"Mm. That puts me at ease."
Hearing Kaito say that, Lumine felt she could finally relax about the whole thing.
As for Wendy, though — Kaito didn't seem particularly confident on that front.
Still, she'd already committed this far. Naturally, she was going to try.
Right... I should ask Kaito what Wendy actually likes to eat first...
The thought struck her, and she spoke up. "Oh — Kaito, what does Wendy usually like to eat? I want to make sure I prepare something she'd enjoy."
What does Wendy like to eat?
Kaito had been in the middle of turning over whether to have Kiana back in Inazuma do some emergency culinary cramming — when Lumine's question hit him and he drew a complete blank.
It had genuinely never occurred to him that anyone would ask what Wendy liked to eat. For a moment, he had absolutely no idea what to say.
Whatever he answered, he obviously couldn't let anyone get the impression that all his different selves had identical tastes.
Should I say ice cream?
...No, Lumine definitely can't make that.
The thought flitted through his mind unbidden.
Forget it. Just say something random.
After a moment's deliberation, Kaito decided to name a dish he'd actually eaten before.
"Stir-fried pork with chili peppers — she likes stir-fried pork with chili peppers." He said it with the air of someone combing through their memory.
"Stir-fried pork with chili peppers? So... how spicy?" Lumine hadn't expected that. She followed up with the next logical question.
Chili peppers were obviously spicy — but how spicy was very much open to interpretation, and she needed to get it right.
If it came out too fiery or not spicy enough, Wendy might not enjoy it at all.
"Medium is fine — a little on the spicy side is okay too." Kaito answered without a second's hesitation, going entirely off his own palate.
"Mm, got it."
Lumine nodded. Then she added: "In that case — how about I make you some stir-fried pork with chili peppers first? As a trial run, while we're still here in Liyue. How does that sound, Kaito?"
She figured it made sense to let Kaito taste it here before she debuted it in front of Wendy.
"Works for me — I'll be your official taste-tester."
Kaito agreed without hesitation.
Hm... Zhongli?
He was on the verge of saying something else when Zhongli's voice reached them from nearby.
"Well now — young Kaito and Miss Lumine." Zhongli walked toward them as he spoke.
"Are you out for a walk, Mr. Zhongli?" Kaito asked, watching as Zhongli came to a stop in front of them.
Zhongli had been coming from further ahead, which made Kaito curious about where he'd been.
Wait...
So Lumine and I have already walked all the way to the Guili Plains...
It was only in that moment that Kaito realized where they actually were — the Guili Plains, stretching out around them without his having noticed.
They'd been talking about cooking the entire way. He'd been completely oblivious to where his feet were taking him.
So then...
Zhongli came here to mourn Guizhong?
The suspicion surfaced in his mind, and Kaito found himself looking at Zhongli in a new light.
Before he'd transmigrated, he'd seen the rumor countless times — that the Guili Plains took its name from both Zhongli and Guizhong, one character drawn from each. Seeing Zhongli here now made that rumor feel considerably more credible.
There wasn't much actual in-game content depicting the two deities together — but from the scattered hints miHoYo had woven into the lore, it wasn't hard to sense that their relationship had been something more than simple.
Exactly what it had been, Kaito still couldn't say for certain. Not unless he asked Zhongli directly.
But he was well aware that this was precisely the kind of question Zhongli would almost certainly not answer.
"Mm." Zhongli nodded, then continued in his measured tone: "When one finds oneself with an abundance of time, many thoughts arise. The things that once went undone for lack of opportunity — now there is room to try them."
He finished speaking and regarded the two of them with a contemplative expression.
"Are you two out for a walk as well?" he asked.
"We are — just finished breakfast and thought we'd get some fresh air," Kaito said with a quick nod.
"I see. Then I'll be on my way." With a second, unhurried nod, Zhongli stepped past them and headed back in the direction of Liyue Harbor.
Since young Kaito and Lumine were out for a stroll, there was no reason for him to linger and disturb them.
Perhaps this walk would one day become a cherished shared memory between the two of them — years from now. That was no small thing.
"Take care, Mr. Zhongli."
Kaito turned to watch him go, his gaze lingering on Zhongli's retreating figure. There was something about the way he carried himself — a quiet loneliness that Kaito couldn't quite shake. He wasn't sure if he was reading too much into it, or if some prior assumption had colored his perception.
"Gods actually go for walks?" Lumine had turned as well, watching the same figure recede into the distance, the question slipping out before she could help it.
"Gods also run up tabs," Kaito replied with a grin, turning back to her.
Lumine opened her mouth, closed it, and thought for a moment.
...Right. Okay, then.
She found herself with absolutely nothing to say to that.
The deity of Liyue really was something else entirely.
"Actually — I think he came here to mourn someone. Well, not a person, exactly. A god."
Kaito thought it over, then decided to tell Lumine about Zhongli and Guizhong.
"Wait, really? Which god?" Lumine hadn't even considered that possibility. She was immediately curious.
Wait —
Mourning?
As the implication sank in, her curiosity deepened considerably.
"The deity in question... well..." Kaito paused, choosing his words. "Strictly speaking, I'm not sure she should be called a deity — but I'll treat her as one for now." He continued: "Her name was Guizhong. She was an Archon from the era before the Archon War had concluded — known as the Dust Archon."
"The Dust Archon?"
"That's right — the Dust Archon. She appeared in the form of a young girl." Kaito nodded.
"A girl?" Lumine blinked.
She hadn't expected that at all. And then, almost immediately, another realization followed: whatever had existed between that Archon and Zhongli — it couldn't have been simple.
"Back in those days, the Archon War hadn't ended yet, and the two of them formed an alliance to fight their enemies together." Kaito spoke as he pulled from the knowledge he'd gathered before transmigrating. "As for the Dust Archon herself... she was said to be a very gentle Archon. Her power was limited — nothing close to Mr. Zhongli's — but her wisdom was exceptional. Far beyond what her fragile appearance might suggest."
"So the two of them — wait, not them, the two gods — they were like... one the mind and one the sword?" Lumine asked, listening intently.
"Exactly." Kaito nodded.
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