I Accidentally Got Isekai'd To Teyvat!

The night had ended, and with it, the festival's final echoes faded like the last notes of a lullaby. We said our goodbyes—Nilou, Dunyarzad, and the others still buzzing with that celebratory glow. Nilou lingered though, fidgeting with the hem of her dress, lips twitching into an almost-said thought. I waited for it.

But she simply smiled and said, "Goodbye, Shigeru."

I offered a casual two-finger salute. "Later, superstar."

And like that, it was just us again.

The walk back to the accommodation Dunyarzad prepared felt... oddly peaceful. Maybe it was the way the city shimmered under the moonlight. Or maybe it was because, for once, nothing was exploding.

"That festival was so fun!" Paimon exclaimed, her tiny fists punching the air. "I can't wait for the next one!"

"Hopefully the next one doesn't involve me nearly getting impaled by floating furniture," I muttered.

"Or being chased by a fungus monster twice my size," Lumine added with a smirk.

"Or getting slapped by a kid because I accidentally knocked over a balloon stand," I said defensively.

Paimon snorted. "Accidentally, huh?"

Back in our cozy room, I finally plopped onto the bed. Glorious. Like falling into a giant marshmallow. Lumine tucked her bag away, Paimon floated near the ceiling doing whatever it is Paimon does, and Greg had already claimed the nightstand like some smug little dragon-lord.

I took off the Akasha Terminal to give my head a breather, but curiosity got the better of me. I popped it back on to check something.

beep

??? : All connections have been secured to construct the most stable framework possible.

??? : The project has entered its most critical phase. Power has begun to flow from __.

"Huh?"

I sat upright, eyes narrowing.

Lumine turned. "What was that?"

Paimon floated closer. "Was that... the Akasha talking to you?"

I furrowed my brow. "Damn, someone bugged my Akasha... What a bummer."

And then—I took it off.

And promptly forgot about it. Like an absolute dumbass.

...

Morning light filtered into the room like that one responsible adult friend trying to wake you up for school.

I groaned.

"Mmm... what a cozy bed," I mumbled as I stretched like a sleep-deprived starfish. "Ten out of ten. Buying one for the teapot. And another for Greg. So he stops sleeping on my face. Freaking cold-blooded menace."

Greg, already awake and licking a curtain like it owed him money, gave me an innocent blink. The tiny traitor.

"Maybe you should buy one for Paimon too," Lumine said from the corner, tying her hair.

"Paimon prefers floating, thank you very much," Paimon replied, puffing her cheeks. "Beds are for people who snore."

"Hey! That was one time, and I was dreaming about dodging Hilichurl axes, okay?" I said.

Paimon floated up midair and stretched, rubbing her eyes with her little fists. "Did we oversleep? We should probably meet up with Dunyarzad. She's probably been waiting forever!"

I blinked slowly, still in a semi-dream state. "Dunyarzad... Right, the polite one. The one who doesn't threaten me with her blade when I breathe too loud. Got it."

Lumine was already halfway to the door, brushing her hair back. "Come on, you two. Let's not keep her waiting."

"Ugh, responsibility," I grunted. "Fine. But I'm taking another fruit on the way out. This place got Sunsettias? No? That's discrimination."

We strolled out into the warm Sumeru sunlight and made our way through the vibrant streets. The city was already buzzing with life. Music, laughter, weird hats—you know, the usual. I was still adjusting to the sunlight when I heard a familiar voice.

"Shigeru, Lumine, Paimon! I've been waiting for you three!" Dunyarzad greeted us with a bright smile.

"Good morning, Dunyarzad!" Paimon said, stretching with a sheepish grin. "We must've overslept a little bit, hehe."

"Not at all," she assured us. "I arrived early. Today is finally here! I must cherish every moment as if it were gold."

"You've worked so hard for this day," Lumine smiled. "You should enjoy it to the fullest."

"You know it! Although... I had a bit of trouble falling asleep last night. I'm hoping my body won't be too much of an issue today."

