"Ow!"
The man cried out in pain as his legs suddenly gave way, sending him crashing to his knees directly in front of Eula.
None of the ordinary bystanders had seen what happened. They could only stare at one another in confusion.
"Eula, are the people of Mondstadt always this hospitable? He saw you from all the way over there and immediately gave you such a grand bow?"
Satoru cried out in exaggerated surprise.
"Pfft!"
Eula burst out laughing and played along.
"Who knows? Maybe his legs just aren’t very reliable."
"Tsk, tsk. Must be chronic knee trouble. What a tragedy at such a young age."
Satoru shook his head with a deeply sympathetic expression.
"It was you! You definitely did something! You bastards colluding with the Lawrence Clan can all get out!"
The man roared in furious embarrassment.
"You can eat whatever nonsense you want, but you shouldn’t say whatever nonsense you want."
Satoru’s gaze instantly turned cold, his voice carrying a chilling edge.
He might laze around and avoid proper work at home, but as the eldest young master of the Kamisato Clan, his authority was not something some roadside nobody could casually challenge.
"That’s enough. Everyone, quiet down and disperse."
Jean appeared in the middle of the street just in time, staring wearily at the troublemaker.
She had stayed up all night and was currently so hungry she could practically feel her stomach eating itself. She had only come out to find something to eat, yet somehow she had run straight into another mess.
If this were handled poorly, it could genuinely turn into an international diplomatic incident.
Satoru, however, had no intention of pursuing the matter any further.
His attention had already drifted toward Jean’s retreating figure.
So the rumors online really weren’t exaggerating.
That curve was practically the pillar holding up the entire Knights of Favonius.
Truly worthy of its reputation.
Jean turned around at that exact moment and caught the meaningful look in Satoru’s direction.
Helplessness immediately filled her face.
She had actually witnessed everything from the beginning and knew perfectly well that Satoru had acted to defend Eula.
"Mr. Satoru, that was quite a difficult trick to guard against."
"What are you talking about, Acting Grand Master Jean? I don’t understand a single word."
Satoru laughed it off.
As long as there was no evidence, nobody was pinning anything on him.
Fingerprints?
This continent did not have that kind of advanced technology yet.
Jean sighed and could not be bothered exposing such an obvious little secret.
"Acting Grand Master Jean, we’re heading out shopping. Want to come along?"
Satoru casually invited her.
Jean shook her head.
"There’s still a mountain of paperwork waiting for me. Eula can show you around."
"I’m just saying, with Mondstadt residents acting like helpless giant babies who need the Acting Grand Master to find their lost cats, you really don’t have much of a life of your own."
Satoru’s words were sharp, but they hit the truth dead on.
Eula vigorously nodded in agreement beside him.
At this point, Jean was practically Mondstadt’s full-time caretaker, shouldering everything from major affairs to the smallest trivialities.
"I’m used to it... I’ll be going now."
Jean gave a bitter smile before turning and hurrying back toward headquarters.
"Seriously hopeless."
Watching her rushed departure, Satoru could not help sighing.
The residents of this city were either hopelessly drunk alcoholics or helpless giant babies who relied on other people for everything.
There were only a handful he considered genuinely worthy of respect.
"That’s just how Mondstadt is right now. Come on, I’ll take you somewhere else."
Eula was equally helpless and could only change the subject.
Over the next few days, she led the siblings all across the city’s landmarks.
The windmills, the cathedral, and the enormous statue—
Satoru used his Kamera to preserve plenty of precious moments.
...
Several days later, a streak of light tore across the sky and plunged toward the distant horizon.
Satoru immediately realized that the main story was finally beginning.
He grabbed Ayaka and headed straight out of the city.
"Ayaka, come on. I’m taking you to meet a new friend."
"Huh? Right now?"
...
Click!
Satoru arrived at exactly the right moment, just in time to see Paimon being fished out of the water by a blonde-haired girl.
Seeing Paimon dizzy and disoriented, her eyes reduced to spirals, he immediately snapped a picture.
The azure sea shimmered under the light, while golden sand and rolling waves formed a scene beautiful enough to resemble a painting.
"Brother, who are that little winged creature and the girl with the sword?"
Ayaka studied them curiously.
Their strange clothing was clearly nothing like the ordinary styles found across Teyvat.
Satoru looked at Lumine and Paimon sitting on the rocks and thought to himself,
I know her.
Too bad she doesn’t know me yet.
Lumine’s features were not especially flamboyant, yet they were remarkably pleasing to the eye, becoming more captivating the longer one looked.
A softly glowing white flower decorated her short golden hair, while the feather ornament beside her left ear trembled gently in the breeze.
Her white dress was trimmed with blue lines, and various diamond-shaped patterns shimmered with a lively glow.
Paimon, meanwhile, wore her usual blankly adorable expression.
Her little cape, which seemed to ignore every known law of physics, fluttered in the wind and gave her an air of mystery.
"Who’s there?"
Lumine’s senses were exceptionally sharp.
Although her power was sealed, the instincts she had developed through years of traveling remained intact.
"Relax. We’re not bad people."
Satoru stepped out of the shadows with Ayaka beside him.