The sudden changes startled everyone.
[Fischl, astonished: "Could it be that the Evernight Sanctum truly exists in this world?"]
It scared Fischl back into little Amy, forgetting her chuunibyou persona entirely—a classic case of admiring the dragon but fleeing at its sight.
The scene was indeed surreal, and everyone thought they might be hallucinating. They debated whether to try pinching themselves to see if pain would wake them up.
No one wanted to get hit, and rather than relying on such an unreliable method, it was better to visit the islands where the changes had occurred.
Conveniently, there was a talking wave skiff that could take them there.
[Strange Skiff: "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm the smartest and most spirited skiff in these parts. As for a name… call me whatever you like."]
It couldn't recall its name—or perhaps it never had one. In any case, Paimon named it "Miitoboru."
The skiff hailed from Inazuma, where ships are often named with "-maru," so Paimon's choice was fitting. Truly a naming genius.
Miitoboru was willing to take everyone anywhere, which deeply moved the squirrel, who wanted to go to Mondstadt.
Miitoboru: That's a no-go.
The squirrel was crestfallen. Even with a vessel capable of carrying it across water, it still couldn't return home.
Its ancestors had been whisked away by Venti, mountain and all, to this place.
Squirrels can't swim, so it was trapped on the island, barely surviving. Fortunately, with no natural predators, it lived quite freely.
There were likely squirrels on the other islands too, but they no longer recognized each other.
Robbed of "freedom" by the God of Freedom, this squirrel, now well-fed and idle, would grumble about the Anemo Archon in its spare time.
[Squirrel: "Curse that Anemo Archon!"]
Better not let the squirrel get too idle—perhaps air-drop a couple of predators to keep it busy.
Barbara saw this and took it as a bad review.
She was furious, but then realized it might actually be her god's fault… Fine, I didn't see anything.
Hmm, the island's scenery was as beautiful as last time.
Barbara, previously unaware of this incident, now knew about the squirrel situation. But no matter—it's fine to selectively ignore things.
"Oh my, so you sent all those little squirrels away, huh?" Venti laughed.
To be fair, it wasn't exactly wronging the squirrels. Sending them to a place with no predators allowed them to thrive.
Perhaps they thrived too well—every mountain and island was overrun with squirrels, practically their domain now.
[Paimon mused: "So the Evernight Sanctum is actually the Squirrel Empire."]
[Fischl, hands on hips, stomping: "How dare you! How dare you!"]
Look, she's flustered again.
She's flustered, but she's adorable.
In the illustration, Fischl's cute pose drew fond smiles from everyone. All they could think was to play with the Prinzessin more often—her reactions were just too adorable.
Compared to the playful group, Kazuha was far more reliable. He said he caught the scent of his homeland and planned to board the skiff to investigate. Naturally, everyone followed.
Crammed onto the wave skiff, they arrived at the first island, covered in maple trees and split by two towering mountains.
On a small beach in front of the main island stood a bonsai, strikingly out of place with its surroundings.
This bonsai was truly from Kazuha's homeland—an heirloom of the Kaedehara family.
Curious, the group examined it. The moment they touched the bonsai, they were teleported into a room—the "Kaedehara Wonder House."
They found themselves inside a mansion, but the mansion's master, Kazuha, was nowhere to be found.
With no other choice, in a place like this, reuniting was the priority. Time to find Kazuha.
Then readers saw Lucian's depiction of the exploration process, and it was nothing short of a labyrinth—no, it was beyond a labyrinth!
Upside-down rooms, shifting chambers, hidden passages—the text and illustrations of various puzzle-solving props left readers sweating.
Staring at the illustrations felt like getting 3D motion sickness. Shikikan, do you have any clues?
Does Kaedehara Kazuha really go through this every time he goes home?
If it's this complicated, wouldn't he wet himself trying to find the bathroom in the middle of the night?
Beidou glanced at Kazuha, her eyes full of doubt.
"No, my home isn't this troublesome," Kazuha explained. "This must be the island's influence."
Beidou nodded. That made sense—otherwise, the Kaedehara family's "security system" would trap even its own members.
Someone might wake up to find a family member sprawled on the floor next to a mysterious puddle.
Most likely, they got lost trying to find the bathroom at night.
Fischl breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been worried that if they became close and visited her "ordinary" home, Kazuha might find it dull.
Great, they were all normal people after all.
In the story, the group's exploration bore fruit, uncovering various pieces of information, including a letter from Kazuha's father.
Written when Kazuha was six, it described a time when the Kaedehara family, though not as grand as before, was still a prominent clan. Sadly, Kazuha's mother passed away shortly after giving birth to him.
After that, the Kaedehara family gradually declined. Following his father's death, Kazuha dismissed the household staff and began his wandering journey.
During his travels, Kazuha wrote letters, but he burned them all, sending them to his father in the afterlife.
Now, in this illusory realm, those burned letters were restored, giving insight into Kazuha's early life.
Kazuha: My Early Life
[Kaedehara Hisamichi (Kazuha's grandfather): "These past few years, I've been so busy with work that I haven't had time to spend with my grandson. I hope he doesn't take after me. When he grows up, he should spend more time seeing the world."]
The Kaedehara family had abandoned swordsmithing but hadn't fallen. In his grandfather's generation, they were even quite busy.
No longer with forging, they focused on the art of bonsai—elegant, truly elegant.
And his grandfather's words? Kazuha fulfilled them. Now, unbound by worldly ties, Kazuha was the free wind of the world, roaming and exploring.
Kazuha felt a pang of emotion. He hadn't expected to see these words again in such a setting.
As a child, his grandfather seemed very attached to the Kaedehara family, teaching him the ancestral arts of bonsai and forging.
He told Kazuha that the Kaedehara family would one day be his to lead.
Looking back, his grandfather loved him more than the family itself.
Perhaps this "incompetent head" wouldn't be scolded when he met his grandfather in the afterlife?
The Kaedehara family fell under his watch—he was its final head, not his father.
If seen as a great clan, it was gone. But as a legacy, it lived on!
Kazuha inherited everything from the Kaedehara family. He was still here.
As long as he existed, the Kaedehara family wouldn't vanish. As long as he remained in his friends' "sight," it would never fade.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Kaedehara Kazuha: About the Kaedehara Family
"My home? It's truly warm—a warmth I still recall after years of wandering, the driving force behind my journey."
"If I get the chance, I'd love for you to see it too."