"Uh... he lost to a kid again?"
Paimon's eyes went round.
"Yep."
Naganohara Yoimiya nodded, sighing at the memory. "After he lost yesterday, he kept pestering that kid for rematch after rematch. Lost every single one. Got so worked up about it he just released his own Onikabuto back into the wild."
"That's so childish." Paimon shook her head. "Though, honestly, it's exactly the kind of thing he'd do."
"So, Yoimiya, could we trouble you to pass along Fang Qiu's reply to him?"
Lumine took out the letter Fang Qiu had written to Arataki Itto and held it out to Naganohara Yoimiya.
"No problem, leave it to me."
Naganohara Yoimiya took the letter with a bright smile. "He's always knocking around Hanamizaka anyway, so I'll run into him without even looking. I'll hand it over then."
Since she had to wait for Arataki Itto, Naganohara Yoimiya headed off toward home with the two letters and her copy of anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day.
"Let's get going too! Paimon can hardly wait to read Fang Qiu's new book. Healing and redemption!" Paimon said, practically glowing with anticipation.
"Mm." Lumine nodded.
They set off toward the Komore Teahouse.
But as they passed the back of the line, they noticed someone standing in it.
He was tall, with blond hair and red-and-black clothes, and he carried himself like someone brisk and capable.
At the moment, though, he stood there looking distinctly awkward, while the people around him pointed and whispered.
"Is that him? He's actually got the nerve to come buy the book?"
"Who?"
"You read Fang Qiu's books and you don't know who he is?"
"Uh... is he famous?"
"You've read The Forest of Fireflies' Light, right? He's the one who made Fang Qiu kill Gin off at the end. And supposedly the only reason Fang Qiu writes so many tragedies is because he put her up to it. He admitted all of it himself."
"And he still dares show his face at the bookstore!"
The muttering spread, and every look thrown at the young man carried an edge.
"Thoma, why are you here buying books yourself? Where's Sayu?" Paimon asked.
"Don't get me started. Sayu's gone off to nap somewhere and nobody knows where. The shrine maiden who's supposed to keep an eye on her can't find her, so I had to come buy the books for the young lady myself." Thoma let out a helpless sigh, the stares around him pricking at his skin like needles.
He'd assumed that since Weathering With You ended happily, these novel lovers wouldn't hold such a grudge against him anymore. That was the only reason he'd risked coming out to shop for the young lady.
He hadn't counted on them pinning the tragic ending of The Forest of Fireflies' Light entirely on him while crediting the happy ending of Weathering With You to anything but him.
"We happen to have spare copies of anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day. You can have them, you and Ayaka," Paimon said.
"Really? That's wonderful. I won't have to stand here suffering." Thoma brightened at once.
"Mm." Lumine nodded, pulled out three copies of anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, and handed them to Thoma.
"Oh, right, you're off to read Fang Qiu's new book next, aren't you? Why not read it at the Komore Teahouse?" Thoma took the books and gestured an invitation. "You can sample my cooking while you're at it."
"Cooking? Thoma, you're going to cook?"
At the word cooking Paimon's eyes lit up, and once Thoma confirmed it she turned to Lumine. "Traveler, let's go read at the Komore Teahouse! If we read together with Thoma and Ayaka, we can talk about the book afterward too."
"All right." Lumine gave Paimon a resigned look and nodded.
And so, under the watchful eyes of all those novel enthusiasts, they made their way toward the Komore Teahouse.
Along the road they ran into Kujou Sara.
She was walking alone in the direction of the Yae Publishing House, and she didn't look like she was on patrol.
Yet when Paimon asked whether she was going to buy Fang Qiu's book, Kujou Sara denied it flatly, without a moment's hesitation.
After a few words of conversation, they saw that she seemed to have pressing business, so they left her to it.
Back at the Komore Teahouse, Thoma let out a long breath.
"Whew... it's been a while since I felt like that. The last time was during the Vision Hunt Decree. Looks like I'd better stay indoors for a bit," Thoma said wryly.
"That does sound rough."
Hearing him, Paimon felt a pang of sympathy. Then Thoma said his next sentence, and somehow she stopped feeling quite so sorry for him.
"Speaking of which, Traveler, I've collected a whole batch of ghost novels lately. Next time you head to Liyue, could I trouble you to pass them along to Miss Fang Qiu?" Thoma said.
"Mm."
Lumine started to say something, thought better of it, and simply nodded.
This guy was still thinking about sending Fang Qiu ghost novels...
Still, since Fang Qiu hadn't spelled anything out in her letter, it wasn't their place to say much either.
Remembering the way the corners of Fang Qiu's mouth had curled up when she handed over the letters, unable to hold back that smile, Lumine could only sigh inwardly.
Fang Qiu was gentle and considerate, but she had her childish moments too.
"Come on in. The young lady will be delighted to hear you're here."
Thoma had no idea what she and Paimon were thinking. He kept up the conversation as he led them to one of the rooms.
Inside, Kamisato Ayaka knelt at a low desk, brush in hand, practicing calligraphy. Taroumaru lay sprawled beside her, the whole dog flattened out across the tatami.
"Ayaka, we're here to hang out!" Paimon waved.
"Traveler, Paimon, welcome." Seeing the Traveler, Paimon, and Thoma at the door, Kamisato Ayaka set down her brush and rose with a smile.
Then she noticed the two deluxe editions of anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day in Thoma's hands and blinked. "Thoma, how did you manage to buy the books so quickly?"
"The Traveler gave them to us," Thoma said, handing them to Kamisato Ayaka.
"I see." Kamisato Ayaka nodded and thanked Lumine and Paimon.
After they'd chatted a while, Lumine produced the letters Fang Qiu had written to Kamisato Ayaka and Thoma and passed them out.
Kamisato Ayaka finished hers and let out a soft laugh, murmuring, "Miss Fang Qiu writes in such a gentle tone. It's only a shame she's still hesitating over whether to come to Inazuma."
"Don't worry, we'll find a way to talk Fang Qiu into it," Paimon said.
"Mm." Kamisato Ayaka nodded.
Thoma's letter said much the same sort of thing.
Seeing how perfectly ordinary Fang Qiu's reply to Thoma was, Paimon and Lumine exchanged puzzled looks.
If it was this ordinary, what had Fang Qiu been fighting back a smile about?
After a bit more conversation, their reading party officially began.
Lumine and Paimon shared one book; Thoma and Kamisato Ayaka each had their own.
As the sound of turning pages rose in the quiet room, the story began with a little girl in a white sundress appearing on a midsummer afternoon.
____
________________________________________
💖 Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter to warm your hearts.
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 20 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