SailorStar9: After getting Chapter 80 out, this is Chapter 81 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?

Pairings: Albedo/Sucrose, Zhongli/Mitsuko/Kazuha, One-sided Diluc/Mitsuko, One-sided Diluc/Jean

Disclaimers: Genshin Impact and Sailor Moon belong to miHoYo and Takeuchi Naoko-sensei respectively. Me, on the other hand, own absolutely nothing, except the plot, I hope.

Chapter 81: Teyvat Arc: True Tales of the Violet Garden, Part Three


The next morning...

"Hi there!" Paimon waved to the visitors from Liyue. "You must be visiting from Liyue to participate in the Irodori Festival. We'll be your guides and will take you onto the island. Is it Paimon or have we met somewhere before?" she turned to Xu.

"In fact, we have." Xu nodded. "I am Xu from Feiyun Commerce Guild. Aboard this ship, we have calligraphers, painters, and even players of Theater Mechanicus. The inventor of Theater Mechanicus previously came to the Feiyun Commerce Guild seeking investment. Although the guild manager was not interested, Master still wanted to support them. We heard that they'd be demonstrating the game and letting people try Theater Mechanicus at the Irodori Festival. So, the guild manager instructed Master and I to take the opportunity to come to Inazuma and investigate the product's potential."

"Speaking of which, where's the young master?" Paimon looked around for Xingqiu.

"Master, he's..." Xu sighed.

"Xingqiu's just sitting there... sound asleep!" Paimon exclaimed, finally spotting the writer dozing off on a crate.

"It's Traveler and Paimon." Xingqiu stirred awake. "I presume you are guests in Inazuma as well? It seems fate has destined our paths to cross once again."

"We aren't actually guests, we're actually guides for the Irodori Festival." Paimon explained.

"Xingqiu, how are you doing?" the Traveler asked.

"Please, no need to worry." Xingqiu assured. "I was a little too caught up in a novel on the voyage here. When I finally realized what time it was, the first rays of dawn were already peeking over the horizon. Now that we've arrived, the Kanjou Commission will likely wish to inspect our invitation letter. Let's keep it in hand, shall we? That's odd." he mused. "There was a piece of paper underneath my bag. Strange, I don't recall seeing it there before."

"Let Paimon have a look!" Paimon pressed. "There's no doubt about it!" she gasped, reading the 'Aoi no Okina' extract. "It's from the same series as the story we found before. Even the handwriting looks exactly the same!"

"The story you found before?" Xingqiu echoed.

"In the warehouse down by the..." Paimon started.

"Ahem!" the Traveler gave their companion a flat stare.

"By the... the Poem Hunt competition!" Paimon fibbed. "A friend of ours is on Ritou to paint portraits of The Five Kasen as part of the Irodori Festival. Poetic stories about The Five Kasen have been hidden in various places nearby! If you can find one of the stories and give it to this friend of ours, then there's a chance you'll become the model for the next portrait!"

"Wait a moment, so you mean that there is a chance of meeting Calx in person?" Xingqiu's eyes sparkled.

"You could say that." Paimon replied.

"That's wonderful!" Xingqiu beamed. "I knew that Calx would attend the Irodori Festival, but convincing my father to let me come to Inazuma was proving to be quite the high hurdle. I had to really rack my mind to come up with the excuse of evaluating the investment value of Theater Mechanicus. Just a few days later, word then came that Calx would be busy painting portraits of The Five Kasen during the festival. It is a most rare opportunity for both Calx and I to be in Inazuma together, but it seemed he would be too busy with the portraits to meet with me. So, I've felt quite disappointed for some time now."

"Don't worry, Xingqiu." Paimon assured. "Even though Calx has work to do, he still has time to see friends. We can take you to see him right now. Also, we heard that Calx did illustrations for your 'A Legend of Sword' novel."

"So, you've already heard." Xingqiu chuckled. "To be honest, my works have drawn little interest in Liyue. However, the novels are selling quite well in Inazuma with the help of Calx's beautiful illustrations. Calx is not only a skilled artist, but he also carries out his craft with great alacrity. I heard that it took him merely a few hours to finish the illustrations for the latest chapter. But when I looked at the art, the brushwork did not even look the slightest bit rushed. His work is truly exquisite. I was beginning to get carried away there." he stopped himself. "Let us depart, quickly now."


At the plaza...

