Okay so I'mma try using
(This.)
Instead of
'This.'
For the thoughts of characters as I feel it would be more clear to use () than ' '
I want to experiment a bit.
We will see. I will try it out for a few chapters, maybe I will switch it into something else idk.
Anyway, a chill chapter with some character development.
***
As Yomite was getting himself worked up, Lumine placed her hand on his shoulder, reassuring him, "It's fine…Let it be..."
Yomite gritted his molars in frustration at the bad feeling he got from her request.
Was she afraid of trouble?
Why not fight back?
The man was clearly at fault.
"Ah..."
And then, it hit him.
(I'm an idiot. I should have thought of this sooner.)
The Knights of Favonius were still in search of the people who stole the Lyre, after all!
That's why Lumine was afraid to act or do anything at all.
She was afraid that the conflict would escalate further and they would be found out sooner or later.
"Tch…" He clicked his tongue and was forced to let the matter go.
Similarly, Eula also appeased to the man who started all of this, "Uncle...That's enough. Let's return."
"What do you mean, let's return!? This plebeian dared to attack a high ranking Aristocrat of the Lawrence clan in broad daylight ! Punishment by death all the way!"
"Worry not, uncle, he is already on my list of targets. Let's just go."
"Hmph! He better be!"
As they were leaving, Eula looked back at the group, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, she just scoffed and left with her uncle.
"This bitch…Of course she would stand for him when he is her family..." Yomite frowned and his face scrunched up.
"Paimon is spoofed! Those people were suuuper rude! Especially that older man! Paimon was this close to unleashing hell upon them!" Paimon huffed, barely able to contain the amount of frustration within her small being.
Lumine picked up the last poster that was still usable and let out a deep sigh.
It didn't take her long to draw these sketches, but she still spent quite a bit of time drawing them by hand.
"Why are you all just standing here? Do they give away free food here?"
Suddenly, there was a sweet voice behind Yomite. He froze for a second.
Although he had figured out who that voice belonged to, it still caught him off guard to just hear it right next to his ear.
With just a cursory glance out of the corner of his eye, he nodded at the girl in question.
"You finished writing your poem, Hu Tao?" He asked.
Hu Tao nodded happily, "Yep! But I am not going to show you!" She stuck out her tongue in a childish manner.
Well that was certainly one way to break through this dismal atmosphere.
The party was almost back together and they were pretty hungry so they stopped at the Good Hunter's restaurant and bought a few Fisherman's Toasts.
As they were walking back to the inn, in the distance, they saw Fischl with who they assumed to be her parents, holding hands while walking through the streets.
She seemed really happy that she could spend time with her parents who weren't home that often.
It was a nice family moment.
Until it wasn't.
The moment Fischl seemed to have spotted her party members, she hurriedly withdrew her hands from the hands of her parents and acted aloof, "Ah, such grand weather greeted us today, truly a divine revelation!"
Her parents were confused until she reached out to them and whispered, "Please...call me...Fischl, F-Fischl! Don't forget that please! Fischl!!! Not that other abomination of a name!"
Her face was somewhere in the middle of both embarrassment and despair.
There were millions of ways this could go wrong but she knew it would be embarrassing no matter what.
(Just why now of all times did my parents have to run into them...)
She internally screamed and regretted bringing them outside at a time like this.
But of course, her exterior persona was still rock solid.
No one could see through her.
"Hey, Fischl." Yomite waved at her and then greeted her parents as well, "Good day to you too."
"W-Well...fate brought us back together...if it isn't...The legen—" Fischl stopped midway as she looked back towards her parents, "...M-my dear party members! Fancy meeting you all here! What a good day we're having! Are you all up for a quest? I would love to go with you all~!"
Yomite could feel she had some 'difficulties' going on.
(Do your best Fischl.) He cheered for her within his mind.
"Eh? Is it just Paimon or why is it that she's speaking more normally than she usually does?"
(Read the mood you Notfallnahrung sustenance!!! Ich werde dich lebendig kochen und dich als mein Abendessen essen!!)
Fischl was fuming and sending a death glare towards the emergency sustenance, but she had no other choice but to keep that feeling of anger and embarassment rest deep within her.
"Hello there, fine young man!" Fischl's father interjected and shook hands with Yomite.
He turned to look at his daughter when he spoke, "So these are your new friends that you've mentioned! I'm so glad that my little princess...Fischl...finally found herself some friends other than that talking Raven, I was so afraid she wouldn't know how to socialize well!"
Feeling emotional, her father suddenly started crying.
"My, my...My little Fischl knows a boy her age...my little girl has grown up...how touching."
Her mom also started crying for whatever reason.
"S-Stop it you two! I will have you know I'm a very social person!!" She knew that wasn't the case but admitting to it was impossible.
She was happy they called her Fischl and not 'that', but they didn't have to say something so embarrassing!
Another person who couldn't read the mood entered the conversation, "Fischl! We just had a meal and Assistant-kun was thinking of visiting the Knights of Favonius headquarters. Will you go with us?" Hu Tao wondered.
On the outside, Fischl was completely fine, "Of course~! I would love to~!"
On the inside, however...
(Kill me...End my miserable existence...)
She wished for a painful death.
Right now!
Her parents of course, ended up embarrassing her in front of her friends, and she was mortified.
There was nothing she could do, just watch on in horror.
Her soul was crushed. Every fiber of her Chuuni being was filled with shame.
Not the usual kind of shame but the worst kind of shame...
You wouldn't get it.
She'd hoped that they'd cut it out already, but here they were, completely bursting her pleasant experience with her friends, for half an hour!
Half an hour!
""Take care of 'Fischl' for us! Bye-bye!""
After they've had enough of their teasings, her parents went back home.
As they were leaving, Yomite noticed that they were grinning, so he knew for sure they were doing it on purpose.
"Fischl...Your parents truly are, interesting... to say the least..." Not getting a response he called out again, "Fischl? Fischl???"
He looked around to see her collapsed on a staircase of a nearby house.
"Fischl!?"
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