Taking over the Abyss

[1 Mil Special] That Time Dango Sent Me On An Interstellar Adventure

a/n: just another fun special chapter :) tried to keep anything and everything that resembled a spoiler vague, but its a bit inevitable. the names of certain things in HSR come up and are briefly explained, along with 4 early characters who have been officially revealed, but everything is kept as spoiler-free as possible

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"Aether!" You called, waving an arm in the air to try and catch your blond haired friend's attention. Aether turned over to look at you in unison with Paimon, Aether politely returning your wave while Paimon waved both her arms around in the air excitedly. You quickly caught up to the pair, a bright smile on your face, "So, are we just hanging around Inazuma City for the day?"

"Yup!" Paimon chirped, grinning cheerily as usual, "Yae said that Ei was looking for us and wanted to go touring around the city again!"

"I'm pretty sure there was something else, but Yae was too cagey to say anything," Aether added, "You know how she is."

You suppressed the urge to shudder, knowing exactly what he meant. Surely that meant Ei had some sort of torment planned, whether she was aware of it or not. You wouldn't mind physical training with the freaking god of thunder, but that was something that needed at least three days of mental preparation for.

You walked alongside Aether, Paimon orbiting around the two of you and excitedly chattering about everything she saw. You couldn't help but smile at her antics, knowing that the events of Sumeru had stressed everyone out. Paimon being her cheerful self was always a nice sight, especially since she got so much joy from being a travel guide.

"Ei said she'd be meeting us somewhere around here," Aether mumbled beside you, oblivious to Paimon listing off all of her favorite Inazuma menu items. Looking around for Ei, you struggled to find anything overly purple. Guessing she was either lost or late, you resigned yourself to chilling out here for a while.

"We'll know where she is as soon as people start parting way down the middle of the road for her," you commented. It was a little funny to watch Ei part seas of people while trying to learn more about life as an ordinary citizen. You wondered if putting her hair in a different style and giving her a pair of sunglasses would help her out.

"Paimon wonders Ei wants with us! Ooh, maybe she's gonna use her money as the Shogun to buy us some clothes! Paimon wants one of those kimonos with the fluffy part at the collar!" Paimon cheered.

Aether raised an eyebrow, "You do? Why? I've never seen you wear anything else."

"You're one to talk!" Paimon sassed, putting her hands on her hips with a pouty expression, "We'll have to head up north sooner or later, right? Or even if we go back to Dragonspine, it'll be super cold! Paimon doesn't want to get turned into a popsicle again, so it'd be nice to have something warm to wear!"

"You have a point," Aether hummed in agreement before asking, "Why didn't you say something before? I would've loaned you my scarf if you were that cold!"

"Because Paimon's teeth were chattering too hard from the cold!" Paimon answered loudly. Watching them 'argue' was entertaining as ever. Hearing a loud yell in the distance, you turned to look to see if there was a situation. You were really hoping today would just be a normal day... at the very most, please, let the commotion be the intro quest to a time-limited event...!

"I- it's the Shogun?!" You heard somebody screaming, likely Gintoki. Aether and Paimon both heard it and shaped up, too, patiently awaiting the appearance of the Electro Archon.

Ei quickly made herself known, as the people of Inazuma backed up respectfully to give her enough space to walk down the street. She didn't seem to mind the plethora of people staring at her in wonder. Instead, she wandered over to the three of you, carrying something along with her. You greeted her with a small smile and a nod, Paimon waving and loudly calling out to her.