Recaps

Xingsu met Arlecchino in Fontaine and felt an inexplicable familiarity, while she recognized him as someone from the House of the Hearth whose memories she had erased. Arlecchino chose not to reveal their past and prepared to leave, but Xingsu asked whether they had met before.

• Xingsu entered the sitting room and froze when Arlecchino's face stirred a sense of familiarity, while Arlecchino recognized him from the House of the Hearth.
• Arlecchino greeted Xingsu and invited him to talk about his experiences in Sumeru.
• Xingsu described his research into the Wisdom Network, the Akademiya's pursuit of him, his flight from The Doctor, and the theft of his research in Fontaine.
• Arlecchino asked whether Xingsu was from Sumeru, and he explained that he had been found deep within Irminsul by Lesser Lord Kusanali and did not know his origins.
• Arlecchino decided not to reveal their shared past or disturb Xingsu's peaceful life, then ended their discussion and headed for the door.
• Xingsu called after Arlecchino and asked whether they had met before.

Arlecchino left Xingsu with an ambiguous hint that they might have met before, stirring up his unexplained grief and sense of loss. After Navia found him dazed, he reassured her and joined her to count the Fatui’s supplies, while someone monitoring them grew surprised by who Xingsu was with.

• Xingsu asked Arlecchino if they had met before, and she replied, “Perhaps,” before leaving the room in tears.
• Xingsu remained troubled by his connection to Arlecchino until Navia entered and shook him out of his daze.
• Navia worried that Arlecchino had threatened Xingsu, and he reassured her before suggesting they inspect the Fatui’s donated supplies.
• Navia and Xingsu went to count the supplies, while an observer learned that Arlecchino had left Poisson and reacted with surprise that Xingsu was with Navia.

Xingsu decided to recover his memories after recognizing Arlecchino as the woman who had ambushed Furina, and he left Poisson for the Court of Fontaine to search for Lin’s necklace. His journey began with an unexpected problem: the Aquabus did not go to Poisson.

• Xingsu told Lin he wanted his memories back after recognizing Arlecchino as the woman who had ambushed Furina.
• Lin said the necklace was not near Poisson and that Xingsu would need to return to the Court of Fontaine to search for it.
• Xingsu told Callas and Navia he was leaving Poisson for personal business, and Navia asked him to return for her eighteenth birthday.
• Xingsu hurried out of Poisson and set off toward the Court of Fontaine to recover his memories.
• Xingsu wondered why the Aquabus did not go to Poisson.

Xingsu returned to the Court of Fontaine, where a street vendor’s suspicious L㏒s led him to suspect it was methamphetamine. He reported the seller to the Maison Gardiennage and left after giving a Melusine a bewildering statement.

• Xingsu caught a ride back to the Court of Fontaine and spent the afternoon sampling its food and drinks.
• A vendor offered Xingsu L㏒s, and Xingsu watched a trembling, hollow-eyed man buy and gulp down three bottles.
• Xingsu recognized the signs of drug addiction and suspected that L㏒s was methamphetamine.
• Xingsu pretended to be interested, took a bottle from the vendor, and hurried back toward the busy district.
• Xingsu reported the vendor to the Maison Gardiennage and overwhelmed the Melusine taking his statement with a long, bizarre story.

Xingsu left the Court of Fontaine to search for a necklace and camped near a flower field, where he met Earnshaw, a worried father whose daughter had gone to the city. Earnshaw named his daughter Agnès before returning to his house, leaving Xingsu with the chance to help her if they met.

• Xingsu followed Lin's unreliable directions while searching the wilderness for the necklace, then used markers and a systematic route to guide the search.
• Xingsu chose to camp near a flower field and met Earnshaw, who was drinking alone and worrying about his absent daughter.
• Xingsu filled Earnshaw's empty glass with Fonta and listened as Earnshaw complained about his daughter and life on the property.
• Xingsu tried to reassure Earnshaw that his daughter could manage in the Court of Fontaine, but Earnshaw dismissed his advice.
• Xingsu asked for the daughter's name so he could help if they crossed paths, and Earnshaw told him she was Agnès.

Xingsu searched for the necklace and, guided by Lin, found it buried beneath a flower at two carefully tended, nameless graves. He hesitated to disturb the graves and read a note left with the flowers.

