"Let me think… The man of justice in Mondstadt, the street performer who often doesn't do proper work, the freeloading societal waste in Liyue, the toy salesman from Snezhnaya, and the fortune teller from Inazuma!"
"That many?"
Although Thoma didn't understand what the man of justice and the toy salesman were, he already had an idea of Paimon's nickname-giving ability.
But fortunately, he hadn't been given any strange nicknames, otherwise, who knew what kind of bizarre character he would become in Paimon's mouth.
"Of course! Who told them to bully Paimon! Paimon is so cute, you can't bully Paimon!"
"But you can eat him."
"Mm… Huh? Traveler!? Paimon is not for eating!"
Paimon stomped his feet in mid-air in exasperation, while Lumine displayed a mischievous, knowing smile.
"Back to business, why are you asking me about Yae Miko? Let me say first, if it's to go see her, I can't!" Thoma said, shaking his head frantically.
Paimon waved his small hand upon hearing this: "It's not to go see her! We wanted to ask if you know anyone who has a good relationship with Yae Miko?"
"A relationship with Yae Miko? That would, of course, be the Shogun, after all, Yae Miko is the Raiden Shogun's familiar!"
"Uh… Besides the Raiden Shogun!"
"Then I don't know, but you can ask Young Miss. She and Guuji frequently interact on matters, so perhaps she can give you the answer you're looking for."
Thoma thought carefully and realized that in his memory, besides that deity, there really wasn't anyone who had a particularly good relationship with Yae Miko, as Paimon described.
He did know of those who had a bad relationship, such as Shiki and Ioroi. Those two constantly called her a Fox or a stinky fox, and whenever they met, the air was filled with gunpowder, and he wouldn't be surprised if they started fighting the next moment.
But clearly, the Traveler and the others' goal wasn't those two, so Thoma didn't mention it.
"Miss Kamisato?"
"Yes, she should be at Komore Teahouse now. Coincidentally, I also need to go there, so we can go together."
Thoma was naturally going there for the suicide incident. Furthermore, a lightning bolt had suddenly flashed by and rushed into Kujou Manor not long ago, and that golden trail clearly indicated who it was.
The suicide incident had been without conclusion, and now that Shiki was back, it was time for it to end.
The four arrived at Komore Teahouse and found Shiki and Ayaka chatting cheerfully. Especially Ayaka, there was no trace of her previous worried expression on her face.
"Young Miss!"
"Oh, it's Thoma. It seems all the Visions have been returned today?"
"Yes! Today's tasks are all done, except for those who returned from Watatsumi Island." Thoma nodded: "Speaking of which, what were you just chatting about? You seem so happy."
"Nothing, the matter has just been resolved," Shiki said, shaking her head.
"All these consecutive suicides were due to Hitomi Hanatani. She somehow acquired a special ability to give suggestions to souls and control them."
"The three girls were given the suggestion 'I can fly' by her, causing them to fall from heights. In other words, they didn't intend to commit suicide; they just didn't fly this time."
"It's a very tricky ability for ordinary people, but I've already dealt with it."
Subsequently, Shiki recounted the process of Ayaka's soul leaving her body and her sword striking Hitomi Hanatani atop Tenshukaku.
(Objective: Defeat Hitomi Hanatani; Character Shiki has joined the temporary party)
"Eh? So much happened in such a short time?"
Thoma was astonished. While he was supervising the Vision removal work, he saw a lightning bolt flash across the bridge, and then it flashed back a few minutes later.
He had thought that Shiki was just going to investigate some information, but it turned out she had directly resolved the matter.
"It's fine, I was just anxious at the time and rushed over without thinking."
"Miss Ryougi and Miss Kamisato have such a good relationship. What's that saying, 'a man's rage for a beauty'?" Paimon said.
"Idiot Paimon, you're using it wrong!"
"Eh? Am I?"
"Actually, it can't be considered wrong." Shiki didn't deny it, after all, her relationship with Ayaka was precisely that.
"But speaking of which, Xavier, weren't you looking for extras? How did you end up at Komore Teahouse?"
"Oh, before finding extras, shouldn't the script be finalized? We came to find the author. According to Kuroda, that teacher has an extremely good relationship with Yae Miko, and coincidentally, the Yashiro Commission has a lot of dealings with Grand Narukami Shrine, so we came to ask," Xavier said.
"That's truly unfortunate. Besides the Raiden Shogun, I don't know which author has a good relationship with that Fox," Shiki said, spreading her hands, indicating her helplessness.
"Uh… Alright then. Do you mind if I write your special ability into the movie? The one you just mentioned, the demonic eye that can see death."
"As you wish. If it can make your movie plot more complete, then use it. Anyway, these eyes of mine, I doubt anyone would believe it if I told them."
"Hmm, indeed."
The Traveler deeply agreed. Seeing the death of things was simply too absurd.
"Thank you so much! I thought you would disagree! After all, something like that, in the eyes of martial artists like you, should be a secret technique that cannot be passed on, right?"
"What if it's passed on? Whether they believe it is one thing. Even if they know, is there any way to stop it?" Shiki seemed indifferent.
"It's like my Tsubame Gaeshi. It's probably already spread throughout Inazuma's swordsmanship circles, but you can ask around, can anyone block it?"
Xavier breathed a sigh of relief: "That's true… I feel relieved now that you say that."
And the Traveler thought of something: "Speaking of swordsmanship, I think you should go find Domon of Meikyo Shisui-ryu. I visited him a while ago, and he's gone mad."
"Mad? Is it because his Vision was taken away?" Shiki asked, thinking.
"Partly, but also partly because of you."
"Me?"
Shiki was immediately confused. What did Domon's madness have to do with him?
"Because your Tsubame Gaeshi has become a nightmare in his heart. He's constantly thinking about how to rerun your technique. Even if I brought out a god, he wouldn't stop."
"Ah, this… I really hadn't thought of that…"
Shiki underestimated the obsession of those who pursue swordsmanship. But putting herself in his shoes, she probably would have acted similarly, right?
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