"I do not miss this feeling at all."
Walking through the crowded street, the feeling of multiple eyes boring into me reminded me of the days when I first arrived in the City of Freedom. Though admittedly, the strange looks I received back then were nowhere near as bad as it is now, what with the amount of people on this narrow street alone being considerably more than the nearly deserted Mondstadt back when Dvalin was still running rampant.
Not helping my worsening mood is the fact that some idiots decided that loitering around, chatting with their group in the middle of a busy street and causing a human traffic jam is a good idea.
"If I can just blow them all away–"
"No." Xinyan, though visibly annoyed at that same group, seems too used to something like this. Her self control is admirable compared to someone like me. "You're quite famous within the Millelith, Yuu, we all are at this point. Do you really think they wouldn't realize who the culprit is if you go through with it?"
"I'll think of a way. I find that spite serves as a very good motivator in times like these."
Letting out a sigh in response, Xinyan turns towards Lumine. "Leader, please stop your boyfriend from willingly throwing himself into prison."
"No no, he's got a point." In between the two of us, Lumine has her arms crossed as her heels tap against the road impatiently, muttering what sounds like a curse towards the offending group. "I say let him do his thing, we'll think of the consequences later."
"Any ideas, princess?"
"I'll let you know when I come up with something."
"Well, you better hurry up." Glancing at the surrounding people, I can faintly hear whispers coming from them as they tried and failed to discreetly point their fingers in our direction. "I feel like a zoo animal right now and it's pissing me the fuck off."
"Not you too, leader…." Exasperated, Xinyan turns her attention towards the other member of our group that has been strangely silent for a while. "Paimon, please, say something to them."
Instead of answering though, Paimon did something unexpected.
"Oi! You!" Her childish shout laced with anger cuts through the hubbub, causing the bustling road to suddenly turn quiet. "Yes, you! The idiots blocking the road! Move aside, will you?! You're blocking Paimon's way to paradise!"
Before they can even reply, Paimon turns her attention towards the nearby Millelith soldier. "And you! Are you perhaps sleeping on duty?! Do something, anything, about those idiots, will you?! Stop wasting taxpayer's money and do your job!"
The Millelith in question, after having been berated by what's basically a child, hurriedly saluted Paimon and made his way towards the idiotic group. Things were made easier by the fact that the crowd started to part as they made way for the poor guy.
'Wow.'
Not quite finished with her rant, Paimon now turned her attention towards the gawking crowd. "What are you looking at?! Are you going to block the road too?!"
At once, the surrounding crowd collectively shakes their head.
"Then start walking!"
With one final shout, the gathering crowd dispersed as they went about their way. The four of us, on the other hand, now stood on a clearing at the side, with people pointedly walking around our group.
Xinyan, having her shoulders used as a stool by Paimon, carefully grabbed the huffing fairy as she began to rock her in her arms and pinching her puffed up cheeks in an attempt to calm her down.
"Just for that, you can order as much food as you want for today, Paimon."
"Hmph, that's the least you can do, white mask."
Now that the road has cleared up somewhat, our group continued our way towards the plaza. Though their eyes are still on us, they're now focused on the sulking Paimon.
"Who would've thought she's capable of blowing up like that?" Lumine suddenly whispered to me.
Glancing at the two in front, I match my voice to hers, careful not to set off Paimon. "Everybody has a breaking point, princess. If she hadn't done anything, I know I probably would."
"So even you, who usually acts as the voice of reason, can do something like that?"
"You have to admit, they're pretty annoying." I said, shrugging my shoulders. "Besides, it's not like you weren't itching to do something to them."
"Me? You're the one that's about to throw hands, Yuu, I'm content with just enjoying the show."
"Throwing ideas at me makes you an accessory to a would-be assault."
"Not if they don't have proof."
"Yeah right. If I have to spend a night behind a cell, I'm taking you along with me."
As we continued our banter, we eventually reached an intersection, on which we took a left turn. The moment we did so, we were immediately greeted by the fragrant smell of food.