"Let's hope the only thing that hurts today is my wallet," I said.

"Let's start with the stalls over there," Dunyarzad said, her eyes practically sparkling.

As we followed her into the colorful chaos of the Grand Bazaar, I whispered to Lumine, "Note to self, buy Greg a leash. This lizard has no chill. He nearly pickpocketed a merchant. With his tongue."

Greg hissed proudly and flexed like a tiny bodybuilder. No shame.

"Many vendors came out of the blue to support the event," Dunyarzad explained. "They even insisted on covering the costs themselves."

Paimon blinked. "They paid for everything out-of-pocket? Sounds like they're not in this just for the Mora."

"Either that, or they all lost a bet," I added. "Festivals are the best place to blow your life savings for clout."

We stopped by a stall covered in herbs, fruit, and way too many mushrooms.

"This is... a stall offering foods from the Haft-Mewa Feast," Dunyarzad said.

"Oh-ho, you could tell straight away!" the vendor Amal said. "Thought most people wouldn't know."

"Mushrooms, flowers, fruit... It's all vegetarian," Paimon muttered. "A little disappointing... but festive, I guess."

"Yep," I said, poking one with a stick. "Definitely not meat. Also might be sentient."

"If Sumeru uses veggies for the Dendro Archon," Paimon said thoughtfully, "then wouldn't the Pyro Archon's festival be full of roasted fowl, meatballs, and grilled steak?"

"Paimon's about to start drooling," I whispered.

"Lumine, Shigeru, we have to go to Natlan as soon as possible!" she declared.

"Only if the steak is medium rare," I said. "And no more weird vegetable juice disguised as tea. I swear I was hallucinating colors."

We all laughed, but then... something shifted.

I paused mid-step.

Lumine did too.

We looked at each other.

"Hmm... Something's off," I muttered.

Lumine's eyes narrowed. "It feels like I've been here before."

My breath hitched.

"Fuck... It's already beginning."

Man, what a bummer.

That's what I muttered under my breath as we walked away from the food stall, my hands stuffed in my pockets like I just lost my third coin flip in a row. (Which, let's be honest, I probably did. Fate has beef with me.)

Lumine glanced at me, ever the responsible one. "Let's proceed and see what happens."

I sighed. Loudly. Dramatically. Academy Award-worthy. "As if we have any other choice."

"Paimon bets you'll still find a way to make it worse," Paimon chimed in with a grin.

"That's unfair. I prefer the term creative problem enhancer."

So we kept going.

Next stall—alchemical divination. Because obviously.

"Would you like to try your hand at alchemical divination?" a vendor named Kimiya offered.

"Sounds like something that involves explosions," I said. "I'm in."

"You give me two reagents, I do a random transmutation, then I interpret the remnants," he explained.

"That's... oddly specific," Lumine said, squinting.

Paimon frowned. "Sounds like it'll just fail."

"That's the point," Kimiya said cheerfully.

"According to Lesser Lord Kusanali, everything is interconnected," Dunyarzad added. "This is wisdom passed down through generations."

I handed him two herbs I definitely didn't steal. "Alright, future me, don't embarrass me."

BOOM.

Smoke cleared. The result? A pile of glitter, some confetti, and what looked like a bent spoon doing the Macarena.

Kimiya examined it. "Ah yes. This means... you are chaotic but full of charm."

"Okay, that's suspiciously accurate. Who told you? Was it Paimon? I bet it was Paimon. No wait—was it Greg? Are you in cahoots with my lizard? That traitor's been suspiciously smug lately."

"Greg wants a turn," I said, shoving him forward. Greg headbutted the table.

Kimiya stared in horror. "I... I think he just invented cold-blooded prophecy."

"Greg is basically the Oracle of Tongue. I'm scared."

Moving on—children chanting, "Farris! Farris!"

A man with a weird hat barked orders. "Atten-tion! Fall into formation if you want Yalda Candies!"

"Knight of Sugar Distribution," I mumbled. "Living the dream."

