Xinyan and Hu Tao share a similar attitude, so it's no surprise that in previous stories, these two girls teamed up.
Both live "unconventionally," both sing loud to defy!
Venti grows fonder of Xinyan and Kaedehara Kazuha. No wonder the story's Venti sent these two together—yep, that's my style!
Venti can tell he did it on purpose. If he doesn't want to be found, no one can find him.
Waiting at the tavern with Kazuha and Xinyan for the Traveler was clearly intentional.
One's the free wind, the other's the song of defiance—perfectly to Venti's taste. They're practically me!
It's just a pity one's from Liyue and the other's an honorary Liyue citizen. Sigh, I can't mess with the old man and steal his kids.
In the story, Mona also marvels at Xinyan's approach to things. If someone said she wasn't a genius, she'd definitely get mad.
Paimon's intrigued and wants to try it.
Sadly, before she can, Mona glares at her. If she tried, she'd probably try and die.
[Paimon exclaims: "Hey, look, Mona's glaring at me!"]
In the story, Paimon doesn't dare try. In reality, Paimon chickens out too, but no worries.
Lucian's already tested it for her. Mona does get mad, but afterward, she deflates like a punctured balloon.
She slumps over the table like a puddle, muttering things like, "I'm just not as good as you," "This genius is still a genius," "That's right, I'm a genius."
Lucian's comments really do affect her. After all, in the heart of Mona, a true prophet, Lucian, the fake prophet, is somehow the authority.
So, he has to comfort the one he made cry. Lucian stops teasing Mona about this.
[Kazuha says: "To be honest, I'm starting to get interested in rock 'n' roll."]
Kazuha doing rock 'n' roll? No one can picture it.
His image is that of an elegant scholar with a hint of a warrior's aura—rock 'n' roll just doesn't fit.
If he must do rock, maybe he could team up with Kamisato Ayato. The contrast of their soulful, dog-charming gazes and expressions rocking out would be hilarious.
Imagine Kazuha with a "forgot to add cumin" flying into the sky, and Ayato smashing his guitar with a soaring Hydro blade—who'd be more rock than that!
Ayato's lingering Hydro shadow would be perfect—its speed would make drumming epic.
Speaking of which, in the Inazuma boy band, the best fits for rock 'n' roll are Scaramouche and Arataki Itto.
Itto's a no-brainer—his "vibe and look" would fit rock without any awkwardness, and his makeup's already on point.
Scaramouche wouldn't be bad either, breakdancing on stage with that big hat.
While others do knee slides on stage, he could do them in the air.
Now that's got some potential…
But even with potential, everyone still thinks Kazuha singing, dancing, or rapping would suit him better than rock.
This is a story about breaking "stereotypes," though. So if Kazuha insists on headbanging with a guitar…
Well… could he bring Xiao along? I want to see Xiao in sunglasses rocking out! After forming the Inazuma boy band, they could make an Anemo boy band.
Venti's always eyeing that drum set—don't slack off, go drum!
The last Anemo boy, Faruzan, could play the bass.
Leaving aside whether this Anemo rock band could happen, the group in the story continues forward. This time, they encounter a silhouette that seems to be a child.
Or maybe not—what if it's someone like Xiao, an adult who doesn't grow?
[Upon closer look, a child named A-Fei says: "Big sister, your hairstyle's so weird!"]
Children's perceptions are simple—what's different from others is weird to them.
["Spiky braids, pointy hair accessories—no one else does that."]
Before, the people in the illustrations attacked Xinyan's hobbies. Now they're attacking her appearance.
The kid's not wrong—Xinyan's hairstyle is weird and different from others.
But why does it have to be the same?
Xinyan tells the kid that a unique style makes a stronger impression. Your face and figure aren't for others to judge—you dress how you like.
The child half-understands. He only knows that if he wears his beloved "puppy robe," other kids say he looks like a dog.
Isn't Xinyan rebelling against everyone's "common sense" and "prejudices"?
Not quite. Xinyan isn't rebelling against "common sense" or "prejudices"—she just happens to love these things. She loves them, that's all.
Don't care what others say—care about whether you like it.
So when the child asks if she'd change her hairstyle, her answer is:
[Xinyan: "If they don't like it, they don't like it. I'm not changing."]
Not changing—just these three simple words perfectly showcase her carefree spirit.
The child doesn't fully get it but cries, promising not to mock Xinyan's hairstyle anymore.
He's not crying just out of guilt—his friends have been ignoring him, avoiding him.
He feels abandoned by them, which is why he's crying.
Xinyan, being kind, offers to help find A-Fei's friends. They're not far away.
Those kids weren't ignoring A-Fei—they were planning a birthday surprise and waiting for him to find them.
Sadly, A-Fei's timid nature made him think he'd been ditched when he didn't see them, leaving him heartbroken with no thought of searching.
In the end, Xinyan helps bring them together.
[Lulu, with a cute voice: "Dummy, dummy, we were preparing a surprise for you! Who knew you wouldn't come find us and even… even cried…"]
[A-Fei, crying aggrievedly: "I'm sorry, I'm a dummy."]
Readers can't help but want to laugh. The topic was serious earlier, and now this twist makes it hard to know if laughing's appropriate.
[As the kids reconcile, Xinyan muses: "Friends, huh? It's not surprising they'd pull something like this. If my friends planned a surprise for me, I'd be shocked too."]
[Mona teases: "Are you hinting we should plan a surprise for you? Such clever wordplay…"]
As expected of a genius. Though Lucian's tricked her many times, that's because his "prophecy" clouded her mind.
Normally, Mona's emotional and intellectual intelligence are high—she doesn't get fooled easily.
Unless it's someone even better at prophecy, like "Triple Mona" or Lucian, who often mess with her.
Geniuses are hard to trick, which makes tricking them all the more fun.
Nahida's too genius to be tricked, but Mona and Ei, with their "weaknesses," are fair game.
Lucian shares this joy with Yae Miko, who teaches him how to tease Ei. Both have bright futures.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Lucian: About Mona
"Honestly, I didn't mean to tease her, but she keeps coming to me begging to be teased. It's tough for me too!"