Chapter Summaries

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.

After Neuvillette declared a defendant guilty, Furina rallied the crowd to celebrate Fontaine’s justice, though Neuvillette warned that unresolved problems remained. He later visited Arlecchino to request a meeting with Xingsu on behalf of the Fontaine Research Institute, and Arlecchino invited him inside.

• Neuvillette announced the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale's guilty verdict, and the spectators cheered.
• Furina praised the law and Focalors, then told Neuvillette that the people wanted justice presented as a satisfying spectacle.
• Neuvillette cautioned Furina that unresolved undercurrents remained and left to attend to official business.
• Neuvillette visited Arlecchino's residence and asked to see Xingsu about a paper submitted to the Fontaine Research Institute.
• Neuvillette explained that Xingsu's research paper had stalled in the institute's procedures, and Arlecchino invited him inside.

Xingsu accepted Neuvillette’s offer to work with the Fontaine Research Institute so he could study the surviving records of Alain and Rene, and asked Arlecchino for leave to visit Poisson. As Xingsu and Neuvillette traveled to the institute, an explosion destroyed part of the Aquabus route, leaving them safely ashore but facing the disaster’s aftermath.

• Neuvillette offered Xingsu research support and honorary researcher status at the Fontaine Research Institute, and Xingsu asked to consult the records of Alain and Rene.
• Neuvillette explained that the institute held their manuscripts, and Xingsu accepted the offer and agreed to leave for the institute immediately.
• Arlecchino told Neuvillette that the House of the Hearth sought long-term cooperation with Fontaine, and she approved Xingsu’s week of leave to visit Poisson and Callas.
• Xingsu and Neuvillette rode the Callas Line Aquabus toward the institute as a Melusine guide described the facility.
• An explosion sent smoke rising from the institute and collapsed the Aquabus track supports, but Neuvillette used Hydro to carry Xingsu and the Melusine safely to shore.

An experiment at the Fontaine Research Institute exploded, forcing Neuvillette to leave Xingsu and respond to the emergency. Callas and Navia organized Poisson’s recovery from the blast’s shockwave, then Xingsu returned to their surprise.

• Edwin’s attempt to power an antigravity device with arkhium caused an explosion at the Fontaine Research Institute.
• Neuvillette sent Xingsu to the Court of Fontaine with a Melusine while he flew to the disaster site.
• Callas read a report about Xingsu’s connections when the explosion’s shockwave shook Poisson, and Navia brought him to see the smoke.
• Callas and the Spina di Rosula helped residents clear floodwater and checked homes for damage, restoring order in Poisson.
• Xingsu returned to Callas and Navia, who had been worried about him.

Xingsu returned to Fontaine and reassured Callas that he would support the Spina di Rosula despite his many other roles. Over drinks, Callas revealed his terminal illness and asked Xingsu to protect Navia and the Spina di Rosula after his death, and Xingsu answered with a toast to him.

• Callas learned that the explosion at the Research Institute had destroyed the Callas Line, but the Spina di Rosula and the Court of Fontaine would continue building the route under that name.
• Navia teased Xingsu for returning late and reminded him about her coming-of-age birthday party, while Callas worried that Xingsu was courting his daughter.
• Xingsu told Callas that he remained committed to helping the Spina di Rosula, and Callas welcomed him before opening a bottle of long-stored fruit wine.
• As they drank, Xingsu shared news from his travels, and Callas spoke about Poisson, his late wife Clementine, Navia, and his efforts to secure the aquabus routes.
• Callas revealed that he had a terminal illness and asked Xingsu to look after Navia and the Spina di Rosula after he was gone.
• Xingsu stopped Callas from raising his glass, drained his own wine, and toasted Callas as a real man.

Xingsu told Callas that he was dating Arlecchino, leaving Callas shocked but relieved that Xingsu had someone in his life. At Navia’s coming-of-age birthday party, the group played a chaotic tabletop game before Navia’s Geo Vision appeared and sliced through the birthday cake and table.

• Callas assumed Navia liked Xingsu, but Xingsu clarified that he was involved with Arlecchino.
• Callas dismissed the shocked Xingsu and, alone in his study, murmured that it was good to have someone.
• Navia celebrated her birthday with friends who took on mismatched roles in a tabletop game, with Callas acting as game master.
• The group investigated a demonic pact and Xingsu’s bomb-throwing character defeated the demon in one attack.
• Callas returned Navia’s Geo Vision, and Navia accidentally cut the cake and table in half with a giant Geo blade.