"Miss Dunyarzad!" the kids beamed.

"Farris, the Knight of Flowers," Dunyarzad explained. "A popular icon for children."

"Fitting," I muttered. "The hat says 'tax fraud,' but the kids love him."

Farris handed us candy boxes. "Pick a number between one and five!"

Paimon gasped. "Lumine, help me pick one!"

Lumine nodded. "Number four."

Sunsettia flavor.

"See? She's got luck stats maxed," I said. "Also probably cheats."

Paimon: "Thanks, Knight of Candies!"

Farris: "It's Knight of Flowers! Not Candies!"

"Your job title's already lost, my dude," I shrugged. "You're Candy Man now."

After more snacks, glitter, and emotional damage via spicy candy, Dunyarzad turned to us. "I just remembered I left something behind. Can you come with me to get it?"

"Sure," Lumine nodded. "Lead the way."

Paimon smiled. "You probably forgot because you're so excited about the Sabzeruz Festival!"

Dunyarzad giggled. "Haha, how embarrassing."

And that was the moment.

Yup. Yup. This definitely happened before.

I yanked Lumine aside like we were about to rob a bank.

"Blondie," I whispered. "I think we're already in the loop. The sashimi."

She deadpanned. "You mean Samsara."

"Same shit. One doesn't taste like bad decisions."

My brain spun like a fidget spinner on caffeine. "Damn. Now what should we do?"

Lumine crossed her arms. "Try something out of the ordinary."

"Like what? Even more chaos?"

She glared at me. "Is that all you have in your brain?"

I held up a finger. "About 90% of it. The other 10% is locked in an eternal battle—whether to think about you or Nilou."

She blushed, then slapped my shoulder. Hard. "You idiot."

"Valid. But accurate."

We looked at Dunyarzad and Paimon still laughing, going stall to stall. Greg was with them, tail swishing. Probably scouting out his next scam.

"Greg's definitely trying to sell fake fortune slips again," I muttered.

"That lizard is unstoppable," Lumine sighed.

"He's a menace. I'm proud."

"Alright then, you plan," I muttered.

Lumine smirked. "Let's make a detour."

"Ooooh, mysterious. Should I prepare my dramatic gasp now or wait until the twist ending?"

"Just walk, Shigeru."

"Aye aye, Captain Timebreaker. Let's mess with the loop."

***

So there we were. Inside a cozy Sumeru tavern that smelled faintly of spices, regret, and whatever the bartender was fermenting behind the counter.

Lumine sat across the table, fingers rhythmically tapping against the wood. Tap tap tap. You'd think she was plotting a heist.

"So," she said, eyes narrowing slightly, "we're already trapped in the loop you were talking about, right?"

I leaned back in my chair, hands behind my head like I was lounging on a beach instead of facing a horrifying, time-repeating existential mess. "Most likely. I mean, Greg's flicked me with his tongue a bunch of times before—but that one flick earlier? That one felt familiar. Like, deeply spiritual. Déjà flick."

Greg, sitting smugly on the edge of the table, flicked me again. On cue.

Lumine deadpanned. "Seriously? You realized we're in a time loop... from a tongue flick?"

"Come on," I protested, rubbing my forehead. "Greg has his own kind of flick. It's like snowflakes. No two are the same. I'll know it when it happens. I've been lizard-flicked enough to have a sixth sense about it."

Paimon floated in, already facepalming. "So, what now? Paimon gets that we're in a loop or whatever, but Paimon still has no clue what we're supposed to do. You two got any actual plans?"

Lumine leaned forward. "I do. It's like we're taking a detour. Try something we wouldn't usually do."

"Like what? Try not to cause trouble for a moment?" I raised an eyebrow.

Paimon let out a sigh that could've powered a windmill. "That's not possible. Paimon already knows you too well."

"Rude," I muttered, hand on my heart like she'd just stabbed me with facts.

Greg made a noise. A smug noise. Probably proud of the chaos he's nurtured.

