveler!"
"Hm?"
Itto's eyebrow lifted as he turned to look — and there was the Traveler and Paimon, walking into Five Kasen Square with two other people beside them.
The group promptly fell silent.
The Traveler had a man and a woman with her.
The man had yellow hair and delicate features. The woman was small and slight, dressed in vivid scarlet, with a matching scarlet hat on her head.
"Uh... boss... didn't you just say the Traveler would be bringing Miss Fang Qiu out for a stroll? Ruling out the man, that means... Miss Fang Qiu is that little girl?"
Genta arrived at his conclusion.
"Could be... No wonder the Traveler said she wouldn't feel at ease letting Fang Qiu sail to Inazuma alone. A little girl that small — of course no one would feel safe letting her voyage by herself."
After a long silence, Itto rubbed his chin and mused, "That would explain everything. No wonder the Traveler and Paimon called her a genius — she looks all of eight years old, and to write books that good at eight? That's a genius among geniuses. You could say a talent like that hasn't been seen in Teyvat in a thousand years. Even I have to admit her gift."
As he spoke, a note of genuine awe and admiration crept into Itto's voice.
"Now that boss lays it out like that, it makes a lot of sense. Something that made even Sister Shinobu cry — no ordinary person could've written that." Genta nodded in agreement, and the other two underlings nodded along too.
"So what do we do now?" Genta asked. "Still gonna recruit her into the gang?"
"Of course we are," Itto said.
"But Miss Fang Qiu is so young — what if the Tenryou Commission finds out we recruited a kid into the gang? Won't they come after us?" Genta asked.
"Since when did I fear the Kujou Tengu?" Itto snorted.
"Oh? Is that so?"
A cold, cutting voice sounded from behind them.
"Kujou Tengu? What are you doing here?" Itto's face changed color.
"No comment," Kujou Sara said coldly. "I heard everything you just said. Consider this a warning: this is Inazuma's very first founding-day festival. If you try anything reckless, not even Kuki Shinobu will be able to save you."
"Now you've gone and set off my fiery tem—"
Before he could get the word "temper" out, Genta hurriedly tugged at Itto's sleeve and whispered, "Boss, the bigger picture matters more. Once they're gone, we'll go find Miss Fang Qiu and invite her to join the Arataki Gang."
"Hmph. Kujou Tengu, I'll let you off this once," Itto said, weighing the pros and cons, then led his men away.
Kujou Sara turned her gaze toward Klee, sinking into deep thought.
She hadn't heard their whole conversation just now — only Genta's remark that the little girl in red was Fang Qiu...
Could a child that small really have the ability to write works that even the Almighty Shogun enjoyed reading?
But given how certain they'd sounded, it was probably true, to a large degree...
After all, Liyue was a land of wonders, where geniuses appeared one after another. It wouldn't be so strange for someone to write something so outstanding at the age of eight.
Never mind. The matter of Fang Qiu could wait.
Right now she needed to head to the harbor warehouse — someone had apprehended a suspicious individual there.
Compared to getting an autograph from Fang Qiu, duty came first.
She took one last long look at the girl in red before leaving.
Meanwhile.
After Albedo and the Traveler finished discussing their business,
"By the way, Traveler, since you came from Liyue this time, Miss Fang Qiu must have come with you, right? Where is she?" Albedo asked.
"Albedo, you know Fang Qiu too?" Paimon's eyes went wide.
"I collaborated with her on the film adaptation of Your Name. I have to say, Miss Fang Qiu really is a person overflowing with talent — working with her was a real pleasure," Albedo said.
"That's why the pen name you mentioned sounded so familiar! Teacher Chalk is the lead artist of Your Name!" Paimon exclaimed, stunned. "I never imagined it was you, Albedo!"
"Not just Your Name — I also had a hand in the new work Miss Ningguang had Fang Qiu bring along this time," Albedo said.
"Is that so? Then we've got plenty to look forward to," Paimon said. "As for Fang Qiu, she had a bit too much to drink yesterday and is resting at the International Trade Association right now."
"I see. Then let's go find the editor-in-chief and the others first," Albedo said thoughtfully, then turned to the girl in red. "Klee, you haven't slept in a long time. Go on ahead to where we're staying at the International Trade Association and rest. Show them your family pass and they'll take care of you. We'll be back soon."
"Okay, Klee understands. Don't worry, big brother Albedo, Klee will behave," Klee said, nodding.
"I'm a little worried about letting Klee go back to the International Trade Association alone," Paimon said.
"Don't worry. Klee's a Sparkle Knight, after all — an ordinary Vision holder is no match for her. Besides, someone at the Association will be there to receive her," Albedo said with a smile.
"That's not what I meant. I'm worried she might blow something up..." Paimon said, eyeing Klee with concern.
Paimon knew all too well what Klee was capable of in a fight — stories about Klee circulated all over Mondstadt City.
Well... they were called "stories," but really they were just all the trouble Klee had caused...
Like the time Razor mentioned — that fiery, scorching-hot girl who'd nearly burned down a whole mountain...
Come to think of it, the first time they'd heard Razor talk about that, they'd thought he meant Diluc—
No wait, they'd thought he meant Amber.
"Don't worry, I already warned Klee before we came ashore — no pulling out bombs unless we're in real danger," Albedo said.
"Good, then let's go," Paimon said, reassured now that Albedo had said so.
The two of them headed off toward the publishing house, while Klee obediently made her way toward the International Trade Association.
But she'd only made it to the inn's entrance when a group of people stopped her.
"Is something the matter?" Klee asked, tilting her head.
"I'm here to invite you to join the Arataki Gang."
Just as everyone was worrying over the little girl in red, Itto pulled out an application form and handed it to Klee. "Join our Arataki Gang, and you can strut around all of Inazuma doing whatever you want. I'll have your back." Itto puffed out his chest as he spoke.
"Doing whatever I want? So can I go blow up fish in the ocean?" Klee's eyes lit up.
"Blow up fish? Why would you do that?" Itto blinked.
"Fish are delicious," Klee said.
"Ah, I see! Of course you can. Just sign right here." Itto suddenly understood, and thumped his chest in approval.
"Then I'll join." Klee took the application, pulled a crayon out of her bag, wrote her name, and handed the form back to Itto. "Big brother Albedo told me to go rest at the International Trade Association. I have to listen to him. Let's go blow up fish together some other time."
With that, Klee walked into the inn.
"Excellent, boss! Our Arataki Gang has gained a new member! Who would've guessed Miss Fang Qiu loves blowing up fish so much," Genta said.
"Hahaha, went off without a hitch. Just as expected of me, Arataki Itto — the sheer force of my personal charm. Wait... hold on... something's off about this signature."
Halfway through his boasting, Itto suddenly noticed something strange about the signature.
Scrawled crookedly in crayon on the form was the name: Klee.
____
________________________________________
💖 Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter to warm your hearts.
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 20 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