Outside Yuehai Pavilion, Jiang Yan stood with little Ayaka and Ayato.
And, of course, Yae Miko.
Originally, Jiang Yan had already arranged accommodations for her.
But after hearing that he was taking the Kamisato family out for a meal, Yae Miko insisted on tagging along.
"No, seriously—why are you following me when I'm treating them to dinner?"
Jiang Yan looked at her helplessly.
"I'm unfamiliar with Liyue. I don't feel comfortable wandering alone."
Yae Miko smiled lightly.
"What? You wouldn't happen to be unwilling to welcome me, would you?"
Her tone became teasing once again.
"Fine, fine. Do whatever you want."
Jiang Yan sighed.
He truly wasn't good at dealing with people like Yae Miko.
Arriving at Xinyue Pavilion—
Jiang Yan brought Yae Miko and the Kamisato siblings into the private room arranged by the Ministry secretary.
"Miko, see if there's anything else you'd like to order."
Since she had already come along, he might as well host her properly too.
"No need. This already looks wonderful."
"After all, I've never tried Liyue cuisine before~"
Yae Miko replied.
"Oh, Tianquan."
"Have you ever considered writing another novel?"
This was her real reason for coming.
After all, Jiang Yan was the legendary author behind Hero's Journey.
There was no way Yae Miko would let such a money-printing tree slip away.
She had already made up her mind.
She absolutely had to convince Jiang Yan to write another book.
"A novel? I wouldn't know how."
Jiang Yan immediately played dumb.
What a joke.
Writing novels was exhausting.
He had no intention of suffering through that a second time.
"Hmph. Pretending ignorance now is already too late."
Yae Miko narrowed her eyes at him.
For the next stretch of time, she continuously pestered him, trying to persuade him to write again.
She even began laying out her grand business vision.
Expand Yae Publishing House.
Spread it across all of Teyvat.
Sit comfortably at home while endless Mora rolled in from every direction.
Jiang Yan remained completely unmoved.
Please.
Who was he?
The Tianquan of Liyue.
The nation responsible for minting currency.
Morax wasn't dead yet.
As long as Rex Lapis existed, Mora was practically limitless.
Would he care about a little publishing income?
Eventually, Ayaka's parents arrived.
"Lady Guuji?"
Ayaka's father stared at Yae Miko in surprise.
"When did you arrive?"
He clearly remembered Yae Miko still being beside Kitsune Saiguu when he informed them that the Kamisato family would be visiting Liyue.
How had she suddenly appeared here?
Hearing his question, Yae Miko smiled.
"Oh, I only arrived recently."
But as head of the Kamisato Clan, he quickly pieced things together.
How had she come?
On the same ship as them, obviously.
With Yae Miko's abilities, hiding herself from the Kamisato family would have been effortless.
Understanding this, Ayaka's father wisely said nothing further.
Some things were better left acknowledged silently.
As Ayaka's parents joined them, Jiang Yan instructed Xinyue Pavilion to begin serving the dishes.
The meal proceeded pleasantly amid cheerful conversation.
After lunch, the Kamisato Clan Head planned to take his wife sightseeing through Liyue.
Little Ayaka, however, refused to separate from Jiang Yan.
So Ayaka's father simply allowed Ayato and Ayaka to spend the day with him.
After all, they would return to Inazuma the next day.
As overseers of the Yashiro Commission, the Kamisato family could not remain away for long.
Even if some duties were temporarily handled by the Grand Narukami Shrine, they still had responsibilities.
A single day of relaxation was already a rare luxury.
Though reluctant to part from Jiang Yan, Ayaka could only accept it.
She hadn't come alone.
Later, Jiang Yan brought Yae Miko and the children back to Yuehai Pavilion.
Ayaka clung to Jiang Yan throughout the afternoon.
But before long, Ningguang invited her away to play.
Meanwhile, Yae Miko had little to do.
Unexpectedly, she ended up chatting happily with Ganyu.
Standing nearby, Jiang Yan watched the two converse enthusiastically.
Though he had no idea what that sly woman was planning, the moment she began calling "Ganyu-jie jie" over and over, he felt a headache coming on.
This woman adapted to people far too quickly.
Still—
This version of Yae Miko felt somewhat different from the one Jiang Yan remembered.
In the original story, Miko wasn't merely mischievous.
She was extraordinarily calculating.
Across all of Inazuma, if one spoke of scheming minds—
Yae Miko stood at the top.
Even Ayato, famously described as someone who had "grown a person atop layers of scheming," fell slightly behind her.
Perhaps because Kitsune Saiguu and Raiden Makoto were still alive.
Yae Miko had never been forced into becoming that deeply guarded person.
The current Miko was still sly.
Still clever.
But there was far more youthful playfulness to her.
She no longer carried that heavy, inscrutable depth.
With Kitsune Saiguu and Makoto still present, she had never needed to mature prematurely to uphold Inazuma alone.
And honestly—
Wasn't this better?
Jiang Yan had saved so many tragedies precisely so those caught within them no longer had to suffer.
"Tianquan, what are you thinking about?"
At some point, Yae Miko and Ganyu had walked over.
Miko looked at him curiously.
"Is something wrong?"
Ganyu asked gently, sensing his distraction.
"Nothing."
Jiang Yan shook his head and smiled.
"I was just wondering how to naturally join your conversation without seeming too abrupt."
Yae Miko immediately wrapped her arm around Ganyu's.
"Hmph. The topics Ganyu-jie jie and I discuss aren't something you can casually interrupt."
Ganyu laughed softly and lightly tapped Miko's arm.
She seemed to have remembered something amusing.
"Alright, alright. You two continue chatting."
"I'll go check on Ayaka and the others."
Jiang Yan smiled and turned toward the children playing nearby with Ningguang.
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