"Okay, okay," I said. "So what's your 'unusual' plan, genius?"

Lumine smiled faintly. "We eat."

"Wait. That's your grand plan?" I raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that... like... not even a detour? That's just a Tuesday."

"You'll see," she replied cryptically, flagging down the tavern owner.

And so, after a bit of waiting and an emotional support napkin, the Charcoal-Baked Ajilenakh Cake arrived.

It looked... menacing.

"That... thing... Are you really gonna eat it?" Paimon asked, floating away from the plate like it was radioactive.

"Isn't this... going a bit too far..." she whimpered.

Lumine, without hesitation, picked up a slice. "Here goes!"

Paimon gasped. "H—How was it? The look on your face is telling Paimon that it tasted awful..."

I leaned closer. "So this is your idea of 'doing something different'? Trying to poison us?"

Lumine narrowed her eyes and promptly shoved a chunk in my mouth.

Surprisingly... banger.

"Okay, okay! No lies," I managed between chews. "This slaps. What even is this flavor? Spice? Regret? Crushed dreams and a bit of cinnamon?"

Lumine nodded with a soft look in her eyes. "This flavor... I've definitely eaten this before."

Paimon blinked. "That's impossible! We were just talking about how gross it looked... So would this be a case of taste bud déjà vu?"

I wiped my mouth and sat back, thoughtful for once. "Looks like I tried this before. Weird. Didn't think I was the tavern-hopping type."

Lumine sighed. "I couldn't get rid of it after all."

"You mean the taste? Or the memories?" I asked, half-serious.

"Maybe both," she whispered.

Paimon floated around the table. "Paimon also gets the impression that we've been here many times, even though we aren't regulars."

"Feels like we're stuck in someone's weird, badly-written novel where the author's clearly addicted to emotional loops," I muttered.

"Umm... How about... we go out again and try something else," Paimon offered with a hopeful smile.

I stood up, stretched dramatically, and pointed to the door like I was leading a rebellion. "Alright. Time to make more detours. Detours, okay? Not destruction. Sounds the same, but completely different."

Lumine gave me that look. You know the one. The classic 'I'm tired of your nonsense but also slightly amused' look.

"Not so sure about that," she sighed.

Greg flicked me again.

"Okay, see, that flick? That's new. He's evolving. We're in trouble."

Time to mess with fate again.

And maybe grab more cake.

We might be stuck in a loop, but hey—might as well snack our way through it.

__________________

End of Chapter 101

Quests Completed:

*Attended the festival and interacted with Nilou and Dunyarzad.

*Noticed strange feedback from the Akasha Terminal and brush it off like a goddamn legend.

*Spotted initial signs of the time loop.

*Participated in alchemical divination (explosions guaranteed).

*Nicknamed a beloved children's icon "Candy Man."

*Uncovered solid proof of the loop via repeated events. (Or a lizard flick.)

*Visited the tavern to test a detour theory.

*Ate suspiciously charred food and survived.

*Officially acknowledged entrapment in the Sashimi. Or Samsara. Whatever.

Rewards:

*Cozy Teapot Bed x1

*Greg's Disapproval x99

*Mora x15,000

*Sunsettia (Stolen) x3

*+1 Lore Insight: "Akasha Network Glitch"

*Random Pile of Glitter x1

* Mystery Candy Box (Spicy) x1

*+20 Emotional Damage (from spicy snacks)

*+10 Suspicion of Reality

*Greg's Cold-Blooded Prophecy Unlocked

*Charcoal-Baked Ajilenakh Cake (Actually Good?) x1

*Lumine's Soft Smile x1

*Greg Flick x3

*Loop Awareness Level Up

*Emotional Monologue Bonus x1

Achievements:

"Looped But Never Boring"

-"Recognized the time loop… and made it worse with flair."

"Taste Bud Déjà Vu"

-"Ate something suspicious. Realized it wasn't the first time. Still didn't regret it."

"Prophet Greg"

-"Let your lizard predict your fate. Chaos ensured."