• Earnshaw invited Xingsu to eat and asked him to bring back his three runaway puppies.
• Xingsu returned the puppies, shared Earnshaw’s Tasses ragout, and then continued searching for the necklace.
• At night, Lin guided Xingsu through familiar-feeling ruins to two nameless graves.
• Lin identified the necklace’s location beneath a flower, but Xingsu hesitated to dig up the grave.
• Xingsu picked up a rose and read a note wishing its recipient warmth, kindness, and freedom from the past.

Xingsu recovered the memories sealed in the necklace, recalling his life at the House of the Hearth and his death fighting Crucabena. He awakened a Cryo Vision and wondered how his past would shape his life in Poisson.

• Xingsu dug through the grave with his bare hands and found the necklace Lin had led him to seek.
• Unsure whether he was ready to regain his memories, Xingsu worried that his past ties to the Fatui could endanger his friends in Poisson.
• Lin urged Xingsu to face his past, and he chanted an incantation while holding the necklace.
• The necklace restored Xingsu's memories of surviving Crucabena's House of the Hearth, meeting Clervie and Peruere, and dying in the final battle.
• Xingsu recognized that his past death had taken place beneath the ruins and saw a Cryo Vision appear in his hand.
• Xingsu asked whether he would have to repeat Lin's embarrassing incantation to use the power of memories, and Lin said he had chosen it for the atmosphere.

After recovering his memories among the House of the Hearth ruins, Xingsu accepted the dawn as the start of his new life and chose it as his birthday before falling asleep. Arlecchino woke from a painful dream about his death and locked away his last letter, while Lin watched his memories and gave him new power to control them.

• At dawn, Xingsu held his Cryo Vision, accepted his recovered memories, and decided that the day they returned would be his birthday.
• Xingsu lay down among the ruins and fell asleep, exhausted by the flood of memories.
• Arlecchino woke from a dream in which Crucabena killed Xingsu and struggled with her feelings for him and the distance between them.
• Arlecchino reread Xingsu's last letter, then locked it away in a hidden drawer.
• Lin watched Xingsu's memories of Peruere and Clervie and wished for him to create a happy ending.
• Lin's starlight gave Xingsu new power to control and organize his memories as he slept, and she wished him a happy birthday.

Xingsu watched Lyney and Lynette perform in Fontaine, then exposed their suspicion and poor attempts to conceal their readiness to escape. He asked them to deliver a letter to Arlecchino, leaving them surprised but still cautious.

• Lyney and Lynette performed magic in the Court of Fontaine, and Lyney noticed Xingsu watching from the crowd.
• After the show, Lyney gave Xingsu a magic pouch and tried to learn about him.
• Xingsu pointed out that Lyney and Lynette had been watching him and reached for concealed weapons, then restrained their wrists.
• Xingsu released them and gave Lyney a folded letter to deliver to Arlecchino.
• Lyney and Lynette exchanged surprised glances as they realized Xingsu wanted their help rather than a confrontation.

Lyney and Lynette delivered Xingsu’s reply to Arlecchino, whose reaction showed that his words touched on their shared past. After ordering the twins to fetch him, Arlecchino left them with more extra training.

• Lyney and Lynette told Arlecchino that Xingsu had recognized them and handed over his letter.
• Arlecchino read Xingsu’s reply to her message at the unmarked tombstone, then sent the twins to do extra drills.
• During training, Lynette and Lyney speculated about Xingsu’s relationship with Arlecchino and suspected the intelligence on him was incomplete.
• Arlecchino surprised the twins at the training ground and ordered them to bring Xingsu to see her.
• As Lyney and Lynette hurried off, Arlecchino told them their reactions to surprises were unsatisfactory and assigned more extra training.

Lyney and Lynette brought Xingsu to meet Arlecchino, who tried to persuade him to avoid the Fatui and live peacefully in Fontaine. Xingsu refused to leave her behind, and the two reunited as family before he revealed how he recovered his sealed memories.

• Xingsu met Lyney and Lynette outside the Hotel Bouffes d'ete after reporting a criminal who sold L㏒s.
• Lyney told Xingsu that Arlecchino wanted to see him, and Xingsu teased the siblings for failing to notice he had followed them.
• Arlecchino warned Xingsu that the Fatui would entangle him and offered to erase his memories so he could live peacefully in Fontaine.
• Xingsu repeatedly chose to stay involved, and Arlecchino embraced him and welcomed him home.
• Arlecchino asked how Xingsu recovered his memories, and he explained that they were sealed in his necklace and that he had dug up his own grave to retrieve it.