"Traveler, Paimon, how are you?" Albedo greeted the trio. "And who is this accompanying you?"

"You must be Calx, it's a great pleasure to finally meet you." Xingqiu returned. "I am the author of' A Legend of Sword', Zhen... forgive me, it's rude of me to introduce myself by my pen name when meeting in person. Please, call me Xingqiu."

"And you may call me Albedo, then." Albedo stated. "Seeing as we are both friends of Traveler, it'd be more convenient for us to use our real names. Besides, we've already corresponded with each other many times before. In fact, I feel a bit self-conscious seeing you act so politely."

"It's not just you, Albedo." Paimon giggled. "We haven't seen Xingqiu act this awkward before either."

"You guys..." the Hydro user pouted. "It's certainly not good taste for you two to be teasing me like that. By the way, we happened to find a story from the Poem Hunt competition at the docks. I heard that you are collecting them."

"Poem Hunt?" Albedo blinked.

"You know... the thing where we have to find pieces of paper with stories of The Five Kasen!" Paimon gestured frantically. "Venti found one and then he was allowed to be a model for one of your portraits."

"That's right." Albedo nodded and the Traveler handed him Xingqiu's note. "I understand the story now. Thank you, it's very helpful. If all of you are free, why don't we discuss this over a meal?"

"About that..." Xingqiu started.

"Do you have other plans, Xingqiu?" Paimon asked.

"Not at all!" Xingqiu stammered. "Speaking of dining, Shimura's Unagi Chazuke is quite delicious, would you like to go there?"

"Shimura's?" Albedo echoed. "Unfortunately, today is a bit windy, how about Uyuu Restaurant instead? It's highly recommended by Sucrose for its fresh seafood."

"Sucrose?" Xingqiu echoed. "Who is she?

"She's my assistant." Albedo answered.

"He means she's his girlfriend." Paimon grinned.

"That's perfectly fine with me." Xingqiu chuckled at the faint blush erupting on Albedo's cheeks. "But I must first unpack my luggage. Let's meet later at Uyuu Restaurant."

"Something didn't quite add up just now." Albedo mused once Xingqiu was out of earshot.

"Paimon thinks we acted well together." Paimon argued. "Did we say something we weren't supposed to?"

"No, Paimon, I'm not referring to us." Albedo corrected. "Traveler, what are your thoughts?"

"Xingqiu was a little suspicious." the Traveler admitted.

"Paimon, you read the poem, right?" Albedo explained. "Although it may seem confusing to Xingqiu on its own, what if we read it together with the previous poem we found?"

"'Suikou lost Aoi no Okina's poem in a drunken stupor, so Aoi no Okina recovered the poem and gave it to some mysterious person.'" Paimon read the slip of paper. "Could today's story be hinting that the one who stole the latest copies of 'A Legend of Sword' is Xingqiu himself!? That can't be right! Xingqiu only arrived at Inazuma this morning."

"And that is precisely the point of suspicion." Albedo pointed out. "If Xingqiu had only just arrived in Inazuma, how could he recommend Shimura's Chazuke? Moreover, he didn't raise any questions when I suggested another place because of the windy weather. This means he knows that Shimura's is an open-air restaurant."

"Are you saying that Xingqiu has already been in Inazuma for some time and that he's only pretending he just arrived?" Paimon exclaimed.

"Yes, that is indeed my conclusion." Albedo nodded.

"But, how could Xingqiu be the book thief!?" Paimon whined. "His mission is to fight for justice, isn't it? There's no way he'd do something against his own ideals!"

"Calm down, Paimon." Albedo soothed. "Even though this is the first time I've met Xingqiu in person, we've communicated via letters for some time now. I do have some understanding of his character. I think there must be some deeper motive at play here. The story also tells us that Aoi no Okina flees with the poem because of a threat."

"Could Xingqiu be in danger?" Paimon was worried.

"It's difficult to say at this point." Albedo pondered. "But given that Uyuu Restaurant is indoors, it will be easy for us to detect anyone following or eavesdropping on us. I think it should be safe for us to talk there. I'll be relying on your assistance to get to the bottom of this matter."


Outside Uyuu Restaurant...

"I don't see anyone suspicious around, it seems clear for the moment." Albedo scanned for eavesdroppers. "Let's go inside and wait for Xingqiu. First, we must ascertain whether Xingqiu was already in Inazuma or not. If we can find evidence of him deceiving us, then we can use it as leverage to persuade him to tell us the truth. Since we're still waiting for him, why don't you go and chat with other guests in the restaurant and see if you can learn anything useful?"


