Naganohara Fireworks.
After breakfast, Yoimiya sat alone at the shop's entrance, absentmindedly staring into the distance.
According to the diary, Su Xuan had already arrived in Inazuma.
If her guess was right, he should now be in Tenshukaku, discussing important matters with Inazuma's top brass.
As for her relationship with Su Xuan—
Naganohara Yoimiya was definitely the first person in Inazuma to have met him.
At least, that's how it was written in his diary.
Back then, he had just arrived in Teyvat.
But now, Yoimiya had realized something awkward:
as a diary holder, she might actually be the one furthest from him.
Her status couldn't compare to a Knightly Acting Grand Master, a witch, one of the Liyue Qixing, an adeptus, or the high officials of Inazuma.
In her daily life, there didn't seem to be any natural reason for her path to cross with his again.
"Ahh…"
"I was the first to meet him, and somehow ended up the least connected…"
Yoimiya sighed at the strangeness of fate.
Just then, a voice she remembered all too well sounded behind her.
"Who's got our Summer Festival Queen sighing so sadly at her own doorstep?"
Yoimiya blinked, then whipped around.
Not far behind her stood a very familiar figure—
And beside him, a girl with long, gradient pink hair and a gentle, unique air.
"Su… Su Xuan?" Yoimiya's eyes went wide. She rubbed them hard. "It's really you!?"
"Is it that surprising I'd come to see you?" Su Xuan asked with a smile.
Yoimiya shook her head at once.
Her straightforward, passionate nature didn't leave much room for overthinking.
In her excitement, she blurted out, "No! I just thought…"
"Someone as important as you would've forgotten about me by now."
Su Xuan: "…"
For a moment, he had no idea how to respond to that.
He could only let out a slightly awkward laugh.
"Don't say that. Back then, I only made it through the chaos of the decrees thanks to your help."
Yoimiya shook her head quickly.
She'd gone over that night countless times in her head.
At some point, she'd even started to suspect that Su Xuan had just been… humoring her.
After all, before the dawn had even fully broken, the "wanted man" she'd hidden had turned into someone who could casually defeat the Raiden Shogun.
There was no way to make sense of that.
Yoimiya felt that even without her, Su Xuan would have done just fine.
That kind of "favor," she really didn't dare take credit for.
"Don't tease me…" Yoimiya said shyly. "Even if I hadn't helped, you'd have been perfectly okay."
Su Xuan: "…"
"Oh, right!" Yoimiya suddenly remembered something.
She rummaged in her Vision and took out a familiar bag of Mora.
"This is what you left behind when you left that night."
"I've been keeping it safe for you. Since I didn't really help much…"
"I don't have the right to accept such a big thank-you."
Su Xuan pressed a hand to his forehead.
There was no taking back a gift once given.
Off to the side, Sangonomiya Kokomi nearly burst out laughing.
On the way over, Su Xuan had told her about all this.
With how well he knew Yoimiya, he'd guessed she might do exactly this.
And sure enough, the scene unfolding before them was almost identical to what he'd envisioned.
Still, the fact remained—Yoimiya had helped him back then.
Su Xuan couldn't just lean on his overwhelming presence and tell her bluntly that as a diary holder, her fate was to stay by his side—
Much less say something like "If you refuse, I'll brick you into a wall."
Looking at the bag of Mora in her hands, he hurriedly waved her off.
"There's no such thing as taking back what I've already given."
"And I really did need your help back then."
"This time, I came for two reasons: first, to see how you've been doing."
"Second, to ask if there's anything you need help with—anything I can do, I'll try my best."
"For example, your father's health."
"The hearing loss is a side effect. I have a tool—the Heaven and Earth Mirror—that can help restore it."
Yoimiya didn't even get as far as opening her mouth to refuse.
Her arms were waving wildly before she could say a word.
Most of the other diary holders were people in high positions.
They had the leverage to "trade" with Su Xuan.
But Yoimiya knew full well that the Naganohara family was just a small fireworks shop.
They didn't have anything that could match the weight of his help.
Of course she'd be happy to receive help from Su Xuan.
But that was one thing.
Principle was another.
Their family might not be grand, but the things that mattered couldn't be compromised.
She couldn't accept his help for nothing. It would sit like a stone on her conscience.
"It wouldn't feel right, taking this kind of favor for free," Yoimiya said with a bright smile.
"Just knowing you remember me is already more than enough."
Su Xuan nodded slightly.
Her refusal didn't surprise him—and he didn't take it to heart.
