It wasn't until Dvalin's head appeared in front of him that Xia Zhi sat up and realized the sun was already sinking toward the horizon.
"Alright, I've kept you company all afternoon. That should be enough, right?"
Dvalin let out a couple of soft rumbles.
"Still not enough? No, I have to head back."
Though a little reluctant, Dvalin still lowered himself, offering to take him home.
Xia Zhi hopped onto his back.
In no time, Dvalin was soaring over Mondstadt.
Xia Zhi thanked him, then leapt down, landing by the fishing competition at Cider Lake.
The tournament had two phases: afternoon and midnight—day fishing and night fishing.
Some fish preferred the daylight hours, others only appeared at night. With a bit of luck, even a poor showing during the day could be turned around with a string of big catches at night.
It had happened before in past competitions.
But this year seemed different.
Xia Zhi walked over to the girls and asked, "How are Diona and Xiangling doing?"
Zhu Zi chuckled. "They've hooked some big ones, but…"
The other girls were grinning too.
"Diona caught a huge fish, but she didn't have the strength for it and got dragged straight into the lake. Luckily Xiangling's stronger—she ran over and pulled her back, or that fishing rod would've been gone."
Xia Zhi shook his head with a smile. That had to be the effect of the [Strange Fish Bait].
It gave off a peculiar scent that drove away smaller fish but was irresistible to larger ones.
Cider Lake was massive, and who knew how many centuries-old giants lurked beneath its surface? If one of them took the bait, it'd yank the rod hard enough that Diona's small frame wouldn't stand a chance.
Xia Lin stayed close to him, sniffing at the strong scent of Dvalin lingering on his clothes.
She puffed out her cheeks in a pout, clearly displeased.
As dinnertime approached, they decided against going to a restaurant.
At noon, Xia Zhi had made extra dishes and stored them in his inventory, so now he could take them out fresh, spread a cloth on the grass, and have a picnic.
Since Diona and Xiangling couldn't leave the competition area, he made them deluxe Fisherman's Toasts—more than enough to fill them up.
When night fell, the mosquitoes by the lake came out in force.
Ying'er was prepared; she'd brought mosquito-repelling balm and rubbed some on everyone. Sure enough, no one was bitten.
By midnight, the moon was floating on the lake's surface.
The tournament finally ended.
The judges went from contestant to contestant, weighing the catches to determine the rankings.
After some bustle, the results were in.
As expected—Xiangling took first place, Diona second.
Both girls ran over, faces lit with excitement. "Master (Boss), your bait is amazing!"
Xia Zhi smiled and nodded. "Congratulations. Now pack up—it's time for bed."
The space rings made things easy; all those fish could be stored without worrying about how to carry them.
Back at Favonius Cathedral, Xia Zhi bathed in the Serenitea Pot before heading straight to bed.
Xia Lin hugged her pillow, ready to sneak into her father's room to sleep.
Qiqi, watching the girl's retreating figure, lifted her hand to touch the Key of Light, her mind drifting to Fischl—the other Electro girl with a transformation item.
The competition was fierce indeed.
Qiqi closed her eyes and resumed her cultivation.
---
Cloud Retainer sat on her bed, frowning at the sachet in her hand.
Strange.
Last night, she'd worn it just like the night before, yet she hadn't dreamed of Mr. Xia again.
What went wrong?
She untied the sachet to look inside.
It was empty.
Huh? Where was the hair?
Where was the lock of Mr. Xia's hair she'd placed in there the night before?
Could it be that the hair was a consumable medium—vanishing after a single dream?
That would mean she'd have to sneak into Mr. Xia's room every night to get more.
Cloud Retainer felt utterly weary at the thought.
It was already late; Mr. Xia was surely back in his room.
Trying to find hair on his bed now was out of the question.
She rolled over, staring at the wall.
Was there a better way?
Shenhe often slept with him—it would be easy for her to obtain hair—but asking such a thing of her disciple felt wrong.
She could try the laundry, but hair caught in the bedsheets and clothes would be mixed with all sorts of other debris, making it hard to tell which was his…
This thing… really wasn't that useful after all.
---
Mondstadt, inside an ordinary home.
Amber had just finished her bath and was lying in bed, ready to pull out her favorite novel from her ring—only to realize it was gone.
Her eyes went wide. She searched the ring from top to bottom but couldn't find it.
Where was her book?
Could she have accidentally dropped it while taking things out earlier?
She had retrieved a lot today…
But when exactly had it fallen out?
Amber rubbed her temples, head aching.
---
Mondstadt, inside a luxurious home.
Jean had also finished bathing and was lying in bed. She closed her eyes, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Her mind was full of vivid scenes from that novel.
No helping it.
Better to just finish it now—otherwise, she'd be up all night.
She pulled the book from her inventory and began reading intently under the bedside lamp.
Rainy Night With a Blade But Without Umbrella—the best in the world.
---
Inazuma, Grand Narukami Shrine.
Yae Miko stood beneath the Sacred Sakura tree, gazing at the branches that had bloomed anew, her eyes thoughtful.
At some point, a slender figure appeared behind her.
She turned to see the expressionless Raiden Shogun. "What brings you here?"
The Raiden Shogun spoke: "Ei wishes to see you."
Yae Miko studied her, and after a moment, a frown touched the woman's otherwise blank face.
Now it was Ei.
"Ei? You came to me?"
"A few days ago, I suddenly sensed… something unusual."
"Unusual?"
"Yes. That morning, the world's Electro laws shifted in some way. I reached out with my senses—the source seemed to be in Mondstadt."
"Probably just some powerful new Electro creature being born."
"No."
Ei's expression tightened with a flicker of pain, her voice dropping to a murmur.
"It was no mere powerful creature… If I hadn't seen my sister die with my own eyes, I might have thought… it was her presence."
"…Hmm?"
Yae Miko's gaze sharpened.
"Ei, what did you just say?"
Ei smoothed her face, shaking her head. "It's nothing."
"You were suspecting that presence might be… Makoto?"
Ei was silent for a moment, then said, "…Yes. For some reason, the aura I sensed felt so much like hers. But I know it can't be her…"
A thoughtful light glimmered in Yae Miko's eyes. "Is it possible… that it really was?"
Ei walked to the Sacred Sakura, her gaze filled with aching longing, and didn't answer.
After a while, her figure vanished—back to Tenshukaku, Yae Miko knew.
The shrine maiden drew from her robes a letter and a recorder, murmuring softly to herself.
"Makoto… what on earth happened to you…"