On both sides of the road, various stalls were set up selling various foods that are fast to make and easy to consume, whether that be skewers, pastries, or even a simple packaged meal filled with rice and meat. Vegetables too, if you're feeling particularly healthy.
Truly, a place like this is nothing short of paradise for our resident glutton.
"Oh…." Taking a long whiff, Paimon, whose expression changed for the better the moment we arrived here, clambered onto Xinyan's shoulder as she stood up and started looking around excitedly. "Which one is it, Xinyan?"
"That one." Unfazed by Paimon's antics by now, Xinyan pointed towards a certain building on the right side of the street.
The building in question is much larger compared to the others, with a sign on which a giant word in the Liyue script is written. Attached to the side of the building is a white banner with words that probably spells out the restaurant's name, moving about as it flutters alongside the wind.
The two large windows on the front of the building are opened upwards, propped up by two wooden bars with foldable planks of wood attached to the base of the window itself, serving as a makeshift table for the customers to dine in.
"Come on, hopefully they still have an empty spot for us."
Approaching the busy restaurant, we entered through the curtained entrance and was greeted by a blast of warm air coming from the back.
Behind a large stove operating a giant wok was a girl dressed in a black and gold leotard with a bell hanging off her back that constantly jingled as she tossed the food inside into the air multiple times with ease, no doubt a result of constant practice.
Her gloved hands raised the charred wok as she scooped the contents within and quickly served them into several plates, before wiping the sweat running down her bow-like hair. Next to her, barely visible from behind the counter, is a small panda-like creature continuously spewing fire into the furnace below, making sure the heat doesn't die down anytime soon.
"Order up!" She shouted, ringing the small bell on the countertop thrice.
An older man approaches the counter at her call, grabbing the piping hot plate as he deftly maneuvers through the many tables as he balances the food on both hands, approaching a certain group of customers sitting by the wall.
"Yo, Xiangling!" Xinyan loudly shouted amidst the noisy atmosphere, catching the attention of the chef in question.
"Xinyan!" Briefly glancing away from the stove, Xiangling's hand continued moving even as her attention was focused on the rockstar. "There's an empty seat over here, I'll be with you in just a minute!"
"Okay!" She shouted in return before calling us over. "You heard the girl, come on."
Walking deeper inside the restaurant, we eventually found the empty table located near the back door by the kitchen. Being as close to the stove as we are, I created a small gust of wind surrounding our table, alleviating most of the heat.
"Phew. Thanks, Yuu."
"Anytime." Dematerializing my hat, I picked up what looked to be a menu from the side of the table and began reading through it, thankful that the reading practice I've been doing for the past week made things much easier. "So, any recommendations?"
"Their Black-Back Perch Stew is a must try for every first timer." Xinyan replied, before even opening the menu in her hand.
"Ugh, fish. I'll pass."
"What? Come on, don't knock it till you try it!"
"No thanks. I'll go with something else. What about you guys?"
"Oh! There's so much to choose from!" Even when she's only reading the menu, Paimon's already salivating at the mouth, no doubt about to make good use of my promise.
"Try and pay attention to what you're ordering this time around, Paimon." The scene of the white fairy panting for breath back in Wangshu Inn is still clear in my mind. "At the very least, don't order too much spicy food if you can't handle it."
"Don't worry, Paimon learned her lesson the last time!"
Laughing at Paimon's declaration, Lumine briefly reads through the menu in her hand before making her decision. "I'll go with Xinyan's recommendation."
"As for me, Jueyun Chilli Chicken should do the trick."
While the rest of them have made their decision, I flipped through the menu multiple times before settling for something called a Dragon Beard Noodles.
Standing from her seat, Xinyan walked towards the counter as she handed a roll of paper containing our orders before sitting back down.
As the three of them conversed, I looked around the restaurant, marveling at the size difference compared to the game. And this time, there seems to be other employees other than just Xiangling and Chef Mao.
'Imagine handling a restaurant this busy with just the two of them alone.'
The thought alone made me shudder.