Xingsu asked Arlecchino about his unusual Cryo Vision and used his memory power to witness her past. After seeing her memories and learning about the curse bound to her bloodline, he asked whether Clervie had really died, and Arlecchino's silence left him with the answer.

• Arlecchino questioned Xingsu about why a Descender had a Vision, and offered to introduce him to a Harbinger who might help explain it.
• Xingsu asked Arlecchino to let him use his power to see her memories, and she agreed.
• Xingsu saw Arlecchino kill Crucabena, endure a trial in Snezhnaya, and take responsibility for the ruined House of the Hearth.
• Xingsu thanked Arlecchino and asked about the curse spreading across her arm; she said it was bound to her bloodline, and he promised to find a way to remove it.
• Xingsu asked whether Clervie had really died, and Arlecchino gave no answer.

Lyney reconciled with Lynette after promising to stop prying into Father’s affairs, and Freminet brought them to an important meeting. Callas appointed Navia honorary president of the Spina di Rosula, then privately resolved to protect her after learning his illness was terminal and that she was likely the next target of the serial disappearances.

• Lyney apologized to Lynette for gossiping about Father, and she warned him that another bout of extra training would end their conversations for good.
• Freminet told Lyney and Lynette that Father had called everyone to a meeting, and the three went to the hall.
• Callas appointed Navia honorary president of the Spina di Rosula, giving her decisions the same weight as his when he could not attend to town affairs.
• Navia resolved to protect Poisson and live up to the townspeople’s trust.
• Callas read a medical report confirming he had little time left and reflected that he had appointed Navia early to secure her authority before his death.
• Callas recalled his investigation into the serial disappearances and concluded that Navia was likely the criminals’ next target, resolving to protect her at any cost.

Arlecchino returned Xingsu’s recovered Wisdom Network manuscripts and invited him to visit the House of the Hearth’s children. There, Xingsu began his new role as special instructor by catching Lyney and Lynette talking and ordering both of them to extra training.

• Arlecchino gave Xingsu the unfinished Wisdom Network and research manuscripts she had found on the black market in Fleuve Cendre.
• Arlecchino reminded Xingsu that she still had his secret letter, then told him the doors of the House of the Hearth would always be open and invited him to see the children.
• Lyney and Lynette discussed their new instructor until Xingsu appeared behind them and asked what they thought of him.
• Lyney saluted and promised to follow Xingsu’s instructions, but Xingsu immediately took him to the training ground.
• When Lynette asked whether she also had to do extra training, Xingsu said she did, and she gave Lyney a resentful stare.

Xingsu accepted that he wanted to stop making Arlecchino wait and decided to take the initiative in their relationship. Meanwhile, Escoffier and Claire worked late to perfect a coming-of-age cake for Navia, with Claire sharing why she loved cooking.

• Lin teased Xingsu about his feelings for Arlecchino and urged him to win her over, while he insisted that he was only friends with a girl from Poisson.
• Xingsu reflected on his past with Arlecchino and resolved to embrace her affection instead of leaving her waiting.
• Xingsu opened the wooden box that Arlecchino had given him.
• Escoffier rejected her first cream cake for Navia's coming-of-age celebration and began revising the recipe with Claire's help.
• Escoffier asked Claire why she worked so hard to learn cooking, and Claire said she loved making desserts that people enjoyed.
• Escoffier praised Claire's passion, and they continued refining Navia's cake together.

After spending the night modifying a pair of communication earpieces, Xingsu woke to find Arlecchino beside his bed and began his first afternoon teaching the children at the House of the Hearth. He asked Lyney and Lynette to help him prepare a magical gift for Arlecchino, but Lyney's question about whether she was Xingsu's older or younger sister earned the twins extra training.

