The image ended.
The screen dimmed.
Yet Stanley's heart-wrenching sobs seemed to linger in the tavern—echoing across every corner of Teyvat.
Mondstadt.
Anemo Archon Statue Plaza.
People gathered in small clusters, whispering among themselves.
The shock from the broadcast had yet to fade.
"That was terrifying…"
"That Stanley… what on earth did he go through?"
"A windless land… just hearing it makes it hard to breathe…"
Lumine and Paimon walked through the crowd.
For once, Paimon's face lacked its usual liveliness, tinged instead with heaviness.
"Traveler… that guy Stanley… he's so pitiful."
"Mm." Lumine replied softly, not slowing her steps.
"'If you are trapped in a windless land'… what does that even mean?" Paimon tugged at her hair. "Ugh, I can't figure it out!"
They passed by the fountain.
A crisp peal of laughter caught their attention.
It was Nora—the little girl by the Knights of Favonius headquarters who was always fantasizing about adventures.
She stood facing a wall, gesturing animatedly, laughing so hard she nearly doubled over.
"…And then we defeated the Demon King! You're amazing, Amy!"
She cheered, as if high-fiving someone.
The air.
Paimon stopped.
She floated closer, circling Nora twice.
"Hey, Traveler…" Paimon drifted back, whispering. "Is that kid okay? She's been talking to a wall this whole time."
Lumine paused, watching Nora.
"She's not talking to the wall."
"Huh?" Paimon blinked. "B-But there's no one there!"
"She's talking to her friend."
"Friend?!"
Paimon's eyes widened. She zipped back over, nearly pressing her face against Nora's.
"There's nobody there! Paimon can't see anything! Just the smell of wind!"
Lumine walked over and gently pulled Paimon back.
"It's an imaginary friend."
"Imaginary… friend?"
"Mm." Lumine explained, "An imagined companion. It's common among children. They create a friend in their minds—to play with, to talk to."
Paimon looked utterly shocked.
"Imagined?! You mean… fake?!"
"To her, it's real."
"Waaah…" Paimon's worldview wobbled. "Th-Then… Traveler! Paimon… Paimon isn't something you imagined, right?!"
She clutched her head in horror.
Lumine gave her a sideways glance. "I couldn't possibly imagine emergency food that eats that much."
"Hey! Is now really the time for that?!" Paimon puffed up angrily. "…So, will that imaginary friend always stay?"
"No." Lumine shook her head. "When children grow up, their imaginary friends… disappear."
"…Disappear?" Paimon froze. "That feels… kind of sad…"
Just then—
The familiar pale blue screen flashed before everyone's eyes once more.
[System]: "Temporary Q&A session initiated."
The chatroom activated instantly.
[Chatroom – Kaeya]: "Oh? Here we go again. Stanley's tragedy just ended—time for something lighter?"
Chatroom – Arataki Itto: "Hahaha! This time the great and mighty Arataki Itto's grabbing the reward!"
[Chatroom – Beidou]: "Heh. A Q&A round, huh? Interesting."
Then—
A voice flowed from the screen.
A clear, nimble humming. No lyrics—just a carefree melody.
"La la la… la… O wind… carry the dandelion seeds… to faraway lands… la…"
Light and airy, like the scent of fresh grass.
[System]: "Question: Who is the singer of this humming?"
[A. Barbara]
[B. Jean]
[C. Venti]
[D. Diona]
The chatroom fell silent for half a second.
[Chatroom – Paimon]: "Huh?! That voice… Traveler, doesn't it sound kinda familiar?"
[Chatroom – Barbara]: "Eh? It does sound a bit like my style… but I've never sung that tune before…"
[Chatroom – Kaeya]: "Hmm… Such a clear and lively voice—definitely Mondstadt's style. When it comes to singing, surely it's our idol, Miss Barbara."
[Chatroom – Kaeya]: "I choose A."
[System]: "@Kaeya, incorrect."
[Chatroom – Kaeya]: "…Oh dear. Wrong already?"
[System]: "Punishment will be executed immediately."
Knights of Favonius Headquarters. Acting Grand Master's Office.
Jean was massaging her temples, drowning in paperwork piled high after the screen's appearance.
A flash of light.
Kaeya appeared out of thin air in the chair opposite her desk.
Jean: "…?"
Kaeya: "…?"
The next second—
"Thud!"
A mountain of documents—twice as tall as Jean's—materialized before Kaeya.
[System]: "Punishment: Forced labor. Assist Acting Grand Master Jean in processing all accumulated documents. Duration: Until completion."
Jean's lips curved slightly upward.
Kaeya's smile froze.
He looked at the paper mountain, then at Jean.
[Chatroom – Kaeya]: "…Now this is truly a severe punishment."
[Chatroom – Diluc]: "Hmph. Serves you right."
The chat burst into laughter.
Chatroom – Arataki Itto: "HAHAHAHA! That Kaeya guy's hopeless! Watch the boss handle this!"
Chatroom – Arataki Itto: "That voice! So powerful! So dignified! Must be someone important! B! Definitely B! Acting Grand Master Jean!"
[Chatroom – Kujou Sara]: "…That oni fool. Acting Grand Master Jean's voice sounds nothing like that."
[System]: "@Arataki Itto, incorrect."
Inazuma. Hanamizaka.
Arataki Itto struck what he believed to be his most heroic pose, basking in his gang's cheers.
"See? The boss's muscles—"
A flash of red light.
His clothes vanished.
Replaced by—
A bright red, clover-patterned, tight-fitting romper.
A massive spherical red backpack slammed onto his back.
"Boom!"
Cheerful, childish, explosively energetic music blasted through Hanamizaka.
[System]: "Punishment: Perform the 'Jumpy Dumpty Dance' publicly in Hanamizaka."
