Episode 181: I suddenly got a feeling of déjà vu, and now I feel uneasy, little sister.
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Why does Dunyarzad look like she didn't get enough sleep this time?" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "The Traveler and I are in the same state!" ]
[ Gabriel (Gabriel DropOut): "No, this is very wrong." ]
[ Gabriel (Gabriel DropOut): "This scene already happened yesterday." ]
[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "Now that you mention it, I also feel it's strange. It seems like yesterday, the conversation started like this too, but Dunyarzad wasn't as weak then." ]
[ Dunyarzad Homayani (Genshin Impact): "Wh-why is this happening?" ]
[ Bronya Zaychik (Honkai: Impact Third): "No one else has experienced such an accident." ]
[ Zhongli (Genshin Impact): "It seems only the Traveler has noticed something." ]
[ Xingqiu (Genshin Impact): "If I were in there, I probably wouldn't notice what's happening, right?" ]
[ Nahida (Genshin Impact): "The Traveler is special." ]
[ Nahida (Genshin Impact): "Keep watching, and you'll understand." ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "Huh?…" ]
[ .....]
『 Paimon spoke up again from the side, a hint of concern in her voice: "You look a bit sluggish. Didn't you rest well?"
Just then, Lumine also noticed Dunyarzad's state. She was like a wilting flower, making one instinctively want to offer warmth.
But Dunyarzad merely smiled faintly, saying nonchalantly, "I'm fine, don't worry."
Then, she suggested, "Let's go, how about we visit the nearby stalls again?"
With that, Dunyarzad unhesitatingly stepped forward, leading the way towards the stalls not far off.
"Alright, Dunyarzad, let's go!" Paimon watched Dunyarzad's retreating figure, then turned to find the Traveler, Lumine, still (lost in thought) in place.
"Huh? Traveler, why are you spacing out? Hurry up and catch up!"
Startled by the call, Lumine quickly snapped back to reality and caught up in a few quick steps.
The scene switched again, still the bustling marketplace.
Paimon, with her sharp eyes, spotted a food stall not far away and excitedly called out, "Oh! Look, everyone, there seems to be a lot of delicious food over there. Let's go check it out quickly!"
So, they once again stopped in front of an enticing food stall.
"This is a stall offering foods from the Haft-Mewa Feast," Dunyarzad introduced the stall this time, not with surprise, but with an ordinary tone.
Her explanations used to be full of cheer, but now they were unexpectedly plain and lacked her usual enthusiasm.
Lumine vaguely felt that something wasn't quite right, a nameless sense of unease lingering in her heart.
Speaking of which, the stall owner's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he responded enthusiastically:
"Oh ho, you are quite well-informed, Miss! I thought most people nowadays wouldn't know,"
"They're all plants... Aw, Paimon's a little disappointed..."
"Actually, what is the 'Haft-Mewa Feast' you mentioned just now?" Paimon asked Dunyarzad, disappointed that everything was vegetarian.
Despite her lack of interest, Paimon politely turned to Dunyarzad, who seemed to be in the know, and asked.
"It's one of the Sabzeruz Festival's traditions. People used to set their tables with seven different foods to symbolize the seven virtues of the Dendro Archon."
"Generally speaking, the most common selections were foods like Rukkhashava Mushrooms, Nilotpala Lotuses, Sumeru Roses, Sunsettias, Kalpalatas, Harra Fruits, and Zaytun Peaches, among others." Dunyarzad was very enthusiastic in introducing the Haft-Mewa Feast, her knowledge so rich that the stall owner beside her kept nodding.
"Wait... Starting from just now...Something feels really familiar..." Lumine felt as if she had experienced all of this before. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Zhongli (Genshin Impact): "It seems the Traveler has realized she's already experienced this." ]
[ Zhongli (Genshin Impact): "Rationally speaking, the Traveler should soon know the reason." ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "Have I… have I really discovered something?" ]
[ .....]
『 When the scene became clear again, they found themselves unknowingly standing in front of an alchemy divination stall.
The young stall owner gazed at the dust marks left on the table and slowly said, "According to the shape of this dust, it should represent the moon."
Paimon, hearing this, was utterly confused: "But why do I always feel like this thing looks like something edible?"
Just as the stall owner was about to explain the meaning of the pattern, he suddenly faltered.
"Uh, well, the moon, it means, it should mean… please wait a moment."
Just like before, as the stall owner was about to explain the scene before them, he quietly turned around, pulled out a book, and began to flip through it.
"Do you think she's secretly peeking at the book to get out of a bind?" Paimon, witnessing this firsthand, couldn't help but whisper, a bit embarrassed.
She herself only knew half of it, yet she could still boldly set up a stall.
