Konda Village, the Fox Statue.
The sun was still bright just past noon. The three of them stood before the statue but found no sign of a fox-masked shrine maiden nearby.
"Could she have left?" Yoimiya rested a loosely clenched fist against her soft waist.
"...Hmm, when that villager came to the Grand Narukami Shrine to report it, he said he saw her in the darkness while returning from his farmwork at night. Perhaps she doesn't come out during the day."
Yae Miko rested the backs of her fingers against her chin, a faint smile appearing on her face.
"Hey! Lady Guuji, don't say such strange things. You're scaring me a little." All sorts of ghost stories Yoimiya had heard as a child sprang to mind.
Looking at Yoimiya, Li Qiuzhi could roughly guess what she was thinking and couldn't help chuckling.
"Obviously, those things you're thinking of really do exist in Teyvat."
"Even you're trying to scare me..." Yoimiya looked at Li Qiuzhi in displeasure.
She couldn't do anything about Lady Guuji, but surely she could handle him. Yoimiya tried to reach out and pinch Li Qiuzhi's cheek.
But Li Qiuzhi had plenty of experience with girls doing this. He easily dodged Yoimiya's attack, then took the opportunity to wrap his arms around her from behind.
"Ah!"
Thrown off balance, Yoimiya pressed her entire back against Li Qiuzhi. First, she instinctively cried out in surprise, then grew a little embarrassed and annoyed.
"You two... I brought you here to help, not to go on a lovey-dovey date!"
Yae Miko put her hands on her hips and puffed out her cheeks, looking unexpectedly like a petulant young girl.
"Hehe, sorry." Li Qiuzhi released Yoimiya, then continued, "What should we do now? Wait until tonight and see if anyone shows up?"