When Jean first heard that monsters were attacking the city, her expression was pure panic.
By the time she rushed to the city wall, there wasn't a single living monster left in sight.
She called over one of the guard knights and asked, "What happened?"
The guard looked just as bewildered. "Acting Grand Master, we… honestly don't know what happened either…"
"Huh?"
"At first, someone suddenly shouted that monsters were coming, to hurry up and close the gates. We thought it was a joke."
"And then?"
"A little while later, Knight Amber came back and said the same thing. That's when everyone believed it and we closed the gates immediately."
"And then?"
"We all grabbed our weapons and got into position on the walls, but for some reason, there was suddenly an earthquake. Most of the monsters fell straight into a big crack that opened up."
"And then?"
"The rest of the monsters pushed up the road toward us. We were getting ready to wait until they entered bow range and start firing—then Klee suddenly jumped out."
"Wait. You mean Klee?"
"Yes, the same little one who's always talking about going to the lake to blow up fish."
"…Go on."
"She was holding this long rotating tube thing, standing up on the wall, and just—ratatatatatatata… She blew all the monsters to bits."
"…Where is Klee now?"
"I think she went off with a group from Liyue—Knight Amber was with them too. Acting Grand Master, you're not going to throw Klee in solitary confinement, are you?"
"How could I possibly do that? This time she's been a huge help to us."
"Exactly!"
"Alright, open the gates and organize a team to clear the battlefield. Don't waste any materials from those mutant monsters—we're short on money right now."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Jean made another round to calm everyone's nerves before finally returning to the Knights of Favonius headquarters.
"What a bizarre incident…"
---
When Xia Zhi got back to Windrise, his cousin still hadn't woken up.
Xia Ci was sitting next to her, wearing headphones and snacking on sunflower seeds.
Xia Zhi walked over.
She looked up with a smile. "Cousin, you're back."
He nodded and checked on his cousin. "She hasn't shown any physical response at all?"
Before, she didn't even have a body, so he hadn't noticed. Now that she had one again, Xia Zhi realized she had a unique natural fragrance to her—light and subtle, like the scent of cherry blossoms.
Xia Ci tilted her head. "Physical response?"
"I mean like her eyelids moving, anything like that?"
"Didn't really notice."
"…Eat fewer seeds and pay more attention to your best friend."
"Relax. With you here, she'll be fine."
"What are you doing?"
"Listening to music."
"What music?"
"The piece you played."
"Where'd you get it?"
"Cream Puff sent it to me."
"…Don't play it out loud, or you might lure Dvalin here."
"So what if I do? Just a little guy. Could be fun to tease him."
Xia Zhi pulled out his [Universal Battery]—still had about [15%] left—and handed it over. "Here, restore your divine power."
She shook her head. "I kinda like myself this way—youthful, charming."
"You mean pure yet seductive?"
"Exactly."
"You can't stay like this forever. You're not going to recover your strength?"
"Doesn't matter, not when I'm with you."
"If you like this form, once your power's back you can use magic to change into it again."
"Not the same. That'd be fake, like Madame Ping's transformations."
"You really don't want it?"
"Nope."
"Suit yourself."
He put the [Universal Battery] away.
She offered him the sunflower seeds.
He took a small handful and sat down next to her, munching seeds and chatting.
"I made a Gatling gun with Cloud Retainer."
"Fireworks?"
"Mm, but the Burgeon kind."
"Nice."
"This morning when I went to see her, I noticed she was wearing that sachet."
"So?"
"Come on, tell me—did you put your hair in it?"
"How should I know?"
"You've got the power of dreams. If someone dreams of you, you'd know. So… do you know?"
"Nope."
"Liar. That's boring."
"How can you tell I'm lying?"
"Not from you—but when I asked Cloud Retainer this morning, I could tell she was lying. Which means she did put your hair in it, which means you just lied."
"… …"
"What do you think she's planning?"
"No idea."
"You know everything."
"Oh, now you know?"
"Stop dodging."
"Stop fussing."
"You're annoying like this."
"So?"
"Makes me want to kiss you."
"Come."
"Hm?"
She looked up at him.
He crunched another seed.
"What did you just say?" she asked.
"Come."
"…Then I'll come."
"Come."
She leaned over.
He didn't move.
So-called God of Wisdom—supposedly knows everything. But in reality, still needed a seasoned driver to take the lead.
When they parted, she pressed her lips together and said, "You're awfully practiced."
He smiled. "You're awfully clueless."
She was about to retort when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye—someone lying nearby, eyes open, watching the show. "How long have you been watching?!"
Xia Zhen blinked. "Honestly? I just woke up."
"Yeah, right."
"I'm not a ghost anymore."
"Yeah, I know. I already touched you before."
"…?!"
"What are you looking at me like that for? It wasn't me who touched you."
"Oh, then never mind."
Xia Zhi chuckled. "I didn't touch you just now, either."
Xia Zhen grinned. "Shame, cousin. Such a perfect chance."
He kept eating seeds. "Nothing to regret—pretty sure you'll be coming to me for a massage tonight anyway."
"I recorded that!" Xia Ci declared, waving her phone. "Knew you had bad intentions when you massage!"
He didn't even react. "Oh."
She lowered the phone. "Want to come to our room tonight?"
"What for?"
"With three people? Obviously to play cards."
"Boring."
"Says the guy who came every night to play just a few days ago."
"…Alright, go get dressed, cousin. I'll wipe this magic circle and we can head back."
"Think Mondstadt's fine?"
"With the Dragon King there? No worries."
"Cousin, what exactly were you doing earlier?"
"Curious?"
"Yep."
"Saving a chuunibyou girl."
"Save her already?"
"Mm."
He erased the circle, staring at it for a moment.
She came over, curious. "What are you thinking about?"
"About how this place used to be called Windrise, but now… feels like the name doesn't fit."
"What do you think it should be called?"
"Thundercliff?"
"Hahaha."
Moments later, the three of them vanished, leaving only a cliffside scarred by countless lightning strikes.
----
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