Inside Uyuu Restaurant...

"Albedo, what should we talk about when Xingqiu gets here?" Paimon asked. "Any ideas?"

"I will try to break the ice by talking about our work on novels and illustrations." Albedo suggested. "If he really is hiding something, then he might feel even more nervous than we do. If we start by talking about our work creating novels, perhaps he will lower his guard."

"Come to think of it, Xingqiu mentioned that he'd like to thank you for finishing the illustrations on time." Paimon recalled. "He said they looked amazing despite the time you had."

"Is that so?" Albedo mused. "That is also a very valuable clue."

"The last phase of the Irodori Festival is when they release all the new publications." Youta told Akito. "The one I'm really looking forward to is 'A Legend of Sword'!"

"A signed first edition is gonna become quite the collectible." Akito noted. "I've gotta get my hands on a copy!'

"I've seen Zhenyu's signature before." Youta remarked. "His handwriting is super neat, he must be really diligent about his style."

"He'll be there in person on the day of the release, so we'll get a good look at him then." Akito noted. "I hear that he's actually pretty young."

"Not only will Xingqiu be signing novels at the release... but his handwriting is 'super neat'!?" Paimon gawked.

"Hello there, what can I get for you?" Okazaki Rikuto greeted the Traveler.

"Do you have any special recommendations today?" Paimon asked.

"I'd personally recommend our freshly caught seafood!" Rikuto answered. "It's been pouring these past few days, so the fishing boats haven't been able to sail at all. But the weather finally cleared up today, so we have some fresh catch. A few guests from Liyue were just telling me that their boat was heaving and rolling all the way here. They couldn't do anything but sleep the entire trip."

"This might be some useful information." Paimon noted.

"That was delicious." Xingqiu stated after the meal. "Inazuman cuisine largely consists of fresh seafood, which is certainly to my liking."

"That's good, we were worried you might not have an appetite because you didn't sleep well." Paimon remarked. "Now's our chance, Traveler." she whispered. "Let's talk to Xingqiu and see if he says anything useful! Maybe we could start by asking him about the journey."

"I've never embarked on such a long journey before." Xingqiu admitted. "Though I was quite excited when we set off, the long days at sea quickly became most monotonous."

"Speaking of the journey, did anything noteworthy happen along the way?" Paimon asked.

"To be honest, I spent most of the trip with my nose in a novel." Xingqiu replied. "To be honest, there wasn't much to see, just water all around, morning to night." he sighed after the Traveler inquired about the scenery. "The sheer monotony of the trip caused everyone to grow a little impatient. So, when the peak of Mt. Yougou finally appeared in the distance as we approached the islands of Inazuma, everyone crowded the deck to have a look. However, the ship sailed along at a crawling pace, it took a whole day from the time we saw the mountain peak to the time we docked."

"Paimon didn't catch anything suspicious so far." Paimon frowned.

"No, there was something really suspicious." the Traveler corrected.

"If it took an entire day to reach the docks, then it would have been pouring rain at the time they saw the top of the mountain!" Paimon gasped.

"We learned a couple of things from his account, but we still require more evidence." Albedo reminded. "Let's discuss creating novels with Xingqiu."

"Speaking of illustrations, Albedo, I've long wished to express my sincerest gratitude for providing the illustrations in my novel." Xingqiu spoke. "My novel didn't sell well in Liyue, so I must admit that I had some reservations regarding its potential. Yet you've consistently managed to select the most important scene of the chapter for your illustrations. This made me feel as though what I was trying to express could be understood, after all."

"Thank you." Albedo nodded. "However, I took some risks in the illustrations, so I'm feeling slightly uneasy myself. Light novel illustrations are typically centered around the characters, but this time, I adopted a different approach in the illustration for the last chapter."

"That scene was intended to depict the change in the world, so I thought it very fitting to draw only scenery." Xingqiu reasoned. "

"Doesn't sound like anything suspicious has come up so far." Paimon mused.

"No, there was a crack in his alibi." Albedo shook his head. "My illustrations were sent for printing the moment they arrived in Inazuma. So logically speaking, there's no way he could possibly know what the illustrations look like. Xingqiu, we have something very important to ask you now."

