As Lin Mo listened to Yoimiya's story, his thoughts drifted back to the memories of that lifetime.
He recalled the mission from that world: "Help the Naganohara Fireworks Shop improve their fireworks, leaving a fleeting beauty in Inazuma's skies."
Lin Mo didn't know how to make fireworks himself, but that didn't stop him from improving them.
Before crossing over, he'd come from the birthplace of fireworks—his home country, where grand displays lit up the night. Even if he hadn't attended in person, he'd watched those magnificent spectacles on TV broadcasts.
The Naganohara shop already had a solid foundation in fireworks craftsmanship. Upgrading them wasn't hard. What Yoimiya and her old man lacked wasn't skill—it was imagination.
In Lin Mo's eyes, this mission's difficulty was fairly low, so he wasn't in a rush to refine the formulas. After so many hectic lifetimes of tasks, this easy one gave him a chance to slow down and enjoy a leisurely life as an ordinary citizen in Inazuma.
Thinking of Yoimiya's father, Ryunosuke Naganohara, brought a smile to Lin Mo's lips.
Back then, he'd joined the Naganohara workshop as a handyman. The old man had some hearing issues, but he was incredibly diligent and passionate about his work. Most importantly, he treated Lin Mo—an outsider—with genuine warmth.
He'd even had his daughter Yoimiya stick by Lin Mo's side to teach him the craft. Though Lin Mo was just a helper, Ryunosuke never made him feel like one. Learning that Lin Mo had no place to stay, he enthusiastically set him up in the room next to Yoimiya's.
At mealtimes, he'd always call Lin Mo over with enthusiasm. Over time, as Lin Mo's fireworks skills grew more refined, Ryunosuke started seeing him as a son-in-law figure—the future heir to the Naganohara Fireworks Shop.
And Lin Mo himself, caught in the ambiguous tension with Yoimiya and warmed by Ryunosuke's fatherly kindness, often felt like the old man was his own father-in-law.
"Sometime... I should use bio-alchemy to fix his ear problem," Lin Mo thought to himself.
"Lin Mo! When are you going to come back and visit Dad?"
Yoimiya's complaining voice pulled him back to the present.
He looked at her gently and said, "Hm... how about after the Lantern Rite ends? We can head back to Inazuma together and spend some time with our old man."
"Deal! But don't go making excuses then... Wait, what did you just say?"
Yoimiya suddenly caught the detail in his words.
"I said," Lin Mo repeated with a smile, "after the Lantern Rite, we'll go back to Inazuma together and spend time with our old man."
"Our... old man..."
Yoimiya murmured the key phrase, her expression turning dazed.
"Yeah, our old man," Lin Mo confirmed again, smiling. "And when we get back to Inazuma, I'll take you to ask him for your hand in marriage."
"L-Lin Mo... are you serious?"
Yoimiya's eyes trembled. She could hardly believe it—Lin Mo actually wanted to marry her.
In her mind, if he'd felt that way back then, he wouldn't have left Inazuma for Liyue. She'd been heartbroken for a long time over it. Though she'd never let go of him in her heart, she'd buried the regret deep enough that it didn't haunt her daily.
Now, with him bringing it up and confirming it outright, her heart raced with unease, half-convinced it was a dream.
Lin Mo stepped forward, his voice soft and sincere. "I couldn't agree back then because I had promises to keep—ones that kept me from staying by your side."
He took her hand, gazing at her with deep affection. "But now, I can promise I'll be there with you always."
"I... I believe you," Yoimiya whispered, her eyes shimmering as she nodded slowly.
In that moment, all her regrets melted away.
"Aren't you fond of Sayu?" Lin Mo teased with a grin. "We could have her as our flower girl at the wedding."
"Flower girl..."
Sayu puffed out her cheeks, asking cautiously, "Do I have to perform ninjutsu?"
"No need for that at the wedding~" Yoimiya replied, wiping away a tear with a laugh. "But for tonight's festival, could our little tanuki put on another ninjutsu show for the fireworks display?"
"I'm not a tanuki..."
"And I don't want to perform ninjutsu~"
Sayu refused flatly.
Just then, Yae Miko chimed in from the side with a smile. "Speaking of tonight's festival, why not invite everyone from the Serenitea Pot to join us for a stroll around Guyun Island?"
"I was thinking the same," Lin Mo said, nodding with a smile.
But as he reached for the pot at his waist, he noticed it glowing faintly.
A moment later, a portal opened beside him, and a white crane stepped gracefully out from the Serenitea Pot.
"Eh, Cloud Retainer? What brings you out here?"
Lin Mo asked curiously.
Cloud Retainer Borrowing the Wind True Lord first glanced at the women surrounding Lin Mo, recognizing the Inazuma Archon among them.
She opened her mouth to speak but caught Lin Mo's gaze and remembered his words: "Cloud Retainer, you'd be perfect if you talked a little less."
She swallowed her initial comment and turned to him instead. "Lord Lin Mo, I have urgent business and need to return to Liyue for a bit."
"Back to Liyue? What's the rush?" Lin Mo asked, puzzled.
"Well... it's like this."
Cloud Retainer turned her gaze toward the sea. "I have a disciple named Shenhe. Her fate is one of solitude and calamity; she struggles to control her destructive urges, which could harm those around her."
"So, I usually keep her in my abode for cultivation."
"But she has one simple request: during the Lantern Rite, she wants me to take her to the busiest parts of Liyue Harbor."
"I'm not sure why, but I've promised her."
"Every Lantern Rite, I bring her to Liyue Harbor to experience the grandest festival in the land."
"By my calculations, it's less than three days until the Rite begins."
"Shenhe..."
Lin Mo couldn't help but think of her revealing outfit, easy to slip off.
He looked back at Cloud Retainer and gave her a thumbs-up.
"Cloud Retainer, putting everything else aside..."
"Your taste in your disciple's clothing suits me perfectly~!"
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T/N:
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