Nanaeko placed a hand over her chest. "So... Master has been bearing this pain all along."
Touma clutched his head in agony. "I'm sorry, Master. It was all my fault."
"Father, Master, Senior Brother!"
[Paimon: He really looks like he's in pain.]
[Ningguang: That, in fact, shows he is a person of deep feeling. Someone without such feelings wouldn't experience this.]
[Paimon: Deep feeling?]
[Keqing: It's precisely because he cared so deeply about their feelings that he's in such pain. Unlike a certain someone who casually released an ancient god, utterly disregarding the lives of countless mortals.]
[Tartaglia: Hey, wait! I did that because I suspected Morax wasn't dead!]
[Ningguang: So, you tested your hypothesis at the cost of the safety of Liyue's people? I'll be billing you for the Jade Chamber.]
[Furina: It seems, from now on, Liyue will be a forbidden zone for Tartaglia.]
[Tartaglia: That's hard to say. The Liyue Qixing alone could never catch me.]
[Ningguang: Then perhaps I'll drop a Jade Chamber on your head instead.]
[Paimon: Ah! That would definitely kill him, wouldn't it?]
[Lumine: Tartaglia has already completed his mission. Most likely, he'll never return to Liyue.]
[Paimon: What a shame. There'll be no one to pay for Zhongli anymore.]
"Enough!" Another person walked through the gate of the Grand Narukami Shrine. It was the man they'd met before—Seian.
Paimon: "Isn't that the senior brother we met before? Why is he here?"
"Did he follow us here secretly?"
[Furina: This defeated senior brother still cares about his junior, doesn't he?]
[Ningguang: Humans are emotional beings. It is precisely because of emotion that we are human.]
[Kamisato Ayaka: Although the two never met again after that duel, they still cared for each other in their hearts.]
[Zhongli: This is also my reason for protecting humanity.]
Seian walked straight up to Touma.
Touma looked at the approaching Seian, his vision blurry. "Seian? Why are there two of you? Are you human or a ghost?"
"You've come for revenge, haven't you? I knew I shouldn't have back then..."
Seian crossed his arms. "I certainly don't have much goodwill toward you, but I don't want to hear your apologies either."
"After all these years, I've long since figured it out. You didn't do anything wrong back then. It was my own pride that made me flee our school."
"I believe most of those you defeated never blamed you. On the contrary, we entrusted our wishes to you, hoping you'd go further. I know your wish has been taken away, so you can no longer live up to our expectations..."
"But you shouldn't take away their wishes. Continuously honing your swordsmanship to become the world's greatest—isn't that what you taught them?"
[Zhongli: Speaking your true feelings honestly is also a form of courage.]
[Venti: Yeah, admitting in front of everyone that he ran away because of his pride... His real intent is just to help Touma recover.]
[Arataki Itto: This is the redemption and bond between senior and junior brother!]
[Furina: Hahaha, for some reason, I just feel like laughing whenever I see Arataki Itto.]
[Ningguang: Arataki Itto does have a decent talent for comedy.]
[Yae Miko: I've met him. A rather proud young man, with his own convictions.]
[Paimon: Lady Yae has such a high opinion of Arataki Itto?]
[Lumine: Arataki Itto is a Vision bearer.]
[Paimon: Oh, right! Someone without ambition and conviction can't obtain a Vision.]
Touma stammered, "But... what if one day they end up like me..."
"Rushing headlong with reckless courage, chasing after the title of 'greatest'... maybe that was a mistake from the start."
"If one day, they also become like this... I'd rather they just stay where they are and not move forward..."
[Yae Miko: This, perhaps, is the reason Ei chose to guard 'Eternity'.]
[Ei: I once witnessed a nation running at full speed lose everything before the Heavenly Principles.]
[Yae Miko: I was still young then. I only remember that after Lady Saiguu left, she never returned.]
[Paimon: It seems... Ei has her own reasons.]
[Kaedehara Kazuha: The answer to 'Eternity'?]
[Yae Miko: Hahaha, gods love their people. It's just that Ei's way of protecting Inazuma is something even I don't fully understand.]
[Ei: Time will prove I am right.]
Seian was furious. "Have you asked for their opinions?"
Nanaeko said, "Master... back then, when you saved me from pirates, I decided to follow in your footsteps for the rest of my life."