Itto's body moved against his will.
He began hopping, kicking, flailing his arms in ridiculous rhythm.
"Jumpy—Dumpty!"
"Da-da-da!"
His own voice—but forced into Klee's tone.
[Chatroom – Yoimiya]: "Pff—HAHAHAHA! Itto! Your new dance is adorable!"
[Chatroom – Klee]: "Wow! Big brother's dancing Klee's Jumpy Dumpty dance! So good!"
Chatroom – Arataki Itto: "(Still hopping)… M-My dignity… it's completely GONEEEEE!"
[Chatroom – Xingqiu]: "…Though it is a song, it lacks Miss Barbara's refinement, and not the solemnity of Acting Grand Master Jean."
[Chatroom – Xingqiu]: "Instead, it carries a hint of untamed freedom and ancient ease. It sounds very much like Mondstadt's bard."
[Chatroom – Xingqiu]: "I choose C. Venti."
[System]: "@Xingqiu, correct."
[System]: "Reward issued: 'Complete Collection of Out-of-Print Martial Arts Novels.'"
Liyue. Feiyun Commerce Guild.
In Xingqiu's room—
A flash of light.
A beautifully bound set of books appeared neatly upon his desk, fragrant with fresh ink.
Return of the Sword God,
Spiritwind Heroic Shadow,
The Lone Moon Blademaster.
All long-lost editions.
Xingqiu's eyes sparkled.
[Chatroom – Xingqiu]: "…Magnificent. Simply magnificent!"
[Chatroom – Chongyun]: "…Xingqiu. You're at it again…"
The Q&A session ended. The screen faded.
In the plaza, Lumine and Paimon stared at each other.
"Wow… that big guy got it bad," Paimon said, patting her chest. "Good thing Paimon didn't guess randomly!"
"Ehe~"
A familiar airy voice drifted over.
They spun around.
Venti.
The bard leaned casually against the base of the Anemo Archon statue, strumming his lyre.
He wore his trademark carefree smile, as if the chaos in the chatroom had nothing to do with him.
"Traveler, little Paimon. Watching the broadcast too?"
"It was you!" Paimon zipped over. "Tone-deaf bard! That voice was yours!"
Venti blinked innocently.
"Ehe. You caught me."
Lumine approached.
"Venti. What do you think about… imaginary friends?" She gestured toward Nora, who was still chatting happily with the air.
"Imaginary friends?" Venti followed her gaze. "Ah… you mean Nora?"
He smiled.
"Children of the City of Freedom always have vivid imaginations."
He tucked away his lyre and leaned in conspiratorially.
"Speaking of which… Lisa recently tinkered up something interesting."
From his bottomless-looking satchel, he pulled out—
A pair of goggles.
Purple and gold frames. Deep violet lenses. A rose-shaped ornament on the side.
Utterly Lisa.
"What's that?" Lumine asked.
"She calls it the 'True Dream' Detector," Venti said, handing it over. "Apparently a side project while studying ley line anomalies."
"She claims it can see things that… normally go unseen."
"Unseen?!" Paimon squeaked, hiding behind Lumine. "Ghosts?!"
"Haha, of course not," Venti chuckled. "She says it reveals projections formed by strong wishes."
"Want to try?"
Lumine put on the goggles.
The world was washed in a faint violet hue.
She looked at Venti.
…Still Venti. Though faint green light seemed to swirl around him.
She looked at Paimon.
…Still Paimon.
Then she turned toward Nora.
Her breath caught.
She blinked.
Beside Nora—right where she'd been speaking to the wall—
Stood with another girl.
A cheerful girl with a playful ponytail and a bright smile.
About Nora's height, dressed in light adventurer's gear.
The imaginary girl stuck out her tongue at Nora.
Nora burst into giggles, tackling her in playful combat.
"Well? Well? What do you see?" Paimon asked anxiously.
Lumine removed the goggles.
The image vanished. Only Nora remained, hopping alone.
She put them back on.
The girl reappeared.
"…I see her," Lumine said softly. "A lively girl. She's… playing with Nora."
"Waaaah! There really is one?!" Paimon cried.
"Interesting… A projection of desire, huh?" Venti stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Still wearing the goggles, Lumine scanned the plaza.
Her gaze landed on Flora, the flower shop girl.
Flora was whispering to a pot of Cecilia flowers.
Lumine approached.
She looked through the goggles—
And froze.
Beside Flora stood—
A giant, fluffy, white… something.
Like an enormous dandelion puff. Or a giant Sweet Flower bloom.
Half as tall as a person, with a massive cottony head and two leafy "arms."
It swayed happily as Flora whispered to it.
"…I see Flora's friend."
"What is it? What is it?!" Paimon asked eagerly.
"…A giant… fluffy plant."
"…."
Venti burst out laughing. "As expected of Flora! Even her imaginary friend is a plant!"
Paimon circled Lumine enviously.
"So amazing! Let Paimon try! Let Paimon try!"
"Sorry~ Only one pair," Venti said.
Paimon pouted midair.
Then—
A lightbulb seemed to pop over her head.
"Traveler!"
"Hmm?"
"Let's go to Mondstadt Bridge!"
"What for?"
"To see Timmie!" Paimon waved excitedly. "He feeds pigeons there every day and always says they're his friends!"
"With those goggles on…"
She grinned mischievously.
"His imaginary friend wouldn't happen to be a super—huge—pigeon, would it?!"
Venti's eyes lit up.
"Oh? Now that's interesting."
"I'm coming too."
Lumine sighed.
But a trace of curiosity tugged at her lips.
The trio immediately set off toward Mondstadt's gates.
Destination:
Mondstadt Bridge.
Timmie.