.

.

.

You

"..."

As Kaveh and Al Haitham exchanged hushed whispers, you stood by feeling awkward and uncertain, unsure of what to do next.

You

"Uh..."

With a slight raspiness in his voice, Kaveh lifted his hand in a fist to his mouth, making a subtle sound as he cleared it, signalling his readiness to speak.

Kaveh

"Alright. I heard that's your friend's shirt you're wearing."

You

"Sure."

"What about it?..."

Kaveh

"What's the friend's name?! What does your friend work as?!"

Al Haitham

*Sigh*

"I can't believe my boredom has come to this."

"Hey, Kaveh-"

Kaveh

"Shush, Haitham!"

You

"What? I... Uh... I'd rather not share his personal info with you."

Kaveh

"Hah, why? Are they super secret or something?"

"Ooh! I know, it's Y/N! Am I right?"

"Haha!"

.

.

.

You

"I'm gonna get going now."

Your frustration grew as Kaveh continued to be insistent and forceful, causing you to become increasingly upset with his behaviour.

At first, you were able to tolerate the oddness of the situation, but eventually, it became overwhelming and unmanageable.

You

"What a weird man."

Your arms instinctively wrapped around yourself in response to the oddness of the situation, but it felt uncomfortable as if you were trying to hold yourself together. Despite the discomfort, you made a conscious decision to push the situation to the back of your mind and carry on with the rest of your day.

.

.

.

Lumine

"Ugh, seriously, Kaveh?! When I tell you to act natural, act natural!"

Paimon

"Yeah, Kaveh!"

Lumine and Paimon, assigned with the task of uncovering potential leads or confirming the existence of Y/N in Sumeru, diligently reached out to numerous associates for assistance. 

Among those they approached were Kaveh and Al Haitham. 

No worries, Ei gave permission for trusted ones throughout Sumeru to aid Lumine in getting this task completed.

Kaveh

"Sorry... Just the thought of that person actually being Y/N scares me so much!"

Al Haitham

"I don't think that person is Y/N. I've spotted too many differences." 

Kaveh

"Really? When I mentioned the name though, they seemed super offended and ran off!"

Al Haitham

"Firstly, they didn't run off, they walked regularly and peacefully."

"Honestly, if you approached me like that too Kaveh, I'd be scared of you just like N/N was. I'd probably think you're on drugs or something."

Kaveh

"Oh, shut up, smart one!"

Al Haitham

"Secondly, they could've just simply been offended. Assuming someone is acquaintances with Y/N is quite the insult."

*Sigh*

"That was probably just an innocent tourist, now look at what you've done!"

"They're gonna have a bad impression on Sumeru forever..."

Paimon

"Okay, okay, Paimon's not liking all this stupid negativity!"

Lumine

"I... Don't really see the resemblance."

Lumine remarked how the current image of you starkly contrasted with the crumpled, weathered bounty poster featuring a photo of you from nearly four years ago.

Lumine

"Al Haitham's right. There's too much of a difference."

Kaveh

"Ugh- What?! It's been three years, of course, they'd look different!"

Al Haitham

"Kaveh, just drop it and accept the fact that you've made a fool of both Sumeru and the academy."

Kaveh

*Sigh*

Kaveh stopped speaking abruptly, choosing instead to maintain complete silence rather than continue rambling.

.

.

.

Citizen

"Excuse me young one, do you know the way to the Zubayr Theater?"

You felt a gentle tug on the fabric of your shirt, and as you turned around, you were met with the sight of a frail, elderly woman who seemed to be in need of directions. It struck you how heartening it was to be perceived as approachable and helpful rather than unapproachable. 

You

"Just continue down this path, and then take a right. You should be able to see where to go from there."

Citizen

"Thank you very much!"

After the encounter, you stumbled upon a quaint, cozy cafe nestled on the outskirts of Sumeru City. Eager to unwind after the interaction with Kaveh, you made the decision to immerse yourself in the welcoming ambiance of the cafe and to temporarily set aside any lingering thoughts.

.

.

.

You

*Sigh*

"Finally. A place that's finally caught my eye."

.

.

.

Thoma

"Welcome in!"

.

.

.

You stepped through the entrance of the cafe and immediately recognized the familiar voice. It was different this time, softer and sadder, sending shivers down your spine. As you stood there, unable to move a muscle, you couldn't even bring yourself to look at the man behind the counter who welcomed you. 

Your emotions were in turmoil as you realized that all the hatred and violence you had felt towards Thoma had inexplicably vanished. You had sworn to yourself that Thoma was dead to you and that you would unleash your pent-up anger the moment you saw him again. 

But now, that fierce determination seemed to have dissipated. Your heart raced with confusion as you struggled to make sense of this sudden change in your feelings.

.

.

.

Thoma

"Hello?..."

You

"..."

Thoma carefully completed the final few items in the order he was preparing, arranged them thoughtfully on the serving dish, and then gracefully made his way over to you as you were still standing still at the entrance.

Thoma

"Uhm... Are you alright?"

"You're blocking the entrance so I'm just going to have to ask you to-"

As Thoma stood right in front of you, a wave of panic overwhelmed you. Your heart raced as you stumbled backwards, and the back of your head struck the door, jolting it open. Tears welled up in your eyes as you struggled to catch your breath, retreating as far away as possible. Sitting on the ground, you looked up at Thoma as he drew closer.

Thoma

"Oh! Are you hurt?... I don't think this is normal, I should call-"

You

"No!..."

Thoma

"... I'm sorry?"

You blinked, and the tears began streaming down your face uncontrollably. It was a struggle to get up, but eventually, you managed to stand and took off running as fast as you could, desperate to get away from that place. 

The Traveler, Kaveh, and Al Haitham were all in the vicinity when this occured.

As you ran with urgency, your breath came in quick, shallow gasps, and your chest heaved with the exertion.

Al Haitham

"Is that?..."

Kaveh

"N/N?! That's the person we saw earlier! Hey, hey, Lumine, that's the person we saw earlier!"

Paimon

"Oh shut up, she can hear you!"

Kaveh

"Haha, I was right!"

Lumine

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Al Haitham

*Sigh*

"Kaveh, stop with this nonsense."

"It's just a coincidence, and they're running."

"How does running prove that what you claim is right, Kaveh?"

Kaveh

"Because look!"

"They were running from that cafe. Who works in that cafe, huh?"

.

.

.

Lumine

"Thoma."

.

"Wait- But wouldn't they be causing a fuss?... Not running?..."

"No time to think- Follow them! Hurry, before we lose them!"

Kaveh teased Paimon by playfully blowing a raspberry at him as they ran together.

Kaveh

"Hah, told you I was right!"

As you were immersed in following Thoma, you failed to notice that a few were pursuing you. Despite this, your speed allowed you to easily elude them, and they ended up losing sight of you entirely.

Paimon

"Shit! We lost them! Ah, Paimon should've run faster..."

Kaveh

"Shut up, you can fucking fly! You could've caught them yourself, Paimon!"

Paimon

"Ah, but that's so scary!"

Al Haitham

"Hey. It's okay, Lumine."

As Al Haitham looked at her, he noticed the weariness and exasperation in her expression.

Al Haitham

"Look on the bright side. At least you can for sure report that Y/N's in Sumeru."

Lumine

"I'm just confused... I thought that Y/N's pure motive once they escaped would be to kill Thoma..."

"So why are they running away from him?..."

Paimon

"Y'know what, I suggest we go back and ask Thoma what happened!"

Lumine

"Yeah... That would be a good idea, Paimon."