Uh…
Watching Kujou Sara's retreating back, Fang Qiu felt a little puzzled.
What was going on?
Why would someone from the Tenryou Commission be coming out of the inn?
And what was that explosion just now?
Surely Klee wasn't playing with bombs in the inn?
After all, according to the Traveler, plenty of places in Mondstadt had fallen victim to Klee's clutches.
The blades of a windmill, the fish in the lake, and the stove of a restaurant called Good Hunter, for example.
Still, that didn't add up. If it were true, Klee would already have been nabbed by that Tenryou Commission woman.
Forget it. Overthinking wouldn't get her anywhere. She'd know once she went to look.
Fang Qiu hauled her armful of bags all the way to Klee's room.
Not a soul inside…
Where was she?
As she wondered, she suddenly heard Klee's voice drifting over from the next balcony.
Hm?
Fang Qiu paused, then hurried back to her own room, where she found Klee lying on the balcony railing, looking down.
"Klee, what are you looking at?"
Seeing that Klee was all right, Fang Qiu let out a breath of relief and asked.
"Weird grown-ups are blasting fish," Klee said.
"Huh?"
Fang Qiu froze. She set down the pile of things she'd bought, walked out onto the balcony, and looked in the direction Klee was looking.
Down on the beach by the ocean, several men stood on the sand waving at the inn. Not far out, the ocean water was murky, and a big crater was faintly visible, with scorch marks all around it.
Clearly the explosion had something to do with them.
Before Fang Qiu could work out what those people were up to, the woman in the Tengu mask from the Tenryou Commission, the one she'd run into downstairs, arrived leading a large group of men.
"Kujou Tengu, what are you trying to pull? I'm warning you, don't try anything funny… You want a one-on-one? Holy crap, you're actually serious… Don't think I'm scared of you… If you've got any guts, don't take hostages!"
After a flurry of noise, Kujou Sara had pinned down Arataki Itto, while the other Tenryou Commission soldiers had already subdued Genta and the rest.
With no other choice, Arataki Itto surrendered.
"Hmph! Kujou Tengu, threatening people with hostages! What kind of man does that?" Arataki Itto roared.
"I'm not a man to begin with," Kujou Sara said, her eyes empty of any feeling. "Besides, if you want to put down a disturbance quickly, this is the best move."
"Damn you, Kujou Tengu, you just wait!" Arataki Itto shouted.
Having cursed her out, he looked up at the inn and called, "Miss Fang Qiu! When we get out, how'd you like the welcome ceremony? Let's go blast fish together again!"
"Rest assured, you won't be getting out before the Irodori Festival is over," Kujou Sara said coldly.
As she spoke, she followed the direction of Arataki Itto's gaze, and found a white-haired woman standing beside the little girl in red.
Her?
Why was she in Miss Fang Qiu's room?
And from the look of it, the two seemed to know each other…
What's more, both the little girl in red and the white-haired woman wore baffled looks at Arataki Itto's words.
She also noticed that after hearing him, the little girl in red turned to the white-haired woman beside her in confusion.
The white-haired woman, meanwhile, tilted her head instinctively, without looking at the little girl next to her.
Which meant…
"Boss… who's that white-haired woman next to Miss Fang Qiu? They look pretty close…"
"Hmm… If this great man had to guess, I'd say she might be Miss Fang Qiu's mother?"
"Boss… didn't Miss Fang Qiu come alone?"
"Maybe she only got here this afternoon?"
Listening to the speculation of the Arataki Gang members, Kujou Sara felt her temper flare. She pressed a hand to her forehead, her head starting to ache.
She had finally put it all together…
That little girl in red wasn't Fang Qiu at all.
No wonder the girl had looked so confused when she'd called her Miss Fang Qiu before coming downstairs.
She had let Arataki Itto's emphatic claims color her judgment and assumed the little girl in red was Fang Qiu…
To make such a basic mistake…
Clearly, her training still wasn't enough.
"Take them away."
Kujou Sara waved a hand, and a few Tenryou Commission soldiers escorted the Arataki Gang off.
