Work Text:
He knows he’s supposed to disappear after the cycle has been lifted. He can feel it by his tiredness and that his connection to Tsurumi Island is what anchors him to this world. His mission is already done and there’s nothing that could keep him here any longer. Yet, he still lives.
When Big Sister Lumine and Paimon see him on Mt. Kanna, they nearly cry and hug him desperately, making sure that he’s still alive. He promised them that he’s still here, somehow alive and never feeling any ounce of pain.
Perhaps this is a blessing and a wish that he could have a happy life after what he went through and could fully experience all the happy things that he could encounter outside Tsurumi Island.
He’s very happy that he’s still here. All of the people he loved are dead and he could never see them again, but he had Big Sister Lumine and Paimon and also Big Brother Kama, who from what he heard, is now traveling elsewhere with a woman named Sumida. He hopes that Big Brother Kama’s journey will be great and that he’ll be able to see him again.
He wanted to fulfill his promise. He wants to travel outside Tsurumi Island. Experience what the rest had to offer and see beautiful places and people that Big Sister Lumine and Paimon keep talking about. So of course, he joins them and is a member of their team.
Big Sister Lumine has a lot of concerns, mainly that he could get harmed by the evil people they encountered and unlike Paimon, couldn’t disappear whenever he wants. But he promised her that he’ll be careful and out of worry, Paimon decides to guard him to keep out of harm’s way.
It eases some of Big Sister Lumine’s worries, but it isn’t enough, as she puts it. So she taught him how to defend a little with two knives that she got from a group known as Fatui, as he recalls. Apparently they’re evil people who dream of getting these Gnoses from the Archons, who are the rulers of this world and it sounds like bad news. He wonders what it is they are achieving and it seems worse than what his old island had been cursed to, but Big Sister Lumine to let go of the worries for now and that they could dwell on them in a certain day.
He’s getting the hang of the knives. Sometimes, he clumsily slips through them and he couldn’t get the balance right, but Big Sister Lumine praises him and says that for someone like him in his age, it’s actually quite good. He couldn’t help but blush at the statement.
Paimon gives him a lot of knowledge about Inazuma that Big Sister Lumine doesn’t know of. She refers to herself as a travel guide and he’s amazed at the amount of knowledge she has. He really finds it amazing and useful and it’s very interesting to listen to.
Sometimes, he sings his lullaby to Paimon and she really loves listening to it. She said she finds it really pleasant and relaxing to hear, which makes him feel shy to hear, but he loves hearing it nonetheless. Now, she teaches him a few songs that he could practice for himself and he really loves them. He’s happy he got more to sing about.
There’s also one other member of their team. She is what is called a miko and her name is Miss Kazari. He is like her, in that they exist for a certain reason and are supposed to disappear upon the completion of what keeps them here, but somehow, like him, she’s still here.
Some of the explanation confuses him, but he trusts her and she seems like a good person. The first time they hang out alone together, she tells him stories of a Kitsune Saiguu and a Ioroi, of the ruler of the islands named the Raiden Shogun, another shrine maiden named Hibiki, and more that entertained him and warmed and yet at the same time, saddens his heart. He can tell that Miss Kazari’s been through a lot of pain despite that she’s not exactly the person who had these memories and he gives her a hug, telling her that despite what she been through, those people will be grateful for her and the actions she did to complete her mission. He could tell that his words filled Miss Kazari’s heart and after that, they started to form a friendship.
It’s unusual how they still exist and he guesses this is how their friendship started. Yet he never regretted the moments she spent with Kazari. She had a lot of great stories to tell, lets him play with the foxes known as kitsune, she even teaches him a little bit of cleansing in case he needed to do so. All these activities are so fun and he’s happy to experience them.
They have been traveling throughout the islands for a few weeks. Big Sister Lumine and Paimon took him to drink dango milk and it was really delicious. He never tasted anything as sweet and delicious as this. When he sees that Kazari isn’t joining, he gives her an extra and she returns the gesture, opening half of her mask to taste it. He wishes he could fully see her mask, but he could understand why she doesn’t want to and hates to let her do something she hates. He also loves onigiri. The rice feels so soft, yet tender to eat and he really loves the shape. Of course, there are a lot of different he tried from Big Sister Lumine that aren’t even from Inazuma and they feel so yummy to eat.
He has also been introduced to a lot of Big Sister’s Inazuman Friends. All of them seem so happy to see him and give him a warm welcome. Some of them even give him some gifts, such as kites and toys, a yukata, and an explosive bomb known as fireworks. His friends are really shocked when he was given that item and asked the woman named Yoimiya to at least tell them next time if she ever had any plans to give uninformed kids fireworks.
Also, they had a teapot that felt like it could be home. When he enters there for the first time, he couldn’t believe how beautiful it looked. It feels like it comes from a dream. Just living in there is very nice and he could do anything whatever he wants without having to be afraid of danger constantly.
He never thought he could get a taste of exploring the outside world and he’s glad for it. He has friends in Big Sister Lumine, Paimon, and Miss Kazari whom he is happy to travel with and the rest of their friends who are just as sweet as they are. Tomorrow, they are planning to travel to another land known as Liyue and they have a lot of things that are different, yet just as exciting to experience. He’s very excited to be able to have this kind of adventure and spend all of this with them.
He knows he wouldn’t regret this.