Surprisingly, despite how busy the restaurant is, we didn't have to wait too long for the food to arrive. Or at least, the first batch of it. The gobsmacked face of the lady behind the counter the moment she saw the ridiculously long list Xinyan handed her was hilarious.
Sliding the mask upwards slightly, I slurped the oddly named dish, only to be surprised at how thin the noodles are.
As we enjoyed our food, the conversation we were having died down as each of them immersed themselves in their respective orders. Paimon, in particular, had the widest smile I've seen in a while as she devoured mountains of food like it's nothing.
Of course, the sight of a child eating that much food is bound to turn some heads. Not that Paimon noticed.
"Look at her go!"
"Quick! Where's the Kamera?!"
"Force feeding? Are they stuffing her up for something?"
Paimon ended up being a spectacle for the other customers for the entirety of her meal time.
By the end of it, a tall stack of plates that have been licked clean lay in front of the fairy as she leans into her chair, patting her still petite stomach while letting out a happy sigh. If you hadn't seen it yourself, you wouldn't think that someone so small had just finished devouring a week worth of food.
"No matter how many times I see it, it never stops being weird."
"That's just how Paimon is, Xinyan. Must be nice, not having to worry about her weight." Lumine sighed wistfully.
"I can practically feel the Mora bleeding out of my pocket right now. I really shouldn't have made that promise to her."
"Do you honestly think it's going to make much of a difference, Yuu?"
"Not really, but it's worth a try. At the very least, it might make me feel less stupid for doing so."
Suddenly, a call came from the kitchen next to us.
"Wow! She's really something huh?"
As I looked towards the source of the voice, I saw the approaching figure of Xiangling, carrying a couple of chairs with her as Guoba followed not far behind. Walking towards the empty spot to my and Lumine's right, she carefully set them down before taking a seat.
"So small and cute." The moment she sits down, Xiangling reaches her hand towards the half-conscious Paimon, giggling as she pokes at her cheeks, startling the fairy into full awareness. "Kind of reminds me of you, Guoba."
"~♪!"
As the small panda clambered on top of the chair, he let out a strange sound before furiously shaking his head.
"Hmm.. I guess not, huh?" Satisfied, Xiangling turns her attention towards the rest of us, a hint of blush on her cheeks as she rubs the back of her head. "Ehehe~ sorry for intruding so suddenly."
"It's fine, Xiangling!" Xinyan said, as she took a sip of her drink. "You sure it's okay to step out of the kitchen though?"
"Oh, don't worry about that. Your little friend here practically exhausted all of our ingredients for today, so I'm basically free until the next batch arrives."
"Sorry, she tends to go overboard when it comes to food." Lumine said in an apologetic tone.
"Don't be! It's always nice to see our customers enjoying themselves!"
The peppy girl, having reassured Lumine, gives a final glance to each and everyone of us before introducing herself properly. "My name's Xiangling, and this right here is Guoba! Come on, Guoba, say hello!"
"~♪" Letting out a grunt, Guoba raised both of his arms before waving them around with upturned eyes as his mouth curled into a smile.
"He says hi, by the way."
"It's amazing to me how you can understand him, Xiangling."
"It's not that hard." She said, as she gently rubbed Guoba's head. "Anyway, I haven't seen you in a while now, does that have something to do with your new friends?"
"Yep. Ah, right, let me introduce you to them." Xinyan's eyes scans the entire group before stopping her gaze on me. "Let's start with the elephant in the room, shall we?"
"I'm beyond flattered."
Suppressing a snicker, Xinyan continued with the introduction. "That guy with the mask over there is Kamiyama Yuu. Looks intimidating, but once you get to know him, he's really not that bad."
"Nice to finally meet you." I said, as I extended a hand towards Xiangling. "The boss of Wangshu has nothing but praise for your rather creative methods when it comes to cooking."
"Ahaha, it's nothing much really." Taking my hand, she accepts my offer of a handshake before continuing. "I just want to make super delicious dishes out of any ingredients. Especially when the more luxurious matsutake and crabs are very much monopolized these days."
"How so?"
"It's that stupid war between the Li and Yue style cooking that never seems to end, that's how."
