In the afternoon, the car drove out of the city and onto the highway.
The sky gradually darkened, and the school bus ahead was nowhere in sight—only the scattered glow of taillights remained along the expressway.
Lu Chen sat in the passenger seat, chatting idly with Miko.
Partly to keep an eye on her, partly to help her stay alert and avoid fatigue while driving.
Glancing back, the other four were seated around the sofa, playing cards.
The old man and Qiqi didn't know how to play, so Venti was teaching them on the spot. He'd already lost five rounds in a row, and the car was full of his complaints.
"This is so unfair! You always run out first—your luck's way too good..."
Zhongli glanced at Raiden Ei, who had just played a winning hand, and said to Venti,
"Logically speaking, poker is not purely a game of luck. It also requires a certain strategy."
"No, no!" Venti remained unconvinced. "One more round! I have to beat her today!"
He took a big swig of wine, clearly unwilling to rest until he'd defeated Ei.
Lu Chen met Ei's gaze—she looked helpless, her hands empty, clearly the biggest winner of the game.
From where he sat, Lu Chen could see Venti's cards.
Hmm... even with four twos, he couldn't win?
Maybe don't blame luck when it's clearly bad card skills...
But to be fair, Ei really did have a talent for card games—she'd honed it back when they played karuta in Inazuma.
Karuta is a game that tests concentration, memory, and quick reflexes.
In the past, under the cherry blossom trees, she had practiced hard and, after winning her first game, formed an unbreakable bond with desserts.
She even earned the title Inazuma's Card Queen.
That title had originally been a teasing nickname from Lu Chen...
"What are you laughing at? You look so happy."
Miko yawned and glanced over.
Ei and the others were already on their sixth round. Lu Chen pulled his gaze away, leaning lazily against the passenger seat.
"Not going to share?" Yae Miko pouted.
With no choice, Lu Chen leaned back and started telling her the story.
"Hahaha!" Miko laughed so hard she nearly shook with it. "I remember that! One night I snuck out for a snack and caught her secretly reciting poetry in the dark. She begged me not to tell you guys—the look on her face when I caught her was priceless!"
"Yeah..." Lu Chen opened the window halfway, letting the cool night breeze fill the cabin.
"She can be so stubborn sometimes, like she has to win no matter what. I don't even know who she picked that up from..."
"I don't know who she learned it from," Miko said, her hair fluttering slightly in the breeze from the window, "but I do know why she's so stubborn."
"Because... Makoto?"
Miko shot him a look.
"Because... me?" Lu Chen asked hesitantly.
Miko steered with one hand, reached out with the other, and tapped Lu Chen lightly on the head.
"Are you an idiot?"
Lu Chen swatted her hand away and sighed.
It wasn't entirely because of him—Ei just wanted to prove something to everyone.
Makoto and Ei, twin Archons with completely opposite personalities, had been marked by this from birth—driven down two very different paths.
Miko placed both hands back on the wheel, her gaze steady on the road ahead.
"Do you know what Ei did in Inazuma after you left?"
"I do." Lu Chen nodded.
"She lost herself..."
Miko's voice was different—no trace of her usual teasing tone.
Her eyes remained fixed on the road, as if searching for something beyond the horizon.
"After you and Makoto 'left,' she became more determined than ever to pursue eternity. She nearly reshaped Inazuma. She wanted to freeze time and keep everything just as it was."
Lu Chen didn't respond. In this life, Ei was even more extreme than in the original timeline.
Losing her closest loved ones, shouldering the truth of the world, watching her ideals collapse and rebuild...
Even now, her heart remained unresolved.
Even with him back by her side, even with her living happily each day...
That was why Lu Chen was determined to reopen the gate to Teyvat. That sakura seed needed to be replanted by her own hand.
Some things couldn't be taught—they had to be lived, understood.
And he would get to see Raiden Makoto one last time.
...
Seeing Lu Chen lost in thought, Miko suddenly smiled.
"Come on, come on! Stop thinking about the hard stuff. We're all doing fine now, aren't we?"
Lu Chen nodded, looking at her.
"I still owe you thanks. While I was gone, you were the only one who stayed with Ei in Inazuma..."
"Oh!" Yae Miko smiled playfully. "It's so rare to hear you say nice things about me~"
Lu Chen sighed helplessly. Miko's smile grew even brighter, her fox-like eyes narrowing into crescents.
"You should really be thanking yourself," she said. "Without the guidance of you old folks, I'd never have grown from a little fox demon into someone who can stand on her own."
"Old folks..." Lu Chen twitched his mouth. Was he really that old?
Glancing in the rearview mirror, he still looked like a teenager. But there was something in his gaze and expression that wasn't youthful anymore—always frowning, always thinking.
He really did seem a bit old...
Seeing Lu Chen glance at himself in the mirror, Miko giggled.
"Haha! You're not that old."
"Really..."
"Mm." She nodded. "Only about three thousand years old, give or take."
"..." Lu Chen rolled his eyes. "I'll take that as a compliment."
As they chatted, a wail came from the back of the RV—Venti had lost again.
Lu Chen looked back and met Ei's amethyst gaze.
He gave her a look that said my Ei is the best, then silently gave her a thumbs-up.
Venti took another swig of wine, quickly rallying himself to fight on in round seven.
Ei's eyes were full of helplessness. When their gazes met, Lu Chen instantly understood what she was thinking.
Chen, should I let him win one round?
Lu Chen mouthed, Did you bet on this?
Ei nodded. Dessert.
If Ei was winning desserts, then Venti must have bet alcohol...
A sly grin crept onto Lu Chen's face. Alcohol? He'd suffered plenty thanks to Venti's drinking!
Win. Crush him!
Ei's helpless smile vanished. At Venti's urging, she calmly picked up a card.
...