"Xingqiu, what's with the facade?" the Traveler went straight to the point.

"Mr. Okazaki told us earlier that actually the weather at sea was very bad these last few days." Paimon elaborated. "So, when you said that everyone came running to the deck to see Mt. Yougou, that couldn't have happened."

"On top of that, the latest installment of 'A Legend of Sword' will only be revealed at the Irodori Festival." Albedo added. "Even we, the creators, haven't received a sample copy. If that's the case, how could you know what my illustrations look like?"

"The jig's up, Xingqiu." Paimon huffed. "You were already in Inazuma before today, weren't you? Are you in some kind of danger but can't tell us the truth? Don't worry, Traveler and Albedo are no pushovers, we can help you!"

"No, no!" Xingqiu shook his head. "Please, you misunderstand me. I suppose my lack of sleep is inevitably taking its toll on my mind. I didn't notice for a moment that you were testing me at all. I did in fact come to Inazuma early to handle some things. Let me consider how to explain this. This is most embarrassing."

"If this isn't a coincidence!" Venti chirped. "I didn't expect to see everyone here."

"Tone-Deaf Bard, what are you doing here?" Paimon demanded.

"I ran into Mitsuko and Sucrose earlier at the festival venue when Sucrose mentioned that the owner of this establishment ordered some sakura sake from them." Venti chuckled. "I didn't want to miss the opportunity to taste it."

"Paimon knew you couldn't possibly be up to anything good." Paimon snorted.

"Says who?" Venti chided. "In fact, I come as the bearer of good tidings. I just bumped into Kujou Sara a moment ago. She said that the Tenryou Commission has apprehended the criminal who stole all those copies of 'A Legend of Sword'. You needn't worry about it any longer."

"The criminal who stole... 'A Legend of Sword'!?" Xingqiu gaped.

"Did I say something I shouldn't have?" Venti was confused.

"Oh no!" Xingqiu gasped. "The person they apprehended... was it by chance an editor named Onodera?"

"Apologies, Kujou Sara didn't mention a name, but I saw her taking someone toward Hanamizaka." Venti responded.

"Everyone, it's too late to explain." Xingqiu got up from his seat. "We must make haste and rescue Onodera!"


At the editorial house...

"Please wait, Onodera is innocent!" Xingqiu declared.

"So, you must be the author of 'A Legend of Sword'." Sara remarked. "I didn't expect to see others tagging along with you."

"Anyway, you mustn't take him away, I can explain everything." Xingqiu insisted.

"No need to worry, Zhenyu!" Onodera assured. "I've just explained everything to Madam Kujou, and Kuroda has testified for me."

"In fact, we were just getting ready to leave." Sara nodded.

"What a relief." Xingqiu heaved in relief. "Wait a minute! Does everyone else here already know?"

"To be precise, we had dispatched two additional squads here... in order to prevent the suspect from escaping." Sara coughed nervously.

"Xingqiu looks pretty flustered." Paimon noted. "What exactly is going on here?"

"I bet it has something to do with his signature." the Traveler guessed.

"Though it's most embarrassing, it appears quite a few people are aware of the situation now." XIngqiu sighed. "There's no use keeping it a secret. In the end, I'm the one responsible for this whole predicament."

"No, Zhenyu, it's only appropriate that I take responsibility for this." Onodera insisted. "Everyone, please let me explain. For the Irodori Festival, I recommended the idea of selling newly released novels signed by the authors. Not only was this the first major project that I was in charge of since joining the Yae Publishing House, but Lady Yae also gave me a lot of support. However, I did not discuss our plans with the authors in advance. As a result, it caused a great deal of trouble for Zhenyu."

"To be frank, calligraphy is not my strong point, so signing events are really not my forte." Xingqiu admitted.

"Even though such an event would be difficult for Zhenyu, after telling him how important the plans were to me, he immediately boarded a ship to Inazuma to come up with a solution." Onodera added. "So, these past few days, Zhenyu has been actively practicing his handwriting. However, it takes time to sign each book, and we realized the time we reserved for the signing was not nearly enough. So, I came up with the idea of moving the new books from the warehouse to my place. That way, Zhenyu could use these few days to sign them all. I thought everything would work out without a hitch; I never expected that someone would immediately realize that the books were missing from the warehouse. To make things worse, I was on vacation and staying with Zhenyu in my house these past few days. I had no idea that the situation had turned into such a huge mess. All of this happened because I wanted to prove myself through this event."

