"So, where are we going next?" Paimon asked, looking at Lucian.
Lucian gave Paimon a sidelong glance. I brought you along for a reason, and now you're asking me?
Since arriving in Inazuma, Lucian had only been to three places: the Kamisato Estate, Narukami Shrine, and the Statue of the Thousand-Handed, Hundred-Eyed God.
The rest of the time, he practically holed up in the Kamisato Estate like a shut-in, listening to Lumine's "travel" experiences as if he'd gone on them himself.
"Aren't you the guide? You're asking me where to go?" Lucian said.
Paimon's eyes lit up, and she nearly did a tap dance in midair.
"What did you call me?" Paimon stared at Lucian.
"A guide," Lucian said, puzzled.
"Say it again!"
"…"
Now Lucian got it. Damn it, did calling her that make Paimon too happy?
Hurry up and move! There's still a schedule to keep!
The schedule, of course, was the festival. It was the last day of the festival—how could they not let Ei experience it?
Moreover, this festival was to celebrate defeating the Raiden Shogun, so the Raiden Shogun herself had to give a victory speech, haha!
"If you don't hurry up, I'll take you all fishing," Lucian said.
"Ugh… fine, I'll take you to a fishing spot!" Paimon perked up.
"?" Lucian froze. I was just saying that offhand! I don't like fishing!
If I sneak off to fish on my own, that's one thing, but you want me to fish with the Traveler? Don't you know the Traveler's skill level?
If I fish with the Traveler, will I even catch anything?
Sure, I probably wouldn't catch anything on my own either, but at least no one would notice. I could buy a couple of fish from the seafood market, and no one would know.
Worst case, I could dive into the sea… grab a couple of fish. As long as I'm stubborn enough, I can say I fished them up!
Paimon didn't know what Lucian was thinking. She excitedly stomped her little feet.
"Hehe, fish, I wanna eat, hehe," Paimon said, practically drooling at the thought.
It seemed that not having grilled fish during her last BBQ with the Traveler left her with some regrets.
No one objected to the fishing idea.
Lucian was the one who suggested it, so he couldn't back out now. Besides, he did enjoy fishing—he just wasn't good at it.
The Traveler, of course, wouldn't refuse. She was quite skilled at fishing.
As for Ei, she didn't care what they did. She was fine doing whatever Lucian and Lumine enjoyed.
And so, they actually ended up going fishing, arriving at a fishing spot under Paimon's lead.
"Sigh, no choice. I'm not in top form today, so I don't know if I'll catch anything," Lucian said, pulling out a fishing kit from his Vision.
He hadn't even started, but he was already making excuses.
"Oh, got a bite!" Lumine said. "Paimon, the net."
Lucian: "…"
I'm still setting up my fishing gear, and you're already reeling in fish at lightning speed?
Ei's better. Look, she doesn't catch fish so out-of-place like that.
Ei sat calmly in midair, holding a fishing rod but seemingly in a meditative state.
Ei actually enjoyed fishing. It was nice to fish while meditating—a perfect balance of work and leisure, perhaps?
Lucian glanced at the distant Tenshukaku. He had to admit, Paimon picked a great spot.
Not for fishing, but for the view. From here, they could see Inazuma City perfectly, so they didn't even need to go to the festival itself.
As they fished, over at the festival, Yoimiya and the others were frantically preparing.
"Will we be ready before dark?" Ayaka handed a handkerchief to Yoimiya.
"Um… should be fine, haha. That 'automatic firework launcher' Lucian gave us is a huge help," Yoimiya said, wiping her sweat with a smile.
"Is that so? That's good," Ayaka sighed in relief. These fireworks were for the Raiden Shogun, so the Yashiro Commission was under immense pressure.
Meanwhile, in Sumeru, the Sabzeruz Festival was also underway.
Under the daylight sun, Nilou stood atop the Flower Goddess's float.
As she danced gracefully, Nilou hoped in her heart that the Dendro Archon could see this moment.
Nahida could indeed see it. From within the void, she was simply unable to join the festival.
She watched Nilou pour her heart into dancing on the float, shining brightly under the sunlight.
Amid a sea of flower petals, Nilou, dancing in the flower-filled scene, seemed like a true flower fairy.
The best cosplayer of the Flower Goddess, in that moment, truly became the "Flower Goddess."
Collei watched with admiration sparkling in her eyes. Nilou shone brightly in everyone's gaze, just like Amber!
"Collei, want to try learning the Dance of the Flower Goddess?" Cyno said flatly, striking like a bolt of lightning.
"No, no, no, no, I can't!" Collei hurriedly waved her hands, her face flushed red.
Just imagining herself dancing under everyone's gaze made Collei too embarrassed to function.
"I think the great dancer Cyno should give it a try," Kaveh teased.
Unexpectedly, Cyno wasn't fazed and said, "Great dancer? That's not a bad title."
Alhaitham: "…"
He quietly slipped into the crowd and left.
If Kaveh hadn't dragged him here, he'd rather spend his time reading.
Tighnari, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. Collei was finally cheering up.
The Sabzeruz Festival continued, but the Sages paid no attention to it. To them, it was just a meaningless celebration for fools.
As dusk fell, Sumeru's Sabzeruz Festival ended, and Yoimiya and the others finally finished preparing the festival fireworks.
On Lucian's side, Lumine had caught plenty of fish, and Ei had reeled in a few as well.
Lucian, however, was still empty-handed.
"Lucian, why don't you give up? It's about time," Paimon advised.
She'd been holding the net, ready to help when someone caught a fish, but she hadn't been able to assist Lucian at all.
"Need my help?" Ei asked calmly. With her abilities, making a fish bite precisely was no challenge.
Lucian: "No, it must be the bait."
"Really? Let me check," Lumine said, diving straight into the water to inspect Lucian's bait.
Lucian didn't mind Lumine's sudden dive scaring the fish. He was already resigned to going home empty-handed today.
A moment later, Lumine poked her head out of the water and looked at Lucian. "The bait's fine."
"I checked around and saw a few fish nearby."
As she spoke, Lumine's hand emerged from the water, holding a live fish. "Here, this one was laughing the loudest just now."
Lumine tossed the fish in front of Lucian.
Lucian: "…"
I knew you were good at stirring things up, Lumine, but I didn't expect this!
You're a mermaid now, huh? You can even understand fish laughter?
Was it laughing "blue, blue" underwater?
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Traveler: About Lucian · Fishing
Paimon: "Hmm… maybe next time we should do something else with Lucian?"
Traveler: "You're right."