Turns Out, Robot Nahida Still Gives Warm Vibes

Look, I'm not gonna lie.

The walk to Ghandarva Ville was peaceful, serene, nature-filled, filled with the chirping of birds, and just overall one of those beautiful "this should be a painting" moments. But my stomach?

My stomach was starting a war.

"Lumine," I groaned, dragging my legs like a zombie who had just missed breakfast for the third day in a row, "I'm hungry."

She glanced over her shoulder, eyes suspicious. "But you just ate before we left the Teapot."

"Yeah, like—" I did mental math. Badly. "—twenty-three minutes ago. That doesn't count anymore. I'm hungry again. Feed me."

Paimon, ever the floating snark cloud, hovered just high enough to give me the perfect deadpan. Greg was chilling on her head like a smug gremlin.

"Can you two take your flirting elsewhere?" she muttered, already over it. "Paimon swears, ever since Shigeru confessed, you've turned into a cliché couple who can't even spend five seconds apart. You're getting on Paimon's nerves."

Greg yawned like he agreed. Or maybe he was hungry too. Solidarity, my guy.

I stuck my tongue out at her. "You're just jealous, flying snack."

And then...

That look.

The look that said: One more word and I will end you.

Lumine's glare turned my blood into ice.

"Shigeru," she said, calmly. Dangerously calm. Like the calm before a lightning storm rips the sky in half.

My survival instincts kicked in like a cockroach at a raid convention.

I snapped to attention. "Yes ma'am! I'll keep my mouth shut!"

And thus, the rest of the walk was in total, absolutely obedient silence.

At Ghandarva Ville.

We rolled up to the forest village, with Paimon leading the way like she owned the place and Greg clinging to her head like a war banner. That's when we spotted her: green hair, big eyes, and a voice that always sounded like it was trying its best to smile even when everything sucked.

Collei.

"Oh, it's the Traveler and Paimon!" she said, waving. "What are you two doing back here?"

Then she noticed me.

Her smile turned into polite curiosity. "Oh, you brought another friend as well!"

I stepped forward and gave my best dramatic hero bow. "Greetings, forest angel. I am Shigeru—traveler, swordsman, disaster, and part-time menace. Also, part-time boyfriend to your favorite blondie."

Lumine facepalmed behind me. Greg mimicked her. Traitors.

Collei blinked, then gave a small chuckle. "You're... energetic."

"That's the polite way of calling him exhausting," Paimon whispered, not even subtle about it.

"Well, anyway! Collei, it's nice to see you again!" Paimon continued, floating closer. "Are you doing alright?"

Her smile dropped. Just a bit.

"I... To be honest, I'm not doing too well. My Eleazar's been progressing at a faster rate lately. It's getting harder to complete tasks."

She fiddled with her fingers. The mood dipped like a broken elevator.

"Master Tighnari's taken me off the patrol schedule. He says I should stay here and just coordinate everything."

"Oh, Collei..." Paimon's tone was gentle now.

Lumine frowned. "It seems curing Irminsul is our only chance."

Collei looked down. "Yeah... maybe."

That hit me like a rock made of guilt. I didn't know Collei well, but she gave off this vibe like she was always trying to be strong, even when life kept throwing metaphorical pinecones at her head.

"Speaking of Tighnari," Paimon said, "did he go off on patrol? We're here to talk to him!"

"Master Tighnari?" Collei blinked. "He just left the Avidya Forest not too long ago. He was headed to Pardis Dhyai."

Paimon floated up a little. "Huh? But... doesn't he hate leaving the forest? He even turned down the Akademiya's invite!"

"I thought it was weird too. He left in a hurry," she said, her brow furrowed in thought. "Didn't even tell me personally—just left a message and a detailed schedule."

Lumine tilted her head. "Something urgent, then."

"Sounds suspicious if you ask me," I added, arms crossed. "Guy's got that suspicious voice. Like, the 'I know things I'm not telling you and I secretly own twelve cats' kind of voice."

Collei blinked. "...He's allergic to cats."

I snapped my fingers. "So it's dogs. Got it."

Paimon ignored me. A wise decision.

"You mentioned Pardis Dhyai. What kind of place is that?"

"It's a research base," Collei explained. "Tighnari studied in the Amurta Darshan, and Pardis Dhyai is one of their facilities. He used to work there before becoming a Forest Watcher."

I nodded sagely, pretending I knew what any of that meant.

"So," I said, dramatically pointing to the horizon, "to the land of scholarly fluffballs we go!"

Paimon slapped her forehead. "Can we stop calling him that?"

"Never."

"Well, we don't have much time," Lumine said. "Let's head to Pardis Dhyai."

She turned to Collei and gave her a gentle smile. "Please take care of yourself, Collei."

The green-haired girl smiled weakly. "Don't worry. I'm used to living with Eleazar by now. If you see Master Tighnari, please send him my regards."

Paimon gave a thumbs up. "Got it! See you soon, Collei!"

I waved dramatically, walking backwards. "Farewell, sickly forest cutie! Keep being strong and adorable and forest-y!"

Collei laughed nervously. "Uh... Thanks?"

Greg gave her a small wave with his tail.

And just like that, we were off.

Cue dramatic anime transition.

The road ahead was long. Dangerous. Filled with mystery.

Also, I was still hungry.

But I didn't say a word.

Because Lumine still had that look.

And I liked having all my bones intact.

***

Okay, so here's the thing. I was quiet.

Me. Quiet.

That's not normal, right? I mean, we're talking about me, the charming, radiant, irreplaceable Shigeru—a man whose voice has been described as "endearingly annoying" by a very trustworthy flying snack. And yet, there I was, strolling beside Lumine and Paimon, lips sealed like I'd taken a vow of silence.