A gruff voice chimed in suddenly.
Behind Xiangling stood an old man with slicked back hair, wiping his hands with the towel wrapped around his neck. "Honestly, I was a bit worried she'd be overwhelmed when she started her journey as a chef, but now, I have her to thank for what the restaurant has become."
"Stop it, dad!" Xiangling exclaimed, the blush in her face much more apparent as she struggled to remove his father's hand from rubbing her head. "Your notes helped me a lot, you know?"
"Yeah, well, my notes didn't exactly have anything to do with how you keep breaking our kitchenware with the explosions caused by that little slime experiment of yours."
"I needed it!"
"And I almost banished you from the kitchen because of it." Shaking his head, her father, Chef Mao, turned his attention to us. "Anyway, I hope you can accompany her for a bit. Archon knows she needs some time away from the kitchen."
"But dad–!"
"No buts. You've been working nonstop for days, Xiangling. The next batch won't come until dinnertime, so go out and stretch your legs with your friends or whatever it is you youngsters do these days."
With that, Chef Mao began to walk away, making his way back towards the kitchen.
"He cares about you a lot, doesn't he?"
"Yeah, he does." Gazing at his father's back, Xiangling went quiet for a bit before turning her attention towards Lumine. "Ah, sorry about that, you are?"
"You can call me Lumine." The blonde said as she gave a small wave towards the young chef. "It's nice to meet you."
"And Paimon's name is Paimon!"
"Nice to meet you too." After a brief handshake, Xiangling focuses her gaze back towards Paimon. "I've been meaning to ask, but what are you exactly, Paimon?"
In response to her question, Paimon merely tilted her head as she floated slightly above her chair. "Huh? What do you mean? Paimon is Paimon!"
"What she meant to say is that she's our emergency food in case things go south." I interjected, glancing at Paimon as I held back a laugh. "Why do you think I let her eat so much every time?"
"Really?" Xiangling, on her part, seems to genuinely believe what I said. "Can I take a bite?"
"By all means."
"Oi! Paimon is not an emergency food!"
With introductions out of the way, we spent a good portion of our time chatting, mostly Xiangling asking where Xinyan had been, since apparently, she regularly comes to Wanmin for dinner.
The restaurant, previously filled to the brim with people, had now gone quiet with only the sound of our talking as well as the sound of running water in the background as several other employees helped Chef Mao with the dirty dishes that never seem to end, courtesy of Paimon.
Now, after being caught up with Xinyan's situation, the topic changes to the upcoming ceremony.
"Does the Rite of Descension have any dress code that we should know about?" Lumine asked, as she sipped the last of her drink.
"Not really. Though it's a very important event for Liyue, it's not really restrictive in terms of clothing. You should be fine wearing what you are right now." Xiangling explained as she patted Guoba who was now sitting on her lap, letting out a soft grunt as he seemed to very much enjoy her touch.
"It's your first time in Liyue though, so why not take a look around the nearby stores?" Xinyan added, her eyes now shining bright in excitement. "I know just the right place for that too."
"Ah, you did mention you can sew, right?"
"Yup. I'm just about to run out of that silk flower fabric I need for one of my stage outfits."
"Shopping, huh?" As she said that, Lumine directed her gaze towards me, a smile I know all too well already creeping up her face.
Shopping? With three girls, no less? I can already foresee myself being used as their pack mule.
Besides, in my experience, every woman in existence gains some sort of infinite stamina buff when it comes to shopping. They can just go on and on, walking from one store to another just looking around and not even buying anything. It's practically a death sentence for my legs back then.
"Yuu–"
"No."
"I haven't even said anything."
"No need. I can already tell. The answer is no."
"Please?" She pleads, putting on her best puppy eyes. "I haven't seen you wear anything other than those clothes for more than a month now."
"And that's fine by me."
"Are you? I distinctly remember you saying that you want some loose clothes back in Mondstadt?"
"Ugh."
Honestly, I really do. As much as I'm very used to these clothes, it's such a drag to take off whenever I go to take a shower. Though it's nothing compared to when I have to put it back on. For someone like me who only ever wears t-shirts whenever possible, it's practically my worst nightmare.