This was truly comical, making one laugh and cry at the same time. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "How did we go from the vegetable and fruit stall to the alchemy divination stall in the blink of an eye?" ]
[ Keqing (Genshin Impact): "Is the Traveler's memory of this part completely gone?" ]
[ Xingqiu (Genshin Impact): "We all saw it. The Traveler was just thinking about something, and then in the blink of an eye, she was at the alchemy divination stall." ]
[ Miyuki Shirogane (Love Is War): "However, I have to say, every time I see this person cramming for divination, it's really a bit comical." ]
[ Nozomi Tojo (Love Live): "Hehe, yes indeed~" ]
[ Conan Edogawa (Detective Conan): "But what exactly caused the memory loss in between?" ]
[ .....]
『 Not long after, the other party suddenly understood and closed the book in his hand.
"Oh! Yes, yes, yes, this represents illusion and lies!" The young stall owner replied with a serious face, as if he wasn't the one who had just secretly peeked at the book.
Seeing this, Lumine felt increasingly uneasy.
"I seem to have heard this phrase somewhere. Is it déjà vu?" Lumine felt another wave of déjà vu.
Could it be due to lack of sleep?
Why did everything today give her a strange sense of familiarity?
Was this the legendary déjà vu caused by dreams?
Or, am I actually dreaming right now? 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ The Herta (Honkai: Star Rail): "However, according to research, this fragmented memory might be caused by past memory fragments." ]
[ The Herta (Honkai: Star Rail): "More information is needed." ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "Does that mean there will be more repeated days?" ]
[ The Herta (Honkai: Star Rail): "Perhaps, there's too little information right now." ]
[ .....]
『 As Lumine pondered internally, the conversation before her inexplicably progressed.
"Hmm, but the book says that as long as you trust your intuition and overcome your greatest fear, the sun will surely rise," the stall owner directly stated the fact from the book.
"He's no longer hiding that he's flipping through the book," Paimon said, crossing her arms.
Just now, he was being secretive, so why did he suddenly become so open?
Come to think of it, such small movements were not hard to notice, so adjusting one's mindset and admitting it directly was not a bad idea. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "It's fun every time I see it, the fortune teller who flips through a book. Hehe!" ]
[ Kimiya (Genshin Impact): "I'm also learning as I go, learning as I go. Hahaha." ]
[ .....]
『 "I understand, I will consider these contents," Dunyarzad said gently.
"Hehe, not at all, I'm just learning and sharing, haha… haha…" The stall owner let out a somewhat awkward dry laugh.
Perhaps due to his own words or Dunyarzad's response, the atmosphere became a bit subtle.
Leaving the alchemy divination stall, the group continued to weave through the bustling marketplace.
Dunyarzad, looking a bit tired, suggested, "This place is quite interesting. Let's keep going and explore something new at the next stop."
Paimon, still not quite familiar with the area, curiously looked at Dunyarzad, who was leading the way: "Where are we going next, Dunyarzad?"
No sooner had she spoken than a child's call drifted from afar, clear and melodious.
"Farris! Farris!"
In the blink of an eye, everyone found themselves in front of the Knight of Flowers Farris's colorful stall.
The children were still lined up neatly, eagerly waiting to receive their sweet rewards—candies.
Just as everyone thought this scene would unfold as usual, an unusual aura permeated the air.
The Knight of Flowers Farris, with his peculiar beard, held a handful of candies and announced to the circle of children:
"Alright, little warriors! Take your Yalda Candies, keep the glory of the Lesser Lord Kusanali in your hearts, and you are dismissed!"
"Yes, Sir Farris!"
The children respectfully bowed, seriously took their candies, and then scattered like joyful little birds.
"What's going on? Is this a performance?" Paimon still looked like a curious baby, her eyes wide.
What exactly were this strangely dressed uncle and those chattering children up to?
And, they could get so many candies for free?
Awesome, Paimon should get one too, right?
She couldn't help but secretly hope.
Just as Paimon was happily fantasizing, Dunyarzad timely spoke up to explain:
"The Knight of Flowers Farris is also a symbol of the Flower of Revitalization and is very popular with children."
After dealing with the children, the Knight of Flowers Farris also noticed their conversation.
His gaze flickered with surprise when he looked at Dunyarzad, then quickly reined it in, replaced by a wide smile. He approached the group, greeting them warmly:
"Thanks to Miss Dunyarzad's sponsorship, the children can see me, the Knight of Flowers, and their childhoods can be filled with such interesting memories!"
After expressing his gratitude to Dunyarzad, Farris deftly produced the candy box he had shown earlier and gently placed it on the table.
"Oh, right, would you like some Yalda Candies? They're a specialty of the festival. I've prepared some candy boxes here. See which one you'd like to choose."
The Knight of Flowers Farris arranged the candy boxes neatly on the table, awaiting Lumine and her companions' selection, his eyes full of tenderness and anticipation. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "But why does everyone else feel the same, except for Dunyarzad?" ]
[ Baizhu (Genshin Impact): "Her body is inherently weaker than ordinary people, isn't it?" ]
[ Vihar (Genshin Impact): "Who is so wicked? To make a kind person like Dunyarzad suffer such torment!" ]
[ .....]
