Itto crouched on the arena with both hands clutching his head, staring at his Thunderbolt Invincible Red Whirlwind, which couldn't turn itself over. He shouted,
"Impossible! How could my beetle lose?!"
After watching the match, Lumine stood up, put away her bamboo cage, and turned to leave.
Paimon followed her, looking back to stick out her tongue at Lin En and tell him he'd gotten lucky before turning to catch up with Lumine.
Lin En carried away the little gray beetle in his palm. The little fellow had suffered some injuries, but it was still alive, so he released it into the fields.
When Itto saw this, he asked in confusion,
"Why did you let it go? That's the only Onikabuto that can beat Red Whirlwind!"
"Maybe it prefers being free to fighting day after day."
Lin En had no use for the Onikabuto, so he might as well set it free. At least, that was what he thought.
Itto rested his chin on one hand, looking thoughtful.
"Oh! My friend, you're right! In that case, could you give me that Onikabuto? I promise I'll take good care of it. Look, wild Onikabuto have lots of natural predators, but with me..."
Itto went on and on, leaving Lin En speechless. He hadn't listened to a word Lin En had said.
"If you want it, take it. But this isn't my Onikabuto."
Lin En had no choice but to yield as the happier man.
Itto took the Onikabuto and examined it carefully, as though he had found a priceless treasure.
"That's strange. There's nothing special about this Onikabuto. How did it beat my Red Whirlwind? Wait, you said it wasn't yours?"
"I don't know where it came from. It flew onto my head, and then you dragged me into a match. I didn't expect it to win either."
"What? My Red Whirlwind actually lost to some nameless little bug."
Lin En hadn't expected talking to Itto to be so tiring, so he stopped paying attention to the distraught Itto and went over to Ronava.
"You won?"
"Yeah. I got lucky."
"That beetle's personality is a lot like yours. Stubborn and unwilling to admit defeat."
"How could that beetle compare to me? I've got more good points than just those."
Lin En folded his arms and spoke proudly.
Ronava didn't deny it. She simply turned and headed back the way they had come. Lin En followed her, and the two walked along the path through Konda Village toward Inazuma City.
The afternoon sunlight was pleasant. Farmers were turning the soil in the fields beside the road, and the sea in the distance shimmered with a pale blue light.
"Doesn't the champion get a prize?"
Ronava suddenly asked, catching Lin En off guard.
"Oh, right! I forgot to ask him for a prize. Forget it. What money could a pauper like Itto possibly have?"
Ronava tilted her head and glanced at him, a hint of puzzlement in her gaze. How does he know that young oni has no money? Why does he seem to know everyone?
But her doubts lasted only a moment, and she dismissed them the next.
By the time they entered Inazuma City, it was already getting close to the afternoon.
The streets were much livelier than before. The shops lining them were open, selling everything from porcelain to silk, and there were also several teahouses and snack shops.
The wound on Lin En's left arm had mostly healed. Although he still couldn't put too much strength into it, basic gripping was no problem.
Ronava's gaze swept over the shops on either side of the street before finally stopping at a dango shop.
Lin En followed her gaze. The dango shop's owner was a middle-aged woman, busy packing orders for customers. Three-colored dango were threaded onto bamboo skewers, the glutinous rice dumplings gleaming softly in the sunlight.
"Do you want some dango?"
Lin En asked.
"I could try some."
Ronava nodded. She had scarcely tried any mortal food. When they were in Liyue and Mondstadt, Lin En had taken her to try some local specialties, such as boiled black-back perch. It had indeed been delicious, though her head had felt a little dizzy after eating it.
The two were just about to enter the shop when the owner of a nearby stall waved them over.
"Come eat at my place! My food won't give you heartburn, and even the Shogun loves it."
Lin En looked at the shop, then at the stall. After a moment's hesitation, he headed for the stall. As he recalled, the Shogun seemed to have eaten at a stall, so perhaps it was more authentic?
And so he led Ronava over to the stall.
"Boss, what makes yours special?"
"My ingredients are all fresh that day. I never use leftovers from the day before."
"How much for a skewer, then?"
"1,000 Mora."
"Wouldn't you lose money at that price?"
"I'm afraid of that, but I'm more afraid of having messy accounts. Rules can't be broken. Establish the rules first, and the road ahead will be long."
"All right, two skewers, then."
But there was only one skewer left at the stall. The owner looked at the two of them.
"There's only one left. How about this? I'll sell it to you for half price and close up early."
"All right."
Lin En bought the skewer and handed it to Ronava.
"You eat it. I'm not hungry."
Ronava accepted it without any hesitation and took a bite.
"This Tricolor Dango doesn't taste good. Here."
"Huh? You're giving me the rest? If you don't want it, then..."
He was just about to say "throw it away" when he met Ronava's eyes.
"We can't waste food. Eating Tricolor Dango is such a wonderful thing."
Lin En took it and had a small bite. It tasted good; it wasn't nearly that bad. Could it be that Ronava didn't like sweets?
After the two left, a purple figure came to the stall.
"Boss, do you still have any Tricolor Dango?"
"You came a step too late, Shogun. Someone already bought the last skewer."
As they passed Inazuma City's notice board, they saw a new notice posted on it.
Lin En went over for a look. It was an announcement from the Shogunate Army saying that Tsurumi Island was safe again. It said, in general, that the thick fog had dispersed and the missing persons were under investigation, and urged residents not to panic.
"Yae Miko should have reported the investigation by now."
Lin En said.
"Mm."
The two didn't linger there.
By the time they reached the eastern part of the city, the sun had begun to sink westward. The lanterns along the street lit up one after another, casting a warm yellow glow on the stone pavement.
As they continued walking, Lin En ate the Tricolor Dango and thought about how to grow stronger. The system hadn't appeared for quite some time, but that was fine too. He had time of his own to spend with Ronava.
After they had walked a little farther, Ronava suddenly spoke.
"Inazuma really has changed a lot since the last time I came."
Hearing this, Lin En swallowed the dango in his mouth and asked,
"When was the last time you came?"
"A few years ago. The country was still closed off then, and the people were struggling to survive. Looking at it now, there's quite a difference. The people live and work in peace. In just a few years, a country could actually change direction."
As the two talked, they came to the entrance of the inn in the western part of the city. By then, it was already completely dark.
In the room, Ronava applied fresh medicine to Lin En's wound. He moved his arm around; it had almost recovered, and it should be completely healed in a few more days.
"I'll sleep on the floor today."
Lin En had been sleeping in the bed these past few days. Ronava said it was better for his recovery, but he knew she didn't want him sleeping on the floor.
But Ronava lay straight down on the bedding on the floor, giving Lin En no chance to explain.
"I'm going to sleep first."