"Wen~di~"
"Hm? What is it?"
"Do you have an imaginary friend?"
Wendy was trailing behind the group, bored, and asked Venti that question. She wasn't interested in shields or swords—she just wanted to wander this world and maybe tick off some boring system tasks.
"Eh… no. I'm not a kid anymore. Why would I still have an imaginary friend?" Venti was startled—he hadn't expected Wendy to ask him that.
"That's fair. But you must have friends, right?"
"Eh? Like you a lot? You're my friends, aren't you?"
"No — older ones. Very old ones. Friends from long, long ago."
"You saw them? The ones that appeared the other day? The purple one and the yellow one? They both couldn't beat you."
"Your friends are few. Mine are even fewer — fewer than yours. But why do we look so alike?" Wendy glanced up at the sky, then at the nearby mountain, as though pondering something.
"Maybe it's fate…"
At that remark, Venti felt like Wendy was hinting at something. His ancient friend and Wendy looked almost identical except for gender—everything else was the same. Wait—
Wendy can freely traverse different worlds. Does that mean she can move between times and spaces too? Like Istaru's power… No, Wendy is far stronger than that—if it were her doing it, she wouldn't… but she likes to play…
"Look, what are those Hilichurls doing in there?" Paimon's voice pulled Venti back from his thoughts. Inside a Hilichurl structure several of them were circling something and making odd motions.
"Are they doing some kind of ritual?" Lumine guessed.
"The thing among them is definitely the 'Brilliant Sword of Courage.' Let's chase them off and take it. Wendy, you—"
"I know, I know. You don't want me to step in? Fine, I'll wait outside."
Before Venti could finish, Wendy had already guessed what he would say and sat down casually on a barrel. Venti wondered if he should take her for a bite later—he had the odd thought despite everything.
"Go!" Lumine dashed in; the Hilichurls squealed, and Venti followed. Wendy watched them go and murmured that they truly did look the same.
Earlier, with the monocle, Wendy had seen Venti's imaginary friend. She already knew about such things from that boring system that fed her weird facts.
"The sword's found — only the shield remains. We'll search nearby; it should be in Dada Upa Valley."
After the skirmish, the group emerged from the Hilichurl building.
"It's real…" Lumine breathed.
"No doubt — the 'Brilliant Sword of Courage.'" Venti turned to Paimon, certain.
"Wen…Wendy? Are you Wendy?" Lumine suddenly noticed that Wendy's outfit and hairstyle had changed considerably; she now resembled Venti even more closely—aside from being a girl, they were almost identical.
Venti turned, stunned. Seeing that familiar figure hit him hard. Even across millennia he had kept the image of that youth in his mind. He never imagined he would see that face again so many years later. Except—she is Wendy, not that youth. She must have seen my… imaginary friend. Oh—she's like that too. That's… nice.
"You mean this is the 'Brilliant Sword of Courage'? But why does it look…" Wendy peered at the sword.
"Yeah, that's it. Nobody said the sword must be shiny and new. Like people, things go through hardships. Even gods do. That's why it is the 'Brilliant Sword of Courage.'" Venti raised the sword high and spoke with a weight he genuinely felt. If he'd been jesting earlier in the Hilichurl building, now he believed it.
"So you really are Wendy. But why—"
"For fun. What if someone recognised what I did last time?" Wendy answered with a straight face.
"Ah? And if someone really does recognise you—"
"Then I'll just have them—"
"Ahem ahem." Wendy's sentence was cut off by Venti coughing loudly for some reason.
"Alright. Let's go find the remaining items." Venti recovered and marched on with renewed energy.
She probably wasn't thinking anything dark, right? Probably… right?
"Okay, here's the 'Radiant Shield of Will.'" Venti confirmed after showing the small wooden shield they'd taken.
"But my shield looks even better than yours. What's this one called?" Wendy hefted a huge wooden shield snatched from a Hilichurl thug and asked, curious.
Venti sighed inwardly. Please don't steal my thunder… He'd mistaken Wendy for that long-ago friend for a moment and felt a twinge of melancholy. She really is Wendy.
"Is that not the 'Radiant Shield of Will'?" Jack asked with a bad feeling.
"Of course it is. Nobody says a 'Radiant Shield' must be the fanciest one. Different shields are for different people. You couldn't wield mine; the smaller one fits you. The best thing is what fits you." Wendy patched together a grand-sounding explanation from bits she'd heard.
Paimon watched Venti and Wendy and thought: no wonder they look so similar—this is ridiculous.
"Thank you, thank you! I found what I needed." Jack, now convinced he'd received the two relics, was ecstatic.
"Remember to keep them safe." Venti advised.
"I will. Goodbye!" Jack left with the sword and the shield.
"Hey… Stan-what's-his-name—stop hiding and come out!" Wendy called, evidently already on the hunt for the next person.
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