Inazuma City.
Hanamizaka.
"Kujou Tengu, if you've got the guts, untie me and fight me one-on-one! I'm undefeated at Onikabuto battles all over Hanamizaka! You got the guts to take me on?"
Arataki Itto, trussed up like a holiday ham, twisted around and bellowed.
Kujou Sara merely gave him a cool glance and said nothing.
The commotion from the bomb blast had finally settled down.
She was escorting Arataki Itto back to the Tenryou Commission herself.
This time, no matter how hard Kuki Shinobu pleaded on Itto's behalf, there was no way Sara would let him out. At the very least, he was staying put until after the Irodori Festival.
Otherwise, this bunch would only cook up some fresh new stunt that left everyone seeing black…
Bombing fish at the ocean as a welcome ceremony for Fang Qiu…
And when she'd seen the gang's membership application that Itto produced, with the word "Klee" scrawled across it in wobbly crayon, she'd begun to suspect that Itto laughed so loudly all the time that he'd laughed his brain loose…
Wobbly crayon scribbles. How could that possibly be the handwriting of an author who'd written so many excellent works?
And on top of that, the man had the nerve to claim he was invincible at Onikabuto battles.
A few days ago, when she'd passed through Hanamizaka, she'd heard some kid saying that Itto had lost to him more than thirty times in a row…
But just as she led her men past Naganohara Fireworks with Itto and the others in custody, she happened to see Naganohara Yoimiya and her father hauling an enormous cannon-sized firework out from behind the shop.
"Pop, right here is fine. I'll go find someone to ship it to Ritou."
Naganohara Yoimiya said.
"What?"
Naganohara Ryuunosuke asked.
"I said, put it down right here!"
Naganohara Yoimiya shouted.
"Oh."
Only then did Naganohara Ryuunosuke set the firework down on the ground alongside her.
"Phew… So heavy. Well, no wonder, after all the days I spent making it with such care."
Naganohara Yoimiya rubbed her shoulders.
Then she noticed Kujou Sara standing at the shop entrance with a squad of Tenryou Commission soldiers, all of them watching her with strange looks.
Even the tied-up members of the Arataki Gang were staring at her, baffled.
"Can I help you with something?"
Yoimiya asked, puzzled.
"Out with it. What exactly are you planning to do with that?"
Kujou Sara pressed a hand to her forehead.
She had only just caught Arataki Itto bombing fish at the ocean. She hadn't even gotten him back to the Tenryou Commission, and now here was Yoimiya, preparing to ship an enormous firework off to Ritou.
"Shipping fireworks to Ritou, of course! When my favorite author, Fang Qiu, arrives in Inazuma, I'm going to set off the grandest fireworks show ever to welcome her."
Yoimiya said, a little giddy with excitement.
"If I recall correctly, the Tenryou Commission sent your shop notice five days ago that all fireworks and firecrackers are banned during the Irodori Festival."
Kujou Sara narrowed her eyes. "These people were arrested for violating that very rule."
"Kujou Tengu, what are you so smug about?"
Hearing himself held up as a cautionary example, Itto flew into a rage.
"There was a notice? Why didn't I hear about it? I've been home these past few days, making fireworks."
Yoimiya looked thoroughly bewildered.
"Do any of you know who delivered the notice to Naganohara Fireworks? Tell him to come see me at my office."
Kujou Sara turned to her soldiers and ordered.
"Er, General, there's no need to look for him. I'm the one who delivered it."
One of the soldiers stepped forward. "I distinctly remember telling him about it."
As he spoke, he pointed at Naganohara Ryuunosuke.
"You told my pop? Then what did he say?"
Yoimiya's eyes went wide.
"He didn't say anything. He just smiled at me."
the soldier said.
And so, silence fell over the scene.
"In any case, that's how it is. No fireworks during the Irodori Festival."
Kujou Sara said.
With that, she led her men away.
Yoimiya was left drooping on the bench, head hanging.
"How could this happen…"
She was crushed.
She'd poured everything she had into that firework. It had taken all these days, but she'd finally finished it…
It was the grandest welcome gift she could have prepared for Fang Qiu.
And now fireworks weren't even allowed during the Irodori Festival…
Why did it have to be like this?
