"Oh! They're all gone!" Sayu stared at the now-empty sea in disbelief.
Hélie, however, remained perfectly calm.
"Lady Lora is incredibly powerful. Whatever she does is only natural! Those people may have looked frightening, but to Lady Lora, they were nothing at all—barely worth mentioning, easily dealt with!"
"Who taught you to talk like that?" Lora shot her a puzzled look. The Hélie she remembered hadn't spoken this way. What on earth had happened?
"It was that human named Fu Hai, when we first came to Inazuma!" Hélie replied earnestly. "He said that's how you praise someone. If you want to say a person is amazing, you have to make it sound like everything they do is effortless."
"Well… that's not entirely wrong," Lora sighed.
A perfectly sweet Melusine. Not exactly led astray, perhaps—but this definitely wasn't how a Melusine would normally speak.
Still, even if Hélie had drifted slightly off course, Lora didn't think it was something that needed correcting. She turned to Sayu instead.
"Where are we now?"
"Let me check…" Sayu pulled out a nautical chart, compared it with the markings on the wave-rider, then studied the distant shoreline before answering, "We've already passed Kannazuka. We should be nearing Yashiori Island soon."
Hearing that, Lora glanced up at the sky and let out a soft sigh.
"I wonder if we'll make it to Watatsumi Island tonight."
Hélie immediately began rummaging through her bag.
"Please don't worry, Lady Lora! I packed lots of delicious food! Even if we have to spend the night at sea, it won't be a problem!"
"It's not about staying the night," Lora said, shaking her head.
Sleeping at sea? To her, that felt more like returning home. What truly concerned her was Rhodeia. That child had been alone on Watatsumi Island for so long—who knew what she might have gotten up to?
The wave-rider could only move so fast. Even with Sayu pushing it at full speed, they still spent the entire night crossing the ocean. It wasn't until the next day that the outline of Watatsumi Island finally came into view.
Sayu steered the vessel toward a cluster of ruins half-submerged beneath the sea.
"The people of Watatsumi Island are very wary of outsiders," she explained over her shoulder. "Our wave-rider can't approach directly, so we'll have to disembark here. The water might soak your shoes and clothes…"
Lora glanced around and shook her head.
"It's fine."
With that, she stepped off the vessel, still holding Yae Miko in her arms.
The moment her foot touched the water, ripples spread outward in widening rings. She did not sink. Instead, she walked forward as though the sea were solid ground, not a single drop touching her.
"W-Wow… Th-That's incredible!" Sayu stared in open astonishment.
"Follow me," Lora said calmly. "You won't get wet."
Hélie was the first to leap down. Just like Lora, she landed lightly atop the water and ran forward, quickly catching up.
"W-Wait for me!" Sayu called.
After hesitating several times, she finally jumped down as well—and found herself standing on the water's surface.
Realizing she truly wasn't sinking, Sayu's eyes lit up. She hurried after Lora in quick, light steps.
"Honored guest, you're amazing! How did you do that?"
"Eat well, exercise regularly, go to bed early, and wake up early," Lora replied with perfect seriousness.
"Really…?" Sayu looked at her doubtfully. The method sounded suspicious.
But Lora nodded with such absolute sincerity that Sayu began to waver. Even if it sounded fake… what if it wasn't?
She made up her mind. Once she got back, she would try it herself. Walking on water was far too cool—perfect for a ninja like her.
As they stepped onto the shore of Watatsumi Island, movement ahead caught their attention.
Lora looked over and saw Lumine and Paimon locked in battle with an Electro hilichurl chieftain.
Without hesitation—and seeing that they were friends—Lora lifted a hand and sent dozens of water arrows streaking toward the chieftain.
The hilichurl that had been keeping Lumine at bay suddenly convulsed as violet lightning erupted across its body. It collapsed to the ground, unable to get back up.
"Huh? Who did that?" Paimon exclaimed, spinning around.
When she spotted Lora and the others approaching, her face immediately lit up.
"Lumine, look! It's Lora! She's in Inazuma!"
"It really is her!" Lumine smiled as she sheathed her weapon and walked over. "You're back from Fontaine!"
They met halfway.
"Long time no see, Lumine, Paimon!" Lora greeted them warmly.
Paimon planted her hands on her hips, clearly trying to hide how happy she was.
"Hmph! So you do remember it's been a long time! I thought you'd forgotten all about us! I was this close to never sharing my snacks with you again!"
Seeing how Paimon was clearly delighted to see her yet stubbornly putting on a show, Lora let out a soft laugh.
"Sorry. Things in Fontaine have been complicated—I still need some time to sort them out. I came as soon as I received Zhongli's letter."
"Huh? Really?" Paimon blinked. "Did I just sound too harsh?"
She shot Lumine an uncertain look.
Lumine gave a helpless smile, then seemed to recall something.
"Lora, we're currently wanted criminals in Inazuma. The Raiden Shogun—she…"
"Yeah! The Raiden Shogun is terrifying!" Paimon hurried to add. "That one slash nearly killed Lumine! The Tenryou Commission is hunting us right now. You really shouldn't get involved—you might end up dragged into danger…"
Hearing the concern in their voices, a quiet warmth spread through Lora's chest.
"Don't worry," she said gently. "Ningguang arranged for me to come as a Liyue envoy, so I can move freely. In Inazuma, I'm treated as an honored guest. Aside from the Raiden Shogun herself, no one has the authority to arrest me. And have you forgotten? I'm a Liyue Adeptus."
At the words "Liyue Adeptus," Yae Miko twitched slightly in Lora's arms—whether she was holding back laughter or simply at a loss for words, it was hard to tell.
"Wait!" Paimon's eyes lit up. "Does that mean we can use your status to move around Inazuma openly?"
Lora shook her head gently.
"That… I'm afraid it won't work."