The urgent task now was to deal with the uproar the explosion had caused.
Seeing the Tenryou Commission men lead the prisoners far away, Fang Qiu looked down at Klee and asked, a little confused, "Klee, do you know what's going on?"
"Klee doesn't know either."
Klee shook her head, then tilted it to one side. "But that sister called Klee 'Miss Fang Qiu,' and the person who invited Klee into his gang to blast fish together was shouting 'Miss Fang Qiu' just now, too. Klee doesn't get it. Isn't Miss Fang Qiu Sister Fang Qiu?"
"Uh… I see."
Fang Qiu looked puzzled.
They must have mistaken someone for someone else, right?
But how in the world had they mistaken a little girl like Klee for her?
That big guy didn't look too bright, so a mistake like that was natural…
But the commander of the Tenryou Commission looked sharp at a glance…
How had she gotten it so wrong?
Strange.
Fang Qiu thought it over, couldn't come up with an answer, and simply gave up thinking. "Klee, you didn't eat anything at lunch, so I brought you some snacks to tide you over."
Anyway, the dangerous bomber had been caught.
"Yay!"
Klee's eyes lit up. She followed Fang Qiu back into the room, and Fang Qiu took out the snacks she'd just bought and handed them over.
They sat in the courtyard, eating and chatting while they took in the scenery.
Klee ate happily, and talked happily, too.
She told Fang Qiu about the time she got caught blasting fish in Mondstadt by Acting Grand Master Jean.
Partway through, the female editor from Yae Publishing House dropped by to ask about her requirements for the cover of her new work.
Fang Qiu offered a few casual suggestions, and the editor hurried off.
Before long, the Traveler and Paimon returned.
"Fang Qiu, we're back! Huh, Klee, you two already know each other?"
Seeing Fang Qiu and Klee sitting in the courtyard together, Paimon looked puzzled.
"I heard Klee is Mr. Albedo's little sister, so we got acquainted," Fang Qiu said with a smile. "Klee's very cute, and very well-behaved."
"Mm, Klee thinks so too. Klee heard Sister Fang Qiu knows Sister Honorary Knight and little Paimon and Brother Albedo, so Klee got to know Sister Fang Qiu, too," Klee said. "Sister Fang Qiu is pretty and gentle, and she opened the door for Klee when Klee couldn't open it, and she gave Klee snacks. She's a good person."
"I don't know what happened, but I get the gist," Paimon said.
"By the way, where's Mr. Albedo? I heard he came to Inazuma with Klee and went out with you to run errands. Didn't he come back with you?" Fang Qiu asked.
"We headed back to the inn together, but on the way we ran into an editor from Yae Publishing House who wanted Albedo to help with a cover painting," Paimon said. "At first Albedo refused, but when he heard it was for your book, he agreed after all."
"Uh… I'm truly honored by Mr. Albedo's kindness."
"Fang Qiu, do you have any plans for later?" Lumine asked.
"No." Fang Qiu shook her head. "Why?"
"Well, Albedo doesn't like the idea of Klee running around on her own, since she might run into trouble, but he doesn't want to leave her alone at the International Trade Association either. He wants us to take Klee out and show her around," Paimon said.
"Run into trouble?"
Fang Qiu was briefly stunned.
Klee was, after all, a Pyro Vision holder and the Sparkle Knight of Mondstadt.
Fang Qiu herself might not even be able to beat her, so what kind of trouble could she run into?
"Like… a mountain in Inazuma suddenly missing a corner… or an explosion in the city…" Paimon said.
Fang Qiu fell silent after hearing that.
So that was the kind of trouble…
Klee seemed sweet and obedient, but left alone, she'd probably turn into a little hellion…
"So we're planning to take Klee to Inazuma City," Paimon said, thinking it over. "Besides, Itto and Ayaka, who wrote to you, and Yoimiya are all in Inazuma City, so we wanted to take you to see them, too."
"I see. Then let's go." Fang Qiu nodded with a smile.
…
…
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