『 "Which one should I pick? Oh, wait, why do these boxes look exactly the same?" Paimon blinked her big eyes, curiously examining the neatly arranged small boxes on the table.
Just as she was eager to reach out and pick one, she suddenly realized that these boxes looked like they had been copied and pasted, with no difference whatsoever.
This instantly made a big question mark appear above Paimon's little head.
"Haha, that's the fun of it. I've put different flavored candies in each box. Choosing which candy depends on luck. The candy flavors are Sumeru Rose, Harra Fruit, and Sunsettia," The Knight of Flowers Farris introduced.
Hearing this, Paimon's eyes lit up, full of anticipation: "They all sound super good!"
Thinking of tasting so many delicious candies, Paimon was overjoyed, each flavor seemingly beckoning to her.
But just then, the Knight of Flowers Farris dropped another piece of news that almost made Paimon's jaw drop:
"And then there are Lizard Tail flavor and Onikabuto flavor."
Farris's words shocked both of them.
"Oh, wait a minute!" Paimon, hearing this, immediately looked as if struck by lightning, her eyes wide: "What's with these two flavors?"
She had originally wanted to pick and choose for herself, but with this news, Paimon began to back out.
So, Paimon's eyes darted towards Lumine.
"How about you pick for me? I just want the Sunsettia-flavored one."
Lumine naturally agreed to this small request.
Then, Lumine strode to the stall, indicating she was ready.
"Excellent, excellent." Farris neatly arranged the five boxes on the table and pushed them forward: "Traveler, there are five boxes in total here, numbered one to five from left to right."
"So, which number do you choose?"
After asking, Farris smiled, waiting for Lumine's answer.
Five boxes? Lumine scanned the tabletop.
A thought suddenly flashed through her mind. This scene seemed familiar, facing these five boxes again.
That time, she chose wrong, but now she knew the correct answer and wouldn't repeat the same mistake.
"I choose the fourth one." Lumine unhesitatingly picked the 'correct answer' from her memory, then added firmly, "Confirmed, no changes."
Farris, known as the Knight of Flowers, heard the answer and mysteriously opened the fourth box Lumine had chosen.
As the lid opened, an orange candy appeared before everyone.
"Wow~! You've got some skills! Number four, right? That's amazing, it really is a Sunsettia-flavored candy!" Farris seemed quite surprised that Lumine hit the target on her first try.
After all, he had placed the candies himself, and even he wouldn't necessarily find the corresponding flavor directly without checking beforehand.
But unexpectedly, the mysterious Traveler before him hit it in one go, which was truly astonishing. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "I chose wrong the first time, how could I choose wrong the second time?" ]
[ Keqing (Genshin Impact): "But the Traveler in livestream doesn't know she's already chosen once." ]
[ Jing Yuan (Honkai: Star Rail) "Meaning, everything is exactly the same, except your memories are different." ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "And Dunyarzad's body." ]
[ Dunyarzad Homayani (Genshin Impact): "I'm fine, don't worry about me." ]
[ Dehya (Genshin Impact): "But…" ]
[ .....]
『 "Hahahahaha!" Paimon, having gotten the candy she longed for, laughed triumphantly, hands on her hips: "I told you, your luck is incredible, and it truly is!"
"Just now… it didn't seem like luck. I don't know why, but I knew it had to be number four," Lumine said, looking at the candy with a puzzled expression.
"The Sunsettia-flavored candy is in box number four. How about this, since the festival is all about everyone having fun, you two can take both boxes of candy!"
Farris smiled and pushed the candies towards them.
But at this moment, their thoughts were not on the candies before them.
Their minds were currently preoccupied with another mystery.
"Huh? How is that possible? It was clearly a random pick," Paimon looked at Lumine, confused.
Both of them were new here, and yet she suddenly developed an obsession with Sunsettia-flavored candy.
How could she have predicted the situation here?
Could it be that she had secretly been here before, but just forgotten?
Paimon didn't realize that this time she had just gotten lucky. But in the next cycle, she would forget all of this again.
Hearing Paimon's question, Lumine smiled bitterly and shook her head, equally perplexed.
"I don't know either. This feeling of déjà vu has appeared too many times today; it feels very strange."
Perhaps she felt something in a dream. Once or twice could be explained,
But now, this repeated feeling was appearing one after another, forcing Lumine to confront this strange phenomenon.
And Paimon, on the other hand, led the question in another direction:
"Traveler, could it be that we didn't sleep well last night? Or, on the contrary, slept too much?" Paimon offered a seemingly reasonable guess.
Both situations could lead to Lumine's current state—
Lack of sleep or excessive sleep could both cause a strange sense of déjà vu.
However, Lumine's thoughts were clearly different from Paimon's.
At this moment, she already had an idea in her mind, wanting to verify it. 』
『 .....』