"I don't know if I'll feel the same pain as you one day. But I know that right now, I don't want to stop. I want to one day be able to proudly stand tall and tell everyone I am Master's disciple, a successor of the Still-Water Sword style."
Junya placed a hand over his chest, speaking earnestly. "That's right, Master. It's not just junior sister. All of us feel the same way."
Touma's condition seemed to improve.
Seian said, "See? You can actually entrust your wish to them."
"Having a wish taken away—I haven't experienced that, so I don't understand. But back when you easily defeated me, I also felt the sound of my wish shattering. Just like how I entrusted my wish to you, you can also entrust your wish to them. You and I are different. When I left, I had nothing. But at least you still have all these excellent disciples."
[Paimon: Although he's no longer raving, his wish still hasn't returned.]
[Ningguang: Forgiveness from a friend can only resolve his inner conflict. To recover the lost wish, he must retrieve his Vision.]
[Lumine: So, our mission is essentially to take back those Visions.]
[Keqing: I'm afraid that is the answer. Only by helping them retrieve their Visions can they truly be saved.]
[Zhongli: From the moment a Vision is ignited, it becomes an inseparable part of its owner.]
[Paimon: Speaking of which, Keqing once tried to destroy her Vision.]
[Keqing: A Vision is as resilient as the wish itself.]
Touma's state then returned to normal. "I understand."
He looked at his two disciples. "I'm sorry. As the head of the Still-Water Sword style, I've worried you. Right now, I no longer have any attachment to becoming the world's greatest, but the emptiness and pain in my heart cannot be dispelled. It's hard for me to be free of distractions. But as your master, I will teach you everything I have learned in my lifetime. For this, I ask Senior Brother to supervise me."
Seian smiled. "Of course I'll supervise. Who knows if you might go crazy again someday?"
"But I've grown accustomed to a carefree life. I won't stay at the dojo. I'll just drop by occasionally to see if you're slacking off."
"What are you all standing around for? Thank Lady Yae, then go home."
After everyone thanked Lady Yae, they left.
Paimon was also happy. "Now, the stolen wish is entrusted to the disciples to inherit. That counts as a successful resolution, right?"
Lumine nodded. "Mhm. Everything seems to have reached a conclusion."
At that moment, a shrine maiden approached. "You two, please wait. Lady Yae has a message for you."
Yae Miko looked Lumine up and down. "As I thought, it's not my imagination. The wind from a foreign land will blow new life into this sea. Our meeting is somewhat premature, yet the timing of your arrival on this island is just right."
[Venti: Excellent! Lumine has been stamped with Mondstadt's mark.]
[Paimon: Lady Yae is just using the wind as a metaphor, right?]
[Lumine: I agree with Paimon.]
[Venti: Then I can go play in Inazuma too. That should count as having a Mondstadt mark, right?]
[Paimon: What kind of strange logic is that?]
"Do your best not to disappoint my expectations, little one."
Having said that, Yae Miko left.
[Paimon: Speaking of which, Lumine, how old are you?]
[Lumine: I'm probably a few thousand years old.]
[Furina: Hahaha! Yae Miko was just a little fox five hundred years ago.]
[Venti: If we calculate by height, Lumine is indeed a 'little one'.]
[Klee: Lady Yae's legs are so long! And her... you-know-whats are big too!]
[Jean: Klee! You mustn't say such things. It's very impolite.]
[Yae Miko: Haha, it's fine. I don't mind. But, so the Traveler is that old? Then it really isn't suitable for me to call myself 'big sister' anymore.]
Paimon was very puzzled. "Hmm... That Lady Yae seems very interested in you. Such a mysterious and unpredictable person. What deep meaning could her words hold?"
"Well, let's think about it later. For now, we should hurry back and report to Lady Ayaka."
Returning to the Kamisato Estate, this time, Ayaka did not hide behind the screen. Instead, she walked out from behind it slowly, holding a fan that covered her face. She then lowered the fan, revealing her true appearance.
[Furina: Miss Kamisato is quite beautiful too.]
[Ningguang: She has the air of a well-bred lady from a noble family.]
[Paimon: And Ningguang's aura is more... regal?]
[Kamisato Ayaka: Why are we suddenly discussing appearances?]