"Even then, we're looking for some fancy thing to wear for the ceremony right?"
"Ah, you don't have to worry about that, Yuu." Xinyan suddenly interjected. "The place I have in mind has all kinds of clothes, not just formal wear, so you don't have to worry about that."
Hearing Xinyan's explanation, Lumine's expression brightens as she continues to stare at me.
'Fuck it. If it means wearing something comfortable, I'm willing to get dragged around like the pack mule I am if I have to.'
"Sigh. Fine."
"Haha, yes!" Feeling myself suddenly being dragged to the side, Lumine squeezed me into a brief hug before releasing me just as fast. "I knew we could come to an understanding!"
"Whatever. Just pay up so we can get this over with." I replied, straightening my wrinkled clothes.
With a bag of Mora she discreetly pulled out of her inventory, Lumine stood up from her seat before suddenly stopping. "Paimon, is there anything else you want to buy?"
"Oh, can I?"
"Of course. Come on."
Following next to Lumine, the two of them approach the register, bag of Mora in hand.
Shaking my head in exasperation, I suddenly feel a gaze directed at me. Turning towards the source, I saw Xinyan with a smirk on her face.
"What's with that expression?"
In response to my question, Xinyan let out a chuckle. "Nothing, really. It's just that, even though you say that you don't want to, you wouldn't actually turn her down, would you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Uh huh. Of course you don't." She said, before turning her attention towards the young chef to her left. "See what I mean, Xiangling? Like I said, despite how intimidating he may seem, he's really a big softie when it comes to the leader."
"Shut your mouth, Xinyan."
"Oooh, scary." She said, as her body shivers in mock fear.
"He really does." Placing her head on top of Guoba's, Xiangling continued. "You reminded me of a character in a book I read recently, Mr. Yuu."
"Just Yuu is fine."
"Ah, okay. Anyway, as I was saying, there's this character from a book my friend Xingqiu lent me. It's about this girl that really likes the main character, and she really wants to confess to him. However, despite her feelings, she would constantly act cold or even violent towards the boy she loves."
Wait just a damn minute.
"It's a bit different from how you act around Lumine, but other than the gender being reversed, it's pretty much the same, don't you think?" Finishing her explanation, Xiangling's head tilted as she proposed her question.
"Now that I think about it, he does act like that sometimes." Xinyan suddenly remarked. "Is there a term for a character like that, Xiangling?"
"Yes. I think it's an Inazuman thing, actually, so you might have heard about this, Yuu."
"Don't. For the love of god, don't say it."
"Oho? Now you got me curious, Yuu." The smirk on Xinyan's face got even wider when she heard my protest. "Go ahead, Xiangling, tell us what a character like her is called."
"If I remember right, I think the character was called a 'tsundere.'"
She said it.
She really went and said it.
"A tsundere, huh?" At this point, Xinyan is barely able to hold back her laughter. "I like it. Rolls of the tongue quite nicely, don't you think so, Yuu?"
"If you start calling me that, Xinyan, I swear to god–"
"No need to worry, Yuu, I wouldn't do something like that."
"Why don't you stop laughing and try saying that sentence again."
"Pfft!" With that, what little self control Xinyan had was broken as she laughed to her heart's content. Even Xiangling started to laugh alongside her.
"Oh man, what a riot!"
"Ugh, just kill me already." Sinking into my chair, I couldn't help but let out a groan when I think of all the times I'm going to be hearing that word coming out of her mouth.
"Haha, it'll be fine, Yuu." Reaching her hand from across the table, she proceeded to pat my shoulders as her laughter started to die down. "As your friend, I'll make sure to limit myself to several times a day."
"If you're actually my friend, you'd erase that word from memory right fucking now."
"Now where's the fun in that?"
"I hate you so much, Xinyan."
"Well, too bad you're stuck with me for the foreseeable future." With a toothy grin, Xinyan delivered the final nail in the coffin. "Isn't that right, mister tsundere boyfriend?"