Why, you ask?

Well, reason #1: I was hungry. Still. Always. My stomach had turned into a sentient gremlin gnawing at my soul.

Reason #2: I was glowing. Not metaphorically. Like, actually glowing. Probably some leftover artifact energy or a reaction from that dubious sandwich I stole from Albedo.

But reason #3?

Lumine scared me.

That look she gave earlier? The one where she silently promised violence with the grace of a thousand falling stars? Yeah, that haunted me. I was walking on eggshells. Eggshells made of judgment and blonde fury.

So, yeah. I was quiet.

And just when I was considering breaking that silence to ask if anyone else smelled suspiciously like mushroom stew, Paimon piped up.

"Wait, look who it is...!"

I squinted ahead. A familiar green glow. A tiny form. But in Katheryne's body.

Lumine stepped forward, visibly relaxing. "Nahida!"

Oh. Ohhhh boy.

Paimon zipped toward her, relief written all over her floating potato face. "Thank goodness, you're okay! We were so worried about you..."

Lumine raised an eyebrow. Her instincts were on full alert. "You ARE Nahida, right? You haven't been reprogrammed by The Doctor, have you?"

I couldn't help myself.

"Yeah," I added, nodding seriously. "Blink twice if you're the real Nahida. Blink once if you're secretly an evil robot made of anxiety and coriander."

Paimon groaned. "Hey you two! This was supposed to be a touching reunion!"

Nahida giggled softly. "Actually, it's very smart of the Traveler to be wary. The Doctor's technology is more advanced than we realized. He could have controlled my mind..."

She paused, looking far off. "After all, even stagnant water after a torrential storm can occasionally pass as a patch of sky."

Paimon blinked. "Paimon feels like only the real Nahida could come up with something that obscure."

Lumine nodded. "I believe you."

Nahida blinked, confused. "But I wasn't trying to convince you. I just wanted to explain..."

I tapped my chin. "Only real Nahida would be confused about us trusting her. Yep. Checks out. Real Archon confirmed."

"Please," Paimon pleaded, clearly tired of us. "Just tell us what happened! Are the people okay?"

Nahida nodded. "When you left, I was restoring their minds. Luckily, what The Doctor did was create hallucinations, not permanent imprints. I was able to fix it... and mind-jump away before he captured me."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Classic anime escape. Right in the nick of time. Respect."

"But we lost an advantage," Nahida said quietly. "I revealed my identity. And now, he might trap my consciousness in the Akasha..."

Paimon flailed dramatically. "Then you wouldn't be able to jump between minds anymore?! What do we even DO against this guy?!"

"We need to act fast," Lumine muttered. "He's in the Akademiya. He could already be messing with the system."

I flexed. Badly. "Well, if it comes to it, I'll punch the Akasha. Right in the code. Hackerman style."

They ignored me.

Nahida glanced at Lumine, then me. "Actually, I've been waiting for you. I tracked your elemental energy and guessed you were heading toward Pardis Dhyai."

Paimon nodded. "We're looking for a scholar! His name's Tighnari. Maybe we'll find something useful if we talk to him."

Nahida tilted her head. "Okay. Let's just hope we won't get him into trouble."

And then it happened.

Lumine turned slowly to Nahida, then pointed at me.

"We're with him. We don't have to look for trouble. Trouble finds us."

I gasped, hand over chest. "Hey! That is..."

She stared at me. Cold. Unblinking.

I lowered my hand. "...partially not true."

Paimon and Nahida joined the silent judgment circle.

Even Greg, my tiny furry companion, peeked out from Lumine's bag and gave me a look that screamed disappointed but not surprised.

I threw up my hands. "FINE! I'm a trouble magnet! There! Happy?!"

No response.

Just four beings silently judging me.

Nahida finally smiled. "Let's keep moving."

So we did.

And I stayed quiet again.

Not because I was scared this time.

Okay maybe a little.

But also because trouble? Yeah. Trouble was probably just waiting around the corner, and I had to mentally prepare for whatever lunacy we were walking into next.

Also, still hungry.

Again.

Why does adventure never come with snacks?

__________________

End of Chapter 109

Quests Completed:

* Fix your messy post-battle hair situation.

*Evaluate the chances of Lumine stabbing you with a kitchen knife for your previous mistakes.

*Caught up with Collei and got punched in the feels. Again.

*Say the right words at the right time so Collei starts believing in herself more.

*Reunited with Nahida (still in Katheryne-mode, but definitely real and not coriander-flavored).

*Learned that Tighnari left for Pardis Dhyai under mysterious (read: sketchy) circumstances.

*Mentally process everything from Dottore's mind games to Nahida's words and Collei's memories.

Rewards:

*Nahida's Trust (She didn't erase my mind. That's worth something, right?)

*Suspicion Mushrooms (Something smells off. And no, it's not just the stew.)

*Greg's Disappointment (Achieved new levels of shame under the watchful eye of a tiny animal.)

*Persistent Hunger Debuff (Status: ongoing. Duration: forever.)

*Glare Trauma (Lumine's death-glare permanently seared into memory. +10 Self-Preservation)

*+5 Emotional Defense Buff 

*Suspicious Stew Recipe 

*Tighnari's Passive Aggressiveness (Off-screen) – I can sense it.

*New Dialogue Option: "No, Nahida, I'm not crying."

*Collei Lore Expansion – Chapter 2 Unlocked

*Self-Reflection x 1 (I now knows he has baggage. Still refuses to unpack it.)