[Paimon: Last time you didn't dare come out, so everyone thought you were afraid to show your face!]
[Kamisato Ayaka: Did it create such a misunderstanding?]
Kamisato Ayaka said, "This is the first time meeting like this. Traveler, Paimon, I've already heard about how you helped those friends. You've worked hard."
Lumine shook her head. "We didn't really help much. The harm of losing a Vision can't be fully mended."
Paimon: "Yeah. As long as the Visions can't be retrieved, nothing feels like it truly helps. Speaking of which, Ayaka, why can you come out to meet people this time?"
Kamisato Ayaka smiled. "Because after those three matters, I already consider you my friends. Just as I wouldn't speak to Thoma from behind a screen either."
Paimon rested her chin on her hand. "Wait, isn't Thoma your retainer? I don't want to be a house servant!"
"Pfft." Kamisato Ayaka covered her mouth with a light laugh. "Little Paimon, you are quite amusing. Before Thoma was my close retainer, he was, more importantly, my friend."
Paimon put her hands on her hips. "Well, alright then. I feel like Lady Ayaka's presence is different now that she's out from behind the screen. Fine, we'll be your friends."
Lumine also agreed. "Alright, we'll be your friends."
[Furina: For some reason, seeing this part is really funny.]
[Paimon: What's so funny about it?]
[Lumine: I think Furina losing to a Slime is funnier.]
[Furina: Hey!]
Kamisato Ayaka said, "Thank you both. Returning to the main topic, after witnessing the suffering of those who lost their Visions, what are your thoughts?"
Lumine: "It seems even more painful than death."
Kamisato Ayaka: "In the eyes of our god, the Raiden Shogun, all living beings may be just individual lives."
"Thunder, gales, torrential rain... their arrival never considers the feelings of mortals. But if it were you, I believe you would understand."
Lumine fell into thought.
Kamisato Ayaka: "It seems you can understand my feelings. In that case, would you reconsider?"
Lumine nodded seriously. "I will help you. Oppose the Vision Hunt Decree."
Kamisato Ayaka was also delighted. "Really?"
[Paimon: It's a bit like Fontaine. Back then, Neuvillette, Lyney, and we set a trap for Furina.]
[Furina: Hey, hey! No need to keep bringing that up!]
[Lumine: The situations aren't the same. Furina is a god who can't beat a Slime, while Ei's lightning can tear the earth asunder.]
[Furina: Ah? Does no one care about this god's feelings?]
[Charlotte: Lady Furina, the Traveler and Paimon probably didn't mean it on purpose.]
[Paimon: I'm sorry, Furina. I just suddenly remembered Fontaine. I didn't mean to reopen old wounds.]
[Yae Miko: Paimon apologizing is truly a rare sight.]
Lumine: "But you must keep your earlier promise."
Ayaka smiled and nodded. "Mhm, naturally."
Thoma was also happy. "You did it, my lady."
Ayaka was pleased. "I knew she wouldn't stand idly by. My trust in her was not misplaced."
Then, Ayaka looked at Lumine and Paimon. "As for these secret matters, let's go to Komore Teahouse to discuss further. To avoid implicating the ordinary staff of the Yashiro Commission."
Arriving at Komore Teahouse, Thoma volunteered to stand guard outside.
Paimon asked, puzzled, "Just what kind of place is this? Why do we always meet here?"
Ayaka: "This was once land bestowed upon the Yashiro Commission by the Shogun. Only the Kamisato Clan of the Yashiro Commission has the authority to plan, construct, repair, and even manage entry and exit. Due to the Yashiro Commission's unique role overseeing ceremonial affairs, privacy was often required. Later, as ceremonial events in the city decreased, our ancestors built this teahouse, which only Yashiro Commission personnel and related individuals can freely enter and exit."
Paimon: "That does make it a suitable secret base."
Ayaka looked at Lumine. "Do you have any questions for me?"
Lumine: "What kind of god is the Raiden Shogun?"
Kamisato Ayaka: "I have seen Her Excellency very few times, mostly during various ceremonies. In my memory, apart from her majesty, dignity, and overwhelming pressure, what left the deepest impression on me is that her emotions seem exceedingly faint. More than a ruler, she seems more like an emotionless executor, carrying out the single goal of 'Eternity' in various forms."