It was hard not to draw connections between the mysterious god and Paimon.
Especially since Paimon's origins were shrouded in mystery. There was clearly a lot more to her than met the eye. In fact, there had been plenty of fan speculation about her true identity. Some believed she was connected to that god. Others linked her to the mysterious God of Time mentioned in Mondstadt's lore.
Still, whatever her background, Su Mo didn't believe Paimon meant any harm—at least not for now. Whether toward Lumine or himself, Paimon's actions didn't feel like she was pretending to be clueless. If anything, she really did seem… genuinely clueless.
And after spending a whole month teasing her, Su Mo felt like he had a pretty solid read on her.
Paimon, noticing Su Mo's odd stare, tilted her head in confusion. "What's with that look on your face?"
"I just remembered someone saying I couldn't even beat a wild boar," Su Mo replied thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing playfully as he turned toward her. A mischievous smile spread across his lips. "I think it's about time I proved otherwise."
"Waaah! No, wait—I was talking about the old you!" Paimon immediately realized what Su Mo was planning. She shot upward in a panic, trying to escape his clutches.
But—
Whoosh!
A gentle gust of wind spiraled upward, catching Paimon mid-flight and gently dropping her right into Su Mo's waiting arms.
"Wahhh! I surrender! Su Mo, stop squishing me already, I'm sorry!"
Pinned in Su Mo's arms and getting relentlessly squished, Paimon quickly admitted defeat, her words muffled and slurred in panic. Only when Su Mo had finally had his fill and let go did she manage to escape his grasp, wobbling slightly as she regained her balance.
"You two again, huh…" Lumine, already used to the sight, shook her head with a wry smile. Resting her cheek on one hand, she watched their antics with mild amusement. "Su Mo, you're pulling that same old routine again, aren't you?"
Paimon quickly took refuge behind Lumine, puffing her cheeks in protest and glaring at Su Mo. "That's it! I've decided—I'm giving you a terrible nickname!"
"A terrible nickname?" Su Mo mused for a moment, then offered helpfully, "Something like… 'Paimon-Eater'? Or maybe 'Fried Paimon'?"
Hearing those names, Paimon instantly started stomping her feet in frustration. "Stop saying things like that! Why is it always about eating me?! I'm not food!"
Determined to set the record straight once and for all, Paimon resolved that today was the day she would correct Su Mo's bizarre misunderstanding. She had to make it clear—she was not emergency food!
And so, with their usual bickering and banter, the night passed swiftly and noisily.
....
By early morning, when Lumine woke up and stepped outside, she saw an unexpected sight. Su Mo and Paimon were sitting quietly by the river, calmly fishing together, their eyes fixed on the water with uncharacteristic focus. It was such a contrast from the chaos of the night before that it left her momentarily puzzled.
Are they getting along… or not?
The thought crossed Lumine's mind as she smiled faintly. After washing up, she made her way over to join them, only to find Paimon slumped over Su Mo's back, looking thoroughly defeated.
"Fishing is so hard!" Paimon groaned, poking Su Mo half-heartedly. "Let's forget about all that 'fisherman's code' stuff! Let's just use that move!"
"You know, I've been wanting to give up too," Su Mo agreed, nodding solemnly. When it came to cutting corners, he and Paimon spoke the same language.
Putting away Lumine's handmade fishing rods, Su Mo opted for a much more direct method of securing breakfast. Curious about what "that move" was, Lumine followed them to the riverbank—and then watched in stunned silence as Su Mo stood up and raised his hand.
A split second later—BOOM!
A thunderous bolt of lightning, as thick as a sapling, shot down from the sky and struck the surface of the river. A crackling surge of electricity spread out across the water, and in moments, hundreds of fish floated to the surface, stunned.
That's right.
Their so-called "move" was electrofishing—with literal divine thunder.
Though the scale was a bit excessive, with Paimon's handy storage space, there was no concern about waste.
"You actually used a lightning strike to fish…" Lumine, watching the pair high-five in triumph, felt the urge to say something just to maintain her own sense of normalcy. Still, despite her protests, breakfast was breakfast. With Su Mo's powers finally restored, they no longer had to struggle to find food. Nor did they have to worry about Paimon sneaking snacks, now that Su Mo was in charge of provisions.
....
After breakfast, the journey continued, with Paimon leading the way once more. It wasn't long before they reached a hillside that offered a clear view of a towering statue at the center of a lake.
"That's one of the Seven Statues," Paimon explained as she floated ahead. "Specifically, the Anemo Archon's statue."
She pointed toward the wind god's effigy with familiarity. "We don't know for sure if the god you're looking for is the Wind Archon, but wind carries both language and song—if there's any news of your brother, it might be found here! Of course, whether or not the god responds is another matter entirely."
Hearing that, a spark of excitement flickered in Lumine's eyes. "The Wind Archon's statue… I see."
After a whole month, they had finally found a lead connected to the gods. It hadn't been easy.
"Alright, let's go!" Paimon called out happily, fluttering ahead.
But after flying a hundred meters or so, she realized something was off. There were no footsteps behind her.
Turning back, she was speechless.
"...What are you two doing?"
Su Mo and Lumine hadn't moved an inch. Getting closer, Paimon saw they were picking wild raspberries by the roadside.
"They're actually pretty sweet. Want one?" Su Mo offered a golden berry to Paimon.
"Isn't this the part where we're supposed to be heading toward the statue… mmm, it is really sweet!" Paimon, ready to scold them, was immediately swayed by the taste and ended up joining Lumine in foraging. It really did seem like the three of them shared the same quirks—truly, birds of a feather flock together.