Mondstadt.
"Eh? Isn't that Kaeya over there?"
As the group crossed the bridge back into Mondstadt, Paimon spotted Kaeya slipping into Angel's Share.
"He's probably here for the same reason we are."
Lumine glanced at Rita. "Let's check inside."
Rita nodded gently. "Yes. Since you intended to come here anyway, it's the best place to start."
The three pushed open the tavern door.
Creak—
"Ugh… Wendy? Wake up. Hey—Wendy? Wendy?"
Kaeya stood beside a table, shaking a certain bard whose face was smashed into the wood, snoring loud enough to pass for an animal.
Lisa had informed him moments earlier:
Jean had vanished.
Not leaving the city.
Not gone on an errand.
Vanished inside the Knights' Headquarters.
Lisa had then sent Kaeya to fetch Diluc and Venti immediately.
Kaeya did not doubt her—not with that expression Lisa had worn.
So he rushed here… only to find this.
Footsteps thudded down the stairs.
"Kaeya? What are you doing here at this hour? Looking for this drunken bard?"
Diluc raised a brow as he descended, wiping a glass.
Afternoon was peak working hour for the Knights—Kaeya being here was not normal.
"Perfect timing," Kaeya said, hauling Venti's limp body over his shoulder. He lowered his voice. "I need you at the Headquarters. Now. It's urgent."
"…Fine."
Diluc didn't ask further. His instincts told him something was wrong, badly wrong.
The moment the tavern door opened—
"Wah! Is the bard being kidnapped?!"
Paimon yelped, immediately hiding behind Rita.
Because clearly, being caught insulting Kaeya behind his back countless times was going to come back to bite her.
When Diluc turned, his gaze landed on Rita.
His expression twitched subtly.
Rita noticed—of course she did—but merely smiled.
Kaeya opened his mouth to greet the travelers… then shut it.
Because Lisa had instructed him strictly:
Do NOT mention Jean's disappearance in public.
The tavern still had customers drinking inside.
The air grew strangely stiff.
Rita softened the tension with a single elegant sentence:
"Don't worry. I know exactly what Acting Grand Master Jean asked of you all."
Kaeya exhaled in relief.
"Haha, Rita, thank you. Then let's get going before Jean—ah… before she gets impatient."
Kaeya hoisted Venti higher and walked out.
Diluc followed, still trying to piece things together.
What exactly does Jean want…?
Knights of Favonius Headquarters — Meeting Room
Venti stirred awake the moment he was placed in a chair.
"Huh? Everyone's here? And… Miss Rita too? Did I drink myself into hallucinations again?"
"Long time no see, Venti."
Rita greeted him with her gentle smile, though internally she noted the overwhelming scent of alcohol.
Kaeya didn't waste another second.
"Since everyone's awake—Jean has… gone missing."
SLAM!
Diluc shot to his feet.
"What?! Jean—missing?!"
He glared at Kaeya as though the man were lying to his face.
Jean—who carried the weight of Mondstadt on her shoulders every waking moment—would never vanish without a word.
Which meant she hadn't chosen to.
Someone had taken her.
A chill prickled down his spine.
Deep-sea Abyss? Fatui? Something else?
Kaeya continued, tone grim:
"Yes. She was last seen in her office. The guards saw her enter—but no one saw her leave. And there was… this."
Lisa slid the note across the table.
"Big Sister Jean, I'm taking you away~"
Diluc's brows knit tighter.
"'Big sister'…? Barbara?"
He immediately dismissed it.
"No. She wouldn't. And she could not."
"That's right."
Lisa nodded. "Barbara never visited Headquarters today. The church sisters confirmed she was there all day."
Paimon's eyes widened.
"So Barbara is Jean's little sister? I never—mmph!!"
Lumine clamped a hand firmly over Paimon's mouth before she could blurt out something dangerous.
Rita lifted her eyes.
"Diluc, may I see the note?"
He handed it over.
Rita read it carefully, then traced the corner with her fingertip.
"Thank you."
"I'm going to check Jean's office," Diluc said suddenly.
If Jean disappeared there, he wanted to see it with his own eyes.
"I'm going too," Kaeya followed.
He needed answers as badly as Diluc.
The two left the room together—an unusual sight on its own.
Rita set the note on the table.
"'Big Sister Jean.' The tone is intimate. The writer is younger than Acting Grand Master Jean, likely someone who knows her well."
Lisa frowned.
"But neither I nor Jean have heard anyone use that title. Not once."
"Which means," Rita continued softly, "whoever wrote this either disguises their identity… or is someone Jean never mentioned."
Venti blinked.
"H-Hold on. Jean's missing?! Since when?!"
Everyone stared.
"…You only just realized?" Kaeya murmured under his breath, though he was already gone.
Lisa sighed and stood.
"Rita's right. The best lead is Jean's acquaintances."
She looked around the room.
"From this moment, we begin our search from everyone who knows her personally."
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