Nahida blinks cutely, clapping her little hands. She hadn't expected this astrologer to be so impressive, able to sense her interference with dreams.
Truly a genius.
Don't think Mona's inability to identify the power or its source is a failure—being able to sense it at all is already remarkable!
After all, Scaramouche, who ascended to godhood, experienced over a hundred dreams without noticing any strange power. Mona's skill is already top-tier.
And Mona sensed more than just one force. Her Hydro scrying told her, "The house has wind blowing in, and the temperature keeps dropping."
As expected, she calculated that the Anemo Archon and the Cryo Archon were also influencing this island, though not clearly.
Even so, in reality, Mona is still very frustrated and wants to bite Lucian to death.
Why bite Lucian? Because Lucian predicted it, of course!
You wrote in the story that I couldn't figure out the source of the power, leaving me completely in the dark throughout the entire tale.
But you! You predicted and wrote the whole story perfectly, basically telling the world the gap between us!
Argh, I'm not convinced!!
Damn you, Lucian! Damn, damn you! I'm going to… I'm going to…!
After thinking for a while, Mona realizes there's not much she can do. She sighs and decides to learn humbly—maybe one day he'll stop teasing her.
After teasing her so many times, he's got to get tired of it eventually, right?
Mona continues reading the story, and the next part makes her cheeks flush.
In the story, she's chatting with the Traveler and actually fishing for compliments!
Her words seeking praise are subtle, and her expression… in her mind, it's subtle too. Others probably can't tell, right?
Unfortunately, everyone can tell. Her tsundere expression practically screams "praise me."
Today's defeat: Mona.
She's not just fishing for compliments—she's also praising the Traveler and Paimon.
[Paimon, delighted by the praise, says: "Really? I'm starting to appreciate you, Genius Mona!"]
When someone praises her, she calls them a genius. Turns out, she's praising their good taste for noticing her strengths—Paimon's still hyping herself up.
[Mona, overjoyed, her eyes sparkling: "Right, right? A smart and charming astrologer like me—you won't find another in the whole world, ohohoho!"]
Her laugh is "inherited" from Fischl, sounding extremely chuunibyou.
In the illustration, one moment her eyes are twinkling as she excitedly talks to the Traveler, fists clenched; the next, she's covering her mouth with the back of her hand, laughing grandly.
It's true that spending a lot of time with someone influences you—Mona's acting on instinct here.
Having all of Teyvat see her chuunibyou side is already embarrassing enough for Mona, and there's an expert coming up.
She also praises the Traveler a bit, saying that while they're quiet, they're very efficient and have helped everyone a lot.
Indeed, Lumine is quiet. Even in reality, she doesn't talk much, but when she does, it's always impactful, leaving people stunned.
Mona's blushing not because she praised someone but because Paimon saw through her "subtle" fishing for compliments.
Then she pulls off a textbook tsundere move: arms crossed, head tilted 45 degrees, the perfect tsundere pose.
[Mona, tsundere: "I'm just stating facts, not praising you."]
In the illustration, Mona looks adorable, shyly touching her hair. As she adjusts it, readers notice her large hat is surprisingly soft and cute too.
[Lumine laughs, and Mona gets more flustered, her tone sharpening: "W-What are you laughing at? I said it's an objective evaluation! I'm not praising you! Not—praising—you!"]
The words "not praising you" are said one by one, the tsundere vibe seeping through the pages.
Readers let out a relieved sigh and shout: This is what we wanted to see!
Shikikan! Give us more of this! This little bit isn't enough for anyone! People will think we're stingy! One page each!
As they say, onlookers see clearly. Now even Mona herself realizes how tsundere she is.
But Mona won't admit it, so she blames Lucian. It must be Lucian drawing her as tsundere—she's not like that!
Damn Lucian! Mona's face flushes slightly, knowing she's unfairly blaming him on this.
But you're really too much! Telling the world I'm not as good as you and that I'm tsundere!
I'm no longer the genius astrologer—you're just telling the world how silly I am!
If Lucian knew her thoughts, he'd probably say:
How could you be silly? In everyone's eyes, you're still a genius. This textbook tsundere act—what is it if not genius?
Could Rosalyne pull it off? Rosalyne might actually be able to.
Mona's current mood is one Rosalyne understands well—she used to think the same way. Is this the camaraderie of tsundere hearts?
Mona's on the verge of tears, but she doesn't know that everyone loves this! They want even more.
After Mona's tsundere performance, today's story comes to a satisfying close. Next up is the story of the second day.
The next day, the Traveler is, as usual, woken up by Paimon. It turns out everyone's waiting for the Traveler to wake up for breakfast. Paimon, probably unable to wait any longer, roused the Traveler.
Fischl is nowhere to be seen among the group—she's said to be off completing work for the Adventurers' Guild.
Readers nod: I get it. She ran away.
Readers can see through it, and with everyone present being high-EQ, they understand too.
Fischl: Brothers, I'm withdrawing from the five-person team. I thought we'd never part no matter what, but now the chasm of dreams stands in our way.
It's with great regret that I make this decision. We may not have the chance to work together again… blah blah blah.
In short, Fischl found an excuse to bolt.
She's not running because she's worried about her "chuunibyou" being exposed—she's afraid of others seeing her life experiences.
She wants to see the "dream" but doesn't know how to face the "dream" she once "abandoned."
Her mindset is conflicted, a kind of internal contradiction. Everyone empathizes and is willing to give her time to be alone and think.
The remaining party of four heads to the second island that's undergone changes. This time, the island has… a drum? Or rather, a plant?
It's unclear whether it's an instrument or a plant, as the drum is wrapped in vines, seemingly growing out of them.
In reality, this would be impossible, but this is a dream, so no one knows whether it's a drum or a plant.
Whatever it is, if it's an instrument, it falls under the musician's domain. Among those present, Xinyan and Kaedehara Kazuha both qualify as musicians.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Mona: About Being Tsundere
"I'm not! I didn't! Don't listen to his nonsense!"