It was early in the morning, and as Paimon appeared in front of Aether and Keqing still sleeping in the same position as yesterday, she couldn't help but make a joke. After all, no one was around, so it wouldn't hurt to give them a wakeup call.
"Wakey wakey, lovebirds!" Paimon teased, and they both woke up, blushes immediately forming on their faces. Aether said "Huh? Oh, wait…" while an embarrassed Keqing, who had ended up embracing Aether as they slept, removed her head from the blonde boy's shoulder.
"Uhh, good morning, Keqing." Aether said. "Good morning, Aether. So, looks like we ended up sleeping here." "Paimon?" Aether asked. "Are you sure no one saw us?" "Well, maybe one or two people passed through here…" "Paimon!?" "Don't worry, don't worry, they didn't see both of you!" They both breathed sighs of relief. "Anyway, Paimon's hungry for some delicious food. Let's go!"
After quickly checking the time, they went away from the area so no one could see them. While looking for a place to go, Aether remembered that Wanmin Restaurant had just introduced a breakfast menu. They both went there to have a quick meal, and as they sat down, Xiangling greeted them.
"Aether! Lady Keqing! What would you like to have?" The chef enthusiastically said, and they both started ordering.
The breakfast menu of Wanmin Restaurant had dishes from three regions of Teyvat: Mondstadt, Liyue, and Inazuma. Aether decided to order some Multicolored Super Pancakes, Xiangling's take on the Tea Break Pancake, and some Inazuman Miso Soup. Meanwhile, Keqing went with a traditional Liyue breakfast. After ten minutes passed, they got what they ordered. Both Aether and Keqing found the dishes extremely good, and they complimented Xiangling. After they all talked about cooking, the pair left the restaurant and headed to the Illumiscreen booth, where they waited for the first race.
Once their names were called, someone led them to an area near Qingxu Pool. There, they received a map. After both teams got ready, they ran to the location marked on their map. When they arrived, an adventurer led them to the second room.
Aether and Keqing inspected the room. While at first glance, it seemed like an ordinary ruin with a few tables that the organizers placed down, Aether found something. "These look like Geograna. Although, why are they already mined?" Keqing responded by saying "Interesting. I've solved a puzzle that involved the use of Geograna once, but I'm not sure how you would use them in an area with no lamps. Either way, we have no time to lose, so let's go." Aether picked up the Geograna, and he walked around the room. Suddenly, one of them went towards the corner of a wall, and a hidden lamp became visible.
"Looks like someone made the lamps invisible." Keqing remarked. "Alright, I know what to do now." Aether said, and he went towards the other corners. Once he solved the puzzle, a key appeared, and a door opened. After grabbing the key, both ran through the door. However, they suddenly saw the other group near the treasure chest. Running as fast as they could, Aether inserted the key into the lock just as their opponents touched the chest.
The adventurer observing the match then consulted the small rulebook Brother Qian gave him, and said "Aether, Keqing, since you were the pair who unlocked the chest, you win the first part of today's treasure hunt."
The pair quickly cheered, then shook hands with their opponents. Both competitors then walked back to Liyue Harbor. After a quick conversation with their opponents, who said that they probably lost because they couldn't figure out the puzzle quick enough, the final match began.
"The second match will begin shortly. Please consult your maps and remember that only the first three people who reach the first ruin will move on to the second ruin. Ready, set, go!" "Good luck! Paimon will cheer for you!" Paimon said, and the two started running. Consulting their map, they ran to the first ruin and reached it first. In this ruin, three puzzles could be seen. Aether quickly observed the puzzle and told Keqing about his findings. "Aether, what do we need to do?" "This puzzle is actually a walk in the park. All we have to do is find red, green, and blue things that are shaped like triangles." The pair found those things quickly and inserted them into the slots. Once they did this, the barrier in the middle of the puzzle opened to reveal a key, which Keqing grabbed as soon as the third pair reached the puzzle area. They then ran towards the second ruin, which had two floors.
Entering the second ruin, Aether and Keqing saw four Geo Elemental Monuments. Confused, Aether said "Elemental Monuments? Using Visions isn't allowed, right?" "Yes, but I think that's the reason they put these buttons here." "Oh, you're right. Let's press one and see what happens."
Aether pressed the button in the middle, and one of the monuments lit up. Remembering some puzzles that he had accomplished which were like this one, both him and Keqing pressed the buttons. Eventually, all four monuments lit up and a door leading to a stairway opened. The pair went upstairs and found five lanterns with arrows on top.