• Xingsu finished modifying two communication earpieces, then slept through the morning until Arlecchino woke him in the afternoon.
• Arlecchino teased Xingsu about his new role and brought him food before he went to the training grounds.
• Xingsu introduced himself as the House of the Hearth's special instructor and quickly won the children's affection with patient, engaging lessons.
• After dismissing the children, Xingsu asked Lyney and Lynette to help him use a magic trick to surprise Arlecchino with a gift.
• Lyney asked whether Arlecchino was Xingsu's older or younger sister, so Xingsu ordered Lyney and Lynette to do extra training.

Lyney and Lynette plotted to create a romantic moment for Arlecchino and Xingsu by disguising Xingsu as a talking doll. After Arlecchino kissed the doll and the trick revealed Xingsu, she willingly kissed him again.

• Lyney questioned Lynette about whether Arlecchino had found them a mother, and Lynette rebuked him for wanting lovers to become siblings.
• Lyney and Lynette secretly prepared a magic trick on the training grounds after practice.
• Lyney rushed Arlecchino to Xingsu’s room, where she found a doll that claimed Xingsu had been cursed.
• Xingsu told Arlecchino that a kiss from the person he loved most could break the curse, and she sent Lyney and Lynette away for extra training.
• Arlecchino kissed the doll, activating its mechanism and revealing Xingsu standing close in front of her.
• Arlecchino kissed Xingsu again by choice as he blushed in surprise.

Xingsu and Arlecchino shared a kiss before he decided to seek support for his communication technology by sending research manuscripts to the Fontaine Research Institute and Snezhnaya. In Snezhnaya, Sandrone and Columbina examined Arlecchino’s letter and debated whether she valued Xingsu only for his research.

• Arlecchino teased Xingsu after kissing him, and he admitted he was bold only because he liked her; she clasped his hand and told him he had never hidden his feelings.
• Arlecchino examined Xingsu’s communication earpiece and discussed its potential, while Xingsu said it could help them stay in touch wherever they were.
• Xingsu prepared two research manuscripts, sending one to the Fontaine Research Institute and asking Arlecchino to send the other to Snezhnaya through Fatui channels.
• Arlecchino hinted that Xingsu would not escape Snezhnaya’s clutches, then left with the manuscript without explaining what she meant.
• Columbina brought Arlecchino’s letter to Sandrone, who read about Xingsu’s research and explained that Arlecchino valued his technology for Snezhnaya.
• Columbina suggested Arlecchino might be in love with Xingsu, while Sandrone cautioned her against speculating about private affairs.

Sandrone met Arlecchino and Columbina for tea in Fontaine to discuss Snezhnaya’s plans for a portable communicator and Xingsu’s expertise. Columbina learned that Arlecchino was dating Xingsu, questioned what dating meant, and ended the tea party by asking an overly personal question.

• Sandrone praised Hotel Debord’s treats and told Arlecchino that Snezhnaya wanted Xingsu’s help designing a portable True Ice communicator.
• Columbina asked Arlecchino whether she was dating Xingsu, and Arlecchino confirmed that she was.
• Columbina said she wanted to date Sandrone, prompting Sandrone and Arlecchino to explain the difference between closeness and romantic love.
• Columbina accepted that she would not date Sandrone but said she still liked spending time with Sandrone and Arlecchino.
• Columbina asked whether Arlecchino and Xingsu had held hands and kissed, then began another intimate question before Sandrone stopped her.

Arlecchino brought Sandrone and Columbina to the House of the Hearth to examine the Wisdom Network’s communications technology. Columbina’s innocent questions about calling Arlecchino “Father” and Xingsu “Mother” embarrassed the group, and Sandrone steered the conversation back to their visit.

• Sandrone scolded Columbina for reading a strange Inazuman light novel, while Columbina admitted she liked it.
• Arlecchino arrived at Hotel Bouffes d'ete with Sandrone and Columbina, where Xingsu and the House of the Hearth children welcomed them.
• Columbina called Arlecchino “Father,” startling the children and prompting Sandrone to hurry her into the meeting room.
• Sandrone explained that “Father” was a title specific to the House of the Hearth, and Arlecchino clarified why outsiders should not use it.
• Columbina asked whether the children should call Xingsu “Mother”; Xingsu explained that they called him “Instructor,” and Sandrone redirected the group to the Wisdom Network’s communications technology.

Xingsu declined Sandrone’s offer to move to Snezhnaya but agreed to cooperate on improving the portable communicator while keeping the research his own. Neuvillette learned that Sandrone and Columbina had left Fontaine after only a few days and ordered further investigation into their visit.