After she'd explained to her pop what Kujou Sara had said, she sat alone on the bench, sulking.
She didn't even feel like eating the Tricolor Dango her father brought out, her usual favorite.
"Yoimiya, are you all right?"
A voice rang out.
"I'm fine, just not in the best mood…"
Yoimiya didn't even look up, and sighed as she spoke.
But the moment the words left her mouth, she realized something was off. She jerked her head up and found Paimon floating right in front of her.
"Paimon?"
Yoimiya froze. Her gaze drifted sideways and landed on a cute little girl dressed in fiery red.
The girl's hand was being held by someone.
She'd assumed it was the Traveler holding the little girl's hand. But when her gaze traveled upward, she found that the one leading the girl in red was a strikingly beautiful white-haired young woman, with the Traveler standing at her side.
"And these two are…?"
Looking into Fang Qiu's clear crimson eyes, Yoimiya felt a faint ripple stir in her chest.
What a beautiful person.
But it wasn't just her beauty that made Yoimiya look twice.
It was because the Traveler and Paimon had arrived in Inazuma.
Which meant that the person she'd been longing to meet had come too.
And the white-haired woman before her…
"Hehe, this is Klee, the Sparkle Knight of Mondstadt."
After introducing Klee, Paimon turned to Fang Qiu, put her hands on her hips, and grinned. "As for this one, take a guess who she is!"
"Could it be… Miss Fang Qiu?"
Yoimiya asked hesitantly.
"Bingo!"
Paimon said with a laugh.
"Good afternoon, Miss Yoimiya."
Fang Qiu gave a soft smile and greeted her.
"Miss Fang Qiu, I finally get to meet you!"
Yoimiya's eyes lit up. She sprang off the bench, grabbed Fang Qiu's hand, and said, "The Traveler and Paimon never stopped saying how pretty you were, but I never imagined you'd be this pretty! Oh, sorry, I'm getting so excited that I'm making a spectacle of myself. I'm really happy to meet you."
She hurriedly let go.
"It's fine, it's fine."
Fang Qiu smiled softly. "We've exchanged quite a few letters, so this counts as pen pals finally meeting."
"Hi, Klee! I'm really happy to meet you too."
Yoimiya turned to Klee and said.
"Klee too!"
Klee nodded.
"Er, there isn't much here to treat you to, so let us show you around properly. We can chat while we walk."
Yoimiya said.
"Mm, I second that. Paimon wants to eat something yummy."
Paimon said.
Fang Qiu and Lumine naturally agreed.
Klee nodded as well.
"Pop, my friends are here! I'm taking them out to look around, so I'm leaving the shop to you."
Yoimiya called out.
"What?"
A hearty voice boomed from inside the house.
"I said, my friends are here! I'm taking them out to have fun!"
Yoimiya raised her voice even more.
Naganohara Ryuunosuke emerged from the shop, his face still full of confusion.
The scene reminded Fang Qiu of Ma Dongmei… ("What Dongmei?")
Only after Yoimiya cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted it all over again did Ryuunosuke finally hear her properly.
After saying goodbye to Ryuunosuke, the group set off to tour the town.
They'd barely gone any distance when Paimon asked Yoimiya what the deal was with that firework.
So Yoimiya told them everything: how she'd wanted to make fireworks to give Fang Qiu a welcome ceremony, how Kujou Sara had told her she couldn't set them off, and how Arataki Itto had been arrested over it.
While thanking Yoimiya for her thoughtfulness, Fang Qiu felt a flicker of puzzlement.
Arataki Itto… that name sounded very familiar.
He was the one who'd invited her to join the Arataki Gang in his letter.
And getting arrested for setting off bombs also sounded familiar.
The two things…
seemed to be connected somehow…
Still, Fang Qiu didn't ask.
They had originally planned to visit the Kamisato Estate to find Kamisato Ayaka and Thoma, the one who had frightened her half to death several times.
But both of them were busy with preparations for the Irodori Festival and weren't at the Kamisato Estate.
The group wandered around Inazuma City for a long while, eating and drinking all the way, until night fell. By then they'd grown much more familiar with each other and no longer felt stiff around one another.
After dinner, Yoimiya suggested that they all go soak in a hot spring together.
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