"Onodera, I agreed to your proposal because I didn't want the readers to know of my unsightly handwriting." Xingqiu assured. "Also, I knew that Onodera had been misled by one of my prior signatures. At a previous event, the Yae Publishing House had requested autographs of authors so they could be put on display. I practiced tirelessly for an entire day to finally deliver a stylish and elegant signature for the event. But looking back on it now, I had dug myself into a hole by delivering that nice signature for the sake of my pride."

"C'mon you two, loosen up a little." Venti rebuked. "The theft was nothing more than a simple misunderstanding. Besides, everyone has something they do not wish others to see."

"All that matters is that Xingqiu and his books are okay." Paimon nodded.

"Onodera, I think you should explain the truth regarding the stolen books to the rest of the people on Ritou." Kuroda advised.


At the Outlander Affairs Agency...

"Onodera?" Hirayama frowned. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on leave these few days?"

"I'm very sorry for all the trouble that I've caused!" Onodera apologized after explaining what had happened.

"Yes, Onodera, but..." Hirayama sighed. "Why didn't you tell everyone earlier? If you had told us, we could've thought of some ways to help you."

"That's right." Murata nodded. "We're a team, and we should be helping each other in tough situations like this."

"Let's leave the past behind us now." Hirayama went back to the matters at hand. "Our first priority is to help Zhenyu with his signatures. How is your progress so far?"

"My progress is not what I had hoped for... even after working through the night these past few days, I've only finished perhaps one-tenth of the signatures." Xingqiu sighed.

"I understand." Hirayama decided. "Murata, go back to Yae Publishing House and get Aratani to book a room on the second floor of the Uyuu Restaurant. We'll be using it for Zhenyu's emergency calligraphy lessons!"

"It just so happens that my brother is a calligrapher, should I ask him to lend his assistance as well?" Murata suggested.

"Good idea." Hirayama nodded. "You've just reminded me: two calligraphers from Liyue arrived today. We have worked with them before, so I'll go and ask them to help out, too."

"It seems I'm really in for it now." Xingqiu moaned.

"No need to worry, Zhenyu." Onodera assured. "I'm sure you can do it! Didn't you finish the last chapter of your novel in just one week's time?"

"But writing novels and learning calligraphy are two entirely different skills!" Xingqiu protested.

"I always used to prefer working alone in my workshop, but I have come to realize that solving problems with others also has its merits." Albedo spoke.

"We also owe a special ode of gratitude to the mysterious person who has been leaving important info for us along the way." Venti piped in.

"You mean whoever left behind those stories about The Five Kasen?" Paimon blinked.

"Pardon me, but what are you talking about?" Xingqiu was confused.

"We haven't had a chance to explain things to Xingqiu yet." Paimon realized and the Traveler explained.

"I see, it appears that Onodera and I were spotted when we were moving the books." Xingqiu nodded. "Albedo, may I ask you one thing? Are you able to include me in a portrait as well? Not only do I owe the successful resolution of today's incident to that story, but I also hope that I'll remember this lesson."

"No problem." Albedo replied. "Considering the similarities between the portrait and the events that have taken place, your proposal is very reasonable."


The next day...

"That figure was none other than Aoi no Okina himself." Xingqiu opened the cinematic introduction this time. "This turn of events had begun with an unnamed individual under whose coercion Aoi no Okina was forced to take drastic measures to retrieve a page of poetry. He knew nothing of this individual's true intentions. All he knew was that the poem had to do with an old acquaintance, Akahito."

"Albedo really is something." Paimon praised. "He finished the portrait of Aoi no Okina in no time at all. Wonder how Xingqiu's calligraphy training is going at Uyuu Restaurant. Hey, Traveler, do you think whoever left those stories for us could be hiding somewhere nearby?"

"It's a possibility." the Traveler admitted.

"Hello, Mr. story writer!" Paimon called out. "Are you here? Could you please help Xingqiu with something? He's a friend of ours, and the release of his new book is super important to him! What's that sound!?" she heard a tail swish and the meow of a cat. "It was just a cat." she spotted the napping feline raise its head from its paws. "Looks like we can't make them reveal themselves that easily. It's getting late now. Let's go back and get some rest."


SailorStar9: Any OOC-ness is regretted. *Grins* Don't you just love plot bunnies sometimes? Reviews are much appreciated.