"Uh… is that your sister?"
Standing among the crowd, Lora watched Makoto on stage. Dressed in traditional Liyue attire and full of enthusiasm, she was hosting the event with lively energy. She glanced at Ei beside her in mild surprise.
Ei nodded. "Yes. A few days ago, my sister went to speak with Tianquan Ningguang. After discussing it with her, she decided to host the competition. I was a little worried at first, but it seems I didn't need to be."
"Yeah… she really looks like she's enjoying herself." Lora nodded as she watched Makoto on stage, feeling a little emotional.
Was it because of her rebirth? Makoto had always enjoyed events like this, but never quite this much. Or perhaps now that she no longer had to carry the burdens of leadership, she could finally relax.
Just like how she and Venti used to slack off together…
"Wow, it's really lively here!"
Just as she was lost in thought, a familiar voice suddenly reached Lora's ears.
She turned and saw a boy dressed in green standing among the crowd, looking around with curiosity. A bottle of apple cider rested casually in his hand.
Ei followed her gaze. "That's… the Anemo—"
Before she could finish, Venti had already spotted them and made his way over, cutting her off.
"Oh my, Lora, Ei! Fancy running into you here. What a coincidence!"
"Yeah… quite the coincidence." Lora nodded.
Venti stepped up beside them and lifted the bottle in his hand. "Care for a drink?"
Ei immediately took a step back and shook her head. "No, thank you."
He didn't press the matter. Taking a sip himself, Venti glanced toward Makoto on the stage.
"Your idea?" he asked.
"Mine." She nodded.
Venti didn't seem surprised.
"Mm. Sounds about right."
"By the way, what brings you to Liyue?"
Lora asked, glancing at him.
"But the moment the words left her mouth, she felt a little foolish. "Actually… I guess that was a pointless question."
"I heard the Moonchase Festival in Liyue is holding a Masterful Chefs Competition. Of course I had to come and see the excitement for myself!" Venti said with a grin. "Though I haven't seen the old man. Hasn't he come back from Fontaine yet?"
"He should be back soon," she replied. "Neuvillette returned a while ago, so Zhongli will probably make it back to Liyue in the next few days."
"But honestly, for him to agree to your request… that sounds exactly like the old man," Venti added with an admiring sigh.
"Venti, I was just about to—"
"Whoa, hold it!" Venti cut her off immediately. "I don't mind helping you, but I'm not turning into some weird thing just because you ask."
"How did you know that's what I was going to say?" Lora frowned.
"Ahem…" Venti coughed lightly. After glancing around, he leaned closer and whispered, "Well… when the old man set off for Fontaine, I happened to be watching nearby."
"Nearby?" Lora tilted her head.
"From the top of the snowy mountain. You know how it is—where the wind can reach, I can see," Venti said with a smile. "It would've been pretty hard to miss."
Since he had witnessed the whole thing, he knew about Zhongli turning into a waifu—and he also knew exactly what Lora had been about to suggest.
"That makes sense," Lora said slowly. "But what were you doing at the peak of Dragonspine? Don't tell me… it had something to do with the Skyfrost Nail?"
Venti waved a hand and looked at her with perfect seriousness.
"See this bottle of apple cider? It's a fine vintage I buried on the snowy peak a thousand years ago! I only remembered it recently, so I went to dig it up."
"…Ah."
Lora blinked at him.
"I thought you were up there for something important. Turns out…" She sighed. "But I guess that's exactly your style."
Ei nodded. "Indeed. You still enjoy drinking as much as ever."
Meanwhile, Yanxiao and Xiangling had already begun preparing their ingredients. The theme for the final round had been chosen after gathering suggestions from across Liyue Harbor, meant to test the chefs' abilities from every angle.
As everyone watched with great interest, a voice suddenly drifted over.
"Huh? Has it already started? Looks like we're late…"
Recognizing the familiar voice, they turned toward the crowd. Sure enough, Lumine and Paimon were approaching with Zhongyue and Xianyun, weaving their way through the spectators.
"Hey! Long time no see, Paimon, Lumine!" Venti called out with a cheerful wave.
The moment Xianyun spotted him, her expression flickered briefly before returning to normal.
"Huh? It's the bard! What are you doing in Liyue?" Paimon asked in surprise, before quickly adding, "Actually… that might be a pointless question."
"Hello, Venti," Lumine greeted him with a smile.
Zhongyue and Xianyun stepped forward as well. Zhongyue glanced at the apple cider in his hand.
"How does it taste? Is it good?"
"Of course!" Venti said proudly. "It's wine I buried myself—the flavor is excellent!"
He somehow produced a cup from nowhere and poured Zhongyue a little.
Zhongyue took a sip, and her eyes immediately lit up.
"Mmm! That's excellent wine!"
"Don't drink too much, or you'll get drunk," Xianyun warned. Wine from the Anemo Archon was hardly comparable to ordinary alcohol.
Lora then turned to Lumine and Paimon.
"How did things go in the Chasm? Did you finish your investigation?"
Paimon shook her head.
"Not yet. There's something deep inside the Chasm, but figuring it out will take time. It's not something we can solve anytime soon, so we came back first to celebrate the Moonchase Festival."
"Next time, I'll go with you and take a look," Lora said.
"That would be great! If you're there, it'll definitely be much safer!" Paimon replied excitedly.
"Has the final round already started? How far along are they?" Lumine asked, glancing toward the competition grounds.
"It just began. You two made it back at the perfect time," Lora said.
"To be honest, I thought we'd arrive just in time to start eating," Paimon grumbled, rubbing her stomach. "All these days in the Chasm we've been living on nothing but dry rations. I feel like I'm turning into dry rations myself!"