They chatted as old friends for a little while.
Then Su Xuan used the excuse of escorting Kokomi back to Watatsumi to end the visit.
"When I've got time, I'll come see you again," he said, lifting a hand in farewell.
Yoimiya nodded hard, watching Su Xuan and Kokomi's backs disappear down the street.
"Why am I suddenly so nervous around him…" she muttered.
"It feels like I messed up this rare chance to see him again…"
"When will the next time be?"
As she was lost in these thoughts, the diary floated up on its own and opened before her eyes.
A new page.
Her own face stared back at her from a beautifully rendered photograph.
[Summer Festival Queen.jpg]
[Naganohara Yoimiya is the kind soul who helped me when I first arrived.]
[Coming back to Inazuma and revisiting that place… it's hard not to feel something.]
—
Tenshukaku.
Kamisato Ayaka, who'd been anxiously waiting for news, couldn't help knitting her brows.
The moment Yoimiya's photo appeared in the diary, she knew: things hadn't gone smoothly.
It was a signal from Su Xuan.
Which meant it was her turn.
"How should I even explain all this to Yoimiya…?" Ayaka muttered, troubled.
At that moment, Yae Miko happened to walk by and heard her sigh.
She poked her head in. "What's wrong, little one? What's got you sighing so deeply?"
Seeing the Guuji as if seeing a savior, Ayaka quickly explained Su Xuan's request from that morning.
Yae Miko listened quietly, thought for a moment, then smiled.
"This is simple."
"I've been wondering how to help him round up the remaining diary holders anyway."
"All we need is for Ei to personally go and arrest them."
Ayaka: "?"
"Is… is that really okay?" she asked weakly.
Somehow, the plan didn't feel very reassuring.
Yae Miko could see the worry on her face and laughed.
"Su Xuan can't afford to be too forceful in this particular case."
"He doesn't want to play the villain. But we can, can't we?"
"We take responsibility for 'bringing them in'—and then inform them that Inazuma's exclusive service institution has been established."
"If even the Shogun herself is participating, what reason could they possibly have to refuse?"
"After that, you go in as her friend, help smooth out her feelings, and accompany her through her first 'service session.'"
"As long as the first time goes smoothly, there won't be any problems afterward."
"Don't worry—Su Xuan is not going to blame us for this."
Ayaka hesitated, then nodded.
As the Guuji said, some things really couldn't be explained properly with words alone.
Even someone like Su Xuan couldn't always convey his intentions directly—especially in special situations.
Yoimiya least of all.
But his goal was perfectly clear:
He wanted to bring down the Summer Festival Queen—the girl who "raised Slimes with bandages."
"All right. Then I'll leave the arrangements to you, Guuji-sama," Ayaka said.
"Naganohara Fireworks is right in the city, so… we can start with Yoimiya."
—
Meanwhile.
The moment Su Xuan and Kokomi stepped around a corner, his telekinesis spread out toward Watatsumi.
He grabbed hold of a nearby monster as a coordinate, took Kokomi's hand, and used Instant Transmission to bring them directly to the waters near the island.
"You should head back and stabilize the situation first," he said.
"Once you have some free time and you're resting in your room, I'll come there directly."
"I'll set up a Flying Thunder Guiding Thunder link to Tenshukaku."
The instant she realized he meant he'd personally come to her room, Kokomi's face flushed bright red.
"So that means… at night, I can have you all to myself?" she blurted.
Su Xuan: "…"
The little ornamental fish was really thinking about that already?
"We'll see," he said dryly. "I'm just worried you won't be able to handle it alone."
"Anyway, I've got to go clear out the Abyssal energy in Enkanomiya, then fix Tsurumi's leylines."
"No time to chat."
With that, he waved goodbye and disappeared the next second.
Kokomi stared at the spot where he'd vanished, heart pounding wildly.
Just how many problems did Inazuma have?
The Sakoku Decree, the Vision Hunt Decree, the Delusion Factory, the curses on Yashiori, the Abyss choking Enkanomiya and turning Watatsumi into holy soil, the shattered leylines on Tsurumi…
Just hearing it all made her head spin.
But to Su Xuan?
Even if you piled all the old crises back on top of the new ones, he could still handle them—
And be back in Tenshukaku in time for dinner.
What did I ever do to deserve staying by his side like this?
It all felt like a dream.
But this was no time to drift off.
The people of Watatsumi were waiting for her to lead.