While Keqing and Aether tried things like moving the lanterns around and pushing them up and down, they struggled to find a solution. However, Keqing noticed a sheet of paper on the floor. Picking it up, she read it. "Clue: All roads lead to the same path. I wonder what this means." After analyzing the clue, Keqing figured it out. "Have you noticed that there are arrows on top of the lanterns, Aether?" Aether nodded, and Keqing completed her thought by saying "If we turn these lanterns so that the arrows face each other, or lead to the same path, we might be able to solve the puzzle." They tried it, and once they turned the lanterns in that way, a Luxurious Chest appeared. The observing adventurer took note of this, and after congratulating the two, he started announcing the news. Keqing and Aether then left the area, and as they returned to the game booth, Paimon spoke to them.
"Aether! Keqing! How did the treasure hunt go?" "We won, Paimon!" Aether said, happily. "Yay! Paimon knew you two could do it. Now, it would be nice if you gave- I mean, showed me some of the treasure. Paimon wants to know what you got!" Aether showed her the treasure on their way there, and once they arrived, Brother Qian greeted them. "Congratulations! And thank you, as well. Because of your participation in the event, more people are joining. The Illumiscreen seems to be becoming a fan favorite, and even though you won again, people don't find the contest unfair anymore." "That's nice!" Aether said, and after saying goodbye to Brother Qian, Aether and Keqing left the area.
Looking at a nearby clock, which said that the time was 2:00, Keqing and Aether decided to have lunch. "Paimon, do you have any suggestions?" Keqing asked. "Let's see… Aha! How about we go to Third-Round Knockout!" Aether agreed with Paimon, and added "I've been there once, and the food was pretty good."
Aether and Keqing sat down on one of the tables, and they placed their order. The food arrived quickly, and once Iron Tongue Tian started telling a story, they started eating. All of them found the food to be tasty, and once they finished their meal, Aether asked Keqing if she could accompany him to do some commissions and requests. Keqing agreed, and after they did them, the sun started to set.
"Keqing?" "Yes?" "Since it's starting to become nighttime, do you think that we can go stargazing together?" "Sure! Gazing at the moon and the stars is one of the most important parts of the Moonchase Festival, and I wouldn't want to miss out on that experience."
Before they went to an area where they could see the stars, they decided to buy some food from the stalls on their way. When they finished buying their food., their bags were filled with many different foods, like Grilled Tiger Fish, Fried Radish Balls, and some Tricolor Dango.
At this point, the moon was at its brightest, so there were many people in the area they went to. After putting down their bags, they looked up at the moon. Sure enough, the moon was very bright, but while both of them were able to see the moon, the stars seemed to be blocked by some fog.
"The moon's beautiful, isn't it?" Aether joked, fully aware of that phrase's second meaning.
"Yes, it is. However, I can't really see the stars."
Not wanting to disappoint Keqing, Aether analyzed the situation and quickly found that by going to the other side of the mountain, they could see the sky better. He then told Keqing about this by saying "Keqing, I think that if we went to that side of the mountain, we could see the stars more. Do you want to try going there?" "Yes, very much so." "If that's the case, then let's slide over there."
Aether then took Keqing's hand, and they went to the other side. Suddenly, as they walked, the clouds cleared and many stars became visible, glowing brightly. They then sat down and admired the view.
"Aether?" "Hmm?" "What's your favorite constellation?" Keqing asked. "I'm a person who likes stargazing, so there are a few that I like. If I had to choose two though, I would probably choose Pegasus and Taurus. How about you, Keqing?"
"Personally, I think I would choose Scorpio. Although, I have recently taken a liking to the Big Dipper, especially considering that the stars of the Big Dipper represent my colleagues and I." "Ok, those are some nice choices."
For a few more minutes, they admired the view, hand in hand. The moon really was glowing brighter than usual, and Keqing and Aether honestly felt that for them, this was a magical moment. After they finished their food, Aether said goodbye to Keqing and the two went back to their homes.
However, before Aether went inside, he spotted an interesting store in the area.
"Paimon, let's look at these stationeries." "Sure, let's go!" Immediately, Aether saw a design that he liked, and he also saw one that Keqing would probably like. "This is quite a nice shop, and stationeries would probably be a good gift for my other friends." He thought to himself as he went towards the counter.
"Hello! You must be Aether, right? What can I get for you?" "I'll have these." He said, placing down the stationeries on the counter. "Good choice! These are limited edition designs that are only available during the Moonchase Festival, and as per tradition, we encourage you to write poems on these." Aether nodded, and after the person at the counter thanked him for his purchase, he left the area and went to a more quiet place.
"So, Aether." Paimon said. "Are you gonna write a poem for that purple-haired girl you were just with?"
Aether thought about it for a while. While he did want to write a poem for Keqing, he still had no idea what he would do with it. Eventually, he decided that he would give it to her when the time was right and started writing. After a few minutes, he finished the poem, and after storing it in a safe place, he went to sleep.