Lin Mo, of course, knew that Sayu didn't like it.
Because of that saying—if someone pats your head, you won't grow taller.
But that was exactly what Lin Mo had told her.
After all, the wilderness of Inazuma was anything but peaceful. Human traffickers were everywhere. A child as cute as Sayu would definitely be their ideal target.
Telling her that head-patting would stop her from growing was simply a way to make her keep her distance from strangers.
Looking at Sayu's aggrieved, pitiful expression, Lin Mo rubbed her little head and couldn't help laughing.
"Sayu, you know, your teacher hasn't patted your head in years, right? And you still haven't grown any taller~"
"Wuu… how can this be… how could this happen…"
Sayu instantly put on a mournful face, helplessly clutching her head.
Lin Mo's words hit her right where it hurt most.
She had thought that after not seeing each other for several years, her teacher would at least say she'd grown a little taller.
Even just a tiny bit would have made her happy.
But who would have thought that in her teacher's eyes, she hadn't grown at all?
"Te–Teacher! Have I really not grown even a little?" Sayu asked again, unwilling to give up.
"Well… I guess… it seems like… no."
Lin Mo had already tried his best to put it gently.
Sayu's inner world collapsed into utter despair.
"So… does that mean Sayu will never grow taller again…?"
Her cute little face was filled with absolute hopelessness.
"Mm… Sayu is still young~"
Lin Mo couldn't help but pinch her soft cheeks.
"But… but people my age are all more than twice my height…"
When Sayu said this, Lin Mo finally realized something.
She only looked like a little girl—her real age was already that of a teenager.
Lin Mo could only smile and say, "Then how about you tell your teacher how you've been living these past few years while I wasn't around? Maybe we can see what's been affecting your growth."
As he spoke, without waiting for her consent, he lifted her onto his back.
"What kinds of things affect growing taller…" Sayu muttered, sinking into thought.
She seemed completely used to being carried by her teacher.
Naturally, she wrapped her arms around Lin Mo's neck, her short legs resting snugly against his waist.
Lin Mo headed toward Mt. Yougou.
Sayu, as if placing absolute trust in him, didn't even ask where he was taking her. Instead, she focused on thinking about what she might have done that stopped her from growing.
"Sayu takes good care of herself~!"
"I don't let random people touch my head~!"
"Mm, very good. Such a good girl~"
Carrying her on his back, Lin Mo chuckled and asked, "What else? What do you usually do every day?"
"What do I usually do…"
As Sayu pondered, she unconsciously tapped her little lips with a finger.
"Sleep!"
"Sleep!"
"Work~"
"Sleep!"
"Sleep~"
"…Why are you saying that so confidently?"
Lin Mo couldn't help but laugh wryly.
"But… Sayu is always so sleepy…"
As she spoke, Sayu slumped forward against Lin Mo's back.
Her face pressed against his sturdy back as she let out a long yawn.
"Haaah~ So sleepy~"
She mumbled lazily, "As expected… sleeping on teacher's back feels the safest… and the sleep is really sweet…"
"Huh?"
Lin Mo froze for a moment. "We haven't seen each other in years, and you're already going to fall asleep now?"
"Haaah~!"
Sayu yawned again.
"Just… five minutes~"
"Or maybe… ten minutes would be better…"
"Teacher, I promise I'll wake up after sleeping a little~"
"You little rascal…"
Lin Mo shook his head helplessly. "If you're tired, just sleep for a bit."
After all, he was well aware of Sayu's tendency to be drowsy.
Besides, she had just wandered all the way down from Mt. Yougou to Inazuma City. It was only natural that she'd be more tired than usual.
Before long, Sayu was sound asleep on Lin Mo's back, breathing softly and evenly.
As Lin Mo continued toward Mt. Yougou, planning to return to the Grand Narukami Shrine—
Three figures in the distance caught his attention.
Only then did Lin Mo realize he had reached the foot of Mt. Yougou, near the abandoned shrine north of the Byakko Plain.
The three figures ahead were Paimon, Lumine, and—
A shrine maiden in red and white robes, wearing a white mask.
From afar, Lin Mo recognized them at once.
He immediately understood how the current plot was unfolding.
"Hanachirusato… the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual…"
He murmured the name of the quest under his breath.
So that was how it was.
In the real Teyvat, Lumine's main journey wasn't perfectly continuous. It would often be interrupted by various encounters and side paths along the way.
Just like now.
On her way from Ritou toward Mt. Yougou, Lumine happened to pass through this abandoned shrine and met Hanachirusato.
Gazing at Hanachirusato's back from afar, an old question surfaced once again in Lin Mo's mind.
Hanachirusato…
Are you an independent existence that inherited Lady Kitsune Saiguu's memories?
Or are you, in truth, a fragment of Kitsune Saiguu's will given form?
With that thought in mind, Lin Mo decided to follow them.
Partly to observe the connection between Hanachirusato and Kitsune Saiguu.
And partly to see if he could secretly help Lumine complete the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual sooner—so she could reach the Grand Narukami Shrine more quickly, and the oni girl sleeping in the Serenitea Pot could awaken as soon as possible.
But just then—
Lumine and Paimon were holding the Memento Lens and heading straight toward him.
"Uh-oh…"
Lin Mo didn't want to be discovered.
Poof!
He swiftly used a transformation technique, turning himself into a small fox statue.
As for Sayu on his back, he transformed her into a fallen leaf resting atop the statue's head.
"Traveler! Over here, over here!"
"There's a little fox statue here too!"
"Hurry and use the Memento Lens on it—maybe we'll discover something!"
Urged on by Paimon's excited shouts, Lumine slowly approached, holding up the Memento Lens and aiming it at the fox statue that Lin Mo had become.
"This… this is…!"
For once, shock flashed across Lumine's face.
That instantly made Paimon even more anxious and curious.
"What did you see?! Hurry up and tell me!"
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T/N:
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