• Sandrone offered Xingsu a research workshop and resources in Snezhnaya, but he refused to relocate because of his work, the children, and Arlecchino.
• Sandrone proposed a research partnership, and Xingsu agreed on the condition that his communications technology remained his personal research.
• Neuvillette received a report that three Harbingers were in Fontaine and ordered discreet investigations and increased security patrols.
• A Melusine investigator reported that Sandrone and Columbina had sailed for Snezhnaya, leaving Arlecchino in Fontaine.
• Neuvillette ordered investigators to uncover what Sandrone and Columbina had discussed during their stay.

Neuvillette learned that Xingsu had openly explained his communicator technology to the Melusines and decided to investigate why the Fontaine Research Institute had shelved his submission. At the hospital, Xingsu and Arlecchino comforted a dying House of the Hearth child, while a newspaper praised Daerdufu as a savior of the poor.

• Neuvillette read a report detailing the Fatui’s negotiations with Xingsu and discovered that the Fontaine Research Institute had ignored Xingsu’s technical papers.
• A Melusine told Neuvillette that Xingsu had personally explained the communicator technology and his frustration with the institute’s silence.
• Neuvillette recalled a rumor about Xingsu holding a Melusine’s hand while talking at length and said he would investigate the shelved manuscript.
• Xingsu comforted a dying House of the Hearth child as she apologized for acting impulsively to help starving children.
• Arlecchino told the child to leave the rest to them, and Xingsu gently closed her eyes and promised that the House of the Hearth would support her.
• Xingsu noticed a newspaper headline praising Daerdufu as a wealthy businessman and savior of the poor.

A masked figure tortured Daerdufu into confessing that he had used fake charities to help Fontaine’s nobles evade taxes and steal public donations. After forcing him to write down his crimes and the nobles’ names, the figure killed him, leaving the confession behind.

• The masked figure threatened Daerdufu with a timed blade until he revealed that money was hidden behind a secret door in the basement.
• When Daerdufu denied wrongdoing, the figure broke his leg and forced him to explain how he used charitable shelters to conceal nobles’ money and divide up ordinary people’s donations.
• The figure freed Daerdufu from his restraints and ordered him to write down his crimes and the names of the nobles involved.
• Daerdufu confessed in writing, then tried to bargain for his life by offering more secrets and hidden money.
• The masked figure stabbed Daerdufu through the heart, rejecting his attempt to negotiate.

Xingsu killed Daerdufu and uncovered evidence that Fontaine nobles were involved in his exploitation of children. After arranging to work with the Court of Fontaine and help the victims, Xingsu and Arlecchino mourned a wounded girl who died before she could recover.

• Xingsu killed Daerdufu and read his memories, learning that he had exploited children and used charity to win favors from nobles.
• Xingsu gave Arlecchino evidence of Daerdufu's dealings and proposed seeking the Court of Fontaine's backing to dismantle the corrupt network.
• Arlecchino praised Xingsu's plan, and he asked her playfully for a reward.
• Xingsu asked Freminet to gather Lyney and the others to help the persecuted children, while Arlecchino promised the House of the Hearth could take in more homeless children.
• Arlecchino told the dying girl that her mission was complete, and the girl died after expressing hope of returning to missions.
• Xingsu and Arlecchino mourned the girl and vowed to fulfill the promises they had made.

After witnessing a girl's death, Xingsu sought a way to preserve memories and tested a Ley Line Blossom as a possible vessel. Arlecchino arranged the girl's funeral while Xingsu began his research, and the chapter ended with her mourning Snezhevna at an unmarked grave.

• Xingsu asked Lin about storing memories and realized Ley Line Blossoms might preserve them because they crystallized concepts from the Ley Lines.
• Xingsu ran to the outskirts of the Court of Fontaine to obtain a huge lightning flower and stayed out all night experimenting with it.
• Arlecchino called Xingsu, learned he was still working outside, and told him she would arrange the girl's funeral.
• At dawn, Xingsu returned holding the Ley Line Blossom, and Arlecchino encouraged his research and kissed his cheek.
• Arlecchino placed gold rings and a newspaper exposing Mr. Daerdufu's crimes at Snezhevna's unmarked grave and mourned her as her child.