Jean read that final diary line again.
[The wheels of the witch's carriage ran over my face.]
She repeated it silently.
Again.
And again.
Her brows knit tighter each time.
"…Is this… a new type of Sumeru alchemical construct Lisa developed…?"
In her mind, she pictured Lisa physically pressing some strange magical mechanism into Su Xuan's face.
She broke into a cold sweat.
But after a moment, Jean remembered:
Lisa was never impulsive.
She always reminded Jean to slow down, breathe, and act from calm — especially in critical moments.
So at last, Jean sighed softly:
"…It must be my imagination."
Just then, the diary pages lit again.
Jean opened to the next entry without hesitation.
[Diary Update]
[After speaking with the Rose Witch for a while, I've mostly understood her real intention.]
[Her asking for "eternity" was not the goal itself — it was a test.]
[A way of probing what kind of person I am, and what my purpose in traveling Teyvat is.]
[A deliberate approach — using herself as the experiment.]
[If her approach succeeds, she proves her hypothesis.]
[Then she can return to Jean and tell her how to persuade me to assist Mondstadt.]
[If she fails, then only she bears the consequence — not Mondstadt.]
[As expected of the Rose Witch. Clever to a frightening degree.]
Across Teyvat, every diary-holder leaned forward.
—Well!?
Did the hypothesis succeed or not!?
But Su Xuan said nothing else on that part.
Ningguang tapped her fan against her palm, annoyed and impressed all at once.
This was the true weight of the diary:
Knowledge comes with a price.
And every woman holding one was, knowingly or not, already participating.
Su Xuan stretched out on the soft bed, still wearing the loose bathrobe.
The scent of warm rose petals lingered in the air.
The sound of water faded from the washroom.
Before long, Lisa stepped out — also in a robe, hair slightly damp, violet eyes half-lidded.
Her presence alone was intoxicating.
"So my little thoughts really can't escape your notice," she laughed softly.
"How frightening. Do you also read minds?"
"Nothing like that," Su Xuan replied.
"I only followed your reasoning."
Lisa sat beside the bed, graceful and unhurried.
"I simply asked myself: Why were we given these diary copies?
And after witnessing your strength — strength that can defeat the Raiden Shogun — the question becomes even clearer."
She crossed one leg over the other, gaze steady.
"You have no shortage of wealth.
No shortage of influence.
No shortage of power.
So what, then, is our role?"
Her voice lowered.
"I observed that every diary-holder is female — regardless of status or background.
And combined with your… interactions with the Raiden Shogun—"
She smiled.
"The conclusion is not difficult."
Su Xuan let out a slow laugh.
"Truly… the Rose Witch lives up to her name."
Lisa smiled, eyes bright with quiet satisfaction.
"But there was one thing I didn't understand," she added lightly.
"You referred to me as a 'witch's carriage.'
And something about "car wheels" running over your face."
She thought for a moment.
"Since I am the carriage, then… would the wheels be… these?"
She lifted — very slightly — with a teasing shake.
Her smile sharpened.
"And what exactly happens when the wheels run over your face?"
Su Xuan exhaled slowly.
"…Suffocation, probably."
Lisa's laughter tasted like honey and danger.
What followed required no explanation.
The curtain falls.
The world fades to warm shades of rose and dusk.
Time passed.
Lisa drew a sharp breath and tapped his arm lightly, voice a bit unsteady:
"Wait— I need… to go… gather myself—"
Su Xuan only gave a quiet, helpless sigh, amused:
"Tsk. And here I thought the famed Rose Witch had more endurance."
"It's fine. You're a wielder of the Electro Vision."
"You could just learn from Ei and handle it right here."
Lisa froze.
"…Ei did what?"