As their Divine Priestess, she had to do better—
To maintain her place among the other diary holders all racing to earn Su Xuan's favor.
She took a breath, calmed herself, and was about to head back—
When her diary lit up again in front of her.
At the same time, Su Xuan had already arrived in Enkanomiya, using a Bathysmal Vishap as an anchor.
The dragon lizard was so startled by his sudden appearance that it froze on the spot.
When it finally reacted and tried to pounce at him—
It found itself grabbed by an invisible hand and tossed aside like a toy.
Su Xuan looked around.
Violet-black mists curled through every corner of Enkanomiya.
In that darkness, the Vishaps' emotions were clearly far more violent than usual.
Dozens of pairs of eyes glared at him from the shadows, ready to strike at any moment.
Su Xuan didn't bother with them.
His will flowed outward—
And light flared across the depths of the black mist, forming countless shimmering spheres.
From a bird's-eye view of Enkanomiya, even the remotest corners were studded with those globes.
In just an instant, he'd identified every living creature down here.
The telekinetic barriers snapped into place, isolating each living being in its own sphere.
Then the ground, walls, and ceilings of Enkanomiya lit up with a thin layer of luminous sheen.
Just like when he'd dealt with the runaway Abyssal energy around that upside-down Statue of The Seven—
All of Enkanomiya was wrapped in his telekinesis in the blink of an eye.
Su Xuan clenched his fist.
The glowing lattice shrank like a collapsing birdcage.
In only a few minutes, every scrap of Abyssal energy had been stripped away and compressed into a single purple-black sphere that floated gently into his palm.
He twisted his hand.
In an instant, a surge of force crushed it into nothing.
"The speed…" Yae Miko murmured. "Even when I roughly imagined how he'd handle Enkanomiya's Abyssal taint…"
"Actually seeing it is still something else."
"Mm." Ei's voice held far more excitement than hers.
Because the time to see Makoto again was drawing closer.
With Enkanomiya handled, the next destination was Tsurumi.
Once Tsurumi was fixed, Makoto's resurrection would officially enter the countdown.
The thought of seeing the person she'd longed for day and night made Ei's shoulders tremble where she sat.
Yae Miko saw and couldn't help teasing:
"What's got you fidgeting like that?"
"Did you take too many heavy hits last night and this morning? Is your rear broken?"
"At this rate, you might be worse off than me…"
Ei: "?"
"Nonsense, Miko."
"Su Xuan was considerate of the fact that it was your first time—he gave you all plenty of breaks."
"You've only gone through a few rounds. I—"
She broke off mid-sentence.
The moment she saw the sly look on Yae Miko's face, she realized she'd walked right into another trap.
Sure enough, before she could recover, Yae Miko's voice slid right into her ears.
"Tsk. Our lofty, dignified Narukami Ōgosho, now with a head full of those kinds of thoughts…"
Ei: "?"
"I wonder how Makoto will feel," Yae Miko went on, "if she wakes up and finds the second Raiden Shogun she pinned all her hopes on has turned out like this."
Ei: "!?!?"
This damned fox—she plans to tell Makoto about this too?!
"Miko! I'm warning you—if you dare say anything strange in front of her, I'll—"
"Oh?" Yae Miko turned, watching her huff and puff in impotent anger. "You'll what?"
"If Su Xuan doesn't break your ass, I will," Ei snapped.
Yae Miko made a show of cowering.
"Oh no, anything but that. If you break it and it stops working for him, can you take responsibility?"
Ei: "?"
Seeing she'd never win with words, Ei gave up engaging.
Her gaze dropped to the diary—
And her expression changed at once.
"Miko, enough of this. Su Xuan seems to have… complaints about Inazuma again."
That sobered Yae Miko at once.
She straightened and looked at the page.
[The Abyssal energy in Enkanomiya's been dealt with.]
[Now it's just a matter of time before Watatsumi's soil recovers.]
[Speaking of Enkanomiya and Byakuyakoku, though…]
[This place is even more cursed than Yashiori.]
[Stay too long and it really gets under your skin.]
[Once I'm done studying the mechanism of the Dainichi Mikoshi, I'm leaving immediately.]
[…]
[Next on the list is a tiny island on Inazuma's southern edge—Tsurumi.]
[And I've got to say, Tsurumi is even more cursed than Enkanomiya.]
[I am genuinely out of words.]
[Inazuma might be more barren than the other nations—]
[But if we're counting creepy, cursed places, it's definitely top-tier among the Seven.]
Ei: "…"
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