"Hehehe, Akira, are we getting any Mora as a reward?"
Paimon looked at him with hopeful eyes.
Lumine also looked at Akira with expectation. Recently, she could barely afford to keep feeding Paimon-this little thing could eat! Nearly 100,000 Mora a month just to feed her!
"If you complete the mission well, of course I'll give you a reward."
Akira smiled as he looked at the two pint-sized companions. "Let me think... how does 500,000 Mora sound?"
"Yay!"
Paimon clapped her hands in delight. "Long live Lord Akira!"
Lumine also broke into a happy smile. Akira was so generous! That was half a million Mora! Enough for them to live comfortably for quite a while!
"Have you two eaten yet?" Akira asked.
"Not yet. We've been on Captain Beidou's ship this whole time," Paimon said, shaking her head and clutching her little belly with a pitiful face.
"Now that you mention it, I'm starving."
"Since you're in Inazuma now, let me do the honors as host. Go get your travel permits from Chisato first. I'll wait here, and after that -I'll treat you to a meal."
Akira said with a warm smile.
"Yay!"
Paimon kicked her little feet in the air, then turned to Lumine excitedly. "Lumine! Let's go!"
"Also... could you two check on how Chisato's doing?"
Akira asked, looking a bit worried.
"Sure."
Lumine nodded, and she and Paimon headed into the Kanjou Commission building.
They stopped in front of Hiiragi Chisato's door. Lumine gently knocked.
"Who is it?" Chisato's voice came from inside.
"It's us!" Paimon chirped. "Lumine and Paimon! We're here for our permits!"
"P-Please come in."
Chisato wiped the corners of her eyes before responding.
Lumine and Paimon walked in and immediately saw that Chisato's eyes were red and puffy. Clearly, she had cried for a long time.
"Chisato..."
Paimon wanted to say something, but... nothing seemed appropriate.
"I'm okay."
Chisato forced a smile. "Sorry, Lumine, Paimon. What a scene to greet you with..."
"No, no, it's really okay!"
Paimon quickly waved her hands.
Chisato nodded and pulled a permit slip from her drawer. She filled in Lumine and Paimon's information and stamped it with the seal of the Kanjou Commission.
"With this, you'll be able to reside in Inazuma or visit any open regions."
She handed it to Lumine.
"Thank you, Chisato," Lumine said sincerely.
"This is only possible with Lord Akira's permission. I just..."
Chisato trailed off-mentioning Akira again brought fresh tears to her eyes.
"Oh, right. Lumine, Paimon, is Lord Akira... alright? He seemed so angry earlier..."
Chisato asked with concern.
"He's fine!"
Paimon quickly reassured her.
"I'm glad."
Chisato nodded.
"Well then, we won't disturb you any further."
Lumine and Paimon exchanged a look. Time to go.
"Okay."
Chisato didn't try to stop them. "I hope you both enjoy your time in Inazuma."
Lumine and Paimon nodded and turned to leave the Kanjou Commission.
"How is she?"
Akira asked the moment they came out.
"She's doing okay," Paimon replied. "Chisato's emotional state seems pretty stable."
"She's still worried about whether you were mad," Lumine added.
Akira nodded.
"Let's go. I'll treat you both to a meal at Uyuu Restaurant in Inazuma City."
Since all three were no ordinary travelers, they reached the city by midmorning.
"Wow! So this is Inazuma City?!"
Paimon exclaimed in wonder. Sure enough, each of the Seven Nations had its own unique charm!
"Lord Akira!" xn
Along the way, every local who spotted Akira greeted him respectfully.
Lately, he had been making many public appearances, and the people had come to recognize this new deity of Inazuma-though the Divine Coronation Ceremony had yet to begin.
Akira smiled and nodded in return as he walked.
"Wow, Akira's really respected in Inazuma."
Paimon whispered to Lumine.
"I overheard someone say it was Akira who convinced the Shogun to end the Vision Hunt Decree! There's also gossip that the Sakoku Decree might be lifted soon," Lumine added.
"We've arrived. This is Uyuu Restaurant."
Akira stopped and led them inside.
"Lord Akira!"
The attendant saw him and quickly bowed.
"Mhm."
Akira nodded. "A private room, for three."
"Right this way, Lord Akira."
The attendant led them into a grand private room-Uyuu's most luxurious one, reserved for VVIPS.
"Whoa, this is beautiful!"
Paimon looked around in awe. The golden decor sparkled like treasure-rivaling even Xinyue Kiosk in Liyue!
All the gold and jewels made little Paimon, the walking treasure radar, drool with longing.
"What would you like to eat?"
Akira asked after they were seated.
"Anything's fine. This is our first time in Inazuma, so we'll trust your judgment."
Lumine's voice was gentle and pleasing.
It was a shame that Lumine was usually silent and cold like a proper ice queen. She rarely talked.
"Lumine, your voice is really nice-you should talk more instead of playing the silent type."
Akira said as he flipped through the menu.
"We've known each other a while, but I've hardly heard you speak."
"Yeah, yeah!"
Paimon nodded in agreement. "Lumine doesn't like to talk, so I have to do all the explaining!"
Lumine's face turned slightly red as she nodded, flustered. It was the first time anyone had complimented her voice. She turned and gave Paimon a side-eye glare.
"Well, with Paimon acting like a divine megaphone, it's no wonder Lumine keeps quiet," Akira teased.
"Divine... divine megaphone?"
Paimon blinked, confused.
"The Vision is an external organ used to channel elemental power," Akira began explaining with a grin. "Since Paimon always speaks for Lumine, she's basically Lumine's external mouth-thus, a 'divine mouthpiece."
"Pfft..."
Lumine couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
"Aaahhh!!"
Paimon was fuming. She was on the verge of snapping.
"Paimon is not a divine mouthpiece! What kind of nickname is that?!"
Paimon crossed her arms, angry and pouty.
"You're terrible! I'm gonna give you an ugly nickname now!"
"Ah... actually, never mind!"
She quickly backpedaled. "Akira, you're brilliant and mighty! No ugly nickname could possibly suit you!"
Paimon had been about to retaliate, but then remembered Akira's terrifying anger and bloody actions earlier... and chickened out. She forced a flattering smile instead.
"You little rascal."
Akira chuckled and reached out to scoop Paimon from the air, pinching her puffy cheeks in his arms.
"Wuwuwu... Lumine!"
Paimon looked desperately at Lumine, hoping for a rescue from Akira's evil clutches.
But sadly, Lumine pretended not to notice.
Too funny. No way she was gonna help. Akira was scary-what if she became the next victim?